October is starting to wind down, which means the holiday season is starting to heat up. This year in particular is going to be big for gamers with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X launching in just a few weeks, on top of the usual slate of major current-gen titles hitting store shelves for the holidays. With everything that’s either available or about to be, GameStop has released its next annual Holiday Gift Guide to give gamers a hand in figuring out what to get.
Starting today, gamers can check out the 60-page guide via an official PDF file or by printed copies available at GameStop stores. The retailer describes it as “the perfect playbook to help gift-givers navigate through a broad array of merchandise,” which offers everything from games and hardware to accessories and licensed merchandise.
Much of it is devoted to the biggest games coming out next month, including Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. But the real meat of this year’s guide is, of course, the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, and it offers a decent overview of the consoles and their unique features, like the PS5’s slate of exclusive launch titles and the XSX’s All Access monthly payment plan.
Earlier this month, GameStop announced that it had entered into a multi-year partnership with Microsoft, and this week it was revealed that part of that deal means GameStop will receive a share of the digital sales from the Xbox Series consoles it sells. Despite this, the retailer refrains from focusing more on the Xbox Series X than the PS5 and Nintendo Switch, as the guide highlights all three equally.
In addition to the release of the Holiday Gift Guide, it was announced today that GameStop’s stores will be closed on Thanksgiving. This, the retailer said, is meant to give customers and employees “the opportunity to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and spend time with family and friends,” but given how GameStop stores are usually open on Thanksgiving, it’s likely that the COVID-19 pandemic is the main reason for the closure this year.
GameStop’s online store will still be available during Thanksgiving, and the retailer went on to tease its plans for Black Friday, stating that it will go into detail on things like store hours and exclusive deals soon. Furthermore, it teased that it will be “hosting more Pre-Black Friday sale events than ever before,” which it will detail in the coming weeks.
Source: GameStop Holiday Gift Guide 2020