We hunt for the best deals on games, consoles, and accessories all throughout the year, but the Black Friday and Cyber Monday rush that hits next week is one of the biggest sales periods of the year. Every kind of gaming console, the season's biggest games, and that hottest gaming accessories all tend to go on deep discount, and the best Black Friday deals tend to sell out within minutes online. That can make shopping stressful, but that's why we're here.
Black Friday 2019 is now only a week away--with many deals set to begin even sooner than that--and whether you have a long list of loved ones to buy for or a personal wishlist, it's best to have a plan when Black Friday and Cyber Monday roll around this year. Typically, ads from all of the big retailers leak weeks in advance, but this year, things are slightly different, with many brick-and-mortar retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, and Target officially publishing their Black Friday 2019 ads well in advance, giving us a closer look at what deals will be available and when. In fact, we already know most of what's to come, with some exceptions like Nintendo Switch's Eshop and Steam.
There are sure to be new deals that pop up or new items you might decide you want--the announcement of Half-Life: Alyx might suddenly have you in the market for an Oculus Rift or other VR headset. But it's never too early to start planning your Black Friday shopping to ensure you get the best deals and don't miss on the things you want most.
Read on for everything you need to know to prepare for this year's Black Friday, including the best deals to be aware of at different retailers across gaming (including PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch hardware and games), tech, and entertainment.
Well, it's tricky. Black Friday is technically the day after Thanksgiving, of course, so it falls on November 29 this year. But many retailers have begun offering deals already, making the entire month of November fair game for pre-Black Friday discounts. While the schedule varies from store to store, most of the best deals seem to be starting on Wednesday, November 27, or on Thanksgiving Day. Other deals won't be available until Black Friday itself. Once Black Friday kicks into full gear, the deals will mostly like continue through the weekend and pick up steam again on Cyber Monday.
Because the schedule of Black Friday deals varies so widely from store to store, here's an overview of when we know deals will be available for Best Buy, Target, Microsoft, Ebay, and other major retailers for Black Friday this year. Please note that start times often differ based on whether the deal is online or in brick-and-mortar stores. As more retailers release their Black Friday ads, we'll include that information here.
Black Friday store schedule
Best Buy
Most of Best Buy's deals will be available starting on Thanksgiving, presumably in the morning for online shopping and later on at 5 PM for brick-and-mortar stores. However, pre-Black Friday deals are already live on Best Buy's site.
November 28-December 1: All Black Friday deals and doorbusters will be available.
Online deals start on Thanksgiving (unknown time)
Best Buy store hours
Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28: 5 PM - 1 AM
Black Friday, Nov. 29: 8 AM - 10 PM
Saturday, Nov. 30: 9 AM - 10 PM
Sunday, Dec. 1: 11 AM - 8PM
GameStop
At GameStop, online deals will go live beginning at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET on Wednesday, November 27. For brick-and-mortar GameStop stores, doors will open quite early on Thanksgiving Day, starting at 3 PM this year.
GameStop store hours
Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28: 3 PM - 10 PM
Black Friday, Nov. 29: 7 AM - 10 PM
Saturday, Nov. 30: 10 AM - 9 PM
Sunday, Dec. 1: 11 AM - 7 PM
Amazon
While Amazon has opened a small (but growing) number of brick-and-mortar stores across the US, the bulk of its Black Friday discounts will be available on Amazon.com. Because Amazon is primarily an online store, it's not waiting until the end of the month to start offering its Black Friday deals. Instead, Amazon launched its Happy HoliDeals sale on November 1 with discounts across gaming, tech, entertainment, and other categories. Starting today, November 22, however, more deals will be available on Amazon, including a wide range of smart devices. Basically, Amazon will have deals going live all the time, so check back often.
Starting November 22: More deals will go live every day up until Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and probably the week after Cyber Monday.
Target
On the Wednesday before Black Friday, Target will have some special access deals for RedCard and Circle members. Otherwise, online deals will become available to everyone Thanksgiving morning, with brick-and-mortar stores opening at 5 PM on Thanksgiving Day this year.
November 27: RedCard Early Access Sale runs all day, with select deals for Circle members available starting at 6 PM (online only)
November 28-30: Black Friday deals and doorbusters available
Online deals become available starting Thanksgiving morning through November 30 while supplies last
December 1-8: Cyber Week deals available (online only)
Target store hours
Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28: 5 PM - 1 AM
Black Friday, Nov. 29: 7 AM - 11 PM (normal closing time)
Saturday, Nov. 30: 8 AM - 11 PM (normal hours)
Walmart
Walmart has quite a few early Black Friday deals that are available now, but its official pre-Black Friday sale begins today, November 22, with the full lineup of Black Friday deals becoming available on Wednesday, November 27. At Walmart stores, deals will become available to claim at 6 PM on Thanksgiving Day.
November 22: Pre-Black Friday sale begins. Deals haven't been announced at this time.
November 27-29: All Black Friday deals will be available
Online deals start Wednesday, November 27 at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET
See Black Friday store hours below
Walmart store hours
Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28: Black Friday deals start at 6 PM local time. Check with your local store, but typically Walmart lets you come early and fill up your cart before Black Friday sales officially start. You just have to wait until 6 PM to checkout.
Friday, Nov. 29: Check with your local store. Many Walmart stores are open 24 hours/day.
Microsoft
Microsoft announced its Xbox deals and start times during X019. Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold subscribers get early access to Microsoft's Black Friday Xbox deals, and can already start shopping for deals from any Xbox or Windows 10 device. Starting November 24, Microsoft's Black Friday deals will open up to everyone and will be available until December 2 (or while supplies last). In addition to Xbox deals, you'll find some nice discounts on gaming laptops, monitors, headphones, and more during Black Friday.
November 21: Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold members start shopping
November 24-December 2: Official Xbox deals available to everyone
Black Friday 2019 retailer ads and deals
Quite a few major retailers have released their full 2019 Black Friday ads; at the very least, many stores have shared when their deals will be available and what type of products will be on sale this year. Catch up on everything you need to know about Black Friday 2019 at Best Buy, Target, Microsoft, and more in our retailer-specific Black Friday previews. Among the major retailers, GameStop is conspicuously missing, but we expect the games retailer will reveal its Black Friday ad soon. Keep in mind that the digital game stores, like Steam, the Nintendo Eshop, and the PlayStation Store, will have their own sales as well, but those deals haven't been announced yet.
With quite a few retailers' Black Friday ads under our belt already, we're starting to get an idea of what the best Black Friday deals will be this year. Keeping in mind that some of these products aren't live anywhere yet (meaning we can't link them), here are some of the best upcoming deals that will be available during Black Friday 2019.
Best PS4 deals
PS4 Slim holiday bundle with God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition, and The Last of Us Remastered -- $200
It's all about speed, baby. Black Friday is like Prime Day on steroids, with almost every retailer throwing their hat into the ring and competing to offer the best deals. Now that retailers have begun releasing their Black Friday ads, look through them closely and take note of what deals you're interested in as well as their start times. You can also use CamelCamelCamel to check the price history on products at Amazon and browser extension Honey to find coupons from across the web. Browser add-on PriceBlink will also let you know if a specific product is cheaper elsewhere. Finally, if you spot a product at an incredible price during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, don't wait to buy it. The best deals will be gone in a flash.
