Black Friday is a great time of year to stock up on Blu-ray copies, 4K and otherwise, of your favorite movies and TV shows. Take A Nightmare on Elm Street's seven-film 4K Blu-ray collection, now at its lowest price yet of just $82.89 at Amazon for Black Friday. That's down from $104.98, and just under $12 per movie!

Black Friday Deal: Save on A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K Collection

The PlayStation 5 has been around for going on five years, and Sony’s system shows no sign of slowing down. In that time, we’ve had exclusives like Spider-Man 2, Ghost of Yotei, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Plus, with Marvel’s Wolverine slated for 2026, there's plenty more to look forward to.

And, thanks to Amazon’s Black Friday deals, you can save $100 on a PS5 just in time for Christmas. My favorite pick is currently the PS5 NBA 2K26 Bundle, now $449.99.

As it includes a free game in NBA 2K26, you're getting another $70 in value (or $30 in the sales), so this is arguably the best console deal in the sale.

Save $100 On A PS5 for Black Friday

At Amazon, you can snap up a PS5 Slim with a disc drive for playing physical games and media for $449, or a Digital Edition for $399. That includes the new Black Friday Fortnite bundles, as well.

There's also $100 off the PS5 Pro, which uses PSSR upscaling for enhanced resolution without sacrificing frame rate, and it has advanced ray tracing in supported games, as well as a 2TB internal SSD. The console is down to $649.

For Black Friday, Lenovo has dropped Legion Tower 7 RTX 5080 gaming PC to the absolute lowest price I've ever seen. You can get a nicely configured system for just $2,089.99 after you apply coupon code "EXTRAFIVE" in cart. This beats out the previous low by over $300. It's not the least expensive RTX 5080 prebuilt for Black Friday (the Alienware Aurora R16 starts at $1,815), but it's easily one of the most well-rounded configurations for its price.

Lenovo Legion Tower 7 RTX 5080 Gaming PC From $2,090

When I fired up Cricket 26 for the first time and hopped into a quick five-over game to get my eye in, I was pleasantly surprised by how substantially smoother it all seemed in contrast with the messy launch state of 2023’s Cricket 24. Cricket 26’s lighting and player models all really pop, the inputs feel far snappier, and the fielders all seem like they actually know there’s a game being played – unlike the dawdling doofuses in Cricket 24 who all seemed to stand around with their hands in their pockets. Then my match between the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals crashed at the change of innings. At which point I reloaded it, and it crashed again. And again. In fact, the longer I played Cricket 26, the more obvious its numerous technical flaws became, to the point that I’d have to say that my experience with Big Ant Studios’ latest has been a bit like playing on a cricket pitch in Perth – the grass looks greener on day one, but it’s not too long before the cracks start to show.

Still, there’s no question that when it works, Cricket 26 presents a much more enjoyable representation of the sport than Cricket 24 was ever capable of. Batting, in particular, feels far more responsive and natural – whether you’re using the arcade-style button controls or the more intuitive dual-stick setup. For the first time in a long time with this series, I feel like I’m able to consistently direct my strokes where I actually intend them to go, unlike Cricket 24 which often felt a bit predetermined in the way I’d keep knocking off-drives straight to the same cover fielder no matter where I aimed or how well I timed it.

That’s not to say that scoring runs has become too easy, however, and I’ve found myself playing down the wrong line and getting beaten on the inside and outside edges of the bat, which also feels far more true to life. Even on the default difficulty setting, batting in Cricket 26 has provided an absorbing challenge for the most part. I’m yet to feel the need to dig deep into the menus to painstakingly fiddle with the various timing and physics sliders in an effort to make it feel more realistic like I did with Cricket 24, which takes a lot of the trial and error out of the experience.

Bowling, on the other hand, hasn’t changed quite as much but it still feels engaging. I had hoped that the wobble seam delivery would have been added to Cricket 26, especially given that it’s become such a common variation these days that Pat Cummins has basically made it his stock ball, but sadly that’s not the case here – and the floaty knuckleball that a number of Indian pacers have added to their arsenals over the past decade or so hasn’t been included either. However, while the delivery types themselves remain the same, there has been some added nuance introduced in the form of the effect of wind on the ball. An arrow on the edge of the pitch map indicates the direction and strength that a gale is blowing, and that can be used to enhance the amount of swing on a delivery (or if you’re batting, how much further a lofted shot will travel should you aim it downwind). It’s a thoughtful addition that brings some extra strategy to each ball you face or deliver.

There’s clearly been a lot of work put into player animations too, especially as far as unique bowling actions are concerned. It’s great to see Nathan Lyon’s signature right-handed flick to the side as he leaves the top of his mark, or Mitchell Santner’s shark fin-like front hand carving through the air above his head as he’s about to release the ball. Some of these unique bowling actions aren’t just for show, either – I’ve found facing Jofra Archer to be noticeably more awkward than other fast bowlers, not just because of his speed on the ball but also the way he seems to lumber in so casually before suddenly exploding through the crease. It’s kept me more conscious of making subtle adjustments to my shot timing as the opposing team rotates from one bowler to the next.

Elsewhere, fielding has been substantially overhauled, although certain frustrating quirks still remain. There’s now much less of a delay between a fielder gathering the ball and making a return throw, and there are some new catching animations that see them diving and sliding around in a more agile fashion than they ever did in Cricket 24. However, the slow-motion runout system almost always makes me throw to the opposite end that I intended, and wicketkeeper behaviour is erratic. One moment they’re stubbornly refusing to swipe the bails off during a genuine stumping chance, the next they’re taking a superhuman catch around their ankles down the leg side. Yet, by and large, Cricket 26’s fielders display a level of alertness that more closely resembles the real thing, and it’s nice to see them run in pairs for relay throws or dive towards the rope for a tap-back.

Un-urned

Given that it’s been branded as ‘the official game of the Ashes’, you’d think that Cricket 26’s special mode dedicated to the freshly reignited Australia-England rivalry would have been given extra attention from the developers to ensure that it really capitalised on what has been one of the most hyped test series in recent memory. However, there appears to have been about as much thought and effort put into it as England’s approach to batting on day two of the recent first Ashes test. Sure, you do get to play all five test matches in the series in all of the relevant Aussie venues, including a day-night pink ball test at the Gabba, but there really is little else here to distinguish the mode from just building a series yourself using the tour creator that returns from Cricket 24.

There are no practice matches to play for the touring side, although given English coach Brendon McCullum’s ‘it will be alright on the night’ philosophy for player preparation, perhaps that’s true to life. Instead, the build up to each of the five matches in the series goes like this: you press a button to travel to the city hosting the match, complete a fairly modest and non-tailorable training minigame that involves bowling precisely three deliveries and a handful of batting strokes, select your final 11 from your squad of 16, mindlessly spam your way through painfully generic answers in a press conference, and then play the match itself. Repeat that four more times and you’re done.

There is a team confidence meter to maintain, and optional match objectives to complete as well, but it all feels a bit nebulous. Team confidence fluctuates depending on match results, success or failure in the training minigames, and your responses to press conference questions, but it’s all applied so inconsistently and absolutely none of it seems to have a measurable effect on anything. I failed my first training session and my team confidence took a dive, meaning I went into the opening test at Perth with my Australian team seemingly flagging at 55% confidence. It clearly didn’t make much of a difference, though, since I still ended up smashing England inside three days.

The pre-match press conferences are particularly hard to engage with, given that the questions you have to field are often factually incorrect. I kept getting asked about how I felt about securing a draw in a previous match, even though I’d won it, or I’d be asked to reflect on my performance at a certain venue even though I hadn’t played there yet. It feels less like facing a press room full of proper sports journalists and more like being punked by a crowd of teenage TikTok pranksters.

Successfully completing optional match objectives also gives team confidence a boost, but these goals seem to veer wildly from the realistic to the ridiculous. In one match I was tasked with scoring 64 combined runs with the tail, which was tricky but ultimately attainable, while in another my objective was to bat at above eight runs an over, which is an insane demand for a test match innings. You could field a team of 11 Harry Brooks and still struggle to score at that rate. You couldn’t field a team of 11 Brendan Doggetts, though, or even a single Brendan Doggett for that matter, given that he’s disappointingly absent from Australia’s Ashes squad in Cricket 26 despite making his international debut last week.

Armchair-man of the Board

So the Ashes mode is more slapdash than fierce clash, and Cricket 26’s only other new mode of note, the management career, is equally as half-baked. To be honest, I’m typically not one to dabble in the front office side of sports simulations, so perhaps I’m not best equipped to evaluate this series’ first crack at allowing players to run a cricket club. However, after investing several hours into this fairly superficial squad management sim let’s just say I’m unlikely to become a convert any time soon.

There’s just not an enormous amount to it. You don’t get to manage the budget for player salaries, or hire a coaching staff, for example. You basically just pick your team and either play the matches or simulate them, not unlike the existing player career mode minus the training minigames and net sessions in between. It also seems a shame that there’s no option to watch a generated highlights package when you simulate the result like you can in the Football Manager series. Unless you want to be fully hands-on with each match, your only exposure to the team’s performance is via static scorecards and text-based match reports that pop up in your email inbox, which feels pretty dry.

If you do opt to play the games yourself, there doesn’t appear to be any management options during a match that make it feel any different to the general gameplay featured elsewhere. You can’t, say, run tactical team instructions out to the middle with the 12th man during a drinks break, or send a substitute fielder on because your ageing opening batsman injured his back playing a golf tournament the day before the game. Strangely enough it also doesn’t seem to factor in the unavailability of players with national team duties either. I was able to steer the NSW Blues to the top of the Sheffield Shield, largely because the likes of Australian test team stars Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc were inexplicably available to be picked for every match of the domestic summer.

Cricket 26’s management career just feels underdone and, in some aspects, partially broken. You can adjust training schedules for each of your players, like assigning them recovery sessions to reduce fatigue or team bonding sessions to boost their individual morale meters. However, I struggled to really get a feel for the impact of these options given that the training section of the management menu often just completely failed to load. I also encountered a bug that would cause Cricket 26 to crash everytime I tried to finalise my line-up. The irony that the design of Cricket 26’s dedicated management mode appears to have been somewhat mismanaged certainly isn’t lost on me.

Elsewhere, Cricket 26 possesses most of the same feature set as Cricket 24, from the largely unaltered player career mode to the microtransaction-riddled card collecting of Pro Team – with the latter featuring a new mode called Centurian. At the time of writing this just has a ‘Coming Soon’ message posted on it, leaving me completely in the dark as to what it might actually entail. The robust suite of customisation tools for everything from players to bats to stadia remain present and useful, while the actual number of licensed teams stays more or less the same. On the upside, all but one of the 10 IPL teams are now officially included, but on the downside you still need to rely on the talents of community creators to import Indian and South African squads into Cricket 26, and New Zealand’s Dream11 Super Smash competition has seemingly been ditched entirely.

Patches Fix Matches

In every area in which Cricket 26 excels, though, the shine is regularly taken off it as though it’s been polished with a piece of 60 grit sandpaper pinched from David Warner’s kit bag. It feels exhilarating to setup a batsmen by pushing a few straight balls across him before pulling the trigger on a hooping in-swinger than cannons into his pads, but it’s infuriating to slave away in search of a wicket only to watch a thick edge sail into the keeper’s gloves and have it given not out for no clear reason, with no option to challenge the umpire’s decision (at one point, this happened to me three times in the space of one over). It’s satisfying to swivel-pull a short ball into the crowd for six, but absolutely deflating to hook it down to deep backward square and get caught on the boundary, only to watch the fielder very clearly step on the rope, and still be given out anyway.

I like that matches can now be affected by rain and outcomes can be decided by the Duckworth-Lewis method, but so far my only exposure to it came when I was a mere three overs into the first innings of a T20. Without warning, the game was abruptly called off due to rain and my team was declared the winner – even though I was the only one who’d had a chance to bat. This is not to mention the regular crashes I’ve experienced during the 20 hours or so I’ve invested into Cricket 26 on the PlayStation 5 so far, or the many UI glitches – like the scoreboard for The Hundred that seems to be a placeholder hastily cobbled together in MS Paint. Or the many unrealistic AI behaviours, like bowling a bunch of short stuff in the opening over of a test – or indeed opening the bowling with one of its batsmen.

Meanwhile, and as has long since become customary with Big Ant’s cricket games, the in-game commentary is about as accurate as often as a broken wristwatch. I welcome the presence of cricket luminaries like David Gower and Adam Gilchrist to bring their insights to the game, but not when it seems like they’ve been blindfolded and spun around in a circle before they entered the commentary box like they’re playing a verbal game of pin the tail on the donkey.

In spite of these issues, I find myself far more invested in Cricket 26’s future because the core experience out in the field is such a major step up from the previous game that I’m willing to live with the noticeable rough edges. Assuming that Big Ant can stamp out most of the bugs, this could yet turn out to be one of the best cricket simulations the Aussie developer has ever produced. Yet even though the developer does have a track record of providing plenty of post-release support to its cricket games – and there have already been four patches for the PlayStation 5 version in the first week since launch – it’s hard at this point to be confident that it will rectify all of my complaints. As if to justify my slight pessimism, I fired up Cricket 24 this week to compare it side by side with Cricket 26, only to discover that Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett’s facial textures had disappeared completely. I know the English batting order has a tendency to lose their heads, but this is ridiculous – and then my test match crashed before I could even bowl a ball. To be clear, that’s after more than two years of post-launch patching.

The legendary Black Friday sales are here, and hundreds of amazing video game deals are live across Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. Among these, the latest Yakuza game – Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii – is down to only $25. If you missed this one back in February, there has never been a better time to jump in and sail the seas with Goro Majima.

Score Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii for $25 During Black Friday

Black Friday Week has officially arrived, with early Amazon deals causing a domino effect across the world wide web. I've got PlayStation 5 console and game deals, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 bargains, reasonably priced Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, highlights from Walmart's Black Friday sale, cheap Hulu add-ons for 12 months and fricking Xbox Crocs. Xbox. Crocs.

There's something crazy in the air today, and it's early Black Friday deals that could very well get you sorted for the holidays before Black Friday drops on 28th. Let's get straight into it:

LEGO Christmas Tree

Best PlayStation Deals Today

Elden Ring for $15, Assassin's Creed: Shadows for $30 and the same goes for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Even Battlefield 6 is going for below MSRP at $52.99. This year's Black Friday video game deals are crazy. Plus, the PS5 Pro is down to $649.99 right now and is a great time to buy at this price.

Best Nintendo Deals Today

Whilst we've got more chance of GTA VI releasing this week than getting a big discount on Nintendo Switch 2, there's plenty of game and accessory discounts to tide us over. Legend of Zelda: TotK amiibo have rocked up for $9.99 (like my Goron jokes!), big first party titles for Nintendo Switch that have free Switch 2 upgrades are also available for $30, like Super Mario Odyssey, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Remake and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. The same goes for Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2, which is a great technical display on what Nintendo Switch 2 can do (if nothing else).

Best Xbox Deals Today

A Xbox Series X controller for $27.99? I couldn't care less if it's Amazon Resale at that price, and this service is pretty solid to boot. It's also a good time to accept the writing on the wall for Game Pass price hikes, considering you can still get 3 months of Ultimate for $59.99. There's some great game picks for $29.99 each such as Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and EA Sports FC 26.

Top Walmart Black Friday Deals So Far

Walmart has brought its game this year, with deals like AirPods 4 for $69, AirPods Pro 2 for $139 and a 65-inch 4K LED HDR TV for $228. Gaming deals are strong here too, such as the Fortnite PS5 Digital console for $399 that includes nearly 10 in-game cosmetic items including a skin and 1000 V-bucks. That's a perfect present idea right there.

Walmart Pokémon Plushies for $25

Some of these plushies go for over $70 throughout the year as they're bigger at 24" in size. They're official and made by Jazwares, the creators of Squishmallows. Expect these plushies to be soft and made with premium materials. They're brilliant stocking fillers that in no way, shape or form could fit in a stocking.

Black Friday Streaming Deals

Yep, I'm starting to feel the pinch of streaming services now costing more than what a cable subscription used to, which pretty much defeats the object of streaming in the first place. However, some of the biggest platforms (and some niche ones) have some fantastic Black Friday deals to save a small fortune. Mega Fan Crunchyroll is $99.99 for 12 months, which will have your animé itch scratched. Hulu has a number of Disney+ combos and very cheap ways to add services such as HBO Max and stars for $2.99 per month, too.

Xbox Classic Crocks Now Available

The ROG Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally consoles have finally arrived, offering the power and portability of a PC gaming handheld with Microsoft's newly redesigned Xbox interface. Our reviewer liked the ROG Xbox Ally X very much, hailing it the new standard for handhelds moving forward. (We'll be testing the ROG Xbox Ally in the near future too – stay tuned.) While both Xbox Ally models come with a 65W charger and a stand, there are some other clever accessories available that'll let you get the most out of your new gaming machine. From storage upgrades to protective cases and useful docks, we've rounded up the best accessory options available right now.

We've been testing PC gaming handhelds like the Xbox Ally consoles for years, so we've got some good baseline recommendations for some of the most important accessory categories ready to go for launch – and we'll keep this article updated with our latest picks as we get new gear in for testing. But if you're itching to stock up on extras ASAP, these are the accessories we can vouch for with confidence.

Best Xbox Ally X MicroSD Cards

More graphically intensive games often come with hefty storage requirements that can soon outstrip the 512GB built into the Ally or 1TB built into the Ally X, but it's simple to add more storage using great value MicroSD cards. We've restricted our recommendations to cards that meet the A2 standard, as this is a good indicator of reasonable loading time performance. MicroSD cards are now available in sizes up to 2TB, with Samsung, SanDisk and PNY all represented amongst our picks.

Best Xbox Ally X SSD Upgrades

As well as inserting a MicroSD card, you can also upgrade the high-speed NVMe SSD built into the 512GB ROG Ally and 1TB Ally X with a bigger alternative. Asus has opted for a full-size (2280) socket here, so you're not limited to the physically smaller 2230 standard as was the case on the original ROG Ally and Valve's Steam Deck. We've opted for PCIe 4.0 drives that offer a healthy storage increase over the default drives, while also balancing price and performance.

Best Xbox Ally X Screen Protectors

As the Xbox Ally X and Ally share screens with the earlier Asus ROG Ally and Asus ROG Ally X, plenty of screen protector options are available. The DBrand tempered glass screen protector remains our top choice for its overall quality and idiot-proof application, but you've got plenty of cheaper alternatives to pick from should you prefer to stay under $10.

Best Xbox Ally X Gaming Headsets

The Xbox Ally handhelds are designed to be played wherever, so we've selected a quartet of headsets that are also fully mobile. The Arctis GameBuds are our top pick, offering low-latency and high-quality USB-C or Bluetooth audio in a convenient pocketable package, but you could also consider full-size options that are cheaper (the wired HyperX Cloud III) or more expensive (the on-ear Turtle Beach Atlas Air wireless headset and the luxurious Arctis Nova Pro Elite). In general, the more you expect to play these consoles on the go, the more we'd recommend a headset that is light, wireless, and has great ANC.

Best Xbox Ally X Cases

Cases are one of the more model-specific categories, but the free market has responded with a good selection of first-party and third-party options. We've selected both, including a good inexpensive option that's specially adapted for the wider shape of the Xbox Ally and Ally X, the official Asus case that offers a detachable accessory pouch, a classic shoulder bag and the always-popular DBrand Killswitch protective cover. Whether you prefer something slim and simple, or capacious and capable, there are at least a couple of great options to mull over here.

Best Xbox Ally X Docks

Best Xbox Ally X Portable Chargers

Best Xbox Ally X Controllers

Robert Kirkman's first two trade paperback Invincible Compendiums are part of Amazon's early Black Friday buy 2, get 1 free sale, a great excuse to catch up on the comic that inspired the Amazon show, and pick up another graphic novel for free. Already own one of them? Don't worry – Invincible Compendiums One and Two are 33% and 31% off respectively. As for Invincible Compendium Volume 3, that's on sale for a generous 42% off, but is not included in this bundle deal.

Invincible Compendiums On Sale At Amazon

Published by Image Comics, Invincible quickly become one of the highest praised independent comics around. So much so that it has a multi-season show on Prime Video and its own fighting game on the way. The three Compendiums collect the comic series' entire 144-issue run into three tidy books with complementary spines that should look nice together on any comic fan's bookshelf. If you're more of a digital comics reader, check out our guide on how to start reading Invincible for free online.

And if traditional books are more your style, the buy 2, get 1 free deal has a handful of great box sets of popular series like The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Dune, The Chronicles of Narnia, and so much more you can bundle together.

Buy 2, Get 1 Free On More Comics

If you've already read through Invincible, this sale has dozens of other comics included as well. All-Star Superman is one of the best stories featuring our favorite Boy Scout around, while TMNT: The Last Ronin tells an uncharacteristically dark tale compared to the campy, colorful cartoons that gave the Ninja Turtles their mainstream success. I'd also recommend Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, as it's the inspiration for the upcoming film starring Milly Alcock in the title role.

Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.

The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X handhelds bring new levels of power and portability to Windows gaming PCs, packing in console-level features into a small package. With even the cheaper vanilla Ally costing $599 and the more expensive Ally X hitting a full $999, it's also a PC that requires some measure of protection, but there isn't a case or cover included in the box. Instead, you'll have to turn to one of the dozens of cases available online, whether that's the lone official option from Asus itself or a third-party design made to fit the Xbox Ally's prodigious dimensions. I've rounded up some of the best options to make that choice clearer.

TL;DR: These Are the Best Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X Cases

I've been testing PC gaming handhelds and the cases that hold them for the last half-decade, and I've got a good sense of the brands and designs that are best poised to stand the test of time, protecting your Xbox Ally and potentially adding on some convenient extras for years to come.

There are a good range of options here, from slimmer bags designed to simply carry the console itself, to roomier cases that offer plenty of space to add in other accessories you may want to bring with you. Many of them include memory card spaces, a holdover of being Switch and Switch 2 case designs, but the best models also include handier slots for tucking in charging cables, docks, and other accessories.

1. Jsaux Carrying Case

The Best Xbox Ally X Case

2. Asus Official ROG Xbox Ally (2-in-1) Premium Case

Best Premium Case

3. Tomtoc Shoulder Bag Carrying Case

Best Shoulder Bag

4. DBrand Killswitch

Best Always-On Protective Case

Walmart has officially launched its Black Friday sale, which means every major retailer is now offering a full selection of discounts. We're still a few days away from actual Black Friday, but if you're looking to do your shopping right now, you have tons of options available to you. Too many options, honestly.

I've been covering Black Friday sales since October when Best Buy first launched its early deals, but it's only now that I'd recommend actually doing the bulk of your deals shopping. Walmart was the last holdout, and now that its sale is here, it's worth digging into where you can actually find the best deals.

Amazon vs. Walmart Black Friday Sales Comparison

Walmart Has the Best New Deals

The holidays are upon us, and that means there's no better time to cozy up and binge all eight Harry Potter movies. Luckily, as part of Amazon's Black Friday sale, you can score the entire 8-film collection in 4K UHD for only $67.99. For about $8 per film, it's about as low as this price is going to go, and a great way to upgrade your existing collection if you haven't yet.

Harry Potter 8-Film 4K UHD Collection for $67.99

Black Friday is the best time to score some really great deals on themed LEGOs, and each year there's a new set that hadn't been discounted before. This year it's the LEGO Ideas The Insect Collection 21342, which is down to just $40 after a 50% discount. At a mere 3.6 cents per brick, this is one of the best values I've seen for a set. It's also refreshingly unique, fun to build, and looks great to boot, so long as you don't have a bug phobia.

50% Off the LEGO Ideas The Insect Collection 21342

Discounts are running rampant this week, thanks to Black Friday. While the big day isn’t until November 28, you can already score thousands of deals, including on 4K Blu-ray movies. If you just want to buy one thing, I have a recommendation. Grab Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete Series on Blu-ray, currently on sale for $99.99 (see it at Amazon). That’s a killer deal for 178 episodes of sci-fi television.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Blu-ray Box Set Deal

In case building your own rig is too much work right now or simply not a priority for you, you can always opt for a top-tier prebuilt gaming PCs. You'll miss out on the satisfaction of building your PC from the ground up, but all that time you saved skipping research, waiting for components to arrive, building your machine, and inevitably troubleshooting when something goes awry can be spent actually playing PC games.

The half-baked prebuilt systems of yesteryear are no more, cutting far fewer corners for a long-lasting gaming PC that can take on all the action you throw its way. With the latest and greatest graphics cards and processors becoming pricier than ever, you may even save money by opting for something from Alienware, MSI, or HP. Plus, most options are easy enough to open up to upgrade components down the road, including our favorite gaming PC, the Legion Tower 7i.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Gaming PCs:

Buying a gaming PC is a bit more involved than a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S. You’ll need to determine the types of games you want to play and how you want to play them – even great budget gaming PCs won’t be running Cyberpunk 2077 at the highest settings. Finding the proper processors, storage, memory, cooling, and other hardware and ensuring all the components work well together can make or break the rig. Luckily, many manufacturers take care of a good chunk of that guesswork so you don’t bottleneck the system.

One thing to keep in mind is that RAM prices are extremely high right now. This is thanks in large part to AI data centers scooping all of it up, according to a post from Bontech Labs, which has led to prices of memory going up significantly. This hasn't significantly impacted the price of prebuilt gaming PCs yet, but as PC builders start working through their existing inventory, I'd expect that to change.

Whether you're looking for something more affordable for indie games, want a compact option to save space in your studio apartment, or are after a top-tier rig to tackle the action in 4K, we’ve got you covered. One of the five pre-built gaming PCs we’ve selected will align perfectly with your needs.

1. Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 10

Best Gaming PC

2. Asus ROG G700 Gaming PC

Best Gaming PC for the RGB Lover

3. iBuyPower Trace 7 Mesh Gaming Desktop

Best Budget Gaming PC

4. Asus ROG NUC

Best Mini Gaming PC

5. Maingear Rush Artist Series

Best Boutique Gaming PC

How to Choose a Gaming PC

Prebuilts are the most surefire way of getting into gaming and arguably the most cost-effective hardware you can buy. With a system, you’re not only getting the hardware inside, but time savings of having to track down the best processor to best RAM for your system and putting it all together yourself and praying it actually boots up correctly.

Prioritize the GPU

Just like building your own PC you want to make sure you’re spending your money where it’s needed most. Firstly, you should prioritize getting the graphics card you need for the gaming monitor or the gaming TV you’re gaming on. There’s no need for anything better than an Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti if you’re just playing games on a 1080p display.

Likewise, you should only need an Intel Core i5 or Ryzen 5 processor with at least four cores to play most modern games comfortably at any resolution.

Think about how comfortable you are swapping out parts

System memory and solid-state drives can be the biggest money sink for any system. Those comfortable with upgrading their system after it arrives should choose a configuration with the smallest storage and RAM capacities possible, as buying these components yourself can often be more cost-effective.

If that last suggestion resonates, perhaps a barebones system is what you seek. Those can be much cheaper since they come with all the major hardware – such as the CPU, GPU, and power supply – installed, but they usually lack storage, memory, and an operating system as a trade-off.

Consider a boutique builder

Lastly, if you want more control over what exactly is going into your build, go with a boutique PC builder. Origin, Maingear, DigitalStorm, Falcon Northwest, PC Specialist, and many more companies offer excellent PC building services that let you pick exactly which components go into your gaming PC. From there, they build your system with the sort of cable management some can only dream of while ensuring it all works properly out of the box.

In case this all sounds a little overwhelming to you, NZXT has its own PC building service called BLD. Instead of picking every part that will go into your PC, you chose the games you’ll actually play and the service gives you several configuration options that will be able to run the games for a smooth experience.

Similarly, iBuyPower offers an Easy Builder service that operates in very much the same fashion. Users can select games that they play from a small pool that includes Fortnite, GTA V, Apex Legends, WoW, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Battlefield V. From there, users can select whether they play at a 1080p or 1440p resolution, as well as their budget, and the system will spit back a few configurations to choose from.

Prebuilt PCs also come with several features and pieces of software you might find convenient. Many gaming PCs in this category come with some sort of overclocking support and even a one-click button to boost your system's performance. Of course, it's easy enough to download a piece of overclocking software like MSI Afterburner or EVGA Precision X. Additionally, your machine may come with system monitoring software that makes downloading and updating drivers a breeze.

Gaming PC FAQ

Should you buy a gaming PC or a gaming laptop?

Unless you’re looking for an all-in-one portable package, a gaming PC is usually better than even the best gaming laptops. With a desktop, it’s much easier and less expensive to upgrade parts, and they tend to last longer before going obsolete. Read more about gaming PCs vs. gaming laptops.

Is it easy to upgrade your prebuilt gaming PC?

It depends. Most PC manufacturers have figured out users absolutely hate proprietary parts. While you might still find no-name motherboards installed into the heart of your PC, they should all at least fall in line with the standard size and layout of Mini ITX or Micro ATX motherboards. The best gaming PCs should allow you to easily swap out the CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage on your system with just a few simple tools or just a screwdriver.

Better yet, systems that tout tool-less upgradability don't require you to undo screws or anything to replace any of the major components. One of the things you'll likely find on most modern chassis are thumbscrews, which can be removed after a few quick twists with your fingers rather than a screwdriver. Additionally, tool-less SSD and hard drive caddies make expanding and replacing your storage just a little bit easier.

Should you buy a gaming PC or a console?

When comparing a gaming PC vs. console, there appear to be more similarities than differences these days, but one still comes out on top: the gaming PC.

Not every aspect of a gaming PC beats consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Consoles are much easier to use. You’ll also find that even the most expensive consoles are cheap compared to a quality gaming PC with a good graphics card, although there are good budget GPUs. There are some great handheld gaming PCs and mini PCs that are more affordable, but they’re better for indie games or older cross-platform console titles.

Where a gaming PC pulls ahead is in its gaming library, peripherals, upgradeability, and overall performance. There’s no denying that there are a massive amount of PC games, and of course, a gaming PC has cross-platform compatibility with popular console titles. Beyond gaming keyboards and gaming mice, you’ll find a wealth of other peripherals, from racing wheels to controllers, that all work seamlessly with a PC. You can also enjoy better visuals and a higher performance ceiling, and it’s easy to upgrade components. That makes a well-equipped PC the clear winner.

Can you find a good gaming PC for under $1,000?

Yes, it’s absolutely possible to find a great gaming PC for under $1,000. You just need to manage your expectations. Less powerful hardware will usually come in these ultra budget-friendly desktops, meaning gaming performance is more limited. Even still, you should have no problem running many of your favorite games in 1080p or sometimes even 1440p at respectable frame rates. Your PC may struggle during more graphically intensive games running at their top settings, but the savings you enjoy might be worth the trade-off.

Should you build your own gaming PC?

Building your own gaming PC has many benefits. First and foremost, you get to customize your PC to your own specifications, including only the components you want and need. Rather than purchasing a prebuilt desktop that may not be tailored to your requirements, you can select all of the individual parts that make up a gaming PC.

However, you will need some knowledge of how to build PCs, or at least be able to closely follow an in-depth YouTube video. This is where things get a little tricky. If you’ve never built a custom gaming PC before, you will need to do some research. From understanding how each component interacts with each other, to how to hold a stick of RAM or a CPU so you don’t damage it, there’s quite a large learning curve.

If you do decide to build your own gaming PC, you will likely find that you can save some money over the long run compared to buying a prebuilt machine. Choosing your own parts means you can keep an eye on sales and offers to get the best deal possible.

But building a gaming PC isn’t for everyone. If you aren’t rigid on the specifics and don’t have a particular build in mind, it can be less troublesome to let someone else do it for you. You also get the added reassurance that the PC will be professionally built, and there’s no chance your warranty can be void.

After you've scored an awesome gaming PC, be sure to grab the best gaming accessories for the ultimate PC battle station.

Jacqueline Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN. When she's not helping her friends and family buy computers, you can usually find her tinkering with her own PC.

Image Credit: Annalee Tsujino is a multi-disciplinary designer and illustrator. Check them out on Instagram @antsu_illustrations.

You'll find a number of deep Apple discounts in Walmart's part of this week's Black Friday deals, one of the nicest of which the $30-off Apple Pencil (USB-C). $49 is an all-time low price for one of our favorite iPad accessories, which usually goes for $79.

With Amazon currently offering this Apple Pencil for $69, Walmart’s deal is significantly better. It’s likely that you won’t see this stylus drop any lower in price during all of the upcoming Black Friday sales. So, be sure to snag the Apple Pencil (USB-C) for this price while you still can, as deals this good won’t last long. That said, it's good to note that this is the base model version of the Apple Pencil, rather than the version from IGN's best smart pens list that attaches magnetically and charges wirelessly.

Score Almost 40% Off the Apple Pencil (USB-C)

We’re still a few days out from Black Friday, but the early sales have already dropped prices to record lows on a number of LEGO sets for adults. Below, I highlight the five best deals on LEGO sets for adults that are already available. The official LEGO Store Black Friday sale starts on November 28, so know there are still more deals to come.

Featured in this Article

As you can see, plenty of sets are already on sale for over 30% off, the threshold I’d say makes a LEGO deal particularly appealing.

LEGO Ideas: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

LEGO Christmas Tree

LEGO Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi

LEGO Star Wars: A New Hope Tantive IV

LEGO Ideas The Insect Collection

Amazon's Black Friday sale is already underway ahead of the year's biggest shopping day, and you can score some pretty great early deals right now, including a Samsung 1TB microSDXC card for $79.99.

This ultrafast card is perfect for Android phones and tablets, drones, and even expanding the storage of your Steam Deck. For the more cultured, there's also a sweet Shadow the Hedgehog variant, but it's going to run you an extra $20. Honestly, it might be worth it.

Samsung PRO Plus 1TB microSDXC for $79.99

If you're looking for a power bank that can handle the demands of even the latest and most power hungry gaming handhelds at a great price, check out this new Black Friday deal. Amazon is offering the Baseus 20,800mAh Power Bank with 145W of Power Delivery for just $39.99 shipped after applying coupon code "Q4PSW5C3". You don't need to be a Prime member. Baseus makes good power banks and I recommend them as a less expensive alternative to Anker.

Baseus 20,800mAh 145W Power Bank for $39.99

Gaming chair maker Secretlab is getting in on the Black Friday fun with some of the best deals of the year. You can browse a wide variety of what they have to offer, but their Titan Evo gaming chairs are always a highlight of these deals. The two Star Wars-themed chairs are part of the savings, with both being discounted down to $614 ($50 off MSRP). The Stormtrooper variant is a preorder and has an estimated shipping window of December 14.

Secretlab Titan Evo Star Wars Chairs on Sale

The Star Wars Titan Evo gaming chairs sport some awesome design inspired by Stormtroopers and the classic Imperial colors. The Stormtrooper chair is black and white, with accents and designs inspired by the iconic Stormtrooper armor and helmet we've grown familiar with over the years. The Empire-themed chair has the signature black and crimson color scheme, with Aurebesh writing on the front of the seat as a Sith Easter egg. These styled chairs make for a great Star Wars gift if you're willing to spend the money.

Titan Evo gaming chairs can be bundled with optional accessories like a footrest and lumbar support, but the prices shown here are just for the chairs by themselves. If you're looking for something with a few more bells and whistles, the Performance versions of the chairs start at $971, saving you $100. You'll get the chair for the same discount, but with accessories for extra comfort for an additional $40 off.

More Themed Titan Evo Chairs On Sale

If you're in the market for a new gaming chair and Star Wars isn't quite your thing, Secretlab has tons of other licensed chairs to pick from. For you League of Legends players, there are Titan Evo chairs themed around popular characters Ahri, Jinx, Yasuo, and more. There's also the Cyberpunk 2077 chair, a personal favorite, a neon yellow design with the Samurai logo on the back. They even offer licensed chairs that aren't video games, like Game of Thrones (seen below) and Harry Potter.

Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.

Disney Lorcana continues to go from strength to strength, and while we’re a few sets deep at this point, there’s still something special about having so many recognizable characters, songs, and moments printed to cardboard.

Amazon’s Black Friday deals present an ideal opportunity for collectors this year, too, because the Into the Inklands Bundle is reduced by 30%.

Get a Bunch of Lorcana Cards for $25

Best Buy's Black Friday sale may be filled with plenty of goodies, but never forget its Deal of the Day page. For today only, that includes a $40 price drop for the red Xbox Elite Series 2 Core wireless controller, bringing it down to $99.99. It's a good discount for a solid controller, just a bit higher than the lowest price ever, according to the price tracker CamelCamelCamel.

Save $40 on Red Xbox Elite Series 2 Core Wireless Controller at Best Buy

If you're looking to upgrade your gaming PC for Black Friday, you absolutely have to check out this deal. Dell Outlet has just kicked off its Black Friday Sale with some incredible pricing on Clearance, Like New (Refurbished) and Scratch & Dent Alienware Area-51 gaming PCs, equipped with your choice of GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 graphics cards. You're saving up to $1,600 compared to buying an identical system brand new.

All PCs purchased through Dell Outlet include the same warranty as buying new. Dell's certified refurbished systems are submitted to a rigorous refurbishing process. These previously owned products could have observable minor blemishes that do not affect performance, or could look as good as new.

Alienware Area-51 RTX 5090 Gaming PC Deals

The RTX 5090 is the most powerful graphics card ever

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 has emerged as the most powerful consumer GPU on the market. Although Nvidia has prioritized software updates, AI features, and DLSS 4 technology to improve gameplay performance, the 5090 still boasts an impressive 25%-30% uplift over the RTX 4090 in terms of pure, hardware-based raster performance. The 5090 also has a whopping 32GB of VRAM (33% more than the 4090), making it the ideal candidate for a hybrid rig looking to do both gaming and AI work on the same machine. Check out our Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 FE review.

The RTX 5080 GPU will run any game in 4K

Performance-wise, the RTX 5080 is no slouch. It's one of the fastest cards on the market, bested only by the $2,000 RTX 5090 and the discontinued $1,600 RTX 4090. This is a phenomenal card for playing the latest, most demanding games in 4K resolution at high settings and ray tracing enabled. Check out our Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 FE review.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

It looks like Donald Trump is getting his way, as Rush Hour 4 is actually happening at Paramount with original director Brett Ratner involved.

Earlier this week, Semafor reported that the U.S. president had allegedly pressed the Ellisons to make a new Rush Hour movie at Paramount. Larry Ellison is the largest shareholder of Paramount and a prominent financial supporter of Trump. His son, David Elison, runs the company.

Now, Deadline reports that Paramount will release the next Rush Hour film, distributing on behalf of Warner Bros. for a “double digit percentage fee.” Brett Ratner has signed on to direct. Paramount has yet to comment.

If you were burned by the latest round of Disney+ and Hulu price hikes, here's some Black Friday balm: Disney is offering and ad-supported bundle of both services for $4.99/mo or the ad-free bundle for $14.99/mo. Jump on it quickly, though – the deals are only running through December 1.

Get 12 Months of Disney+ with Hulu for $4.99/mo