I've had a Kindle Unlimited subscription for a couple of years now and can honestly say it's worth every penny. As someone who reads a lot of books on my Kindle Paperwhite, I realized I was spending way too much on Kindle ebooks. Sure, there are plenty of ways to read free books online, but the convenience of being able to just tap a button and start reading was too much for me to pass up. This especially became a problem when I started getting really into a series and each new book was $4.99 or more.
I decided to try out Kindle Unlimited when Amazon offered this same 3 months for $0.99 deal two years ago and it's been awesome. The full-price subscription is $11.99 per month, so if you're someone who is reading three or more books a month it pretty much pays for itself. And if you just want to test it out and see what books are available, you only need to spend $1 to get three months of access.
Black Friday Kindle Unlimited Deal
According to the deal terms on Amazon, you can only take advantage of this promotion if you're a new subscriber. So if you've ever had a Kindle Unlimited subscription connected to your Amazon account, then you can't get the $0.99 deal. And while you can cancel at any time, nce the three-month promotional trial has ended, you'll be automatically charged the full $11.99 for the subscription. There isn't a clear end date on this deal, but seeing as it's part of Amazon's Black Friday sale my guess would be that it ends on December 1 when the rest of the discounts expire.
Is a Kindle Unlimited Worth It?
I wouldn't necessarily recommend Kindle Unlimited for everyone. It's only really worth the monthly cost if you're actually going to be reading a lot of books. And even then you need to make sure the books you want to read are actually available with Kindle Unlimited. It's particularly great for me because I read a ton of LitRPG books and almost all of them are included with my subscription. But a lot of new releases, like Sunrise on the Reaping or Dan Brown's Secret of Secrets, aren't available with Kindle Unlimited. If you're hesitant to sign up for a subscription, I'd suggest taking a look at the full list of what's included with Unlimited.
It's also worth noting that multiple people can use your Kindle Unlimited account at any given time. I read a lot more than my wife, but she will borrow the occasional romantasy novel (like the Fourth Wing series). You can borrow up to 20 books, audiobooks, or comics on your account at any given time.
Buying a Kindle E-reader Will Also Get You Kindle Unlimited
You don't need a Kindle to use Kindle Unlimited, you just need to download the app on your phone or any reading tablet. However, if you do buy a new Kindle you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free instead of spending $0.99. All you need to do is choose the option to activate your free trial with your purchase and it will come included with your device. The same rules apply, which means you can't get the three months free if you've had a Kindle Unlimited subscription before.
Amazon is currently running some really good Black Friday Kindle device deals right now, so I'd definitely recommend this route if you're thnking about purchasing a Kindle this year. I myself have the Kindle Paperwhite and really love it, but there's also a great deal on the Kindle Colorsoft for anyone who is looking to read comics or anything with full-color illustrations.
If you're hoping to find a deal on an unlocked Google Pixel phone for Black Friday, I've got some good news: Both Amazon and Best Buy has already started slashing prices on all of the latest models from the Pixel lineup. The Google Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold have all dropped to their lowest prices ever ahead of Thanksgiving weekend, with a whopping 25% savings. These deals launched earlier this month and have come back just in time for Amazon's official Black Friday sale.
Google's line of smartphones is mostly known for its high-quality camera and helpful AI features, both of which make them great iPhone alternatives. As someone who has owned a Pixel for well over a year now, I have no problem recommending them to anyone looking for a smartphone upgrade at a reasonable price.
The Best Google Pixel Phone Deals at Amazon Today
The only exception to the 25% discount is the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which is only getting 17% off the retail price. But even that is still substantial when you consider that this is the best discount we've seen on Google's latest foldable phone since it was released in October. With these price drops, right now is the best time we've seen all year to pick up an unlocked Google Pixel phone at a discount. None of these price drops are attached to a carrier plan, so you don't need to sign any sort of contract before you buy. You can currently find these savings at Amazon or at Best Buy as part of its Black Friday sale.
Which phone should you buy?
Pixel 10 Pro vs. Pixel 10
Deciding which Google phone to buy really comes down to what features you want and how much you're willing to pay. My Google Pixel 8 is a few generations old at this point, but I decided to grab the Pro because of the increased screen size and bigger battery. I'd highly recommend picking up either the Pro or Pro XL if you plan on using your phone to watch videos or play games at all. Otherwise the cheaper Pixel 10 is probably your best bet at this price.
We reviewed the Google Pixel 10 Pro earlier this year and found that it didn't offer that many improvements of the Pixel 9 Pro. However, with the discount right now, the latest model is definitely the one worth buying over the previous generation.
The Google Pixel 9 deal is the best value option
If you don't mind going back a generation to save even more cash, I'd recommend checking out the Google Pixel 9 deal Amazon also has going on right now. We reviewed the Google Pixel 10 when it came out in September and overall found it to be not as big of an upgrade as we hoped it would be. It's definitely an improvement over the Pixel 9 in terms of performance thanks to the Tensor G5 chip and additional AI features, but it isn't a massive leap. Considering the Pixel 9 is currently $100 cheaper than the Pixel 10 right now, it's worth considering going back a generation for additional savings.
Should You Wait For a Better Deal on Actual Black Friday?
Although both Amazon and Best Buy have kicked off their official sales, not every Black Friday sale has gone live just yet. So with that in mind, you may be wondering if it's worth buying a Google Pixel phone at these current prices. Seeing as these are the lowest prices we've seen all year on any of these phones, I'd say it's probably safe to buy now rather than waiting for next week. It's possible we'll see a bigger discount on select variations of Google Pixel 10 phones closer to the start of all of the Black Friday sales, but it's unlikely to be much steeper than what we're seeing right now. If you're in need of a phone upgrade before Thanksgiving, these Pixel deals is worth jumping on today
As a child of the '90s, very few TV shows have impacted me as deeply as Friends. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my family sitting down together to watch new episodes as they aired and laughing along with the studio audience in the background. I've seen every episode so many times that I can practically recite the lines as they come, but I still find myself binging every season at least once a year. It's my comfort show.
Friends is still available to stream with an HBO Max subscription, but if you don't have one then the best way to watch it is to buy the box set. More specifically, the 4K set. Warner Bros. released all 10 seasons in glorious 4K just last year and it has finally dropped below $100 for the first time since then.
Friends: The Complete Series Drops to Its Lowest Price
This discount is part of Amazon's offical Black Friday sale, so it will likely last as long as the sale is live or until it goes out of stock. When the box set was first released it was priced at $249.99, so to see it under $100 is pretty significant. This is the lowest price we've ever seen on this set and I'd expect it to jump back up as soon as Black Friday comes to a close.
The box set includes all 10 seasons, which comes as a total of 25 discs. In addition to all 236 original episodes, there's also hours of bonus content and a new bonus feature that didn't come with the previously released Blu-ray box set.
Why buy physical media?
Physical media has been making a comeback, and it largely has to do with ownership. In the case of Friends, Warner Bros. currently holds the rights to the show which means you can only stream it on HBO Max. But you may not be able to stream it there forever, and unless you have the highest tier subscription, you won't be able to watch it in 4K. Buying a box set like this is a great way to ensure you'll always be able to watch Ross and Rachel's tumultuous love arc in high definition, or turn on the Thanksgiving episode where Joey gets a turkey stuck on his head whenever you feel like it. And most importantly, if HBO Max decides to pull the series from its streaming platform (like it's been doing for Cartoon Network shows), you won't be left Friends-less.
Apple has officially revealed its Black Friday plans for 2025, and the promotion details are exactly what you'd expect. Apple is offering up to $250 in gift cards when you purchase eligible products directly from its store. While it isn't surprising to see the same promotion as last year, it's still better than no sale at all. The shopping event will run from Friday, November 28 through Cyber Monday. So if you're planning on making any purchases from the Apple Store, this window is the best time to do so before 2025 ends.
Apple Black Friday Sale Details
Apple will be offering a range of gift cards between $25 and $250 depending on what products you purchase. You can check out the full list of eligible products directly from Apple's Black Friday event page, or check out the inclusions below.
As you can see, the gift card promotion isn't available for everything. The most notable exclusion here is that the only iPhones included are the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16e. None of the latest iPhone 17 models or the new iPhone Air are included here. Black Friday is still arguably one of the best times to buy an iPhone, but if you're looking to buy the newest phones you'll need to look for a deal outside of Apple direct this year.
Apple Black Friday sales at retailers
It's worth noting that Apple's own Black Friday sale never offers the best deals on Apple products. You can usually find the lowest prices on Apple Watches, AirPods, iPads, and MacBooks at other major retailers. Both the Amazon Black Friday saleand the Best Buy Black Friday sale have officially launched and you can already find deals on pretty much everything Apple from there. Most notably, the Apple AirPods Pro 3 have dropped to their lowest price since launch at almost every major retailer except the Apple Store.
It's still fairly early and we still expect more Black Friday sales to start dropping next week. The official Walmart Black Friday sale is set to begin on November 25, and that's likely when we'll start to see the largest spread of Apple products on sale. The only exception to this is unlocked Apple phones, which are mostly only available through the Apple Store. You can find iPhone 17 deals at major carriers during Black Friday, but they will all be attached to some sort of plan.
Amazon officiall kicked off its Black Friday sale of 2025 yesterday, a full week early, and the discounts so far are actually quite good. As part of the IGN Deals Team, I have been covering the early Black Friday sales all November long, and these deals are the first I've seen that truly give off Black Friday vibes. If you're planning on doing some deals shopping this year, there's really no reason not to start right now. Amazon has already dropped a bunch of new deals on day two of its official sale and we expect more to arrive over the weekend.
Amazon released a preview of what deals to expect a couple of weeks back, so there aren't many surprises here. Amazon's own devices have all dropped in price, headphones are getting big discounts, and there are TV deals pretty much everywhere. Perhaps the most notable surprise here is Amazon's Resale coupon coming back so soon after Prime Big Deal days. If you don't mind buying used, this promotion can save you a ton ahead of Black Friday.
To help you sort through all of these early deals, I've cut down the list to only the top 58 discounts I think are worth your time. Each of these products (or services) is currently at the lowest prices of 2025 and is unlikely to drop any further as we get closer to Black Friday proper.
The 58 Best Amazon Black Friday Deals Today
Some of the most notable deals so far are of course Amazon's own devices. The Fire TV sticks were discounted before the official sale started and I'd expect those deals to last all the way through Cyber Monday. The same goes for the Ring Doorbell deal that seems to be the same during every Amazon sale so far this year
And if reading isn't really something you have time for right now, the classic Audible deal has returned and you can get that service for only $0.99 per month for the first three months. I'd definitely recommend trying that out, even to just listen to the new full-cast Harry Potter Audiobook, which I thought was actually really good.
Although Apple is planning on having a Black Friday sale, a lot of the best deals are already at Amazon. We're seeing the lowest price ever on multiple AirPods models, and good deals on MacBooks and the latest iPad as well. Some of these discount might improve as more sales join the fray next week, but for now these are still pretty good.
PC Gaming Deals
Some of the surprising deals here are on gaming PCs and gaming laptops. Dell kicked off its Alienware sale earlier this week, but these are the first decent Amazon deals we've seen all month. I'd definitely expect these deals to go quickly, so jump on them now while they are still available.
Seeing as we're not even in Black Friday week yet, the TV deals have not fully ramped up just yet. There are some really good deals on Roku TVs as well as the Samsung Frame TV and Hisense CanvasTVs, but a lot of the bigger discounts will likely be saved for actual Black Friday. If you're looking to upgrade you sound setup though, there are some really good Sonos deals worth checking out before next week.
Will There Be More Amazon Black Friday Deals Later?
While it's true that this is Amazon's official Black Friday sale, not all of the deals are live yet. Amazon and Best Buy are the only two retailers who have launched "official" sales so far, so what we're seeing here is only the first round of big deals before Black Friday proper. Amazon will discount items that other sales drop prices on, like the AirPods Pro 3 deal at Best Buy, so other sale start dates matter here.
The next round will actually start on Sunday when a few different sales go live. There was also the Nintendo Black Friday announcement a few weeks back, that stated the official Nintendo sale would be starting on November 23, so there's unlikely to be many Switch games on sale until then. Most of the video game deals available now are thanks to GameStop's early Black Friday sale starting this week, but rest assured that more are on their way. Target has also revealed that it will now start its sale on Sunday, November 23 via its weekly ad as well. Amazon has been matching Target sales all month long and is sure to do so again.
What we're seeing here is only the first round of good deals before Black Friday proper.
Outside of video games and consoles, you may have noticed that there is a significant lack of good LEGO deals in this round one of Amazon's Black Friday sale. That's most likely because the LEGO Store Black Friday sale doesn't actually begin until actual Black Friday. Some discounts will be available early, but I'd expect the bulk of the LEGO deals to drop on November 28. There will likely be even more toy deals before that when the Walmart Black Friday sale goes live on November 25.
You Don't Need a Prime Membership to Shop These Sales
Amazon doesn't require you to have a Prime membership to access its Black Friday sale. Unlike Prime-exclusive events like Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days, Black Friday is open to everyone. There are some exceptions to that, and you may run into some deals marked "Prime Deal", but for the most part you shouldn't run into any issues if you don't have a subscription.
There are quite a few benefits available to Prime members that can be helpful during Black Friday shopping, however. Most notably the free shipping comes in handy if you're buying anything for less than $35. There are a couple of different free trial options available to new subscribers you can check out during this sales event, with the base option giving you 30-days free.
How to Check Amazon Deals Are Actually Good
A lot of what the IGN Deals team does on a daily basis is look for price drops on the products shoppers are most interested in, so knowing historical pricing information is a key part of that. Even outside of Black Friday and other shopping events for my job, I end up using CamelCamelCamel on pretty much anything I buy on Amazon to make sure whatever discount is listed is actually worth my time. There's even a Chrome extension called "The Camelizer" that is just as awesome as the name would suggest.
Jacob Kienlen is a Senior SEO Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and over 7 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different topics -- from TV series to indie games and popular book series.
Amazon is kicking off its Black Friday sale with some of the best Kindle deals we've seen all year. Pretty much every model is now on sale at the lowest price of 2025, so if you've been hoping to pick up a good e-reader at a discount, now is the time to do so. I've had my Kindle Paperwhite for over a year now and it's one of the only devices I use every day. If you do a lot of reading, I highly recommend getting a Kindle for yourself and changing your life for the better. It's literally thousands of books in the palm of your hand.
There are four core models currently discounted in Amazon's Black Friday sale: The Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Colorsoft, Kindle Scriber, and the standard Kindle.
The Best Kindle Deals at Amazon Today
The last time I saw Kindle prices drop this low was during Prime Day in July, and Amazon has matched or gone lower for each model for Black Friday this year. The Kindle Paperwhite is currently IGN's top pick for the best reading tablet, and it is currently matching its lowest price ever at $124.99. Perhaps the overall best discount here, however, is on the Kindle Colorsoft. Amazon's full color e-reader has dropped to a new low price of $169.99, which is a full $80 off its usual price. The standard Amazon Kindle has also dropped to its lowest price ever at just $79.99, which is getting into dangerously affordable territory.
Which Kindle should you buy?
With multiple models discounted, it's worth considering the advantages and disadvantages of each before you buy. If all you need is a regular e-ink reading tablet that can function as a replacement for physical books, then it mostly comes down to a choice between the Kindle Paperwhite and the standard Kindle. I've used both myself and the only real difference is in the size of the screen itself. The Kindle Paperwhite has a 7-inch screen while the regular Kindle is only 6-inches. I personally like the additional reading room, but since you can change the font size easily it isn't necessarily worth the extra $45 in this case. Both options also include the adjustable backlight, so reading at night is super easy either way.
The Kindle Colorsoft is what I'd recommend for anyone planning on reading digital comics and manga. The standard Kindles can load comics and graphic novels, but only in black and white. The Colorsoft will allow for full color, making it the best overall option for anything with pictures. An iPad is probably a better choice for comics, but it's a lot more expensive and doesn't feature the same soft e-ink display as a Kindle does.
Lastly, there's the Kindle Scribe, which is essentially an e-ink digital notebook. It can function as a normal Kindle, but with the added benefit of allowing you to write and take notes on it as well. It's great for anyone who is looking to quickly jump between reading a book and being productive in an instant, though it is the most expensive option here.
Kindle Unlimited Is Also on Sale
If you're a new subscriber, it's also worth noting that Amazon is running a promotion for Kindle Unlimited during Black Friday as well. During the sale period, you can get the service for just $0.99 per month for the first three months. I took advantage of this promotion last year and have been paying full price for it ever since. I'd only recommend trying out Kindle Unlimited if you're someone that reads a lot of books every month though. It works out great for me because I read a ton of LitRPG books and almost all of them are included with Unlimited, but if you're primarily reading new releases or a series that isn't included, then it's definitely not worth the price.
The IGN Deals team has more than 30 years of combined deal-hunting experience. We've been finding discounts long before it was even our job to do so and will continue to do so long after we retire. The art of saving money is something anyone can learn to do, but only a select few have the dedication and drive to truly master it.
Thankfully, our team of experts will be doing most of the deal-hunting for you during Black Friday season this year. We'll be using various tricks of the trade to seek out the best deals each day to help guide you toward discounts on the things you actually want to buy this holiday season.
Eric started his professional deal hunting career at Techbargains back in 2007, later taking on additional managerial roles at LogicBuy and ExtremeTech. In 2016, he assumed his current position as 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. The best deal he's recently found was a LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon 751982 kit for about $200 (normally $800) thanks to a Target price error. When he's not racking up freemogems in Genshin Impact or attempting to lose weight with Beat Saber, Eric's out in the Pacific ocean on his kayak fishing for salmon and halibut.
Robert has been with IGN for almost seven years, first starting his career writing about broadband and mobile phone contracts in the UK. He's since gone on to be IGN's resident gaming deals expert, and has lent his bargain hunting skills to a handful of IGN's sister sites like Eurogamer, RockPaperShotgun, VG247, PCMag, and Mashable. Alongside his knack for gaming deals, he loves a dive deep to find elusive discounts on TCGs like Pokémon or Magic, 4K UHD Blu-rays, comics, and a plenty more. When he's not writing for IGN, you'll find him playing Darkest Dungeon on his Steam Deck with a piping hot cup of tea. Cheers!
Chris has been writing professionally for 15 years. It all started when he got an iPod Touch and started looking for games and thought, “I could review these things.” In short order, he got a job as a mobile gaming editor before moving on to cover console and PC games at sites like The Cheat Sheet and GameSpot. He’s always had an eye out for a good deal, so joining IGN as a commerce editor was an easy fit. He’s covered Black Friday and Cyber Monday for seven years and counting, digging up all the best deals available at any given moment.
Seth has been writing about video games professionally since 2009, starting at 1UP.com and moving to IGN as a news freelancer in 2014. He was hired on full-time in 2018 as Tech & Commerce editor before moving to Executive Editor, IGN Commerce and now Sr. Social Producer, Commerce. Since the start of 2025 he's grown the IGN Deals social commerce accounts by 38,000 followers, an almost 11% increase YoY. A mixture of up to the minute deals, clever graphics, and timely postings have pushed this growth. He also shows up in a lot of IGN's video content, due to his boyish charm.
Jacob has been writing professionally for a little over eight years now, but he's been clipping coupons his entire adult life. He first got his start working at Digital Trends where he naturally fell into commerce coverage around tech deals and discounts. There, he led the team's Black Friday and Cyber Monday coverage for two years before moving into a broader role. Since he's been at IGN, he has continued to work on larger content projects, but still helps assist with sales event coverage throughout the year. Jacob's role on the IGN Deals Team during Black Friday this year will be covering broad sales trends at major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and Target.
Blythe is the newest member on the IGN Deals team. After two years at a digital marketing agency, she arrived at IGN in 2024 to support general coverage strategy while pitching in during major sales events. She largely handles streaming coverage because she suffers from extreme FOMO any time she misses a discount. Over Black Friday, she’ll be keeping an eye on Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and Crunchyroll in particular. As a collector herself, Blythe’s also always looking for physical media deals from major retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Her major points of interest are books, DVDs, and TCGs like Magic: The Gathering.
Lindsey (she/her) has a background in digital marketing, SEO and audience development, spanning over 10 years. She has worn many hats in her career, but has most recently been overseeing the affiliate business at IGN, ensuring IGN's audience gets the best shopping guidance on all of the cool tech, gadgets, toys and games every day. She will be very hands on during Black Friday, supporting the team any way she can to optimize and promote IGN experts' deals during the craziness that is Black Friday week. On a personal level, Lindsey grew up thrift shopping with her mom, so bargain hunting is in her blood. (She even had a fashion blog at one point.) That said, she's a big fan of resale sites like Depop and eBay.
There are a ton of LEGO Harry Potter sets you can buy, but there's really only one that looks like it also belongs to LEGO's botanical line. The Mandrake set is essentially a little potted plant with a face that you can actually fully pull out of its pot. It's a fun little tribute to the screaming root from the Harry Potter series that doubles as a nice desk accessory. And for a limited time, it has dropped to its lowest price ever on Amazon.
The LEGO Mandrake set was originally released back in 2024 for $69.99 and hasn't dropped below the $50 mark until just recently. At $40.99 this is a Harry Potter gift I'd recommend picking up for either the adult fan or youngster in your life. This early deal comes just days before Amazon's Black Friday sale and will potentially be gone before then.
LEGO Harry Potter Mandrake Deal at Amazon Today
The LEGO Harry Potter Mandrake (set #76433) is a fairly straightforward build at just 579 pieces and you should be able to put it together in a single afternoon. Although I haven't had the chance to build this set myself, it is pretty close in piece count to the LEGO Chomping Book of Monsters I put together earlier this year. I found the difficulty level to be the perfect blend of fun and challenging. These types of sets are specifically meant to be accessible for anyone over the age of 10, so while it isn't meant for very little kids, it is certainly something all ages can enjoy.
The best part of this set, in my opinion, is that the end result is something you can display on a desk or a shelf. It's a full-on Mandrake straight out of Professor Sprout's class and it's pretty adorable in its own ugly-but-cute way. The leaves can be manipulated at various angles and the Mandrake itself can actually be pulled out of its pot. Its little mouth is on a hinge and will actually open up when you pull it out, but thankfully it won't actually scream at you.
It's worth noting that LEGO has marked this set to retire soon. That means this sale is probably one of your last chances to buy it before it's gone for good.
Should you wait for a better Black Friday deal?
Like I mentioned above, the Amazon Black Friday sale actually kicks off on November 20 this year. With those discounts only days away, you may be wondering if it's worth buying now or waiting to see if it gets discounted further. Speaking from my own experience, I can say that it is very unlikely that the price of this set will drop any further. This is the lowest price we've ever seen for this set on Amazon. If the deal is happening now, it could mean the discount will only last until stock is gone. The discount is also beyond 40%, which is generally the largest price cut we'll see on LEGO sets throughout Black Friday.
Alongside this discount, I also found more early deals on LEGO plant sets that are worth a look. Almost all of these are at their lowest prices of all time, and the Christmas tree set is only seasonal and unlikely to drop in price any further this year. Check them out below!
Jacob Kienlen is a Senior SEO Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and over 7 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different topics -- from TV series to indie games and popular book series.
GameStop isn't nearly as prominent as it used to be, but it's still a great place to find video game deals during the holiday season. If you're wondering what the gaming retailer has in store for Black Friday, you can already check out the GameStop Black friday ad for all of the details. There's also currently an early sale on video games, accessories, and more that runs from now until November 22.
Early GameStop Black Friday Sale
The early GameStop Black Friday sale consists of a mix of video game deals, some discounted accessories, and a bunch of toys and merch. The most prominent deals featured on the website are the $20 or less section. The overall selection here isn't all that impressive, but there are a few good discounts on PS5 games like Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and Hellboy: Web of Weird. If you move up to the "Under $30" section you'll find a few more decent deals like NBA 2K26 for $30 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $30 as well. There are very few Xbox games featured in either of the video games sales, so the most of the discounts are centered on PS5 and Nintendo Switch.
Outside of the video game sales GameStop is offering the same discount on Meta Quest headsets you can currently find at Amazon or Best Buy as well. There's also a $30 discount on the new Backbone Pro that is worth a look if you're in the market for a high-end mobile controller.
The Nintendo Switch deals are what we already expected to see. Most notably there's a significant lack of Switch 2 games or console deals available at all. Nintendo has gone ahead and ditched the usual Black Friday Switch + Mario Kart bundle and is only planning on offering discounts on older games and amiibo. The GameStop ad does have a prominent Switch 2 page, but it doesn't mention any discounts whatsoever.
Outside of the early deals on Borderland 4 and NBA 2K26, there are some notable video game deals starting on Thursday when the Best Buy and Amazon Black Friday sales go live. This includes Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 for $50 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 for $30.
Following that, most of the PlayStation deals are set to begin on Friday, November 21 when PlayStation officially kicks off its sale. This will include a $20 discount on the PlayStation Portal and all of the DualSense colors for under $60. You can see the full breakdown of the PlayStation Black Friday deals directly from the PlayStation Blog.
As of right now there's no sign whatsoever of Black Friday Xbox deals at GameStop or anywhere else. With Xbox raising its prices multiple times this year, it's unclear if we'll see any discounts from Microsoft or major retailers in 2025.
Black Friday deals season has arrived. It's the biggest shopping holiday of the year and overall the best time to find discounts on just about everything. If you're hoping to save some money on gifts and essentials in 2025, these upcoming (and current) sales events are your best bet.
With that in mind, Black Friday has evolved well beyond a single day of deals. While plenty of shoppers still tend to do the bulk of their actual shopping over Thanksgiving weekend, you can definitely start shopping well before then and find good deals. Both Amazon and Best Buy both launched their official Black Friday sales yesterday and more sales are on their way. You can also start shopping the full PlayStation Black Friday sale that just went live today.
Black Friday Sales Live Today
When Do Black Friday Sales Actually Start?
Black Friday is November 28 this year, but both Best Buy and Amazon have already dropped their official Black Friday sales. There are still more deals to come next week and you can check out the full schedule of start dates below.
For many brick-and-mortar stores, you may be able to expect the full discounts available starting this weekend, with the exception of Walmart and Target who have both moved their start dates to next week. Some sales will still only take place on actual Black Friday, like at the LEGO Store or for Apple's Black Friday sale, but for the most part the discounts will start ahead of then.
When does Cyber Monday start?
Cyber Monday lands on December 1 this year, we expect the official Cyber Monday deals to start dropping a little bit earlier than that. In the past, retailers like Walmart have started offering early Cyber Monday savings on Sunday afternoon while people are still searching for Black Friday discounts. This means you'll most likely be able to begin shopping Cyber Monday deals at some point on November 30 this year. Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are pretty much the same thing these days, so it shouldn't matter too much if you start shopping early.
What Deals to Expect From Major Retailers
With the ongoing tariffs and recent price increases in the U.S., being prepared with where to do your shopping this year can really help you sve. The IGN Deals team has been covering shopping events all year and we have a decent idea of what you can expect as the sales continue rolling in, even if the prices will be higher than what we saw last year.
Amazon Black Friday - Live Now
The Amazon Black Friday sale has now gone live with tons of deals on just about everything. Most notably, Amazon devices have dropped to their lowest prices of they year. Fire TV sticks went on sale earlier this week for all models, and Kindle e-readers have also dropped to new all-time lows for Black Friday. Other devices, like Echo Speakers and home security devices are also on sale now through Cyber Monday. Amazon is also currently offering discounts on its services, like Kindle Unlimited and Audible.
Outside of Amazon's own devices, there are also a ton of new electronics deals. Most notably there has been priced drops on 4K TVs and Cyberpower gaming PCs that are the lowest of the year. Amazon has also dropped prices on the Apple AirPods Pro 3 now that both Best Buy and Walmart have brought forth that discount.
The Best Buy Black Friday sale is now live with early deals. Many of these discounts are being price-matched by Amazon and Walmart, but it will still likely have all of the same Apple devices, TVs, and video games on sale as everywhere else. You can also likely expect some sort of video game console deal on the PS5/PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X. With the continued price increases, this could just mean getting a free Best Buy gift card with your purchase, but it will still be a better deal than paying full price with no additional benefits.
In addition to consoles, video games, and video game accessories, Best Buy also tends to be one of the best places to buy handheld gaming PCs and laptops. With the recent release of the ROG Xbox Ally X, Best Buy has been the only retailer to keep stock. You can likely expect price cuts on the previous generation ROG Ally devices at Best Buy this year, as well as other popular handhelds. We also expect competitive pricing around newer laptops with the latest 50-series GPUs.
For more information on what to expect, check out the Best Buy Black Friday ad from last year. Best Buy has been having new doorbuster deals dropping every friday since Halloween this year, but the official sale kicks is now live as of November 20.
Walmart Black Friday - Starts November 25
After Amazon, the next biggest Black Friday sale you can expect is at Walmart. The first deals event has already come and gone with early deals, but Walmart has now offered up a preview of the next round of deals (starting on November 25). These discounts will be both in store and online, but the online savings should start a bit earlier. Walmart usually has some of the best deals on Apple devices like iPad and AirPods. You'll usually also find some of the lowest prices of the year on Walmart-exclusive products like Onn electronics, select Vizio TVs, some gaming PC configurations (see: the recent GeForce sale), and certain home appliances.
In the past, Walmart has also had some great Nintendo Switch deals that Amazon wasn't able to offer. We'd expect to see this again this year, most likely on newer Switch 2 games or Pokémon cards. Expect some of these discounts to be available early for Walmart+ members, which has been the case for other major sales this year.
In addition to popular tech and games, Walmart also tends to have deals on groceries, clothing, and toys. Walmart has been especially known to offer particularly good LEGO discounts, but stock tends to be fairly limited.
You can check out the full Walmart Black Friday ad from last year for more information. You can also check out some of the top early deals from the sale below:
Target Black Friday - Starts November 23
The Target Black Friday sale is usually pretty similar to Walmart's Black Friday sale every year. Expect similar discounts on video games, toys, Apple products, and appliances that you'll find everywhere else. Where Target tends to differentiate from competitors in its exclusives. The retailer has partnered with a bunch of different home brands and is usually the only place you'll be able to buy those items at a discount during Black Friday shopping season. This makes it a great place to do your shopping if you're planning on buying any decor upgrades for your home.
Target has also been consistently offering some unique discounts on select toys that Amazon hasn't been able to price match. The most recent example is a LEGO sale on new 2025 sets. Amazon did match prices on a few of the sets, but not all of them. We'd expect this to happen on Black Friday too, so you'll need to check prices between retailers on the more popular toy items.
Costco is a bit of a wildcard during the Black Friday season as it offers deals on pretty much everthing. For 2025, the full Costco Black Friday schedule has already been revealed and you can already see what deals to expect. Included in the holiday booklet there steep discounts on furniture, jewelry, and electronics. The same discounts you find at Amazon for select TVs and video games will likely also be available at Costco even if they aren't featured in the ad. You can also expect steeper warehouse discounts, like on the Kirkland Signature jewelry or various furniture items that are only featured for a limited time.
In addition to things like toys, gifts, and household items, Costco usually has some pretty decent grocery deals during the holiday season. You can usually find these ahead of Thanksgiving on things like turkey, snacks, and various other items. You will still need to buy in bulk, but the stacked savings on top of that are usually worth it.
For more information on what to expect this year, check out the expansive Costco Black Friday ad for 2025.
Other major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, and Target will all have discounts on furniture as part of their Black Friday sales. But the overall largest discounts on furniture will be at Wayfair during this time. Wayfair consistently has the best furniture deals anywhere during the holiday season and you should be able to find a good deal on just about everything you can purchase for your home.
As for what specific discounts to expect, we can check out the Wayfair early Black Friday sale to get a better idea. On average you can save around 50% on chairs, tables, rugs, decor, and even pool tables. These discounts will sometimes be locked to a specific color or material type, and sometimes you'll be able to find steeper discounts on overtock items if you dig deep enough. The early access sale is happening right now and we expect the main Black Friday sale to replace that with more deals sometime before Thanksgiving.
eBay Black Friday
eBay is still the Wild West when it comes to tracking down deals. There are plenty of bargains to be found, but a fair amount of research is required to be able to identify them from the other listings masquerading as deals. Most deals won't be discounted during Black Friday, however eBay will likely offer a sitewide coupon code - typically anywhere between 15% and 30% off - that will work on thousands of items from tech, apparel, sporting goods, home improvement, and more. General eBay codes will always be advertised on eBay's Deals page. Currently eBay is offering a 20% off coupon code "TECH4THEM" that works on over 2,500 refurbished items including the Meta Quest 3 and LG Evo C5 OLED TVs.
Barnes & Noble
Although Barnes & Noble doesn't offer the same level of deals as a retailer like Amazon, it's still one of the best places to buy books and toys during Black Friday season. It's also pretty easy to predict what Barnes & Noble's Black Friday sale will look like because it's always fairly similar. You can expect 50% off select books and Blu-rays as well as some surprisingly good deals on LEGO sets. There's also a pretty decent gift card deal going on already that gets you $10 of credt for every $100 you spend on gift cards.
The real question is what books and toys will actually be included in those sales. You can take a look at last year's Barnes & Noble Black Friday sale for an idea of what to expect in 2025.
GameStop Black Friday - Starts November 23
GameStop has officially revealed its Black Friday sale for 2025 and it looks very similar to what Nintendo and PlayStation have already released. Alongside a Black Friday ad, there are also early Black Friday deals going on through November 22 that bring new discounts on PS5 and Nintendo Switch games.
As for what to expect from the main sale, it's primarily more PlayStation and Switch game deals. This includes older Switch games as well as some newer releases like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. There will also be a $20 discount on the PlayStation Portal and price cuts on most DualSense controllers.
You can find the full preview of deals directly from the GameStop Black Friday ad. There's a helpful post on the Black Friday subreddit that shows you the full scan as well.
Black Friday is the best time to buy most things online or in stores, but there are some items that get significantly bigger discounts during this time. If you're looking to save as much money as possible during Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year, here a few product categories that we expect will massive discounts this year.
TVs and Monitors
The best time to buy a TV or a new gaming monitor is without a doubt Black Friday season. This has been the case since Black Friday first became a thing and will long continue to be a trend we see repeated in the years to come. There are cheap TVs and monitors available pretty much year-round, but it's during this time of year that we see the steepest discounts on newer models. The popular LG C-Series TVs, for example, have already started dropping in price ahead of November. Many of these brands are not affectd by U.S. tariffs as well, so we likely won't see the same markup we're seeing on other products this year. If you don't know where to start your search this year, we recommend taking a look at our Black Friday TV buying guide for everything you need to know before the sales start this year.
If you're looking for early deals, there's currently a 100-inch LG Hisense Mini-LED TV that has dropped to its lowest price of the year. Samsung has also dropped the price of the 65-inch S90F 4K OLED TV to its lowest price ever as well.
Video Game Consoles
While you shouldn't expect discounts on the new Nintendo Switch 2 or the Xbox, we atleast know that PS5 consoles are getting discounted. PlayStation has officially launched its Black Friday sale for 2025, which includes $100 off PS5 and PS5 Pro consoles. These discounts are notable due to consoles seeing price increases across the board in 2025.
Outside of consoles themselves, Black Friday's also a great time to pick up any accessories. We're already seeing early price drops on the DualSense Edge controller as well as a spread of Xbox controllers.
And, of course, this is one of the best times to find discounts on games. This is especially true if you're looking to buy actual physical games as Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart will all have some sort of sale worth checking out. Most notably, PS5 game deals have already started and the discounts are really quite good. Expect many popular titles to drop below $30 for the first time and $10 discounts on recently released games in some cases. Nintendo recently announced its Black Friday sale details for 2025 and the game discounts fit right within that under $30 range we've come to expect for Switch games. Meanwhile PlayStation's recent announcement confirms up to 60% discounts on PS5 games this year.
Due to its proximity to Christmas, Black Friday is undoubtedly the best time to buy LEGO sets and other toys. In all of the previews we have gotten so far (from Walmart, Amazon, and Costco), toys are heavily featured in those discounts. In fact, we've already seen a 40% discount on some of the most popular LEGO sets at Target. That doesn't necessarily mean every type of toy or LEGO set will get discounted, but you can expect to see price cuts on items that haven't gone on sale all year during this time. You can find out more about what LEGO deals to expect from our LEGO expert, Chris Reed.
Although Apple does usually offer some sort of Black Friday promotion every year, but it's the other retailers that tend to have the best discounts. Black Friday is always the best time to buy a new iPad, AirPods, Apple Watches, and pretty much all other iOS accessories. Major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy will all be competing for the lowest price on the latest devices and we usually see the lowest prices all year on the latest Apple releases. This season is also a generally good time to buy an iPhone as most carriers will start offering their holiday promotions in November for the new iPhone 17 models.
There are quite a few early Apple deals available, including a price cut on iPads at Amazon Resale that is worth a look. Best Buy also launched a deal on the Apple AirPods Pro 3 that has been price matched at Amazon and Walmart as well.
Gaming Laptops and PCs
Black Friday has always been one of the best times to buy a new gaming PC or laptop. In 2025 this is especially true as we're finally starting to see the first discounts on prebuilt machines with 50-series GPUs included. Major retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart will usually have at least one really good deal over the holiday weekend worth checking out. You can also expect significant discounts direct from manufacturers like Dell, Lenovo, and HP that are just as good if not better than what we've seen all year long. Dell has already launched its Black Friday sale for 2025, but we expect better discounts to arrive next week closer to actual Black Friday.
Black Friday is by far the best time to buy a new phone. This is mostly because we see all of the biggest discounts around this time, but it's also thanks to the release schedules of new phones. Both Google and Apple launch their new flagship phones in the fall and it's around November that we start seeing prices drop on new and previous generation phones.
If you're looking for deals on unlocked phones, some of those discounts have already begun. There was a great deal on a Google Pixel 10 smartphone earlier in the month and Amazon has brought it back. We also expect the Samsung Galaxy phones to get similar discount closer to actual Black Friday.
Books, Comics, and Manga
Any physical media collectors will definitely have a great opportunity to stock their shelves during Black Friday. Amazon often runs BOGO or '3 for 2' promotions on books, movies, and even board games. The 3 for 2 sale popped up last Black Friday and has returned once again for Black Friday 2025. It’s unclear if this sale will last all the way through Amazon's sale (which starts on November 20), but its a great opportunity to scoop up individual books as well as box sets and special editions ahead of the event.
If you're on the e-reader wave, Kindle Unlimited, a solid platforms for comics, is set to have its usual "three months for $0.99 sake according to Amazon's sneak peek. Audible, the audiobook haven, has already launched a "three months for $3" deal that will last through December. Otherwise, individual physical media deals will pop up across more tailored retailers like, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million. Expect price drops on classics as well as the newest book releases up to 65% and even bigger discounts one ebooks.
Streaming Services
Regardless of what streaming services you're subscribed to, I'm willing to bet you encountered a price hike at one point or another in 2025. To cut down on subscription costs, I recommend stocking up whenever there's a discount. One of the only guaranteed times to see streaming discounts is Black Friday. There's even already a discount on Walmart+ available if you are looking for a cheap bundle.
DVDs will be included in pretty much every retailer's sale starting next week and will most likely be price-matched at Amazon. It's worth checking in on any movie or TV release you've had an eye on, including preorders, and using a price-tracking tool like camelcamelcamel to see if it's hit an all-time low.
TCG Products
It's not a secret that TCG pricing has gotten pretty out of control. The biggest suspect here is Pokemon, but with new licensing (looking at you, Universes Beyond) and ongoing issues with scalpers, we've also seen progressively higher prices on Magic: The Gathering and Disney Lorcana. Black Friday will likely feature a spread of discounts on TCG products, but it's worth doing your research on the MSRP of individual boosters or bundles to make sure you're getting an actual deal.
Furniture is one of those things that goes on sale during pretty much every major sales event throughout the year. However, Black Friday is really the only time that every retailer will have furniture sales. The biggest major sales will be at furniture outlets like Wayfair, but you'll also be able to find some big savings at online retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target. All of the major mattress and furniture warehouses have likely already started some sort of sale ahead of Black Friday.
During actual Black Friday some of the best deals will likely be on office and gaming furniture that doesn't usually see steep discounts. The Secretlab Black Friday sale live right now, for example, is usually one of the best times of year to buy gaming chairs and gaming desks at decent prices. If you want something cheap, you'll want to check out the outlets, but if you want something good you should go straight to the manufacturers website.
Board Games
Black Friday is consistently one of the best times to buy board games every year. You'll usually find the best overall discounts at Amazon and Target, rather than your local tabletop store, and those discounts are usually fairly substantial. Popular family games will usually drop under $15 or less during the peak sales times while massive strategy games tend to see 50% price cuts for the first time all year. If you have a board game in mind you want to buy, this is likely the time of year to get it for cheap.
There's even a surprisingly good deal going on at Amazon right now that can help you save that 50% a little bit early. The promotion is a buy 1, get 1 50% off sale on board games, puzzles, and a few other items. It's also going on at Target and is set to last through the weekend. You can check out our guide on what board game deals to expect this year for more info.
What Won't Go on Sale This Year
Black Friday is the best time to buy pretty much everything, but that doesn't mean everything will go on sale. There are some products that won't see any discounts at all simply because they are too new or demand is just too high. This is particularly true when it comes to things like tech and popular toys. For example Nintendo just launched the Switch 2 this year and there's very little chance we'll see any Black Friday deals on the new console outside of bundles that already exist. The same thing goes for the recently released Xbox Ally X, which has very little chance of receiving a discount so soon after launch.
When it comes to toys, don't expect discount on anything that has come out in the last few months. This is especially true for new LEGO releases as we usually don't see discounts on those until six months or more after the initial release date.
Tips for Black Friday Shopping Online
It may seem silly to start planning your Black Friday shopping right now, but doing so can help you save a lot of money when it comes time to actually start making purchases. Here are a few Black Friday tips that you should consider ahead of the event:
Set a Budget – Keeping track of how much money you can actually spend is important to avoid overspending. When everything is on sale, it can be easy to buy more than you really should just because things are at their lowest price of the year.
Create a Shopping List – Knowing exactly what you're trying to find discounts on is a great way to avoid making unnecessary purchases. It can also make it easier for you to compare prices between retailers or set price drop alerts ahead of time.
Compare Prices – Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart make it really easy to do all of your shopping there. That being said, those retailers don't always have the best price on the items you're looking for. Make sure to compare prices across the web before you buy something for more than you have to.
Research Before You Buy – If you're making an expensive purchase, make sure you do at least some research before you buy it. This means looking for independent reviews or testimony from trusted sources about those products. You shouldn't necessarily trust Amazon reviews, for example.
Be Wary of Search Results and AI Summaries - Search platforms, such as Google, have a tendency to be flooded with sponsored links in the results as well as AI summaries that are potentially biased. Be careful to avoid clicking on a sponsored ad if you're looking for reviews or searching for specific products by price.
Connexion
