eBay continues its early Black Friday TV deals bonana with another big price drop on a current generation TV. Right now Electronic Express (an authorized Samsung reseller) is offering the 65" Samsung S90F 4K OLED Smart TV for a historically low price of $1,118.39 with free shipping after you apply 20% off coupon code "TOPGIFTPICKS". The code expires on November 16. Electronic Express is a reputable seller on eBay with over 200,00 reviews and over 99% positive rating.
The S90F is the current generation (2025) model in Samsung's S90 OLED TV lineup. If you were to compare Samsung's TVs with LG's TVs, the Samsung S90F would be comparable to the LG Evo C5. It's equipped with a quantum dot OLED panel, which is only found in Samsung's higher end OLED TVs. QD OLED TVs are brighter and have a wider color gamut than traditional W-OLED TVs while retaining all of the other benefits like the near instaneous response time, true black levels, and near-infinite contrast ratio. This is easily the best TV for streaming 4K HDR content in its intended glory.
The Samsung S90F also has the features you'd want in a current gen gaming TV, including a 120Hz panel that can be pushed to as high as 144Hz, HDMI 2.1 inputs for running PS5 games in 4K at up to 120fps, variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low latency mode (ALLM).
Is this TV good for Nintendo Switch 2?
Despite being a current generation console, the Nintendo Switch 2 has lax TV requirements compared to the PS5 or Xbox Series X. When the Switch is connected to its dock and a television, it is only capable of outputting a 4K resolution signal at up to 60 frames per second. It can go up to 120fps if the resolution drops to 1080p, but the data rate required for both these options is pretty much the same, and you would much rather play any game in 4K. That said, the Switch 2 will still benefit greatly from the OLED panel's stellar image quality (much like how the Switch OLED was a substantial visual upgrade from the original Switch).
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.
Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are reportedly lined up to write, produce, and are attached to direct a new Star Trek movie for Paramount Pictures.
According to Deadline, “Goldstein and Daley’s film is a completely new take on the Star Trek universe and not connected to any previous or current television series, movie or prior movie development projects.’
No word yet on when this new Star Trek movie will begin shooting or its release date.
Goldstein and Daley wrote and directed Game Night, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and Vacation.
Their screenwriting credits include Spider-Man: Homecoming, Horrible Bosses, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. They also have story credit on The Flash and Horrible Bosses 2.
Simon Pegg, who played Scotty in the Kelvin timeline films, suggested in 2020 one key reason why a fourth Star Trek was struggling to get made: “Star Trek movies don't make Marvel money. … They make maybe $500 [million] at the most, and to make one now, on the scale they've set themselves, is $200 [million]. You have to make three times that to make a profit.”
For more on that project be sure to read Scott Collura’s thorough development hell history of the Star Trek 4 that never was.
Ahead of Black Friday, eBay is offering 20% off coupon code that works on all products sold at the official Bose Outlet eBay store. That includes the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, Bose's biggest and most impressive soundbar speaker with Dolby Atmos and Bose TrueSpace Technology. It normally retails for $1,000 new, but you can get a certified refurbished model for just $599.20 after you apply coupon code "TOPGIFTPICKS" in your shopping cart. Free delivery is included. That's 40% off and it even comes with a 2 year AllState warranty. This coupon expires on November 16.
Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar for $599.20 (was $999)
Certified Refurbished
The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is the highest end sound bar speaker in Bose's product lineup. The soundbar measures 41" long and houses a 5.1.2ch array consisting of nine total speakers. Two of these are upward firing dipole speakers for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos supported content. The soundbar also incorporates Bose's TrueSpace technology, which does a great job of simulating a 3-dimensional soundscape even though internal speakers in soundbars are crammed together.
Popular amongst home theater setups nowadays is "A.I. Dialogue Mode". This feature automatically balances voice and surround sound so that you don't need to turn up the volume to deafening levels in order to hear what everyone is saying.
As befits Bose's flagship soundbar, the Smart Ultra boasts great build quality and premium materials, and is the only Bose soundbar fitted with a tempered glass top. It supports several wireless protocols including Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, and has a microphone to accept voice commands. App-based setup is easy as well.
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.
Amazon recently announced that its Black Friday sale will be kicking off on November 20 this year, but if you're looking to save on some books you can start shopping right now. Amazon's popular "3 for 2" sale on books and box sets has returned and it's one of the best versions of this sale we've seen all year. If you're looking to buy some actual physical books for yourself or as a gift for the reader in your life, this sale is a great way to save.
If you're not familiar with Amazon's "3 for 2" promotion, it's essentially just a buy 2, get 1 free sale. There's a massive list of books eligible for the sale and all you need to do is place any three in your cart and the price of the cheapest one will be discounted at checkout. To make the most of the sale, you'll want to buy three things that are all similar in price. You can also buy multiples and still receive the discount.
Amazon Buy 2, Get 1 Free Book Sale
Amazon has offered this promotion for pretty much every major sale this year, but this is the most robust list of books I've seen since Prime Day back in July. There's a little bit of everything included here, from classics to coffee table books, popular manga, and new releases. If there's a specific book you're looking for, just use the search bar to see if it's included. Some of the most popular books and box sets included in this sale are buried so far down the list that you'll only be able to locate them by searching by name. And with that in mind, I've gone ahead and pulled out some of the best books I could find from the sale below.
New releases
Some of the most popular new book releases of 2025 are included in this sale. For fans of the Hunger Game series, you can grab the latest sequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, which is also pretty heavily discounted. There's also The Secret of Secrets, Dan Brown's latest Robert Langdon Novel that came out back in September. Onyx Storm is included alongside all of the other Fourthwing books in the Empyrean series, which is a great option for any romantasy fans out there. And finally, the recently released dark romance book, Alchemised, is also eligible for this discount.
For fans of comics, I'd recommend checking out Absolute Batman: The Zoo, which was released earlier this year. It's an entirely new take on Batman and the villains of Gotham.
Box sets
Arguably the best discounts in this promotion are the box sets. These are higher-priced items that already have discounts, so buying three of them at once could get you a full book collection for relatively cheap. This sale has pretty much all of the major box sets included within it. There are multiple Wheel of Time books sets, the Game of Thrones books, The Witcher books, Frank Herbert's Dune books, and a few different Harry Potter book collections. For young adults there's also popular options like the Percy Jackson series and The Chronicles of Narnia.
Illustrated editions
If you're specifically looking for books to give as gifts, I highly recommend looking into illustrated editions. These are collector's editions that include beautiful art alongside a story and are usually pretty pricey compared to standard hardcovers. There are multiple versions of the illustrated Lord of the Rings books currently included this sale, both of which include illustrations from J.R.R Tolkien himself. There's also the interactive illustrated Harry Potter books (all of which are included) that include a mix of art, story, and papercraft. And while it's more of a coffee table book than an illustrated edition, the Hyrule Historia is also a great option for anyone interested in The Legend of Zelda books.
Children's books
These sales always have a huge variety of kids books available. There are a ton of Dr. Seuss classics in here, including How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and Cat in the Hat. There's also quite a few Eric Carle books, with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? being the most popular. You can also find a plethora of Where's Waldo books and box sets like The Calvin and Hobbes collection.
Book Deals to Expect During Amazon Black Friday
While this promotion is likely better than any individual book sale Amazon will offer during Black Friday, it is worth noting that the retailer has offered up a sneak peek of what book discounts you can expect this year. The biggest price drops will be on Kindle books, which Amazon has stated will be discounted up to 80% during the sale. Print books are also expected to receive discounts of up to 65%, but we don't yet know which books will be getting those discounts. It's possible Amazon will decide to end the buy 2, get 1 free promotion before it kicks off its official sale next week, so it's worth taking advantage of the promotion while it lasts. These types of promotions are really the best time to buy books for cheap.
For more information about the upcoming discounts, you can check out our guide to Amazon's Black Friday sale or dive into our larger Black Friday guide for 2025.
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.
Magic: The Gathering is getting yet another big Secret Lair collab with a major video game series, and this time it's Monster Hunter.
Announced today in a very odd press release, the Monster Hunter Secret Lair Superdrop will be available from December 1 at 9am PT to December 22 at 11:59pm PT, but only while supplies last, and these things tend to sell out pretty quick.
The collaboration includes four separate drops, each priced at $29.99, with a foil edition for $39.99. All cards involved are reprints of existing cards with Monster Hunter themes, nothing mechanically unique or new. The press release includes some basic information about each of the drops, titled respectively The Hunt, The Hunters, The Monsters, and The Monsters II, but no card images as of yet.
The Hunt focuses on non-creature spells, themed around "the terrifying attacks that monsters across the Monster Hunter franchise can unleash." There is one spell of each color:
1x Blind Obedience: Malzeno from Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
1x Snap: Kushala Daora from Monster Hunter 2
1x Village Rites: Magnamalo and Tobi-Kadachi from Monster Hunter Rise
1x Mizzium Mortars: Yian Garuga from Monster Hunter Generations and Monster Hunter 2
1x Tooth and Nail: Azure Rathalos and Seregios from Monster Hunter 4
The Hunters is, as it sounds, about the hunters themselves, with each card depicting a different set of armor and weapons and having the human creature subtype. As before, there's one spell of each color:
1x Grand Abolisher: Tigrex Armor with Bone Scythes from Monster Hunter Generations and Monster Hunter Freedom 2
1x Archaeomancer: Velkhana Armor with Slinger and Winged Seraphyd Greatsword from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
1x Grim Haruspex: Nargacuga Armor with a Hidden Eye Light Bowgun from Monster Hunter P2G/MHFU
1x Imperial Recruiter: Rathalos Armor with Red Tigrex Claws; Brachydios Armor with Burning Knocker; Gore Malaga Armor and Royal Rose from Monster Hunter 4G
1x Champion of Lambholt: Astalos Armor with Verdant Lightning Shield from Monster Hunter Generations.
The Monsters and The Monsters II are similarly self-explanatory, including the following monsters as legendary creatures. These are two different sets, but the press release is unclear exactly how these nine creatures will be split between them. IGN has reached out to Wizards of the Coast for comment on this and just generally on the confusing nature of this press release:
Nezahal, Primal Tide: Lagiacrus from Monster Hunter 3
Drakuseth, Maw of Flames: Rathalos from Monster Hunter Generations
Sarulf, Realm Eater: Zinogre from Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire: Nergigante from Monster Hunter World
Ziatora, the Incinerator: Fatalis from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
Razaketh, the Foulblooded: The Gore Malaga from Monster Hunter 4
Amareth, the Lustrous: Velkhana from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
Wasitora, Nekorus Queen: Nargacuga from Monster Hunter Portable 2nd Generation/Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
Kalamax, the Stormsire: Brachydios from Monster Hunter 3 Generations
It's been a busy year for both Secret Lair and third-party Magic collabs in general, with some incredible Secret Lair card drops including Sonic, Final Fantasy, Deadpool, SpongeBob, The Office and more. We're currently eagerly awaiting the release of the Avatar: The Last Airbender Universes Beyond set, following close on the heels of Marvel's Spider-Man. Next year is looking equally stacked, with planned Universes Beyond sets featuring TMNT, The Hobbit, Marvel, and Star Trek. It's too many cards. Please, slow down.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Ever since digital streaming was introduced as an alternative to cable, companies like Disney, Warner Bros, Netflix, and Amazon have been finding new ways to "revolutionize" monthly subscriptions, which has more or less come right back around to the concept of cable. (Only now every "channel" requires its own login and password, and costs at least $10 a month.) As the streaming service war wages on with constant changes, mergers and acquisitions, "bundles" are becoming more common as more streaming services are created, and some of these have gotten creative with including both digital and physical services.
The ability to combine multiple networks and major streaming platforms into a single subscription is becoming simpler than ever (thankfully) and gives better savings over subscribing individually to every service you'd want. Depending on your needs as a subscriber and your interests as a streamer and/or online shopper, the options available should tick many of your boxes.
Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle – $19.99/month (with ads)
The Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle launched last year, and was immediately a standout deal with pricing starting at $19.99/month for an ad-supported tier. Going ad-free on all three platforms bumped up the price to $32.99/month following price hikes across its subscription plans. Because these price increases also affect all of the individual subscriptions, this bundle still leads to around the same amount in savings, and as such is still one of the overall best deals in streaming.
This bundle also include Hulu, which is home to hit original series (The Bear, Shōgun) and documentaries (Minding the Gap, Flee, Enemies of the State), plus its library of movies and licensed shows from networks like FX, ABC, and Fox.
With the addition of HBO Max, subscribers also get access to that arsenal of HBO shows and Max exclusives (The White Lotus, The Last of Us, Game of Thrones) and movies (which includes Ghibli films and and all things DC). You'll also get access to shows from HGTV and other Discovery channels since the Discovery+ merger a few years back. Though unfortunately this bundle pricing does not allow for streaming HBO Max in 4K.
The newest entry on the list, Peacock and Apple TV just launched their first ever bundle in this joint offering. The bundle announcement follows recent price hikes on both standalone subscription: Peacock launched a new spread of subscription tiers in July, while Apple TV increased its sole membership plan from $9.99/month to $12.99/month in August.
Now, you can get both subscription services for $14.99/month with ads on Peacock, or $19.99/month to go ad-free. The ad-supported bundle offers around 35% in monthly savings, while the Premium plan saves you upwards of 40%.
Apple TV is, naturally, the exclusive streaming home for Apple originals like Silo, For All Mankind, and Severance. Meanwhile, Peacock is a top pick for more casual watching, with a solid slate of sitcoms like The Office and Parks and Rec, as well as reality shows like Love Island Games. Between the two, you'll get a library worth binge-watching as well as a surprising amount of live sports.
Xfinity Streamsaver – $15/month
For those that are already Xfinity internet and/or Xfinity TV subscribers, Xfinity StreamSaver is a fantastic way to make the most of your internet and TV bill with an exclusive bundle option. It's also worth noting that this is the only way to get bundle pricing on Netflix.
For the price of $15 per month, subscribers gain access to premium streaming platforms including Apple TV+ (home to Severance, Ted Lasso, Masters of the Air, Napoleon, Killers of the Flower Moon), Netflix Standard with ads (home to Stranger Things, The Witcher, Wednesday, Squid Game), and Peacock Premium with ads (home to The Continental, Twisted Metal, Bupkis).
Other bundle options that range in higher prices offer access to live sports, live TV channels, and DVR options accessible through multiple devices at once. Though it's worth noting that you will not get Netflix in 4K with the standard with ads plan.
Walmart+ with Paramount+ or Peacock - $12.95/month
One of the newer, more resourceful subscription bundles, a subscription to Walmart+ automatically grants the customer free access to the Paramount+ digital streaming library or Peacock premium. Paramount+ is home to popular franchises like the Star Trek Universe and Sonic the Hedgehog as well as Showtime originals (Yellowjackets). It's also where you can stream all of the Mission Impossible movies, including the Final Reckoning when it comes out.
Similar to Amazon Prime Video, Walmart+ has bundled a digital streaming service with a shopping option that mixes digital and physical in a creative way. With a standard Walmart+ membership, users have access to multiple shopping benefits such as: free delivery on almost all items, no order minimums, fuel savings, auto care, exclusive early access to sales events, and free item returns from home. If you're looking for a decent alternative to an Amazon Prime membership, this is your best bet.
For users that are interested in further streaming add-ons through Walmart+, for an additional $6.49/month they will have access to the Showtime streaming library as well.
Amazon Prime Membership - $14.99/month
One of the earliest adopters in the streaming industry alongside Netflix and Hulu, Amazon Prime Video has become a staple of the streaming world.
With access to an Amazon Prime Video subscription, viewers have exclusive access to blockbuster films and Amazon original movies (Road House, Red One) and series (Invincible, The Boys, Fallout, The Rings of Power). On top of that, it has a multitude of add-on options (Paramount+, Starz, Max, AMC+, MGM+, BritBox, Shudder, Crunchyroll, Apple TV+) that will alter your subscription fee based on the pricing of each add-on.
For the $14.99 bundle, also known as an Amazon Prime membership, subscribers automatically gain access to Amazon Prime shopping services that include free two-day shipping on select items, free same-day delivery in eligible zip codes, and free no-rush shipping that will earn rewards toward future purchases. You will also get access to exclusive discounts during Amazon Prime Day and other sales events.
For subscribers who are not interested in including Amazon Prime in their Amazon bundle, they can exclude it and only subscribe to Prime Video for $8.99/month.
DirecTV Stream - $79.99/month
Youll definitely notice one major difference between the previous choices and this one: the jump in price when looking at DirecTV Stream.
While this may intimidate some shoppers, the price to reward ratio is well-balanced. For the mentioned price above, users will have access to the Entertainment Bundle, which includes top-viewed channels (Fox News, ESPN, Univision, MSNBC, HGTV, Hallmark Channel, and 90+ others), 60,000+ movies/shows on demand, local channels, and free access to three months of premium streaming service channels (Max, Paramount+ with Showtime, Starz, Cinemax, and MGM+). Right now, for example, DirecTV is one of the only streaming services that lets you access all of the live sports you want to watch, and is generally the best streaming service for watching NBA games (including the NBA finals)
Three alternative but even more expensive bundles include unlimited access to live sports, additional channels to stream, and an increased amount of on demand movies/shows. For any of these packages, you can get access to the DirecTV free trial to try out the service for five days.
Hulu + Live TV - $89.99/month (currently $64.99/month for new subscribers)
If you're looking for an alternative to the Disney streaming bundle above, Hulu + Live TV is a great option. It the popular Hulu streaming service with a live TV package that features over 95 channels. Plus, it includes a Disney bundle in its monthly cost, a service that would typically set you back $16.99 per month. So in addition to more the live TV, you'll also get the base Hulu (with ads), Disney+ (with ads) and ESPN Unlimited (with ads) making it one of the best ways to stream NFL and NBA games live.
Hulu + Live TV is currently offering a limited-time discount for new subscribers, dropping the monthly cost from $89.99 to $64.99 for your first three months. The deal is available until November 28. There's also a three-day free trial of Hulu + Live TV that lets you test out one of the best live TV services for free before having to commit to a monthly subscription.
Crunchyroll Premium – $12/Month
Although it may not seem like a bundle at first glance, the Crunchyroll Premium tiers actually do offer more than just anime. Sure, it's the best anime streaming site, but you also get the Crunchyroll Game Vault that lets you play a variety of popular anime games for free. The Game Vault only comes with a Mega Fan or Ultimate Subscription, but both of those will also gain you discounts at the Crunchyroll store.
Streaming Bundle FAQs
What's the best streaming bundle for live sports?
ESPN Unlimited has now appeared on the scene, and Disney+ was quick to launch a bundle to accompany it. A special offer has made the ESPN Unlimited bundle with ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions just $29.99/month. With ESPN Unlimited, you'll get access to all of ESPN's linear networks, which host the likes of the NFL, NBA, and more. If you're considering the new service, I'd look into the full Hulu + Live TV subscription, which includes ESPN Unlimited and offers a three-day free trial.
If you're someone who doesn't want to miss a single game, a more comprehensive option is DirecTV Stream. The base price for a DirecTV Stream plan is $79.99/month, but the incredible streaming options for a sports package inclusion starts at $98.99/month for the 'Choice' bundle, and $109.99/month for the 'Ultimate' bundle, all include regional sports networks and on demand streaming options for sports.
Another alternative is fubo, which also includes a free trial for new subscribers. fuboTV and Disney recently struck a deal to combine services, so this alternative may become the best option once that merger finishes.
What streaming services have free trials?
If you want to test out any of the streaming services on this list before comitting to a bundle, there are a few streaming service free trials you can take advantage of. Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and DirecTV Stream all offer some sort of free trial for new subscribers.
Ahead of Black Friday, Amazon is offering an excellent deal on a miniature-sized gaming PC. Right now you can pick up a Cooler Master NR2 gaming PC equipped with a GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card for just $1,740.18 shipped after you apply a $235.81 off coupon on the product page. The NR2 is housed in Cooler Master's NR200P Max chassis, which is one of the most popular and well-reviewed ITX cases on the market. Despite its compact size, the NR2 is equipped with excellent cooling and powerful components. Normally there would be a high dollar markup on a boutique setup like this.
Cooler Master NR2 RTX 5070 Ti ITX Gaming PC for $1,740
This Cooler Master NR2 gaming PC is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F CPU, Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, 32GB of DDR5-6000MHz RAM, and a 2TB SSD. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265F is a 20-core processor with a 5.3GHz max Turbo frequency. It's cooled by a 280mm all-in-one liquid cooling system with custom length tubing. The system is powered by an 850W 80+ Gold SFX power supply, again with custom length cables.
The RTX 5070 Ti GPU Has Excellent 4K Gaming Performance
The RTX 5070 Ti offers the best bang for your buck in terms of 4K gaming performance. It performs neck-and-neck with the previous generation RTX 4080 Super and pulls ahead in any game that supports DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation. It is fully capable of running any game in 4K at 60fps. It also has 16GB of VRAM like the RTX 5080, making it viable for AI work. Check out our Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU review by Jacqueline Thomas for our hands-on impressions.
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.
For a movie whose existence was only revealed a couple of months ago, Man of Tomorrow is progressing at a pretty speedy clip. James Gunn’s Superman sequel already has a screenplay and a release date - July 9, 2027. And now we have apparent confirmation of the big villain forcing David Corenswet’s Kal-El and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor to join forces. It’s Brainiac, of course.
This is hardly the most surprising news, but it is a welcome one. Who better than Brainiac to bring together the Man of Steel and the guy who kidnapped his dog? It’s a twist that just makes sense, given how Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU has been shaping up so far. Let’s take a closer look at who Brainiac is and why he’s the perfect choice to be Man of Tomorrow’s main villain.
Who Is Man of Tomorrow Villain Brainiac?
Lex Luthor will always rank as Superman’s greatest arch-nemesis. As Gunn’s first Superman movie proves, he’s just a next-level hater. But Brainiac is the clear choice for #2. More than any villain, he has both the brains and the brawn to challenge Kal-El on every front.
Brainiac was created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino and debuted in 1958’s Action Comics #242. Brainiac is depicted as an alien android from the planet Colu. Brainiac’s modern origin story reveals that he was originally an organic being - a Coluan scientist named Vril Dox - before being sentenced to death for trying to overthrow his world. But now, he exists as a cyborg with a series of super-strong bodies to draw upon.
Already fiendishly intelligent, Brainiac has made it his goal to collect all knowledge that exists in the universe. But much like Judge Holden from Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, once Brainiac gathers said knowledge, he’s committed to ensuring no one else can possess it.
Brainiac’s fiendish modus operandi consists of travelling to different worlds and capturing cities as his personal souvenirs. He shrinks them down and bottles them up for his collection, and then destroys what remains of the conquered civilization. One of Brainiac’s greatest prizes is Kandor, a relic of the Krypton that was. In some versions of the Superman mythos, it’s actually Brainiac who causes the destruction of Krypton after stealing Kandor.
Superman has clashed with Brainiac many times over the years, both alone and alongside the Justice League. But though Supes inevitably triumphs each time, Brainiac always survives and returns to threaten Earth again. Because he can simply back up his consciousness and build new bodies, he’s a very hard villain to destroy. In fact, 2008’s Superman: Brainiac served as the first time that Superman encountered the real Brainiac in his true humanoid form. Every other Brainiac he battled before then was a drone proxy.
Despite being one of the most feared villains in the DC Universe, Brainiac’s descendants have established a more heroic legacy. Most notably, Brainiac 5 is a founding member of the 31st Century team known as the Legion of Super-Heroes and one of Kal-El’s closest friends.
Why Brainiac Makes Sense for James Gunn’s DCU
From the moment Gunn first revealed Man of Tomorrow online, one thing about this Superman follow-up has been clear. Something is going to happen that forces Kal-El and Lex Luthor to put aside their differences and confront a common enemy. Some villain will emerge that pierces through Luthor’s absolute hatred of Superman. Brainiac was the most immediate and obvious candidate, so it was hardly a surprise when The Wrap confirmed that the villain will headline Man of Tomorrow.
As we’ve already established, Brainiac is easily the #2 most important Superman villain after Luthor, so it makes sense that he would be next out of the gate. And in terms of picking a villain who can challenge both Superman’s strength and Luthor’s massive intellect, there’s no one better. With his advanced android bodies and endless supply of robotic tools, Brainiac can fight Superman to a standstill. And though Luthor has spent his entire life being the smartest guy in any room, he’s about to meet a true mental rival in Brainiac. This is a foe that requires Superman and Luthor to be at their absolute peak.
Brainiac also fits right into the larger story Gunn seems to be telling with Krypton. In what was easily the most controversial shake-up in 2025’s Superman, the film depicts Bradley Cooper’s Jor-El and Angela Sarafyan’s Lara Lor-Van not as benevolent scientists, but colonizers urging their son to conquer Earth and breed a new generation of Kryptonian heirs. Everything we think we know about Krypton is thrown for a loop with that reveal. If Superman’s birth parents aren’t paragons of virtue, then what else has changed about Krypton?
As discussed earlier, some Superman adaptations have reworked Brainiac to be more fundamentally tied to Krypton. We wouldn’t be at all surprised if the DCU follows suit. Will Brainiac again be a Kryptonian super-computer in this universe? Will he be the secret hand behind the planet’s destruction? Is he still carrying out Jor-El’s goals of colonization? At the very least, we’re expecting the Bottle City of Kandor to be a plot point in Man of Tomorrow, especially with Kandorian refugee Supergirl (Milly Alcock) already being introduced.
The Superman movie also establishes that the DCU’s Earth has a history of superheroes dating back 300 years. It even features an Easter egg in the form of a mural depicting some of the many heroes who preceded Superman. It’s very possible that Brainiac’s debut is tied to this 300-year metahuman timeline. As a collector of knowledge and rare specimens, Brainiac may well be fascinated by Earth’s metahuman phenomenon. He may be coming to Earth to study these strange beings and collect samples, after which he’ll no doubt want to obliterate what remains. That represents the kind of clear and present danger that would force Superman and Luthor to put aside their differences for the greater good.
What DC Stories Will Man of Tomorrow Adapt?
2025’s Superman may not be a direct adaptation of any particular DC comic or storyline, but there are clear influences in the film. Gunn and his cast and crew have made no secret of the fact that Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman was a huge source of inspiration. We have to assume that Man of Tomorrow will be similar in that regard. Gunn may not be adapting any one particular Superman vs. Brainiac story, but he’s too big a fan of the classic DC Comics and adaptations not to draw on that rich history.
The aforementioned Superman: Brainiac (from writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank) is likely to be one source of inspiration. That book is pretty much the definitive modern Brainiac tale, establishing a new look for the iconic villain and intensifying the rivalry between Supes and his alien nemesis. That book also ends on a profoundly tragic note that we could see Gunn repurposing for the DCU.
And, again, don’t be surprised if Man of Tomorrow borrows a page from the DCAU and Smallville playbook by depicting Brainiac as an AI relic of Krypton rather than a Coluan. It’s a cleaner origin story, in many ways, and it helps highlight the feud between Superman and Brainiac. Cooper’s Jor-El is not the good man Kal-El always believed him to be, and it would make sense to establish Brainiac as another piece of that tarnished legacy.
But in terms of stories that specifically involve Superman and Luthor teaming up against Brainiac, the pickings are surprisingly slim. These two villains have been much more prone to teaming up against Superman in the comics. Brainiac even sometimes serves as a member of the Legion of Doom. Perhaps most famously, they form a one-sided alliance to destroy Superman in Alan Moore and Curt Swan’s graphic novel Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, which features Brainiac hijacking Luthor’s body.
There is one recent Superman comic that could have inspired Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow screenplay, however. Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch’s Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor (which we recently added to our list of the best Superman comics of all time) sees Luthor turn to Superman after contracting a mysterious terminal illness. Despite the protests of the world at large, Superman can’t turn down a plea for help, even from his greatest enemy. In the end, it’s revealed that Brainiac infected Luthor with a virus as part of a plot to kill Superman, keying up a showdown between Brainiac on one side and a united Superman/Luthor on the other.
The first Superman movie establishes Hoult’s Luthor as a supremely arrogant individual, one who views Superman as a subhuman thing and isn’t above casual murder if it causes Clark pain. No doubt Man of Tomorrow is going to have to find ways to humble Luthor and force him to accept the Man of Steel as an ally (as well as force the audience to embrace him as a protagonist for a change). Gunn could do far worse than draw on The Last Days of Lex Luthor’s basic premise. Luthor confronting his imminent mortality is an easy way of forcing him into an alliance with his hated rival.
On the other hand, it may take nothing more than the threat of Earth’s annihilation for Luthor to temporarily make nice with Superman. We saw Luthor play a heroic support role in 2024’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League when Brainiac invades Earth, though in that case, he doesn’t survive long into the conflict.
Warning: The rest of this article contains spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2’s finale!
Finally, there’s the question of how much Man of Tomorrow will draw on Bill Willingham and Lilah Sturges' Salvation Run. Gunn is clearly leaning on that series as he charts the future of the DCU, as Peacemaker Season 2 ends with John Cena’s Christopher Smith being dumped on the prison world of Salvation by a vindictive Rick Flag (Frank Grillo). Similar to the Salvation Run comic, we’re going to see many metahuman villains banished to Salvation by ARGUS.
Will that include Hoult’s Luthor? It’s very possible that Flag will see Luthor as too smart to remain safely in ARGUS custody, opting instead to banish him to another dimension entirely. That could motivate Luthor’s alliance with Superman if he sees his nemesis as his only “get out of jail free” card. And perhaps Brainiac enters the picture when he sees this world full of exiled villains and decides to add it to his collection. One way or another, Flag’s plan is going to blow up in his face. It’s just a question of whether that happens in Man of Tomorrow or elsewhere in the DCU.
What do you hope to see from Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow? Do you want him to be tied to Krypton? Vote in our poll and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
In today’s world of seemingly endless streaming platforms and bundles, shopping for the right one(s) can be a trying ordeal. Since so many have their own expansive media libraries, it can be hard to commit to a monthly payment for one, or even multiple options. Do you want access to every Transformers movie? Paramount+ would be your best bet for that. How about all the anime your heart desires? You’ll want to try out Crunchyroll Premium to satisfy that craving.
Luckily, most streaming services these days offer a sneak peek via free trials into their cache of goodies. So whatever you’re looking to watch in 2025, these nine free trials are a great way to test the waters of the streaming landscape. They are also a great way to save on your monthly streaming bill if you time them right. Otherwise keep an eye out for Black Friday streaming deals for exta savings.
1. Hulu (30-Day Free Trial)
The mecca of popular series both original and classic, Hulu has almost everything a series-binger would need. Adding to its impressive library over the years with some quality, sought-after films as well as TV shows, Hulu also has a wealth of groundbreaking, interesting, original content to dive into. This includes The Bear, Shogun, and the popular Alien: Earth series just to name a few recent hits.
After exploring every nook and cranny that Hulu has to offer in this generous 30-day trial, there are a wide range of subscription options to opt into, from $5.99 a month (with ads) all the way up to just over $100 a month – if you want to include live TV or premium add-ons such as Max, Disney+, Cinemax, Paramount+ with Showtime, Starz, and more. However, keep in mind when looking through plans that Hulu will be merged into Disney+ starting in 2026.
If you're looking for a more robust option, the Hulu + Live TV free trial gets you access to a lot more content. This service includes live TV channels, Hulu, the new ESPN Unlimited service (which now has its own bundle), and Disney+ all in one subscription. The free trial only lasts three days, but it's still worth a try considering it's the best live TV streaming services out there right now for the price.
Much like Hulu, Paramount+ has dug deep into the nostalgia bin while also offering a breadth of modern shows and movies to choose from. Paramount+ offers exclusive access to media such as the Transformers movies, the Halo series, the Mission Impossible movies, and the entire Star Trek film/series universe. With new shows and movies added every week along with some well-made originals of its own, Paramount+ is quickly becoming a contender with the big names in streaming.
After the seven-day free trial of its services, the recurring monthly amount to stay subscribed will be as low as $7.99 ($59.99 a year) for Paramount+ Essential (with ads), or $12.99 a month ($119.99 a year) to add Showtime’s full library and remove almost all ads with Paramount+ Premium. You can also get access to Parmount+ via a Walmart+ membership if you're hoping to avoid a free trial all together.
It may seem a bit odd to include Walmart's subscription service on a list of streaming free trials, but it's actually become one of the best options available. Due to a fairly recent change in its service, Walmart+ subscribers will get a choice of either Peacock Premium or Paramount+ basic as a benefit of subscribing. Members will also get to choose to swap between the two subscriptions every 90 days without an additional fee, which gives you an option to get a wider range of access throughout the year.
Walmart+ currently offers a 30-day free trail for new subscribers only, which is fairly generous compared to other services. It's also the only way you can actually try Peacock for free seeing as NBC's streaming service doesn't currently offer a free trial of its own.
4. Apple TV+ (7-Day Free Trial)
An up-and-coming streaming service in the streaming wars, Apple TV+ takes exclusivity to a whole new level. Featuring some highly praised original shows (Ted Lasso, Foundation, Severance, Shrinking, The Morning Show, Masters of the Air) and movies (Killers of the Flower Moon, Spirited, Napoleon), Apple is quickly gaining momentum in the race against its competitors.
After the seven-day free trial has expired, the monthly subscription will cost $12.99, depending on how many users are added to the account. As a disclaimer for those without Apple products, you will have to create a verified Apple ID to access the premium Apple TV+ streaming library.
For viewers looking to expand their Anime horizons and join in on the millions of viewers worldwide, Crunchyroll free trial is an offer that is hard to beat. While there are three different membership tiers to choose from ($7.99/mo to $14.99/mo), Crunchyroll also has a decent amount of anime content streaming for free. With the various membership packages available, subscribers can also gain access to Crunchyroll games as well as discounts at the Crunchyroll online store.
With simulcasts, Crunchyroll also gives users premium access to brand-new episodes shortly after their initial release in Japan. It's arguably the best place to watch anime online in 2025.
Another streaming service targeted on live TV streams with a focus on sports, fubo is the leading streaming service for sports fans across the globe. While it may be most popular for streaming sporting events, fubo has subscription packages that offer up to 10 screens, 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR space, 4k streaming quality, up to 448 TV channels, and even a premium Showtime add-on option. Besides these features, there is also a catalog of popular shows and movies available for on-demand streaming and access to ESPN Unlimited. Once the seven-day fubo trial has expired, subscribers will pay as low as $59.99 for the first month, then $79.99 for the remainder of the membership.
Although many may remember DirecTV only as a satellite TV service, the company also offers a pretty solid streaming service. DirecTV Stream has an array of streaming options that include various movies, series, and live TV access. Though the trial may be a short one at five days, DirecTV sweetens the deal with some premium content offered upon subscription. When customers sign up for one of three packages ranging in content and priced from $79.99 a month to $119.99 a month, it includes HBO Max, Paramount+ Premium, Starz, MGM+, and Cinemax in the first three months of the subscription.
It's worth noting that DirecTV was able to reach an agreement with Disney over various channels. Because of this DirecTV subscribers now has access to ESPN channels again in 2025. The service is now once again of the best places to stream NBA games and many other great sports depending on which bundle you choose.
8. Philo TV (7-Day Free Trial)
An additional option for those looking to stream premium TV channels from their living room, Philo TV offers similar options but for a bargain. While many consider this simply an alternative to cable TV (considering its 70+ channels for a much cheaper rate), it also has over 70,000 titles to stream on-demand even without utilizing the DVR capabilities. Set at a constant monthly rate that includes everything Philo has to offer, subscribers only pay $28 a month after their seven-day free trial to keep using one of the more underrated TV services the internet has to offer.
9. Mubi (7-Day Free Trial)
A streaming service catered to the arthouse/foreign film cinephiles, Mubi takes streaming subscriptions to a whole new level. Headlining with some of the more obscure and cerebral films to date, Mubi takes pride in its appreciation of the auteur and the directors who made it happen. Presented as a movie theater in a subscription, users can pick from 30 available films – every day one is added and one is removed. After the seven-day free trial, subscribers will be charged $14.99 a month to retain their membership. With the add-on of a fairly new premium feature called MubiGo, users (in select cities) have access to one movie theater ticket every week – a movie chosen by Mubi – and the Mubi library for $19.99 a month.
10. Amazon Prime (30-Day Free Trial)
As one of the biggest competitors in the streaming wars, Amazon Prime offers a surprisingly long trial of 30 days to decide if you enjoy what it has to offer. Responsible for the production of more high-quality films and series every year (including Rings of Power and the new Fallout series), it’s hard to look away from the Amazon Prime catalog.
With access to exclusive content as well as a vast library of established films, much of the content is included with the membership but with an option to rent much newer releases. After the 30-day trial is concluded, users will be charged $14.99 a month (or $139 a year) to continue viewing and enjoy free shipping on orders from Amazon’s shopping center. There is also a student discount of $7.49 a month (or $69 a year) that includes a 6-month free trial. It's a great deal if you plan to enjoy the benefits of Amazon Prime and Prime Video and definitely a free trial worth testing out.
YouTube TV is the live TV version of standard YouTube, and offers over 100 channels that cover everything from major live sports to family-friendly entertainment. It’s generally a good option for families (or roommates) because single subscription can be shared with up to five additional users, and each user gets their own personalized recommendations and unlimited DVR storage. You can stream on up to three devices at once, or pay a little extra to enable streaming on unlimited devices.
If you're an NFL fan, YouTube TV is a must as it’s the exclusive home of NFL Sunday Ticket making it a solid choice during the fall season. The platform also offers unique features for live sports, including real-time scores and stats on your TV, a “key plays” view to quickly catch up on the biggest moments, and even fantasy sports integration to help you track your players and teams.
YouTube TV does offer a free trial, but the length varies depending on your Google account and overall situation. Trial periods currently range from 2 to 21 days, so your mileage may vary.
What are the best free streaming services?
If you're looking for a streaming service that is permanently free, there are actually quite a few. One of the biggest names in free streeming is the Roku Channel, which offers tons of movies and shows without the need for a paid subscription. Tubi is also a great option for free movies, TV shows, and live TV channels. Alternatively, if you just want access to live TV directly from the air, you can buy a TV antenna and get access to local channels.
Unfortunately, if you're looking to get a free trial to Netflix, you're out of luck. Netflix does not offer any free trials and is unlikely to ever do so. If you're hoping to add Netflix to your list of subscription services, however, you can take a look at our guide to Netflix plans and prices for more info or dive into some of the best Netflix alternatives.
Does Disney+ have a free trial?
When Disney+ first launched, there was in fact Disney+ free trial. That is no longer the case, and you will need to pay for a subscription to get access to the service in 2025. That being said, it's possible to bundle Disney+ with other services to save some money. You can check out our guide to Disney+ bundles for more info or checkout some of the best Disney+ alternatives.
Does HBO Max have a free trial?
Similar to Netflix and Disney+, HBO Max does not currently offer a free trial. However, the HBO/Discovery streaming service has been known to offer discounts on its service at various points throughout the year. You can check out our guide to HBO Max deals for more info.
Xbox’s Black Friday sale this year is shaping up to be... complicated. Microsoft has spent much of 2025 raising prices across the board, with consoles, controllers, games, and even Game Pass Ultimate all getting more expensive.
We’ll definitely still see discounts for Xbox fans during the big sale season; it's just unfortunate that almost everything is starting from a considerably higher baseline than before.
That said, I'm also predicting that we'll still be able to score some worthwhile discounts come Black Friday. While Xbox's official "Black Friday" offerings (yet to be announced) rarely deliver great savings, in my experience, you just need to know where and when to look for bargains, and which "deals" to avoid altogether.
To help with this, I've put together my predictions for what will be discounted this year, alongside some expert advice on the best places to find Xbox deals once the sales properly kick off.
Xbox Game Pass
Let's kick off with the most obvious starting point: Xbox Game Pass. Unfortunately, Game Pass Ultimate recently saw another major price hike, jumping a massive 50% in the US, so I probably wouldn't expect Microsoft to discount it directly this Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
That's a great deal if you want to lock in coverage through the holidays. The max you can fill out your account with is 12 lots of three months (totalling 36 months), and currently costs $659.88, or $219.96 per year.
By comparison, at the new $29.99 monthly rate, three years of Game Pass Ultimate now costs $1,079.64. So there are already big savings to be had. It’s just a question of whether we’ll potentially see anything even better in the coming weeks.
Now that's where things get interesting. For the best deal possible in the final months of the year, my advice is to keep an eye on Amazon-owned Woot. Last year, Woot dropped three months of Game Pass Ultimate to just $28.99 during Black Friday, over 50% off at the time.
It was a great deal, but considering it now costs $90 for three months of Ultimate today, this now looks like an absolute juggernaut of a discount.
It's purely speculative that this offer could reappear, and I doubt we’ll see anything quite that generous in 2025, but anything even close to it would be worth shouting about again.
Woot is one of the best retailers for limited-time, doorbuster-style discounts, and since it’s backed by Amazon, it’s a safe bet. The only downside is that these deals sell out fast, so to avoid missing out, I'd suggest following @IGNDeals on Twitter/X for the latest updates.
Xbox Controllers
Predictably, I'm very much expecting Microsoft to once again roll out its usual $10 off Black Friday offer for Xbox controllers. This wasn't a good deal last year, and won't be a good deal this year either, especially since the MSRP is now $64.99.
Last year, controllers dropped as low as $35 at multiple retailers during Black Friday, and we’ve already seen them hit that again recently at Lenovo. That's a pretty excellent early deal, if I do say so myself. You can check out what controllers went on sale below, though that discount code has now ended.
If you want to pick up one of the best PC gaming controllers at that price now, it's well worth it if the sale comes back, even before the official Black Friday sales kick off, as it's unlikely we'll get any better deals than this.
That said, I still expect we’ll see every color scheme go on sale closer to Black Friday, so it could be worth waiting to see if you can grab something a little bolder, and potentially at an even better price.
When it comes to deals to skip, I’d avoid paying anything over $45 for the core controllers during the sale season.
I’m also watching to see whether we’ll get another significant price drop on the Xbox Elite 2 Controllers. Ideally, the Core Elite model would fall around $90, while the full Elite 2 package would drop to somewhere between $110 and $120.
Xbox Games
When it comes to games, this should be a solid year for discounts, especially on third-party titles. Xbox hasn't pushed physical releases much lately, given how deep it's gone into its digital-first, Game Pass-heavy ecosystem, but that doesn't mean deals will be scarce.
First-party games will probably get modest 10-20% discounts, usually digital only. Expect to see The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, The Outer Worlds 2, Doom: The Dark Ages, Avowed, Indiana Jones (and its DLC), and Gears of War Reloaded included. I wouldn't hold my breath for Call of Duty Black Ops 7, but anything's possible.
Third-party games are where the best savings will be, particularly for physical copies. Expect discounts in line with PlayStation's across big releases like Borderlands 4 (already down to $55 recently), Sonic Racing: Crossworlds (Sega loves a Black Friday sale), and EA Sports FC 26, which reliably drops every year without fail.
Other top 2025 games likely to see further cuts include Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Split Fiction, Assassin's Creed Shadows, Civilization 7, and Elden Ring Nightreign. Each has already been discounted in other sales this year, so expect them to dip again.
What game would you like to see in the Black Friday sales? Let us know in the comments.
Xbox Consoles
Last year, one of the better offers for Xbox was the Xbox Series X All-Digital 1TB going for just under $400 at Amazon. That was decent, but not mindblowing.
Yet, considering this exact console now costs nearly $600 after this year's price hikes, I doubt we'll see anything close to sub $400 any time again soon. I'd expect maybe a $50-100 discount across the board on Xbox consoles this year, but don't expect a miracle.
Still, if you're hunting for the best deal, keep an eye on Lenovo. It tends to offer surprise Xbox console discount codes during Black Friday that quietly end up being the best prices around.
A proper great deal, at least by 2025 standards, would be around $250 for a Series S or $400 for a Series X. It's also worth watching Amazon's "Used - Like New" listings. They've been running excellent resale discounts on almost-new hardware lately, just with open packaging.
For example, Amazon sold a PS5 Pro for $500 during Prime Day, a PS Portal for $125, and a PS VR2 Headset bundle for just under $190.
If similar offers show up for Xbox consoles during Black Friday, that could end up being the best way to save big this year. That goes the same for Xbox controllers, and even the pricey Xbox ROG Ally X as well.
How to Follow IGN Deals Recommendations
The IGN Deals team has over 30 years of combined experience finding the best discounts and preorders available online. If you want the latest updates from our trusted team, here’s how to follow our coverage:
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN's resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
Costco has revealed its Black Friday schedule for 2025 and you can already check out what deals will be coming to a warehouse near you. The annual holiday shopping booklet was originally leaked by Costco Insider last month with all of the dates, and every page is now available as an ad scan. You can expect the first round of holiday deals at Costco to kicked off on Halloween, which was the same time Best Buy launched its early Black Friday sale this year. Here's a full breakdown of the Costco Black Friday schedule this year:
The official Costco Black Friday sale kicks off on November 17 this year (a few days before Amazon's Black Frdiay sale), but there are more savings launching online starting on Thanksgiving. Costco warehouses will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but you can still start shopping online before the sale resumes in stores on Black Friday. The main sales are currently only set to run through Cyber Monday, so Black Friday weekend will be the ideal time to shop.
What Black Friday Deals to Expect From Costco
According to the ad scan, the Costco Black Friday sale is going to have discounts on just about everything. Gaming laptops, video game consoles, jewelry, furniture, TVs, and appliances are all included in this year's price cuts. You can check out the full Black Friday weekend ad scan for yourself in the Reddit thread below.
Some of the most notable discounts featured here are $120 off of PS5 consoles and savings on Apple stuff. The ad itself doesn't reveal what the actual discounts on Apple products will be this year, but the image features everything from MacBooks to AirPods. The discount on the PS5 is also noteworthy because Sony increased prices on PlayStation consoles by $50 earlier this year and it was unclear how substantial the discounts would be to offset that during Black Friday.
If you're looking to upgrade your home theater setup, it looks like Costco will also be dropping $220 off the price of the the popular Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar. The last time we saw that go on sale was during Labor Day weekend and that was only $100 off.
Will Costco Have Nintendo Switch Deals?
One of the biggest exclusions in this deals preview if Nintendo Switch deals. Nintendo only recently announced its Black Friday plans for 2025, but it's one of the weakest offerings we've seen in a long time. The current plan is for original Switch games to drop under $30, but there was no mention of Switch 2 games for Switch console deals whatsoever. So don't expect Coscto to offer discounts on those either.
eBay is getting up some hot Black Friday TV deals early, starting with this excellent deal on one of our favorite gaming TVs. Right now Electronic Express (an authorized LG reseller) is offering the 65" LG Evo C5 4K OLED Smart TV for a historically low price of $1,117.59 with free shipping after you apply 20% off coupon code "TOPGIFTPICKS". The code expires on November 16. Electronic Express is a reputable seller on eBay with over 200,00 reviews and over 99% positive rating.
Update: This deal expired for a brief moment, but is available again.
65" LG Evo C5 4K OLED Smart TV for $1,117.59
LG's OLED TVs have been our favorite TVs for console gaming for three years running thanks to their outstanding image quality, low input lag, and high refresh rate. The 2025 C5 uses LG's proprietary Evo panel, which is significantly brighter and offers a wider color gamut than traditional W-OLED TVs. Aside from higher production costs, there's no downside to this technology; the C5 boasts the near-infinite black levels, near-infinite contrast ratio, and near-instantaneous response times you'd expect from any OLED TV. This is easily the best TV for streaming 4K HDR content in its intended glory.
The LG C5 has the necessary gaming features as well, including a native 120Hz panel that can be pushed to as high as 144Hz, HDMI 2.1 inputs for running PS5 games in 4K at up to 120fps, variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low latency mode (ALLM). The C5 is also lightweight for its size because the rear cabinet housing is made of a composite fiber; for example, this 65" model weighs only 36 pounds without the stand, making it much easier to wall mount.
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.
As part of its early Black Friday Doorbuster Sale, Best Buy just dropped the best deals we may see this entire month on the Meta Quest 3S VR headset. Not only do you get $50-$70 off in instant discounts ($249 for the 128GB model and $329 for the 256GB model), you also get a bonus $50 Best Buy gift card with your purchase. That's basically getting a Quest for as low as $199. This is the best deal I've seen this year on a Quest 3S headset with warranty. Recently we've seen deals on refurbished models, but in this case the advantage of buying new is that you also get a couple of free games.
Meta Quest 3S Starting at $249 Plus $50 Best Buy Gift Card
The Meta Quest 3S is the best standalone consumer-oriented VR headset under $300. It costs 40% less than the Quest 3 and yet retains most of its hardware and functionality, including the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, Touch Plus controllers with inside-out tracking, and mixed reality passthrough. However, whereas the Quest 3 has been updated with a new pancake lens design, the Quest 3S retains the Fresnel optics of the Quest 2. Although obviously not as good as the Quest 3, the Quest 3S still very much offers an immersive visual experience that is sure to impress. I myself logged in hundreds of hours on the Quest 2 before I moved on to the Quest 3. For newcomers who want to try out VR gaming without investing tons of money, of for people who want to give this as a gift to someone who's never tried VR, I would recommend the Quest 3S over the Quest, especially at this price.
TL;DR Quest 3S vs Quest 3:
Same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor
Same Touch Plus controllers
Same 120Hz refresh rate
Same Mixed reality passthrough functionality
Same tetherless and tethered functionality
Quest 3 has sharper resolution (2064x2208 vs 1832x1920)
Quest 3 has better lens array (pancake vs fresnel)
Quest 3 has lower FOV (104°/96° vs 96°/90°)
Quest 3 has higher storage capacity (512GB vs 128GB)
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.
The War Between The Land And The Sea, the next chapter of the Doctor Who universe, has now been given a UK-specific launch date — but viewers have been left in the dark about its release elsewhere, following the break-up of Disney's co-funding deal.
UK viewers will get to watch The War Between The Land And The Sea's first two episodes via BBC iPlayer and BBC One on Sunday, December 7 from 8.30pm. Further episodes will then release weekly, with the finale due on Sunday, December 28.
Despite today's announcement by the BBC, however, Disney has remained silent on when it will add the series to its streaming service. The BBC has simply said it expects the show to arrive on Disney+ sometime in 2026 — a sea change to previous episodes of Doctor Who which were released simultaneously with the BBC worldwide.
Is Disney holding back the series for a reason, or is it simply no longer prioritizing its release now it has no plans to fund any future Doctor Who content? It's unclear. But, as of yet, Disney has made no announcement of when it intends to air the show alongside the BBC's own press release. Similarly, Disney did not issue any form of statement when the BBC recently confirmed the two company's partnership was over.
The five-part miniseries was part of Disney's original commitment to co-fund the future of Doctor Who, alongside two seasons of the show featuring Ncuti Gatwa as its star. But a recent report claimed that the relationship between the two soured as viewing figures failed to make an impression, and Disney tightened its purse strings.
Last month, the BBC finally announced Disney had also quit Doctor Who, and said it would fund a one-off episode of the series due to air in December 2026 that's expected to wrap up the series' current storyline predicament. Beyond that, nothing is yet known.
Until then, The War Between The Land And The Sea will be fans' final slice of the Whoniverse for 12 months. Centering on alien intelligence agency UNIT and featuring several characters previously seen on Doctor Who, the series will feature a conflict between humans and the classic series' Sea Devils.
Rian Johnson’s TV whodunit Poker Face has officially been cancelled by Peacock after just two seasons, though the director has said he will now attempt to save the show by shopping it to another streamer — with a completely different actor in the leading role.
Any future plans for the show will no longer feature Natasha Lyonne leading the cast as gumshoe Charlie Cale. Instead, Johnston has cast none other than Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage in the same role, though Lyonne will stay attached to the project as an executive producer.
From there, The Hollywood Reporter reports that Johnson wants to have a new actor take over the helm as Charlie every two seasons — you know, if the show gets picked up again, of course.
The show’s cancellation comes just four months after the second season of the series came to an end. Though it was one of Peacock’s most watched shows this season and the buzz around it continued to be positive, ratings data suggests that its sophomore year didn’t perform as well.
THR's report also notes that the show was expensive to produce, and an easier choice to cancel as it was outsourced to MRC Television by NBCUniversal, rather than an internal production.
“We’ve been germinating this next move together since writing the season two finale,” Johnson and Lyonne revealed in a recent statement about the decision to try to keep the show running elsewhere. “We love our Poker Face and this is the perfect way to keep it rolling. Give us a beat and we may just see Charlie Cale again down that open highway.”
Poker Face's first two seasons remain available to stream on Peacock.
Image credit: Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
If you're after a new PC gaming rig or laptop that packs a punch without beating up your wallet? I've got you with awesome deals on a Cyberpower build and two "like new" refurbished Alienware 18 Area 51 laptops. If you're also looking for a solution to stop your tech from suffering power surges from power cuts, keeping them going whilst going through an outage? Well i've got some fantastic deals on portable power stations.
TL;DR: Deals for Today
Calvin and Hobbes are also joining in with an early Black Friday deal on it's hardcover box set, and we currently have no confirmation if this deal will return when Black Friday proper hits. There's even a set of noise cancelling earbuds for $19.99 from Baseus, how's that for another early Black Friday deal? Let's get into it:
Apple AirPods Pro for $169
As part of its Black Friday Event 1 Sale that runs from November 14-16, Walmart has dropped the price of Apple's best noise canceling earbuds to $139 with free shipping. This is the second generation model with USB Type-C charging and MagSafe charging case. The AirPods Pro is the best-sounding "truly wireless" earbuds for iPhone users thanks to its passively isolating in-ear design combined with excellent active noise cancelation, and Apple H2 chip.
Power Station Black Friday Deals From AliExpress
With the winter season approaching, you should seriously consider picking up a power station in case of emergencies. Fortunately for you, the best time to score a great deal on a power station is during Black Friday. AliExpress has already come out of the gate early with the lowest prices I've seen all year on several power stations from trusted brand names like Allpowers and Bluetti. The deals I've listed below are sold by the manufacturers' official seller accounts, so you're sure to receive a genuine product with full warranty. These power stations also ship free from a local US warehouse, which means you don't need to worry about tariffs or obnoxiously long shipping times.
Gaming Laptop and PC deals
An Nvidia RTX 5080 gaming rig for under $2,000 is the best deal we've seen this year, nevermind Black Friday. I'm hedging my bets on this being the best gaming PC deal across Black Friday. Then we have Alienware scrapping its brand tax for a RTX 5090 laptop for under $2,900 and a RTX 5080 model for under $2,400. They're refurbished, but they're like new, so save yourself some money and play games maxed out for less.
Baseus Bass BP1 Pro Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds
If you're on a budget and need the majesty of ignoring the world around you, these earbuds do the trick for a fraction of the price of premium ANC solutions. There are obviously some drawbacks from the market leaders, but for less than $20, who cares?
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes Hardcover Box Set
You're getting three full color volumes of the complete Calvin and Hobbes comics in a 1,440-page complete collection in a pretty slipcase that'll look the part on any bookshelf. It includes the full syndication of the series that kicked off in 1985 up until creator Bill Watterson's retirement in 1995. 62% off with the on-page coupon makes this an insane deal for fans.
LEGO Technic 2022 Ford GT 42154
This is a 1:12 replica of the 2022 Ford GT, coming in at 15" long, 7" wide and 3.5" tall and made of 1,466 pieces, is a perfect early Black Friday deal for engine heads. Speaking of, it features a V6 engine with working pistons under the hood, front-axle steering, independent suspension and a differential rear-drive. Now that's a cool LEGO set for the money.
Sofirn SP36 Pro 8,000-Lumen LED Flashlight for $28.99
It's smart to have a light source on hand for emergencies, especially since everyday carry flashlights can be had for a throwaway price. As part of its early Black Friday Sale, Aliexpress is offering an outstanding deal on the powerful yet compact Sofirn SP36 Pro 8,000-Lumen Rechargeable LED Flashlight, now just $28.99 after you apply $6 off coupon code "AEUS06". This exact flashlight sells for $70 on Amazon.
The Sofirn SP36 Pro is a compact EDC style flashlight, measuring just 5" in length and weighing about 10 ounces without the battery. The flashlight requires three 18650 Li-on batteries and fortunately they are included. The light array is comprised of four Luminus SST-40 LEDs. They combine for a maximum output of 8,000 lumens and a beam distance of up to 450 meters, which means that this little flashlight can illuminate an entire football field.
Sonic Nintendo Switch Sale
The best Sonic the Hedgehog games on Nintendo Switch are here, including Sonic Superstars, Mania and Frontiers. Sonic Origins and Sonic Frontiers come as a double bundle for $49.59, and Sonic Mania is bundled with Team Sonic Racing for just $23.64. Want to see how Sonic 4 shoudl have looked? Sonic Superstars will scratch that itch for $19.93.
Acer Nitro V Gaming Laptop
This is hands down one of the best early Black Friday deals I've seen for a budget gaming laptop. Granted it won't break any benchmarking records, but Nvidia RTX 4050 supports DLSS 3 (and 4 with a little Github know-how) giving you frame generation tech for under $650. Plus things like the M.2 SSD and RAM can be upgraded whenever you want, so I'm all in on this deal.
Corsair Vengeance i7500 Gaming PC
If you want high-powered DLSS4 goodness supported by a solid processor and 32GB of DDR5 RAM, this Corsair Vengeance pre-built gaming PC is a brilliant deal for under $2,100. Whilst it will do 4K gaming, this would make a far better 1440p rig with frames per second going way pass 60 on AAA games.
ASUS ROG Harpe Ace Extreme Wireless Esports Gaming Mouse
ASUS ROG Harpe is a great choice for anyone looking for a competent wireless gaming mouse for fast paced games like Fortnite, Valorant or other esports-heavy games. It's got a carbon fiber shell, a 70 hour battery, 42K DPI sensitivity and frictionless glass skates. This bad boy is fast, light and has wired, WiFi, and bluetooth connectivity so everyone is happy when it comes to input delay.
ASUS ROG Azoth Extreme Wireless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
I'm not sure why you'd need an OLED screen on a keyboard, but it's ridiculously cool. This is a 75% form factor which is perfect for gaming and gives more room for your twitchy mouse game. The ROG NX Storm clicky switches feel so good when playing and typing, it's a pretty great all-rounder. And of course it's wireless, supporting Bluetooth, WiFi, and standard USB 2.0. Even the gasket has two settings to change the feel of the buttons, which is all hidden behind a gorgeous aluminum frame.
LG 34GX90SA-W 34-inch Ultragear Curved Gaming Monitor
A 1ms response time 34-inch curved OLED gaming monitor at 51% off? Now that's an early Black Friday deal. It's got a lovely refresh rate of 240Hz with a 1440p resolution, which is the sweet spot for PC gaming right now. It also rocks Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync, so this screen has your back no matter which camp you've chosen.
8Bitdo Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controller for Switch/Switch 2
I've been using this controller for a couple of weeks now, and I haven't picked up my Switch Pro controller back up (even though I put an awesome see-though purple shell on it). That's saying something, but it's not surprising as 8Bitdo make some of the best third party controllers going. I needed to do a firmware update to get it working on Switch 2, but it's been smooth sailing since with near-clicky face buttons and ergonomics that feel just right.
Horizon Forbidden West Standard Edition - PlayStation 5
46% off for a PlayStation 5 gem, if you haven't played Forbidden West yet, this is a great time to jump in. We gave it a final score of 9.3, so if that doesn't warrant spending less than $40 on a AAA game I don't know what will.
PlayStation 5 Pro Console (Renewed)
We live in a reality where you can buy a PlayStation 5 Pro for nearly the same price as an Xbox Series X, let that sink in. Jokes aside, this is a renewed Amazon deal that comes with a 90-day limited warranty. That's plenty of time to check this console out and make sure everythings sound, which it will be. Everytime I've grabbed something renewed it's been in pretty much brand new condition, so why not treat yourself?
Sign Up for Walmart+ For MSRP Pokémon TCG
Want to make sure you get one of these on the day? Well the max buy limit is 5, and Walmart+ is half price until 2nd December, so it's the perfect time to get signed up and make sure you're ready for tommorow, 13th November at 4 pm PT / 7 pm ET (or five hours before for Walmart+ members). One thing's for sure, 8 booster packs for $24.99 is a great deal in this climate.
Xbox Early Black Friday Deals
These deals are Black Friday level bargains. $60 off an Elite Series 2 Core controller? Bargain. A cheeky 512GB of extra storage for $10 and change off? Believe it. Even if you don't have an Xbox, the Xbox Controller, Fire Stick and Game Pass Ultimate bundles are heavily discounted too.
PlayStation 5 Early Black Friday Deals
You can actually buy a PS5 Pro for around the same price as a standard Xbox Series X right now, let that sink in. Already got a PlayStation 5? Some of the best games on the console are marked down right now. Even newer releases such as Rise of the Ronin is down to $44.70. Don't miss out on these early Black Friday deals.
Electric Scooter Deals Starting at $109
Scooters have some major advantages over bikes. They're lighter, more compact, and usually less expensive. Electric assisted scooters give you more range and speed for less effort, and the brushless motor is pretty quiet. You'd think upgrading to one would cost you a lot of money, but that doesn't have to be the case. AliExpress is offering a couple of well-regarded electric scooters at prices you probably didn't expect.
You can pick up a LADPED LP80 350W electric scooter for just $127 with coupon code "AEUS26". Alternatively, the LADPED LP60 350W electric scooter, which has a smaller battery, is $109.53 after code "AEUS20". Both scooters ship free from a local US warehouse; since they've already been shipped from overseas, any tariffs have already been paid for and you don't need to worry about them. AliExpress marketplace vendor AOVOPRO is an authorized reseller of these scooters and has plenty of reviews and sales to back up its reputation.
60% off Samsung S90D 65" and 77"
144hz refresh rate screams gaming TV to me, especially when it's on a quantum dot OLED screen. That 144hz refresh rate is supported on all four of its HDMI 2.1 ports, which is insane. There's no worries about getting the best performance from your Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2 and even gaming PCs.
With a processor that's built for performance and outperforms Intel Core i9-1400HX, we're off to a good start with this RTX 5070Ti gaming laptop. 32GB DDR5 Ram is higher end too, clocked at 6400MHz and has a tidy 1TB M.2 SSD, both of which can be upgraded at anytime. Topping this build with a 240Hz QHD screen and you're laughing at this price point.
Samsung P9 512GB MicroSD Express Card
Whilst this is one of the cheaper options for a Switch 2 Micro SD Express card, there's cheaper. The problem is with cheaper cards is the lower transfer speeds, which add up on more demanding games. Getting a Samsung P9 ensures 800MB/s, with Samsung having a great reputation for storage products in general.
ASRock Steel Legend Radeon RX 9070 XT
Want something that performs around the same as a RTX 5070Ti without the price tag to go with it? AMD is slowly clawing back its GPU market share by targeting mid-range gamers, but the RX 9070 XT is a brilliant graphics card. Whilst I can run something like Oblivion Remastered at 4K 60FPS all day long on it, I get a lot more joy from it playing at 1440P and getting twice the frame rate instead. This is well worth the money if you're in the market for a new GPU.
iBuypower Y40 Pro RTX 5080 Gaming PC
RTX 5080 has claimed it place as the sweet spot on the Nvidia 5000 series GPU lineup. It'll play anything in 4K with dedicated ray tracing support, and has DLSS4 technology to insert AI frames and resolution upgrades to fall back on. Ryzen 9 7900X is also a solid processor to back up the 5080, with a max turbo of 5.6GHz and rocking 12 cores, 24 threads and 64mb of L2 cache. Long story short? It's a cracking rig for under $2,000.
Up To 50% off Pokémon TCG
You might want to check if your AMEX and Discovery is eligible for up to 50% off Pokémon TCG on Amazon right now. All you have to do is add a sealed product to your basket sold directly by Amazon, use your AMEX or Discovery and pay either $1 or use 1 loyalty point to apply the discount. You could also be extra savvy and get a $60 Amazon gift card by being accepted for an Amazon Store Card. Of course, none of this is financial advice, and if you're going to struggle not spending on credit and store cards, make the right choice.
Audible Premium Plus
Nice and simple, sign up for a zero commitment Audible Premium Plus sub and get your first 3 months for $0.99 a month. That's 3 months of top tier access for under $3, it's worth doing just to try the service out!
Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PCs
Here's two 4K gaming beasts that will stay that way for a long time. If you're just focused on having a RTX 5080 for now with a view to upgrade in the future, go for the $2,099.99 build. If you can stretch the extra $650, you're getting a far better processor, double the DDR5 RAM and double the M.2 SSD space. Either way, you win with a cheeky 14% off.
LG Evo C5 4K TV Bundle Deal
Need a beast of a TV that can handle proper gaming performance and the Thanksgiving football game in style? 77" should do the job, and this is LG's C5 4K 2025 model that's half-price. You'll also save over $300 snagging the S40T Soundbar and Subwoofer combo alongside a slim wall mount. This is one of the best early Black Friday deals.
Samsung S84F 4K OLED Smart TV
At 53% off, this 2025 model Samsung TV is a bargain thanks to its 4K OLED panel with all the bells and whistles you'd come to expect from one of the biggest TV manufacturers.
Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World Console Bundle
Who wants a Nintendo Switch 2 for less than MSRP? Yeah, it's a silly question, right? These consoles are brand new, just from a different region and work exactly the same as a US model. They're region-free and AliExpress has a massive discount code to bring this deal home.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
Just like pretty much everything else these days, the prices of gaming monitors have risen significantly, especially if you’re looking at displays with OLED panels, massive screens, and high refresh rates at sharp resolutions. Luckily, there is still an excellent pool of affordable monitors out there that don’t sacrifice image quality and features as much as you’d think. Just look at the AOC Q27G40XMN with its impressive mini-LED screen for around $300, which feels like a minor miracle in the age of tariffs. It's my top pick for a reason: It competes with monitors that cost hundreds of dollars more and is an object lesson in the kind of quality that's available on a limited budget... if you know where to look.
TL;DR – These Are the Best Budget Gaming Monitors:
The best budget gaming monitors may lack certain technology and features, but they still provide an excellent display to enjoy all the capabilities of your gaming PC. Even mid-range graphics cards and CPUs can be pushed to the extreme, as high refresh and 4K monitors can go for relatively cheap. While there are often trade-offs, like height-adjustable stands on the low end and value-adds like KVM switches on the high end, by focusing on performance and your personal "must haves," you can find truly great values at every price point.
Now, not all budget gaming monitors are created equal, and if something appears too good to be true, it probably is. A $100 monitor might be a great deal upfront, but chances are good it’ll die quickly and/or strain your eyes as you game, doing more harm than good in the end. Our picks may cost a bit more than $100, but their solid builds, excellent panels, and gaming features make for a better experience. However, just like any other gaming accessory, nicer gaming monitors are available if you’re willing to spend more.
1. AOC Q27G40XMN
Best Overall Budget Gaming Monitor
I was saddened to see my previous pick, the Xiaomi G Pro 27i, disappear from availablity, but AOC quickly swooped in with its own mini-LED showstopper. The Q27G40XMN puts picture quality and gameplay first with its 27-inch Quantum Dot Mini-LED enhanced display. It's bright, vibrant, esports-tier fast, and offers a killer HDR gaming experience thanks to its 1,152 local dimming zones.
For around $300, this monitor is simply one of the best values in affordable PC gaming. Because of its use of a mini-LED backlight, it's able to reach a peak brightness of 1,200 nits and offer deep, highly localized contrast. It checks all of the boxes for a "true" HDR experience at a fraction of the cost of most of its competitors.
The Q27G40XMN isn't the only mini-LED monitor available around this price, but it has far more local dimming zones than most others. While that's one feature among many, it's absolutely critical for the best viewing experience. Most others around this price only offer around 330 local dimming zones and the difference is night and day. The AOC keeps shadows and dark areas in check with a minimum of blooming (glowing around darks from the surrounding lights).
On top of all that, the Q27G40XMN hits the sweet spot for resolution and refresh rate. Its 2560x1 440 resolution won't take a super computer to run at high frame rates and with a peak refresh rate of 180Hz, motion blur and input latency are at a minimum, so you can enjoy everything from competitive esports to your favorite cozy game.
The trade-off comes in the form of limited inputs and a pretty basic stand. But for what you're getting, it's well worth the investment.
2. Asus TUF Gaming VG277Q1A
Best Budget 1080p Gaming Monitor
The Asus TUF Gaming VG277Q1A is a killer value that's able to run with ease on a wide range of hardware. You won't need the latest graphics card to push this display to its limits, and thanks to its VA panel, you can enjoy deeper blacks and wider dynamic range in all types of games. With a 1ms gray-to-gray response time and game-enhancing features to give you an edge in competitive shooters and esports, it offers great bang for your buck.
In this price range, I tend to look toward VA panels. Though IPS panels are known for their colors, VA panels like the one used here are often just as good (or close to it) while offering a substantially better gaming experience due to their improved blacks. This model is also decently bright for the price at 350 nits, so colors will pop and gaming in well-lit rooms won't be an issue.
It also offers some game-enhancing features designed to give you an edge in competitive matches. You can enable an on-screen reticle for games that lack one, turn on Shadow Boost to peek into the dark and easily identify enemies, and turn on an Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) mode to reduce motion blur for a smoother, clearer gaming experience.
There are only two big drawbacks worth knowing before pulling the trigger. First, like a lot of gaming monitors around this price, the stand isn't height adjustable. It supports VESA mounting (100x100mm), so you can grab your own aftermarket stand or monitor arm if you can't get its positioning to your liking, but that means spending a little extra money if it's not a perfect fit right out of the box. Second, while its spacious 27-inch screen is a Pro for immersion and taking up more of your field of view, it's a con for total crispness, given its 1080p resolution. This monitor is as big as you can go before the screen door effect sets in, so while it looks good, it's not as sharp as a 24-inch display at this resolution.
What it brings to the table is far more than what it lacks, however, and this is an upgrade I recommend if you want noticeable improvements to your gaming experience without overspending.
3. LG UltraGear 27GN800-B
Best 1440p Budget Gaming Monitor
The LG Ultragear 27GN800-B is a great upgrade for gamers on a budget. For under $300, you get a boost in resolution to 2560x1440, which brings a serious increase in sharpness compared to a 1080p monitor. Those crisp visuals will pop even more thanks to great color accuracy and decent factory calibration. Its 27-inch screen is spacious enough to deliver an immersive gaming experience that perfectly balances crisp details with reasonable system requirements.
This 27-inch gaming monitor excels in other areas, too. It has a 144Hz refresh rate and is compatible with AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync for smooth, tear-free HDR gaming. One aspect that I place a lot of value on is that it features Low Framerate Compensation. If your system struggles to hit the 144Hz maximum, the monitor is able to insert frames and sync with the refresh rate, making games that would otherwise be choppy play more smoothly.
The biggest drawback to this display is that its stand isn't height adjustable. Depending on your desk setup, you may find that it's not positioned perfectly for your height. It supports a standard 100x100mm VESA mount, however, so it's easy to swap the included stand with something more adjustable if height is an issue. Still, it's got the feature set and affordable price to make this a prime pick.
4. KTC H27P22D
Best 4K Budget Gaming Monitor
The KTC H27P22D is an object lesson in how far the budget gaming monitor market has advanced. Coming in at $400, and regularly on sale for much less, it shows that you don't need to spend an arm and a leg to get a great, high refresh rate, 4K gaming experience. In truth, I find it hard to find too much to criticize about this display. It's a well-rounded package at an exceptionally reasonable price. If you have the hardware to run it, it is absolutely worth considering.
In addition to its crisp 4K resolution, the H27P22D offers an impressively speedy 160Hz refresh rate. This comes with full support for AMD FreeSync Premium and compatibility with Nvidia G-Sync, so you can enjoy a smooth gaming experience even if you can't quite hit that high refresh rate. It's a stellar pick for console gaming too, thanks to its dual HDMI 2.1 ports. Just bring a headset or pair of speakers because there are none included here, though given the quality of most monitor speakers, I don't consider that a major drawback.
As is common with budget gaming monitors, there's a bit of overpromising in the marketing, but its real-world performance remains impressive for the price. While its 400 nits of peak brightness isn't bright enough for true high dynamic range, it's certainly bright enough to deliver a vivid SDR gaming experience. Its color coverage is also great, though, unlike more expensive 4K gaming monitors, it's not calibrated at the factory. It's fine for gaming where perfectly accuracte colors are less important, but for creative work, you'll need to invest in a colorimeter or find a downloadable ICC profile. It also lacks a USB hub (its sole USB Type-A port is for software upgrades only), so you won't be able to connect peripherals directly.
Given everything you're getting here, its shortcomings are more than forgivable. These same features would have cost hundreds and hundreds more only a couple short years ago. The KTC H27P22D is a gift to budget-conscious gamers interested in upgrading to Ultra HD.
5. Dell S3422DWG
Best Ultrawide Budget Gaming Monitor
An ultrawide curved monitor is a great choice if you want an immersive gaming experience, and the Dell S3422DWG stands out as the best budget ultrawide. It has a contrast-rich VA panel with a resolution of 3440x1440 that provides a vibrant, sharp image that looks great in any genre of game. The 21:9 aspect ratio and slight curvature of the screen wrap around your field of vision, so you can focus on the action occurring in your games rather than outside distractions.
When it comes to large ultrawides like this one, I always prefer the "1440p" resolution over the ultrawide equivalent of 1080p. Though it does require a bit more graphics power to run than a 16:9 1440p monitor, the higher pixel density makes for a much better image.
The monitor features a solid 144Hz refresh rate and supports AMD FreeSync. This means your games should play butter-smooth. The S3422DWG can suffer motion blur behind dark objects, but motion clarity is otherwise strong.
Despite its competitive price, the S3422DWG is an attractive monitor. It has a height-adjustable stand, two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and can even be used as a USB hub.
6. Acer Nitro EDA270U Pbmiipx
Best Curved Budget Gaming Monitor
The Acer Nitro EDA270U Pbmiipx is an affordably great pick for anyone looking for a cheap but impressive curved gaming monitor. It lacks the bells and whistles of more expensive options, but Acer has wisely chosen to invest in the quality of the gaming experience instead of price-raising extras that you may or may not use.
This monitor packs 27 inches of screen real estate into a thin but stylish frame that won't leave you scrambling for desk space. It's easy to integrate into most setups and easy to adapt to thanks to is noticeable, but not distracting, 1500R curve. It's deep enough to add to your immersion without warping text or imagery as you play.
This monitor also offers solid picture quality for its modest sub-$200 price. It uses a VA panel for improved contrast and is color rich, coming in a close second to its better-tuned IPS counterparts. Its wider dynamic range may just make up for what it lacks in color gamut, however. It also comes with game enhancing features like a 180Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium for smooth, blur-free gameplay.
For such an affordable price, you have to expect some trade-offs. You shouldn't expect many dedicated gaming features beyond the staples you'll find on every gaming monitor, and its port selection, while fine for pushing the monitor to its full potential, doesn't offer the same bandwidth as more expensive options.
As an entry-level or budget conscious on-ramp to curved-screen gaming, however, it's definitely worth considering.
7. KTC MP27P6
Best Value Budget Gaming Monitor
We've all been there: The latest and greatest monitor comes out, full of features and promising an amazing gaming experience. You start to get excited and then see the price: $800, $1,000, maybe more. It's disappointing, to say the least, but thanks to the KTC MP27P6, you don't need to break the bank to bring cutting-edge features and a killer picture your own.
At around $500, the MP27P6 isn't what most people would consider "budget," but it's hard to argue that it's anything other than a fantastic value. For around half the price of the big-brand competition, it offers dual-mode resolution and refresh rates, a mini-LED backlight behind a colorful Fast IPS panel for bright highlights and deep blacks, a built-in USB hub and KVM switch, software configurability, and one of the best out-of-the box calibrations you'll find at any price point.
It's almost like KTC looked at the feature list of a brand like Asus ROG and used it as a checklist for this display. While it's mini-LED backlight doesn't offer the same inky blacks as OLED monitors, it costs hundreds less and offers better dynamic range than any traditionally backlit monitor you can buy today. HDR gaming looks better, and if you dabble in content creation or photo editing, it's tight calibration makes it a perfect fit for creative work too.
It's also one of the only affordable gaming monitors you'll find that offers dual resolutions and refresh rates. For single-player or slower paced games, you can embrace the crispest possible picture at 4K, 160Hz. When it's time for competitive shooters and other esports, you can drop the resolution to 1080p and push its speed all the way to 320Hz.
It even offers software support, so you can change settings without worrying about diving into the OSD at any point, but it's here that its budget leanings are most apparent. You won't find the same level of polish in its software as you will from some of the more expensive options, like those from Asus or Acer, and it lacks advanced gaming features like Sniper Mode for an added competitive edge. But, if you can live without those OSD extras, this is a stellar pick.
How Much Should You Spend on a Gaming Monitor?
If you're looking for a budget gaming monitor, a good sweet spot to aim for is around $200-$300. You can find plenty of gaming monitors that are cheaper than that, but then you start running into issues with quality. You're going to have to make compromises either way, but in general, a gaming monitor should last 3-5 years, and a $100 gaming monitor probably isn't going to do that.
In order to find a gaming monitor that hits that price tag, you'll need to know what to look for in a gaming monitor, and figure out which areas are most important to you, so you can make the right compromise for your needs.
Gamers on a tight budget don’t have to make as many sacrifices as they once did, but there’s still a need for some compromise. In general, you can go for a higher resolution, or you can go for a higher refresh rate, but you sadly won’t be able to snag both in a budget gaming monitor.
Resolution
1080p remains the standard go-to resolution in budget displays. It certainly lacks the clarity of modern 4K TVs, but on the plus side, the low display resolution means you won’t need high-end hardware to play new games and achieve high frame rates. 1440p resolution is a nice upgrade, and a better overall value if you can stretch your budget. A 1440p monitor with a 27" screen actually has a higher pixel density than a 48" 4K television. However, this means a 240Hz refresh rate will no longer be affordable.
4K is available on a budget but you should expect to pay closer to $400 or to make bigger sacrifices in brightness or screen size. You should also bear in mind the higher system requirements to run 4K resolution at high frame rates. In any case, this is the compromise you must make if you want to play at 4K for as little cash as possible.
Refresh Rate
The refresh rate of budget gaming monitors is generally 60 to 240Hz, with most landing at 144Hz or 165Hz. A refresh rate of 144Hz is a great all-around choice that can handle most games with ease, but 240Hz is a noticeable upgrade for players who only care about competitive games. 360Hz is also now more in reach for cheaper gaming monitors than it used to be.
It’s important to note that a monitor’s maximum refresh rate may not be supported by every input. For example, many monitors that reach up to 165Hz will only support 144Hz over HDMI. DisplayPort is the best bet if you want to use a high refresh rate.
Panel Type
A monitor’s display panel technology is an important and often overlooked factor. All the monitors we recommend use either an IPS or VA panel. IPS panels are prized for motion clarity, vibrance, and responsiveness, all of which makes them great for competitive gaming. VA panels have a much better contrast ratio and far superior dark scene performance, so they’re better for games with immersive, high-end graphics.
Screen Size
Screen size is less of a limitation than it used to be. Our budget gaming monitor guide focuses on 27" options, alongside a 34" ultrawide. Smaller monitors (24") tend to be less expensive and are also preferred by competitive gamers, who want the entire display to be firmly within their focus. Larger monitors (32" and up) are more immersive, but will start to lose detail if not accompanied by a higher resolution. With that said, it is possible to buy a monitor that’s too large for your desk, so make sure to measure if you’re unsure. If in doubt, a 27" monitor with a 16:9 aspect ratio is a safe bet.
It’s wise to buy a monitor with Nvidia G-Sync or AMD FreeSync support, depending on whether you have an Nvidia or AMD video card. Many budget gaming monitors support both. My preferred picks all list the standards they support.
Finally, a note about HDR. While HDR is marketed on many affordable monitors, it unfortunately remains unimpressive on most as they only get up to a maximum 400 nits of screen brightness. A maximum brightness of 400 nits is considered "HDR compatible" because it will technically display this content but it will lack the dynamic range required to display more than SDR.
Budget Gaming Monitor FAQs
What is the best type of panel?
Budget gaming monitors typically come with either a VA or IPS panel. One of my picks is an IPS monitor with a mini-LED backlight and trumps both other panel types due to how the technology is implemented. Go with that if your budget and needs allow for it. Otherwise, the choice between VA and IPS comes down to three things: response time, colors, and contrast.
For response time and color accuracy, IPS panels are the way to go, though the former is much less of a concern than it used to be. These days, 1ms panels exist for both types. IPS monitors still tend to offer the most vivid and accurate colors, however.
For contrast, unless the monitor uses a mini-LED backlight like my top pick, VA has a major advantage. Because it doesn't use edge-lighting like IPS panels do, dark colors and blacks look much more rich. Because of this, VA panels can offer a better dynamic range.
While there is no "best," there are certainly better choices depending on what you value most in a gaming monitor.
When are gaming monitors most affordable?
The best time to buy a gaming monitor for a reasonable price (or a budget gaming monitor for even cheaper than usual) is during shopping events like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. Gaming monitor deals can also pop up during Back to School sales, and major retailers usually lower the price on older models to make way for new releases.
What size gaming monitor should I get for gaming?
It’s really a matter of personal preference when choosing a gaming monitor, but there are some general rules of thumb to keep in mind. The first is the most obvious: Consider your available space. You don't want to get excited for your new monitor to arrive only to find that it won't fit into your gaming space. Next, consider the resolution of the monitors you're considering and how it relates to pixel density. A 24" monitor is more compact and is a good fit for 1080p gaming. For 1440p, 27-32" is a good fit, offering plenty of detail and a bigger-screen gaming experience. For 4K, I recommend a minimum of 27" to take advantage of its higher pixel count. Also beware of 1080p monitors larger than 27" as each pixel becomes visible at this size, leading to a screen door effect.
Christopher Coke has been a regular contributor to IGN since 2019 and has been covering games and technology since 2013. He has covered tech ranging from gaming controllers to graphics cards, gaming chairs and gaming monitors, headphones, IEMs, and more for sites such as MMORPG.com, Tom’s Hardware, Popular Science, USA Today, and Popular Mechanics. Find Chris on X at @gamebynight.
Black Friday deals season is fast approaching. 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, this upcoming sales event is your best bet.
Black Friday is November 28 this year, but we expect most sales to drop much earlier than that. Now that we're a full week into November, we're already seeing a ton of early sales go live at major retailers. These early sales are a great chance to save, but we expect the main Black Friday event to arrive later this month.
Best Buy was the first retailer to reveal its sale dates for 2025, and it looks like its Black Friday sales will start on Thursday, November 20 this year. Amazon has also recently revealed its official sale start dates for November 20 as well. Before either of those sales begin, Costco has will kick off part of its sale on November 17 this year with more deals arriving online on Thanksgiving.
You'll be able to do most of your online Black Friday shopping the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Best Buy, Costco, Target, Amazon, and Walmart have all made an announcement about sale dates, so it's probably safe to say that you'll be able to do most of your online Black Friday shopping the weekend before Thanksgiving in 2025. For many brick-and-mortar stores, you may be able to expect the full discounts even earlier. Some sales will still only take place on actual Black Friday, like at the LEGO Store, 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., it's difficult to predict exactly what discounts we'll see during the 2025 Black Friday season. The IGN Deals team has been covering shopping events all year and we have a decent idea of what you can expect, even if the prices will be higher than what we saw last year.
Amazon Black Friday
Amazon has one of the biggest Black Friday sales every year and tends to have discounts on just about everything. Based on previous Amazon sales like Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days, you can expect the same discounts on Amazon devices we saw earlier this year. Amazon has even gone so far as to offer a sneak peek of some of these discounts ahead of the event. The lowest prices will most likely be on Kindles and Fire TV sticks, as well as Echo speaker bundles. Amazon has also been pushing a pretty steep discount on the Luna controller and subsequent bundles during every major sale this year. These particular discounts will most likely be exclusive to Prime members.
Outside of Amazon devices, the online retailer will also automatically match prices on popular products that are offered at other retailers. That means you can expect discounts on things like Apple devices, LEGO sets, laptops, TVs, and just about every other brand not exclusively owned by another major retailer. Amazon's Black Friday sale will usually be offering the same low price (or lower) as any of its competitors for these types of items.
After Amazon, the next biggest Black Friday sale you can expect is at Walmart. The first deals event has already begun and will last through the weekend. 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:
Best Buy Black Friday
The Best Buy Black Friday sale is usually the best collection of tech deals during the holiday season. Many of these discounts will be 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 stated that it will have new doorbuster deals dropping every friday starting on Halloween this year, so expect more deals to arrive early as the sale continues.
Target Black Friday
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.
For more information on what to expect this year, check out the Target Black Friday ad from last year. Target also offered an early Black Friday sale for November 6-8 this year that has ended, but it's larger official sale will begin on Thanksgiving.
Costco Black Friday
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.
What to Buy on Black Friday This Year
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.
Video Game Consoles
While you shouldn't expect discounts on the new Nintendo Switch 2, both PS5 and Xbox consoles will most likely be getting discounts this year. Costco has already confirmed a price cut on the PlayStation Slim console, which means November is for sure going to be the best time to buy to buy a PS5. These prices cuts aren't as steep as previous years, but they are notable due to consoles seeing price increases this year.
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. GameStop usually has a pretty good Black Friday sale as well. Expect 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.
Toys and LEGO Sets
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.
Apple Products
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.
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.
Phones
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. You can already get a great deal on a Google Pixel 10 smartphone at Amazon right now. We also expect the Samsung Galaxy phones to get similar discount later in the season.
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 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.
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.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launches on November 14, and we’re hosting a launch day livestream to celebrate. The latest entry in the long-running FPS franchise is set in 2035, 44 years after the events of Black Ops 6. Omnimovement is back, but there are added movement options and new game modes in both multiplayer and Zombies.
The livestream is presented by Xfinity, where you can get reliable Wi-Fi at a reliable price for five years. And with Unlimited Data, you won’t miss a moment of action. It’s powerful and secure with fast downloads. Gaming is better with Xfinity.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Livestream Date, Time, and Where to Watch
The livestream will start on Friday, November 14 at 5 p.m. Pacific / 7 p.m. Central / 8 p.m. Eastern. It will stream across IGN’s channels, and you’ll be able to watch it at any of these places:
If you’re not able to watch it live, that’s alright. You can still watch it in its entirety on our YouTube page after it’s over.
What to Expect in the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Livestream
The stream will run for an extended period, but we don't have a specific amount of time in mind. We’ll feature as much as we can during the stream. You’ll see extended gameplay, get a look at what’s new in Black Ops 7, and different game modes to get a sense of everything on offer. See you there!
On its face, Nouvelle Vague couldn’t be any more different than anything Richard Linklater has ever made. The movie, which hit select theaters a few weeks back and debuts on Netflix today, is black and white, primarily in French (a language Linklater doesn’t speak) and isn’t even shot in a widescreen aspect ratio. But the film is still a hangout movie through and through.
Nouvelle Vague follows the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 classic film Breathless, a movie that signaled the triumph of French cinema’s New Wave and a fundamental shift in filmmaking from Europe to Hollywood and beyond. But at its core Linklater’s film is about a group of coworkers enjoying each other’s company and hanging out while trying to fulfill their director’s often frustrating demands.
I spoke with Linklater about making Nouvelle Vague and he says that, despite all of the stylistic differences from his previous beloved works like Dazed and Confused, Slacker, and Everybody Wants Some!, he couldn’t help but make another hangout movie.
“It's so funny from my perspective, I try to push myself to do different things,” Linklater says. “I couldn't be doing something more different. (Nouvelle Vague is) in French, it's black and white, the aspect ratios I haven't shot in before. But you're stuck with yourself. I go back and I make a French hangout movie! I wanted to feel like you time-traveled back to ‘59. That’s the vibe of the movie.”
Linklater says that the French New Wave has been an inspiration throughout his career. “The first film I made that anyone wanted to see was Slacker,” he says. “I made that very much like a French New Wave film. I didn't have a traditional script and shot it very unconventionally. I had trouble like Godard in (Breathless). He had kind of trouble explaining what the film means to everybody. I was in that position.
“It was very personal to me, capturing all the exhilaration of making a first film with all the volatility in the air (and) insecurity. If you're going to do something different, it's okay to do it differently, even if it does push the boundaries of everyone around you.”
Guillaume Marbeck, who plays Breathless director Jean-Luc Godard in Nouvelle Vague, says the movie is a good primer for anyone unfamiliar with New Wave Cinema. “I think it's definitely an entry point for discovering the New Wave and also maybe artistic films or more art house movies,” Marbeck says. “And I think it's really a joyful hanging out movie with people making their first film. I think it's a great entry point on how you free yourself and make your stuff your own. (The movie) is not just about discovering the New Wave.”
For her part, Zoey Deutch, who plays American actress Jean Seberg, used her experience as one of the few Americans on set to tap into Seberg’s experience making Breathless. “The language barrier was very helpful for me,” Deutch says. “But the actual energy of our set was very different obviously from her experience. I couldn't have been supported more. I was the least skeptical actress in the world making this movie. And (when it came to Godard’s style of filmmaking) Jean (was) definitely the skeptic in Nouvelle Vague.”
Nouvelle Vague marks the first movie for Aubry Dullin, who plays Seberg’s on-screen costar Jean-Paul Belmondo. The actor says that working with Linklater was an educational experience. “I've learned so much because of the way (Linklater) works,” he says. “It's new for me. I hadn't worked like that before Richard, and so I think he helped me for the rest of my career. When you arrive on the shooting day, you just know what you have to do. And so you don't have to be stressed, you just have to follow everyone and just have fun.”
Earlier this year, theaters were blessed with the return of Paul Thomas Anderson. The auteur finally got to work with Leonardo Dicaprio while introducing a new star, Chase Infiniti. One Battle After Another, a very loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, is already a frontrunner for next year's Academy Awards ceremony and one of the only 10/10 reviews at IGN in all of 2025.
If you’ve been itching to watch the movie at home (perhaps with a few small beers), OBAA is now available to rent or buy digitally.
PTA's One Battle After Another Is Now on Digital
One Battle After Another is arriving on digital a little under two months after arriving in the theaters. The film has grossed over $190 million globally, which is pretty impressive for an R-rated movie that runs upwards of three hours. The movie is now available to rent for $19.99 or purchase digitally for $24.99.
As someone who keeps an eye on digital releases, Friday releases are actually quite rare. (They’re usually on Tuesdays.) The last one I remember was James Gunn’s Superman, which was released sooner rather than later to help audiences prepare for Peacemaker Season 2. In this case, the Friday release may just be a testament to the film itself.
Michael Calabro’s 10/10 review of the movie says, “There are so many little details, seemingly inconsequential touches – the filmmaker’s style, if you will – that all add up bit by bit to turn this amazing movie into a masterpiece.” He praises both PTA as well as the cast that bring the film to life. I will add my hype to the pile by saying it has one of the best car chase sequences since Mad Max: Fury Road.
4K and Blu-ray Release January 20
For anyone who did catch OBAA in theaters, I’d recommend saving your money for a good ol' DVD. In fact, I’d recommend this option to pretty much anyone, as it’s roughly the same price as the digital release which, all things considered, you don’t quite get to ‘own.’ You can’t proudly display your digital library on your shelf, a joy in the life of any cinephile.
A 4K ($29.99), Blu-ray ($24.99), and DVD ($19.99) of One Battle After Another are still available to preorder and will all be released on January 20. A limited edition collector's edition steelbook with special features curated by PTA himself was briefly available before selling out, but there's the off chance we see some restocks over Black Friday. The more likely outcome is we see those 4K steelbooks hitting the eBay market at ludicrous prices.
What About Streaming?
One Battle After Another is a Warner Bros. movie, so it will eventually land on HBO Max. Recent Warner Bros. releases like Superman and Final Destination: Bloodlines came to streaming a little over three months after arriving in theaters, putting OBAA’s streaming release date somewhere between late December and early January. In the meantime, HBO Max is certainly a key part in potential bids for Warner Bros., which Paramount and Netflix have both expressed interest in.
Blythe (she/her) is an SEO Coordinator at IGN who, when she isn't following streaming news, spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.
Pixel Quest is a brand new 2D bullet hell RPG, where you'll face an onslaught of foes across biomes that range from the beach to the desert. The Third Dimension has been destroyed by 1x1x1x1, and now the Robloxians will need to work together to protect the pixelated 2D land of Robloxia. There are over 70 quests to complete, and legendary loot to obtain that will make it far easier to eviscerate hordes of enemies. With so much to do, you'll want some codes to make use of.
Working Pixel Quest Codes
Here are all the currently active Pixel Quest codes. Be sure to redeem them before they expire!
PQ - Rewards (NEW)
How to Use Pixel Quest Codes
Redeeming Pixel Quest codes is a straightforward process. Launch the experience and complete the tutorial if you haven't already done so. When you're in the main hub, here are the steps you need to follow:
Locate the chat box on the bottom left of the screen. It says "To chat click here or press / key".
Click or press the / key and then press / again. This will bring up a list of commands.
Type code, so it now says /code in your text box.
Copy and paste the code from the article and enter it into the box, e.g. /code PQDISCORD2025
Hit enter.
You'll then see a message in the chat that tells you if the code has been redeemed successfully, and what the reward is.
How to Claim Gifts from You Gift Box
Some codes will give you rewards that you need to claim from your Giftbox. On the righthand side of the screen, you'll see a yellow and red gift box. Click on this and you'll be automatically transported to the southeast corner of the main hub. The Gift Box menu will also automatically open, so you can drag them into your inventory.
How to Find Skins
If you receive a skin via a code, then you'll want to find the icon on the left side of the screen that shows a person and says Wardrobe. When you open the Wardrobe, you'll see three sub-menus: Skins, Badges, and Titles. You can then scroll through and see any Skins, you've unlocked.
Expired Pixel Quest Codes
DUPEGANG
DESERTREE
LUCKYDAY
PQDISCORD2025
Why Isn't My Pixel Quest Code Working?
Codes for Roblox experiences are usually case-sensitive, so the best way to ensure you've got a working code is to directly copy it from this article. We check all codes before we upload them, so you can guarantee they're working. Just double-check that you haven't copied over an extra space!
When Is the Next Pixel Quest Update?
Pixel Quest is currently in Alpha release, but that doesn't mean that the Pixel Quest! group isn't already working hard to bring new content to the RPG. The next update is planned for Sunday, 26th October. This mini update will introduce a new dungeon and new Legendary items.
Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.
99 Nights in the Forest is a survival horror Roblox experience that will see you scavenging for supplies by day and protecting your camp at night. While the main aim is to explore the forest and rescue four missing children, it's not quite as simple as it seems. Entities will stalk you at night, and there's the addition of cultists that will periodically visit your camp and attack.
Updates often bring new enemies to contend with and new ways to enhance your base. One of the earliest updates that the popular experience launched was the Classes Update. There are now over 20 classes in 99 Nights, all with their own perks. To buy new classes, you need Diamonds, and that's where the 99 Nights in the Forest codes come in handy!
Working 99 Nights in the Forest Codes (November 2025)
These are the currently working codes for 99 Nights in the Forest:
afterparty - 15x Gems
Expired 99 Nights in the Forest Codes (November 2025)
Here are the currently expired codes for 99 Nights in the Forest that will no longer work. Since they're expired, you won't be able to get rewards from attempting to redeem them anymore.
happyhalloween
How to Redeem 99 Nights in the Forest Codes
When you launch into 99 Nights in the Forest, these are the code redemption steps you need to follow:
Locate the Diamond icon next to the green plus in the bottom left corner
When the Diamond menu opens up, find the blue codes button on the right
Click codes
Copy and paste the code from this article
Hit submit
Why Isn't My 99 Nights in the Forest Code Working?
Code not working? Here's our advice. Codes for Roblox experiences are usually case-sensitive, so the best way to ensure you've got a working code is to directly copy it from this article. We check all codes before we upload them, so you can guarantee they're working. Just double check that you haven't copied over an extra space!
When is the Next 99 Nights in the Forest Update?
The next update is scheduled for November 15, with a teaser on the Roblox page that says the deer is hurt and may need help. The previous one added Daily Quests as a new way to get Diamonds.
Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.
The adorable Animal Crossing-like Pokémon game, Pokémon Pokopia, is now available for Switch 2 owners to preorder. It's currently live at various retailers - including Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and the Nintendo eShop - with a price tag of $69.99 and is set to be released next year on March 5, 2026.
If you simply can't wait to jump into this new release as a Ditto who has taken on a human form, head to the links below to secure a copy. Keep in mind that the physical edition comes as a game-key card, so will not have the full game loaded on to the cartridge.
For those who purchase the game early - whether it's the game-key card or digital version - you'll get a Ditto rug that you can use as a decoration in the houses you build in-game, which you can see above. You'll have until January 31, 2027 to claim it.
What Is Pokémon Pokopia?
Pokémon Pokopia was announced back in September during that month's Nintendo Direct. You play as a Ditto that's taken on the form of a human with goals of building a cozy new life for yourself and the Pokémon you meet. As you progress in the game, you'll meet new Pokémon who can teach you different moves to aid in your quest to build-up the world around you, allowing you to create homes for the Pokémon you befriend, grow crops, and more.
Other Preorder Guides
In the realm of upcoming games, there's plenty more worth keeping on your radar right now alongside Pokémon Pokopia. Below you can see a full list of even more games that are available to preorder at the moment, from 007 First Light to Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and many more.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
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