It’s November, which means Black Friday 2023 is right around the corner. Anyone interested in video games will soon be able to save lots of money during the annual sales event. When it comes to video game deals, Nintendo often has a stingy reluctance to drop prices on first-party Switch games. But one of the few times of the year you can actually get a discount is during Black Friday. Major games like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Kirby will likely see price drops of $30 or more. In fact, some are already available for similar discounts. Also, the Nintendo Switch Black Friday console bundle is already available to purchase.
If you’re wondering what kinds of Black Friday deals you you can get now, or will be able to find on Nintendo Switch games, accessories, and hardware once the official sales begin, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s take a look.
Shortcuts
Nintendo Switch Black Friday Deals – LIVE NOW
Nintendo Switch Console Bundle
Black Friday comes early for anyone in the market for a Nintendo Switch console, because one of the best Nintendo Switch deals around is available right now. Granted, it’s the same deal Nintendo offers every year around Black Friday, but it’s a good one nevertheless. It gets you a Nintendo Switch console, a digital copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and 3 months of individual Nintendo Switch Online — all for $299.99. That’s the normal price of a Switch on its own, so you’re essentially getting Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and three months of online service for free. That’s a better deal than you’ll find on Switch hardware any other time of the year, so grab it if you want it.
50% Off Selct Games at GameStop
If it’s Switch games you’re after, you can save 50% off select games at GameStop right now. That includes games like The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, Super Mario Party, and more for $29.99 or less. You can find the full list of games on sale, regardless of platform, here.
Nintendo Switch Black Friday Game Deals to Expect
For the first few years of the Switch’s life, the deepest discount you could expect on first-party Nintendo games (Mario, Zelda, etc.) was $42.99. Sometimes $39.99 if you were lucky. Last year, however, some of those games dropped to $29 at retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and the digital eShop. We’re talking games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Link’s Awakening, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons — all available for $29.
So if I were a betting man, I’d guess we’ll see $29 Switch games again during Black Friday 2023. Third-party games will drop lower than that, but $29 is a good bet for the Nintendo-published ones.
The one caveat is this: don’t expect this year’s big first-party Nintendo games to drop that low. Games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder may not get any discounts at all. But it will be exciting if they do.
Nintendo Switch Black Friday Accessory Deals to Expect
One of the best Switch accessories is the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. Last year, it got a Black Friday sale price of $49.99, which is $20 off its usual price. If that deal returns, it’s great price that won’t likely be beaten during other times of the year.
Another must-have Switch accessory, at least if you download digital games from the eShop, is a microSD card (which also compatible with Steam Deck and ROG Ally). Pop one of these tiny storage devices into your Switch, and you can keep more digital games on the device without having to re-download them when you want to play. You’ll likely find deep discounts on microSD cards during Black Friday 2023, making it great time to add 128GB, 512GB, or even 1TB of storage to your Switch.
Nintendo Switch Black Friday Console Deals to Expect
Aside from the Switch bundle mentioned above, we won’t likely see much in the way of console discounts. It’s possible a retailer will knock $50 off the price of a new Nintendo Switch, and maybe even the Switch OLED model or Switch Lite. But that doesn’t typically happen during Black Friday.
That said, in recent months we’ve seen the online retailer Woot (owned by Amazon) drop prices on the Switch OLED to $314.99, down from its usual $349.99 price. So a Black Friday discount is possible.
Where to Find Nintendo Deals on Black Friday
We’ll provide plenty of links to all the best Nintendo deals on Black Friday, but here’s where you can expect to find them. In terms of Switch games, you’ll be able to find deals on them at retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and the like. If you prefer to download games, you’ll be able to find digital Switch games at most of those retailers as well, plus the Nintendo eShop, which you can access directly from your Switch.
The same goes for Nintendo Switch accessories, including Switch headsets and Switch controllers, which should be discounted widely at the usual retailers.
The Best Buy Black Friday sale starts next week and the Walmart Black Friday and Amazon Black Friday sales are likely not far behind. Here’s the Nintendo Switch section at all of the following retailers:
Nintendo Switch Black Friday Shopping Tips
Many of these tips are applicable no matter what you’re shopping for on Black Friday.
- Set a Budget – It’s safe to say many of us have massive video game backlogs. Just because you see a game you want on sale doesn’t mean you should buy it immediately. Set a budget and stick to it. Only buy the games you think you’ll play soon.
- Make a Wishlist – One of the best ways to keep your Black Friday spending under control is to make a wishlist of games or other items you want to buy, and stick to it. Ignore the deals that aren’t on items you would’ve bought otherwise.
- Compare Prices – Sometimes I’ll bite on a Black Friday deal that looks great (say, Link’s Awakening for $39.99). But then I’ll see the very same item on sale for 25% less at another retailer. Before you click the buy button, check the other popular retailers to see if they match (or beat) the sale price.
- Snag Particularly Good Deals Fast – If you see a hard-to-believe great deal on a Switch game or accessory, grab it sooner rather than later. Retailers only have so much stock, so it’s likely that the best deals will sell out before Black Friday ends. Grab great deals fast.
- Don’t Fret if You Miss Out – If you click on a killer deal and find that it’s sold out, don’t despair. Often times the exact same Black Friday deal will come back in stock on Cyber Monday. And even if not, the next Prime Day will be here before you know it.