Consoles are the hardest Black Friday purchase to call this year. All three makers raised prices in 2026: Sony in April, Nintendo in September and Microsoft in August, the second Xbox rise in under a year. Grand Theft Auto VI arrives on November 19, eight days before Black Friday on November 27, and the trade press is already warning that demand may outrun supply. So a "$50 off" sticker may still leave you paying more than a buyer paid in 2025. This guide gives you each console's current list price, what Sony offered last Black Friday, the Switch 2 bundles already discounted, and how to judge a bundle when the sales land.
Hitechreports does not test consoles. Every price below is one the linked source reported, on the date given. We will update this page as the 2026 deals are announced.
Why every console got dearer in 2026
The common cause is memory and storage. When Microsoft announced its August rise, CNBC quoted the company's statement that "console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027." The same statement noted that Xbox prices had already gone up by $20 to $70 in the US in October 2025, and that Microsoft "hoped another price increase would not be necessary."
Sony's PlayStation Blog blamed "continued pressures in the global economic landscape" for its April 2 rise, which put the PS5 Digital Edition at $599.99 and the PS5 Pro at $899.99. Nintendo's rise, from $449.99 to $499.99 for the Switch 2 from September 1, was reported by HotHardware alongside rises for every Switch model and for Switch Online in Japan.
The list prices to beat
Judge any Black Friday console deal against these, the makers' own recommended prices, not a retailer's "was" price.
| Console | List price now | Before 2026's rise | Source |
|---|
| PlayStation 5 (disc, 1TB) | $649.99 | $549.99 | LemonWire, October 2026 |
| PlayStation 5 Digital Edition | $599.99 | $499.99 | PlayStation Blog, from April 2 |
| PlayStation 5 Pro (2TB) | $899.99 | $749.99 | PlayStation Blog, from April 2 |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | $499.99 | $449.99 | HotHardware, from September 1 |
| Xbox Series S (512GB) | $499.99 | $399.99 | Variety, from August 1 |
| Xbox Series S (1TB) | $599.99 | $449.99 | Variety, from August 1 |
| Xbox Series X (1TB, digital) | $749.99 | $599.99 | Variety, from August 1 |
| Xbox Series X (1TB, disc) | $799.99 | $649.99 | Variety, from August 1 |
The "before" column is the price each source gave as the previous one: Variety reports Microsoft's rise as "$100 for 512 GB models and US $150 for 1 TB models", and the 2TB Series X, the dearest current Xbox, was discontinued at the same time. As LemonWire puts it, "even if retailers offer a $50 or $100 discount during Black Friday, the final price could still be higher than what buyers paid in previous years."
What Sony offered last Black Friday
Sony's own Black Friday 2025 post is the best yardstick for what a real PS5 deal looks like. The offers ran from November 21, 2025:
- PS5 Digital Edition 825GB, Fortnite Flowering Chaos Bundle: $399.99.
- PS5 Console 1TB, Fortnite Flowering Chaos Bundle: $449.99.
- $100 off PS5, PS5 Digital Edition and PS5 Pro consoles "in select regions".
- $20 off the DualSense controller, $30 off the DualSense Edge, $20 off the PlayStation Portal and $100 off PlayStation VR2.
- Up to 33% off a 12-month PlayStation Plus membership, and up to 75% off digital games on the PlayStation Store.
Those bundle prices were set against the 2025 list prices. Sony has raised every PS5 by $100 since, so if the 2026 offers follow the same pattern, expect something like $499.99 for a Digital Edition bundle and $549.99 for a disc bundle. Anything below that would beat last year's structure.
If you cannot wait, Sony's refurbished store is the cheaper route today: LemonWire reports refurbished PS5 consoles at $499 for the Digital Edition and $549 for the disc model, "around $100 below the corresponding new-console prices".
Switch 2: the bundles are already the deal
Nintendo has not announced Black Friday pricing, but its bundles already undercut buying separately. Tom's Guide prices them this way:
- Switch 2 alone: $499 at Best Buy.
- Switch 2 + Nintendo Switch Sports Resort + 3 months of Switch Online: $529, which Tom's Guide calls a $27 saving over buying the parts.
- Switch 2 + Mario Kart World + 3 months of Switch Online: $549, a $37 saving, and Tom's Guide's "best way to buy a console right now".
The Mario Kart bundle cost $499 before September's rise, so a Black Friday price at or below $499 for the bundle would simply restore the summer price. Tom's Guide also lists a hidden $10 discount on physical copies of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which launches on Switch 2 on November 5.
Xbox: the price rise makes the Series S the odd one out
At $499.99 the 512GB Series S now costs the same as a Switch 2 and only $100 less than a PS5 Digital Edition, so last year's "cheap way into current-gen" argument is gone. The Series X disc model at $799.99 is $150 above the equivalent PS5. Microsoft has not published Black Friday 2026 offers; LemonWire notes that Microsoft "has also acknowledged supply limitations in some markets", so a discounted Series X may be scarce rather than cheap.
GTA 6 and supply: why waiting may not pay
Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. LemonWire summarises a report from The Game Business, covered by Video Games Chronicle and TechRadar, warning "that console demand could outstrip supply during the holiday season", with a major retailer worried about receiving enough units before the game's release. Its conclusion: "a temporary deal is possible, but a major permanent price reduction is far from guaranteed", and existing PS5 or Xbox owners do not need a new console to play the game.
How to judge a console bundle
- Price the parts. A bundle is only a deal if the console at list plus the game at its usual price adds up to more than the bundle. Tom's Guide's $27 and $37 figures are the right way to express it.
- Check what the game is. A digital code for a year-old title is worth less than a physical copy of a new one. Sony's 2025 bundles carried Fortnite content and V-Bucks, which only matter if you play Fortnite.
- Gift cards count, with a catch. A retailer gift card is only worth face value if you would shop there anyway.
- Refurbished from the maker beats used from a marketplace. Sony's official refurbished PS5s come with a warranty; a private sale usually does not.
- Storage matters more now. The 2TB Xbox is gone and a PS5 game can run past 100GB. If a bundle includes an SSD or microSD Express card, price that too.
Our picks
Black Friday console questions
When is Black Friday 2026? Friday, November 27, 2026. GTA 6 launches eight days earlier, on November 19.
Will the PS5 be cheaper on Black Friday? Sony's 2025 offers started on November 21 with bundles at $399.99 and $449.99 and $100 off the PS5 Pro. Prices have risen $100 since, so expect the bundles to land higher than last year even if the discount is the same size.
What does the PS5 cost now? $649.99 for the disc model, $599.99 for the Digital Edition and $899.99 for the PS5 Pro, as listed in October 2026 after Sony's April rise.
Is the Switch 2 getting a Black Friday discount? Nintendo has not said. The Mario Kart World bundle at $549 already saves $37 against the parts, per Tom's Guide, and was $499 before the September price rise.
Why did Xbox prices go up? Microsoft says console storage and memory prices rose by more than 2.5 times and expects them to double again by autumn 2027. The Series S now starts at $499.99 and the Series X disc model at $799.99.
Should I wait for GTA 6 to drive console prices down? Probably not. Reports covered by LemonWire warn that demand may exceed supply over the holidays, and no maker has announced a permanent cut.
Is a refurbished PS5 worth it? Sony's official refurbished store listed the Digital Edition at $499 and the disc model at $549 in October, about $100 under new, with availability that changes.
More Black Friday guides from Hitechreports
Published October 27, 2026. Prices are those reported by the linked sources on the dates stated, not current Amazon prices; check the retailer for today's price. Hitechreports does not test consoles. As an Amazon Associate, Hitechreports earns from qualifying purchases.
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