Even if you're not American, you certainly know what Black Friday is. These days, around the world and online, it's the busiest shopping day of the year. You can find huge discounts on everything from the big-screen TVs to essential home appliances. But what can gamers find on this day?
The Black Friday tradition began in the United States as a way for brands to start their holiday shopping the day after Thanksgiving. But today it is known in countries that do not celebrate Thanksgiving—many retailers are starting to offer deals weeks in advance. There are many opportunities to save some money — if you can hunt for Black Friday game deals.
What exactly is Black Friday?
Black Friday allows you to save a significant amount of money before the holiday rush. In the United States, Thanksgiving is always celebrated on Thursday—and often many Americans have taken the Friday off to shop for Christmas gifts. In brick and mortar stores there’s been massive lines, huge deals—even 50% off a TV set to clear the warehouse before Christmas.
Some say that on this day, store owners began to be “in the black,” meaning that they started to make money—others that it was Black Friday, because many people died during this shopping rush. Either way, this is an opportunity to find many great deals.
When is Black Friday 2022?
When is Thanksgiving celebrated? In the US, it's the day before Black Friday, or the fourth Thursday in November (in Canada, it's the second Monday in October).
This year's Black Friday 2022 will take place on November 25. However, for most brands and retailers, the sales usually run from Friday until Cyber Monday, the following Monday.
Americans go back to work on that day—and in the 1990s many people were only able to shop online on Monday, when the Internet at home was not as readily available.
However, many brands and locations will start several weeks in advance. Amazon's 2021 Black Friday sale, for example, started a month early - and allowed cheap subscription for Amazon Prime. If you are looking for Black Friday PC game deals, you can start looking for them in October!
Black Friday 2021 deals
Last year, gamers—especially PC gamers—could find great sales, up to 90%. If you want to build a gaming PC or find some great titles, you should wait for the Black Friday. We don't yet know what Black Friday gaming deals will be available in 2022, but perhaps some of these offers will be repeated this year.
Ubisoft invited people to subscribe to Ubisoft Plus which cost 20% less, and new subscribers were also offered access to Far Cry 6 with all add-ons, and discounts on Riders Republic and Watch Dogs: Legion games up to 50% off. Will there be a massive discount on Assassin's Creed this year? We don't know.
Polish store GOG, on the other hand, offered Black Friday 2021 games like Divinity: Original Sin 2: Definitive Edition and The Witcher 3: Wild Gone: Game of the Year Edition at 90% off. These games will not disappoint. What's more, it offered 50% off Cyberpunk 2077. This discount has been repeated a couple of times in 2022, and will probably appear again on Black Friday 2022.
Black Friday at the Epic Games Store pointed to Hitman 3, Sonic Colors: Ultimate and Crisis Remastered Trilogy remastering the single-player campaigns of Crisis, Crysis 2 and Crysis 3. Games at this store are often available for free, so perhaps some of these titles will be free—and discounts on hits like Spider-Man have already been announced.
On Origin or the EA store, Electronic Arts games were even 87% off—including FIFA 22, Mass Effect Legendary Edition including all DLC and extra features, or the adventure Lost in Random.
The Microsoft store, on the other hand, offered XboX game passes at a lower price, as well as blockbusters like Gears 5 and the Master Chef Collection. Many gamers opted for Yakuza: Like a Dragon, an action-packed fighting game, set in contemporary Japan. It’s also worth checking out Microsoft physical offer if you’re looking for a PC gaming mouse, wireless gadgets and other useful software. Office and professional stores also offer huge discounts.
Also check out the Humble Bundle. Last year, it provided 80% off and a 12-month subscription to Humble Choice for $99. Subscribers receive a “carefully selected assortment of fantastic games” each month. It's also worth remembering that Humble Bundle and other Bundles are not just about games—you can buy cheaper e-books or software in collections on Black Friday.
Black Friday gaming deals for hardware
Even if you're not an American, Black Friday is a great time to upgrade your PC hardware or replace broken peripherals. Online stores will offer discounts on games, SSDs, peripherals and other PC building blocks. If you are thinking of buying a gaming keyboard, Black Friday might be the perfect time.
2022—Graphics cards for PC and VR headsets
In 2022, many hope that graphics cards will become cheaper. For the past few years, their price has been very high because they were used to mine Bitcoin. Now, however, that bubble is starting to burst and in 2022 graphics cards have started to get cheaper, and are often included in improved builds of Gaming PCs. Black Friday can be an opportunity to upgrade your hardware after many years of stagnation.
In addition to graphics cards, it's also worth considering the purchase of a VR headset—last year discounts reached up to 25%, this year this technology has become more common and models like the Meta Quest 2 (formerly Oculus) have appeared.
A new Nintendo Switch deal
What's more, the Nintendo Switch is also a potential candidate for huge price cuts. Many hope that in 2023 Nintendo will announce either the Nintendo Switch 2 or at least a revised edition with a more durable screen. There's a good chance that either the Nintendo Switch Lite or the Switch version with an OLED screen will receive a sizable discount, perhaps as much as $150 for the Lite version and $250 for the OLED.
How to shop on Black Friday
Black Friday sales are taking place everywhere, and there are sure to be plenty of promotions. If you're looking for specific deals, you can always create a wishlist on Steam or Amazon, or bookmark multiple product pages to easily find them during the event. Subscribe to the r/gamedeals subreddit if you want to be kept informed about sales and Black Friday gaming discounts.
Prepare a budget—for example, if you're thinking of buying a AAA game in the fall, set aside its price +10%. You may find that you can buy 5 great games for that amount.
Also remember to keep an eye on prices in the weeks leading up to Black Friday. It's common for companies to raise prices in early November, so they can lower them that weekend. Be wary and keep hunting for good offers!
