It’s already November, which means the leaves have changed colors, (and likely fallen off the trees creating a huge mess to clean up) the air is crisp, and Thanksgiving is quickly approaching.
It also means that following in the footsteps of this national day of gratitude, will be the drunken consumer debauchery known as Black Friday 2018.
Once again, NerdBacon is continuing our annual tradition of scouring each and every Black Friday 2018 ad in order to bring you the biggest and best deals for the big day.
Our comprehensive guide will tell you which stores are having good gaming deals, when they open, what the most interesting deals are, and provide you the pertinent pages from the ad scans so you don’t have to go digging through page after page of superfluous info.
We will be updating this page continuously as new ads get released, so be sure to bookmark and check back often!
So sit back, relax, and start making your list – because Black Friday 2018 is almost here!
Talk about waiting until the last minute.
While every other retailer saw fit to get their Black Friday 2018 deals out to the public several weeks before the big day, GameStop almost ran out the clock by waiting a few days before Thanksgiving to let their sales be known.
Perhaps that’s a good strategy, as that allows them to make any adjustments to beat their competition.
In any event, GameStop will open their doors at 3PM local time on Thanksgiving day. Forget about having a second plate GameStop employees.
If you’re the type that would rather not beat back the zombie shopping hoard, you’ll be able to shop all of GameStop’s Black Friday 2018 deals online, starting Wednesday at 8PM CST. That would probably be the option most conducive to retaining any semblance of your sanity, unless of course, you have a bunch of games to trade in. And speaking as a former employee of the company – if you’re making me skip Thanksgiving dinner so I can process all your old crap, then you can rightfully get bent.
With that said, here are the top deals from GameStop for Black Friday 2018.
If you’ve been following this article, (or any Black Friday 2018 article at all) you’ll notice that all three console manufacturer’s have a similar deal going on for the big day.
Microsoft has their sexy Xbox One S, bundled with Minecraft, for $199. You’ll get a $50 gift card with any Xbox One system.
Sony has the PlayStation 4, bundled with the ridiculously good Spider-Man for $199 as well.
Nintendo is selling the Switch with Mario Kart 8 for $299, which is a great deal for the system and one of the most essential titles on the platform. GameStop is sweetening the pot by offering a $50 gift card with the purchase of the Switch (or Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro).
Let’s talk some great prices on top games!
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII is $38!
God of War is $17 (you read that right!)
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Madden 19, FIFA 19, NBA 2K19, WWE 2K 19 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider are all priced at $27.
Did you miss Horizon: Zero Dawn last year? Repent and pick up the Complete Edition (with all the dlc) for $9.99.. At that price you can’t afford not to have it!
Far Cry 5 will only be $24.99, While Dragon Ball FighterZ, Nier: Automata, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, The Crew 2, Grand Theft Auto V, and Witcher III: Wild Hunt are all $19.99.
If you feel like suffering through Fallout 76, you can do it for only $39.99.
Extra Dual Shock 4 controllers will be $38.99. That’s a whole dollar less than anyone else!
Did you need a copy of Spyro Trilogy? Sure you did! It’s only $34.99 and includes a nifty pair of Spyro socks.
Soul Calibur VI will be there at $39.99, while Dragon Quest XI will weigh in at $34.99. Miss out on Persona 5? Grab it for $29.99.
Forza Horizon 4, Starlink: Battle for Atlas, and NHL 19 will be $39.99.
Razor arcade sticks for both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are on sale for $119.99. That’s a fantastic deal on a quality stick for those of you looking to up your fighting game, erm..game.
There are plenty of great deals on collectible merchandise, toys, and used merchandise, so be sure to check out the full ad in the images below.
Best Buy’s Black Friday 2018 ad has arrived, and it is massive!
Sales are set to begin at stores across the country starting at 5PM; however, I’m sure people will be lining up outside the door far earlier than that. Also remember that the Gamer’s Club Unlocked discount program (for those of you who still have it) is not compatible with their Black Friday sales.
On the console side, Best Buy will be offering a Microsoft Xbox One X bundle that includes a second controller and Battlefield V for $429.99.
Nintendo’s now standard Mario Kart 8 Switch bundle will also be available for $299.99.
Sony’s PlayStation 4 Spider-Man bundle will be there, and will be $199. You can also get their PlayStation VR bundle that includes Astro Bot for $199.
$199 will also get you Microsot’s Xbox One S Minecraft bundle.
So pretty standard stuff.
One other big deal is PlayStation Plus 1-year memberships, which will be on sale for $39.99. I know I’ll need to grab one of those.
Let’s talk about games!
Call of Duty: Black Op’s IIII is $44.99, which is okay, but we’ve seen better deals for this title at other retailers (see below).
At $39.99 are Bayonetta 1-2, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and Kirby Star Allies. You can also grab Star Link: Battle for Atlas for Switch, which includes that snazzy Arwing model for that price!
There are a few gems available for $34.99, including: Fire Emblem Warriors and the excellent Soul Calibur VI.
If you’re looking for a dump truck full of games for $29.99, then you’re in luck! Dragon Ball FighterZ (for Switch), NBA 2K19, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Madden 19, FIFA 19, Forza Horizon 4, Dragon Quest XI, WWE 2K19, and many more will be available.
There’s a few more good deals at $24.99, including: God of War, Crash Bandicoot: ‘N Sane Trilogy, Megaman X Legacy Collection, and Sea of Thieves.
$19.99 will get you Mario + Rabbids, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, Assassin’s Creed: Origins (Xbox One), Detroit, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil VII, Nier Automata, Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition, Dragon Ball FighterZ (PS4 version), and Pokemon Sun & Moon, plus many more!
There’s even a few titles that can be nabbed for $14.99. L.A. Noire, PUBG, and Watchdogs 2 are the headliners here.
If you want to catch up on your Red Dead Redemption lore, you can get the Xbox One version for $9.99.
If you’re looking for some gaming-related peripherals you can grab a Fallout 76 edition of the excellent Blue Yeti Microphone for $99.99. If you’re interested in streaming or any sort of audio production, this is a really good price on the best all around mic on the market. For those looking to add some storage space to your Nintendo Switch, 64GB SD cards will be on sale for $14.99.
You know we’re getting close to the big day when Walmart’s ad gets posted!
Walmart’s Black Friday 2018 will start in stores at 6PM on Thursday, however, you can begin hunting for deals online even earlier on Wednesday at 10PM ET.
Here’s what shoppers can expect.
Sony’s gorgeous $199 Spider-Man PlayStation 4 bundle will of course be available. This really might be the best deal that Sony has ever offered for PS4’s, but I have to say, that low of a price is yet another indication to me that 2019 will see the release of the PlayStation 5.
While you’re shopping PlayStation hardware items, you might as well pick up one of those great PlayStation VR bundles with Astro Bot for $199.
Need an Xbox One? Of course you do!
The Xbox One S, complete with Minecraft, will be there for $199, while the Xbox One X will be discounted to $399.
Nintendo’s Mario Kart 8 Switch bundle is $299.
For those looking for a gaming laptop, there is a an HP Pavilion gaming laptop that features a modest 4GB NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti for only $599. That’s a really great price for what’s included in this PC, so don’t be afraid to check it out.
Now let’s talk about games on sale.
Call of Duty: Black Op’s IIII will be $39.99, while sports titles like WWE 2K19, NBA 2K19, FIFA 19, and Madden 19 will be $29.99.
Over 20 titles are advertised to be on sale for a measly $35. These include: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Kirby Star Allies, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Forza Horizon 4, ARMS, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Soul Calibur VI, and Sea of Thieves to name a few.
Over in the $25 price point, you can find: Crash Bandicoot: ‘N Sane Trilogy for the Switch, Mario + Rabbids, God of War, Detroit, The Crew 2, Far Cry 5, and many more.
Now for the super buys!
$17 is all it will take to bring home Super Mario 3D Land, Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Two Worlds, MLB 18 The Show, PUBG, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and Monster Hunter World, plus a number of others.
Lastly, 32 games will be on sale for only $12, including: Mortal Kombat XL, Resident Evil VII, Doom, and more that I can’t quite make out in the tiny pictures provided.
Finally, if you want to grab one of those fantastic Arcade 1Up cabinets, the Pac-Man and Galaga versions will be on sale for only $249!
For those of you who live in a region with a Meijer, then you will know that it a store where you can shop.
You should also know that there are some interesting deals for Black Friday 2018 should you find yourself in the vicinity of a store.
First, let’s take a look at when the good stuff starts.
Meijer will open on actual Thanksgiving day at the disgustingly early time of 6AM. If you happen to be up and in the vicinity of one of the stores before your big turkey feast, then here’s what will be available.
Nintendo will have the Mario Kart 8 Switch bundle on sale for $299.99. Microsoft will also have their Xbox One S Minecraft bundle, which will be priced at $199.99.
PlayStation VR,s with the uber-acclaimed Astro Bot and Moss are also on sale for $199.99, making Meijer the spot with the best deal on PSVR thus far.
Call of Duty: Black Op’s IIII will be tactically priced at $39.99.
There’s a ton of other games on sale too.
WWE 2K19, Soul Calibur VI, Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Xbox One), Forza Horizon 4, and Assassins Creed: Odyssey will be among the recently released titles on sale for $34.99.
$29.99 gets you access to some of the summers biggest hits, such as: Madden 19, NBA 2K19, Sea of Thieves, Detroit, and oddly enough, the PS4 version of Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
PUBG and Mordor: Shadow of War are the headliners of the $19.99 tier.
Finally, a number of titles will be buy one, get one free! Street Fighter V and Halo 5: Guardians are among the BOGO selections that will be available.
Target’s Black Friday 2018 is already out, and it’s stocked full of great gaming deals! Whether you’re looking for a console, or just grabbing some games, Target has a number of great deals ready for shoppers starting at 5PM on Thanksgiving day.
Let’s start with the Nintendo Switch.
Target is advertising a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle for $299. If you haven’t had the chance to experience Mario Kart 8 yet, (since it’s original iteration was on the under-performing Wii U) then you’re missing out on the BEST Mario Kart experience since the 1992 SNES original.
Yeah, it’s that good!
Next up on the console side is our first PlayStation 4 bundle, and it’s a dozy!
You can get yourself a 1tb PlayStation 4, complete with Spider-Man for $199!
That is a seriously amazing deal (all puns intended) on a PS4 and maybe the best game of 2018!
If you already have a PS4, and need some VR action, then PlayStation VR can be yours for $249.
Microsoft will also have their Xbox One S Minecraft bundle for $199.
Now on to games!
Call of Duty: Black Op’s IIII will be on sale for a paltry $45!
Starlink: Battle for Atlas will be discounted to $39.99.
For $35 you can chose from Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Soul Calibur VI, (which is excellent, btw) NHL 19, Forza Horizon 4, and Sea of Thieves.
For $29.99 you can get WWE 2K19 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Madden 2019, NBA 2K19, FIFA 19, Destiny 2 Forsaken, as well as a few others.
Dragon Ball FighterZ, Crash Bandicoot: N’sane Trilogy, Detroit, God of War, and Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle are the highlights of the $25 price point.
Finally, in the $15 bargain bin is Overwatch, (go friggin’ buy this if you don’t have it!) as well as Star Wars: Battlefront II, Doom, Wolfenstein 2, The Evil Within 2 and more.
As always, Kohl’s has kicked of the Black Friday frenzy by being the first major retailer to leak their ad.
While one doesn’t normally look to Kohl’s as a haven of hot gaming deals, the retailer will often carry good deals on consoles for Black Friday 2018.
This year, Kohl’s will have a deal on the Xbox One S, which includes Minecraft and $60 in Kohl’s Cash (good on anything in the store – so go get yourself some nice shirts while you’re there) for $199. Then there’s the Xbox One X with PUBG included, along with a whopping $120 in Kohl’s Cash for $399.
If you’re looking for a Nintendo Switch, you can get a bundle that includes the Switch, a carrying case, and a Turtle Beach headset for $329. You’ll also get $90 in Kohl’s Cash.
In other gaming-related news, you can also pick up $15 in Kohl’s Cash for grabbing a SNES Classic, which will be priced at the normal $79.99.
DualShock 4 and Xbox One controllers will only be $39.99.
Finally, if you’re in the market for one of Arcade 1Up’s AWESOME arcade cabinets, then you can get one for $329 and nab $105 in Kohl’s Cash while you’re at it.
Kohl’s will be opening on Thanksgiving day at 5PM local time.
Hey! Who wants a 1tb Xbox One S with Battlefield V for $229?
You?!
Then go to Dell, ‘cuz that’s what they got.
What’s on your Black Friday 2018 shopping list?
Are you looking to pick up a current-gen console, prior to next year’s wave of next-gen madness? Or are you looking to snag some of the best games of the year? Let us know in the comments section below.
Written by The Watchman
He’s also an actor, a reporter, a pro wrestling connoisseur, and some say he’s a cat whisperer.
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