We’re already deep into Black Friday, and the Black Friday PS5 deals this year have been the best we’ve ever seen. The most popular Black Friday games deals of this year have been, without a doubt, the new PS5 Slim bundles. It costs $499.99, and as previously anticipated, this new PS5 slim bundle will feature Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 or Spider-Man 2 at no additional charge; offering potential buyers savings of $70 compared to purchasing the items separately. For those interested, you can see the new Call of Duty bundle listed at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and other notable retailers.
Buyers should consider all of these a Black Friday deal since it includes a console and a new game at a discount price of $499.99. Remember, if you don’t want either game included in the bundles, you can also just sell on the digital code for additional savings. However, if you’re looking for more deals on Call of Duty products, head over to the IGN Store to see our Call of Duty collection.
In other Black Friday news, DualSense Controllers have once again dropped to its sale price of $49.99 (see here), a reasonable $20-$25 discount depending on which color variant you choose. Amazon is also putting on some early deals, with its latest Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale that includes a whole bunch of PlayStation games like Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Mortal Kombat 1, Street Fighter 6, and a slew of others. But, these new PS5 bundles will still likely be the biggest offering this week for PlayStation fans.
If you’re looking to save big on games this year, the full Walmart Black Friday sale kicks off today, but you can find tons of video game deals live right this second.
Where Can I Get the PS5 Slim Digital Edition?
If you’ve been following the PlayStation 5 since it was first announced, you know there have always been two versions available: a more expensive console with a 4K Blu-ray drive included, and a more affordable model that eschews the disk drive for a purely-digital experience. The new Slim version of the digital PS5 console offers the best of both worlds, being less expensive while offering you the opportunity to upgrade with an add-on disk drive later on (if you want).
The thing is, we haven’t seen the PS5 Slim Digital online for sale yet. When the original PS5 launched, it was the same story. Everyone wanted the cheaper, digital edition, but it was nowhere to be found, making up less than 1% of the total number of PS5s ordered through our articles. If you’re looking for the PS5 Slim Digital, obvioulsy you should be following IGNDeals on Twitter, but the best advice is to just buy one of the PS5 Slim disk editions, as the price is now $50 more and you’re more likely to actually, you know, find one.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
According to fresh data reported by GI.biz, Sony’s PlayStation 5 is “comfortably” number one in Europe, with sales up an incredible 143% over October last year. The near seven-year-old Nintendo Switch is second despite a 20% drop in sales year-on-year. But the Xbox Series X and S have seen a whopping 52% drop in sales.
Even month-on-month comparisons are tough for Xbox. PS5 sales are up 11% in October compared to September, Switch sales are up 10%, and Xbox sales are down just under 20%. GI.biz noted that Xbox’s big exclusive Starfield launched in September, whereas PlayStation had Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Nintendo had Super Mario Bros. Wonder in October. Both games broke sales records.
So, why does Xbox Series X and S continue to struggle in Europe? What’s caused such a dramatic console sales collapse? There are a number of theories. Speaking to IGN for a follow-up, GI.biz head of games B2B Chris Dring painted a grim picture of Xbox’s fortunes across Europe.
“The sheer absence of available console stock last year does skew these figures quite a bit,” he said. “And it’s worth noting that Eurozone countries have never been Xbox’s strongest territories. They revealed back in February they only hold 20% of the market versus PlayStation’s 80%.
“However, even in the UK, which is a market where Xbox is a lot more competitive it’s been a tough year, with Xbox Series S and X sales down 23% year-to-date. The reality is the console has very little momentum, which is such a crucial element when it comes to how successful a generation is or isn’t for a platform holder.”
One issue often cited by gamers is Xbox’s lack of big-hitting exclusives. While Starfield launched in September and hit 10 million players in less than three weeks, it does not appear to have moved the needle in terms of console sales.
By Microsoft’s own admission it hasn’t done a good enough job pumping out first-party hits. 343’s Halo Infinite, which launched a year late in November 2021, was a big disappointment. Arkane’s Redfall was a disaster it’s still struggling to recover from. Smaller scale games, such as Tango Gameworks’ superb Hi-Fi Rush and Obsidian’s excellent Pentiment, were critically acclaimed but not system sellers.
“The lack of big exclusives are often cited for why this has happened, and some of the big games like Halo: Infinite didn’t provide the boost you might expect,” Dring continued. “A lot of unreasonable pressure was put on Starfield, and it did cause some sales improvement, but it hasn’t been sustained.”
While Game Pass is considered a good deal for gamers, it’s having a clear impact on Xbox game sales and potentially even sales of the console. Bethesda released Starfield on Xbox Series X and S and on PC on the same day and straight into Game Pass, for example. It seems likely this strategy, which is in direct opposition to Sony’s insistence on launching PC versions of its PlayStation exclusives years after they come out on console, is limiting Microsoft’s ability to shift hardware.
Xbox Series X and S appear to have hit a wall just three years into their life, which is obviously a big problem for Phil Spencer and his Xbox leadership team. But what can be done? After Microsoft’s incredibly $69 billion acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard, it seems likely Game Pass in particular will become an even more compelling subscription service. But it will take some time for the behemoth publisher to integrate itself into the Microsoft machine, and executives have indicated games such as Blizzard’s Diablo 4 and Activision’s Modern Warfare 3 won’t hit Game Pass until some point in 2024 at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is working to get more first-party games out the door, which it has said will occur more regularly from 2024. Xbox has an army of owned studios beavering away and exclusives. Forza Horizon studio Playground is making a new Fable. Fellow UK studio Ninja Theory is making Hellblade 2. Obsidian is making Avowed. A Perfect Dark reboot is in the works, although it’s still years away. Then there’s all the new games coming from Bethesda, including an Indiana Jones game from Wolfenstien developer MachineGames.
While the launch of these games may help boost Xbox console sales, Dring believes Microsoft will continue its shift away from being too focused on the console, with more energy being spent on PC and mobile. Its acquisition of Activision Blizzard is as much about taking control of King, which publishes $20 billion mobile money-spinner Candy Crush Saga, as it is Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.
“PC and mobile are dominant platforms across Europe, and will be a more effective avenue for Xbox to reach players in these markets,” Dring said. “With its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it is now one of Europe’s most powerful games companies, just in a different way.”
Will these mid-gen refresh consoles prove to be a much-needed shot in the arm for Xbox? Xbox desperately needs momentum in order to stop the rot. With Activision Blizzard in tow, Microsoft’s gaming ambitions are significantly stronger. But it may not be until 2028, when Microsoft is reportedly set to launch its next-generation console, before Xbox makes its console comeback.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Blizzard Entertainment has made its action role-playing game Diablo 4 free-to-play on Steam for a week.
Steam users can download and trial the game until November 28 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK. Diablo 4 launched first in June on PC via Blizzard’s own Battle.net, where it remains a premium game. It’s also on PlayStation and Xbox.
The free-to play period lets users play Diablo 4 up to level 20, which equates to around eight hours of gameplay. Blizzard will likely be hoping those who get there will be tempted by the game’s 40% off price-tag in the Steam Autumn Sale, which also ends November 28.
In our 9/10 review of the game, IGN said: “Diablo 4 is a stunning sequel with near perfect endgame and progression design that makes it absolutely excruciating to put down.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Underwater survival series Subnautica is set to see a new game come out during the first half of 2025. That’s according to Krafton, the company behind battle royale PUBG and owner of Subnautica after buying developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment in 2021.
Subnautica is a hugely successful indie game that first emerged in 2018, then saw a follow-up, dubbed Below Zero, in 2021. IGN’s Subnautica review returned a 9/10. We said: “Subnautica’s a survival game with focus and an excellent sci-fi story, but its greatest achievement is its underwater horror.” We were equally impressed with Below Zero: “Subnautica: Below Zero is a leaner, meaner standalone expansion to Subnautica that improves on the story and mechanics, but doesn’t give us as much room to explore,” we said.
Mention of the next game comes as part of a Krafton financial report, spotted by RPS, that lists “the next Subnautica” targeting a “1H25” launch, meaning the first half of 2025. That’s all we know, but it’s good to see Subnautica is still alive deep within the bowels of Unknown Worlds.
Krafton, meanwhile, is making waves in its bid to expand beyond the cash cow that is PUBG. While it works on a PUBG extraction shooter called Project Black Budget, it’s got an “action adventure sandbox” codenamed Project Gold Rush from Vector North, Dark and Darker Mobile due out next year, hyper-realistic Sims-alike inZoi, and a 2026 game codenamed Project Windless.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Jet Force Gemini launches on Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service in December, Nintendo has announced.
Jet Force Gemini is a 1999 third-person shooter developed by Rare for the N64. It revolves around a galactic law enforcement team who battle against the insectoid villain Mizar. In single-player you explore the galaxy, fight hordes of enemies, and save a race of survivors. Multiplayer has deathmatch for two to four players.
Jet Force Gemini is a part of the Rare Replay compilation for Xbox One that came out in 2015. This Nintendo Switch Online marks the game’s debut on Nintendo’s latest console.
Nintendo has slowly added to the Switch’s N64 library this year, most recently with the addition of Mario Party 3 in October. In September last year, Nintendo announced a wave of Nintendo 64 games coming to Nintendo Switch Online. Of the games in that wave, 1080° Snowboarding is yet to launch.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
The very same weekend we received Bluey: The Videogame, Australia’s ABC broadcasted a countdown of the top 100 Bluey episodes, as voted by the public. Tuning in for the final 20-or-so, it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with any of the very best ones I’d managed to miss over the years ahead of this review. One of those was Onesies, and I was floored when the theme was revealed. Seriously, the ability of this children’s show to tackle a concept as complex as infertility for an audience of any age, and with such an expert balance of levity and empathy, is nothing short of remarkable. There is so much to this show beneath the surface. I do wish I could say the same about Bluey: The Videogame – that it, too, is quite remarkable in its own way. Unfortunately, it is not. It may look like a spot-on recreation of Bluey’s gorgeous and distinct 2D animation, but beneath the surface there isn’t much more than an hour or so of mild multiplayer fun and moderate frustration.
As I’ve touched on, Bluey the show is a rare breed; colourful and cute enough to entertain its core audience of preschoolers, witty enough to hook older kids and deliver valuable lime lessons without ever patronising either audience, and regularly profound enough to make their parents cry. On a more superficial level, though, it’s rare because it’s also beautifully animated in 2D. While I admit I probably don’t quite have my finger on the pulse of pre-schooler TV these days, if it’s still anything like it was a few years back this is in stark contrast to most shows for four-year-olds – which tend to look like time capsules of PS1 game cutscenes exhumed from 1997.
Bluey: The Videogame does an admittedly terrific job of emulating the bright and chunky look of the show.
Bluey: The Videogame does an admittedly terrific job of emulating the bright and chunky look of the show, and it effectively converts the four available backdrops into 2.5D environments that bring depth to places like the Heeler home without jarring with the show’s usual look (which is typically staged on a single plane). The characters and animations are equally accurate, and they’re more or less indistinguishable from the show itself. It helps a lot that the cast is also aboard to provide the voices.
For Real Life
Unfortunately, that’s largely where the good stuff stops. Perhaps the biggest problem of all is the absurdly short length for what isn’t some two-dollar tablet game you download on a whim to keep a toddler busy while you’re waiting for your spring rolls. At £35 in the UK, $60 Australian, and $40 US, it is brazenly expensive for a game that can be completed in under an hour, and picked clean of collectables in less than two. We try to keep price out of the conversation in a review because games don’t get better when they go on sale, but exceptions must be made in cases like this where it’s just a ripoff.
There are just four maps – the Heeler house and backyard, the playground, the creek, and the beach – and a short story arc split into four 10- to 15-minute episodes. Developer Artax Games has divided the Heeler backyard and house in the menu to make it appear there are five maps, but that’s not the case; obviously, the house and backyard are connected. It is a tiny amount amount of extremely modestly sized maps. No shops, no succulent Chinese restaurants, no school, no Hammerbarn – it’s the bare minimum all the way.
It just doesn’t actually feel finished.
The setup is cute enough; it’s the school holidays and Bluey and Bingo are spending it on the hunt for a forgotten treasure buried by Bandit and his brothers when they were kids. As such, there are appearances by Uncle Stripe and Muffin, Uncle Rad, plus Chilli’s father Grandad Mort. There’s even a low-hanging moral brushed against in the fourth and final episode, which culminates at the creek, but then the story just… ends. The beach is unlocked, but there’s no story component here – even though there feels like there should be. It just doesn’t actually feel finished.
Gotta Be Done
It doesn’t feel particularly well-finished when it comes to how it plays, either. I played through in co-op with my kids and our experience was mostly fractured, finicky, and frustrating. There were times our characters were frozen and only returning to the character screen to re-select our characters would fix it. Lining up objects to interact with and pick up is a hassle, which is doubly annoying considering the solution to every puzzle is pushing or pulling a piece of furniture. Or maybe a rock.
Platforming is imprecise and inelegant in the 2.5D spaces, and while it does seem to only need one of you to succeed, this is a pain in groups of three or four players. In bigger groups, progression is messy – it’s really just a melee of everybody spamming the interact button to gather junk and getting teleported along by the first person to successfully make a few jumps.
Each of the four episodes also introduces a separate minigame that can be started and played from a dedicated game wheel, including Keepy Uppy (keeping a balloon off the ground, which is dreadfully underwhelming in practice), the platforming-based Ground is Lava (which had a habit of trapping me in a glitched state where I couldn’t move), Magic Xylophone (which is basically freeze tag with an extraneous musical instrument), and Chattermax Chase (which is essentially Baby’s First Oddball. You kids know what Halo is, right?).
Unfortunately, these minigames are scrappy and rudimentary at best, and we really didn’t find ourselves drawn back to any of them. If anything, we gleaned the most fun out of exploring the Heeler home in free-roam and hunting through all the recognisable rooms, but even that was short lived.
It’s a bewilderingly unimaginative take on the most canny, creative, and considered kids show I’ve ever seen.
With 151 episodes of Bluey in the can, the list of places and pooches Bluey: The Videogame could’ve featured is extensive. What we have feels like barely half a game. It’s a bewilderingly unimaginative take on the most canny, creative, and considered kids show I’ve ever seen, and it’s extremely trifficult to recommend.
Robux is the virtual currency within Roblox, and can be used to purchase special outfits or animations, various items for your avatar, and even unique abilities! If you’re looking to gift someone some Robux, you might be wondering how to do that? We’ve got all the information you’ll need on where and how to buy Robux during Black Friday, as well as how to redeem them.
How to Purchase a Roblox Gift Card
Players of Roblox are able to purchase Robux in-game via the in-game store on their chosen platform; mobile, Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. However, if you’re wanting to gift someone some Robux, you’ll need to buy them a gift card, either from the Roblox Store or via Amazon. To begin with, you’ll want to head to the Roblox Store and decide who the gift card is for. If you choose to purchase from Amazon, you can skip this step.
If you choose a gift card for yourself, select For Me and you can then select either a Digital Card or a Physical Card. If you’re sending a gift card to a friend or loved one, pick A Friend and input their name and your name (these can also be nicknames) in the appropriate sections.
For either card, you’ll be asked to select a currency that matches that of the country of the person you are gifting the card to. Keep in mind that the gift card will not be redeemable for your friend/loved one if the currency you select does not match the currency of their country. The options for currencies are as follows:
USD – US Dollar – Available for both Digital and Physical Cards
AUD – Australian Dollar – Only Digital Cards
CAD – Canadian Dollar – Available for both Digital and Physical Cards
EUR – Euro – Only Digital Cards
GBP – Great British Pound – Only Digital Cards
Digital Card
A Digital Robux Card will be sent via email and arrives immediately by default, though you can choose your own date and times if this gift is planned for a birthday or special occasion.
With the currency selected for the digital card, you’ll then be able to select a design for the gift card with various occasions, characters, and experiences available to choose from.
You’ll then be prompted to choose how much credit you would like to put on the card. With various preset amounts to choose from ranging from 10 – 250 (depending on your chosen currency), though you can also set the amount manually to however much you wish via the Quantity counter beneath the presets.
If you’ve picked a birthday or occasion in the design, you can now add an optional personalised message and you’ll then decide where the card is going. Input the recipient’s email and confirm it, and if a specific delivery date is needed you can also select that here.
You’ll then receive the order summary where you can confirm the details are correct, and you can then proceed to the checkout where you’ll need to enter your payment details with the following options:
PayPal
Google Pay
Credit/Debit Card
With your details set, check the box to agree to the Terms & Conditions and you can then place and complete your order!
Physical Card
A physical Robux gift card will be sent traditionally through the mail, and a one time shipping fee of $0.99 or CA$1.49 per card will apply. Only available in the US or Canada, you’ll then be able to select how much credit will be available on the card, with the same presets as the Digital version, ranging from 10 – 200 with the ability to input your own custom amount (with the aforementioned shipping fee automatically tagged on).
You can then add an optional personalised message, and then you’ll be asked to provide the delivery destination. Input the recipient’s name and address, and you can also determine whether to send the recipient an email to let them know a gift is on the way. Moving on to shipping, and then payment, you’ll then be set and the order will be placed!
How to Redeem Your Roblox Gift Card
Once you have received a Roblox Gift Card from a friend, or one that you’ve purchased for yourself, you’ll want to head over to Roblox.com/redeem. From there, You or your friend/loved one will then need to do the following:
Log into their existing Roblox account
Find the PIN/Code on the Gift Card and enter it into the white box on the website
Click the Redeem button
If successful, a success message will appear on screen and Credit will be added to the associated account
Congratulations! You’ve now got a new amount of Robux credit added to that account that can be spent in-game on whatever the player wants!
Sam Heaney is a freelance writer at IGN. Studying Acting and Performance throughout his education, his love for video games has persisted from a young age. After coming aboard IGN as a freelance writer in the Guides section, Sam has dipped his toe into article writing and has helped create walkthroughs for many of the previous years’ biggest titles, from Sifu and Elden Ring to Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. When not writing guides, he loves to write scripts, play games, build LEGO, and watch a whole lotta television.
We’re already in Black Friday 2023, with deals in full swing at Walmart. In fact, some of the best early Black Friday deals have already sold out well ahead of the event. So if you’re looking to get a headstart on your Walmart Black Friday shopping, now is the time, ahead of the official full sale going live tomorrow, November 22. And if you’re not bound to Walmart, Amazon Black Friday and Best Buy Black Friday deals are already live, with Best Buy going all-out with the full Black Friday 2023 sale.
One of Walmart’s early Black Friday doorbuster deals is this 50-inch 4K smart TV that’s on sale for just $148. You’re probably not going to get a super high-quality picture out of this thing compared to TVs 10 times its price, but that’s not what this is for. This would be a great set for someone on a tight budget, or a good second or third TV to put in a guest room for less frequent use. There’s also a super affordable 75-inch TV from Hisense with the same caveats. If you want size over quality, it’s a great buy and one of the best Black Friday TV deals around.
Walmart Black Friday Video Game Deals
Walmart Black Friday PS5 Console Bundles for $499
These bundles would typically go for $569, but Walmart has them on sale for $499 for its Black Friday deals. That’s the price of the PS5 alone, so it’s essentially like you’re getting Spider-Man 2 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for free. Check out our Spider-Man 2 review and our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 review to see what our critics thought of the games.
PS5 DualSense Controller for $49
These things normally go for between $69 and $74, so you’re saving at least $20 if you pick one up now. The early Black Friday pricing is in effect at Walmart on all colors, so go wild with it. For more discounts, check out our list of the best PlayStation Black Friday deals available now.
This is a brand-new bundle with new Joy-Con stylings modeled after Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It comes with the Switch OLED console, a digital copy of the game, and three months of Nintendo Switch Online. This is absolutely the hot Switch model for this year, and there’s a very good chance it will sell out.
Walmart also has the standard Switch Black Friday bundle, which includes a digital copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and three months of Nintendo Switch Online. This is the same deal Nintendo has offered for the past few years. But if you don’t care about a vibrant OLED screen for handheld mode, it’s a solid deal.
Walmart Black Friday Xbox Series X and Series S Deals
These are some wildly good deals for anyone in the market for a new Xbox. You can get a Series X for as low as $439 — and it includes a digital copy of Diablo IV. That same bundle is available with either Modern Warfare 3 or Madden NFL 24, all for way cheaper than buying the items separately. As for the Series S, you can get one for as low as $249.
Walmart Black Friday Xbox Controller Deals
Xbox wireless controllers typically cost in the $65 range, but right now you can get a wide assortment of colors, including special editions, on sale for $49 each. Perfect for adding player two (or three or four).
Walmart Black Friday Tech Deals
Apple Watch Series 9 just came out a couple months ago. It’s already on sale for $50 off. That goes for both the 41mm and the 45mm sizes. That’s a great deal on a super speedy smartwatch that has all the fitness tracking you could want, plus tons more features, including the newly introduced double tap. For more similar deals, check out our Apple Black Friday deals hub.
Walmart Black Friday Toy Deals
Pretty much everyone with kids or nieces or nephews could use a toy or two this holiday season. Why not get one on sale? These are pretty great prices, so have at it.
Walmart Black Friday Home and Kitchen Deals
Anyone looking to stock up on home and kitchen essentials has plenty of options on discount. You can pick up an air fryer for just $35, or take advantage of great deals on everything from bath towels to blenders.
Walmart Black Friday Fitness and E-Transportation Deals
Walmart Black Friday Adjustable Dumbbell Deal
Here’s a killer deal on an adjustable dumbbell. This clever design lets you select between 5 and 52.5 lbs. to hone your muscles how you see fit. It’s on sale now for half off.
Walmart Black Friday E-Bike and E-Scooter Deals
The electronic transportation category has taken off in a huge way in recent years, so it’s no surprise you can find early Black Friday deals on electronic bikes and scooters. There are some great deals on offer here, so pick one up if you want to add a bit of e-assistance to your exercise and transportation needs.
When Does Walmart’s Black Friday 2023 Sale Start?
Black Friday falls on November 24, 2023 this year, but Walmart has announced it’s kicking off some of its deals well before that day. That being said, while there are lots of upcoming deals, a huge selection of Walmart Black Friday Deals are already live. Walmart is running two Black Friday sale events, and Walmart+ members get three-hour early access to both.
Event 1 – Deals began online Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. ET and continued in stores Friday, Nov. 10 (Walmart+ Early Access runs 12 p.m. ET – 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 8.)
Event 2 – Deals begin online Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. ET and continue in stores Friday, Nov. 24 (Walmart+ Early Access runs 12 p.m. ET – 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 22.)
Walmart has even published a page with specifics on what kinds of early deals you can expect for the first event. In short, you can expect to find discounts on all categories of items, from air fryers to Ninja Turtle toys. We have more info on the specifics below.
What Is a Walmart+ Membership?
Walmart+ includes early access to Black Friday deals, free shipping with no order minimum, returns from home, free delivery from your closest store, and so much more. It even gets you access to Paramount+, which is a pretty stellar bonus. You can learn more about the Walmart+ membership or sign up at the link here.
What Are Walmart’s Black Friday Hours?
If you’re looking to get in on the holiday shopping action in person, you’ll want to know when Walmart will be open on Black Friday. Last year, Walmart stores opened bright and early on Black Friday at 5am (local time), but were closed on Thanksgiving. We expect similar hours in 2023. Regular store hours throughout the week are listed below, if you’re looking to get your shopping in outside of Black Friday:
Monday-Sunday: 6am – 11pm
Does Walmart Have a Holiday Extended Return Policy?
Many retailers update their return policies during the holiday shopping season, and Walmart is one such place. According to their website, “Most items purchased in-store or online from October 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023, are returnable until January 31, 2024. Marketplace seller participation varies. See the Return Policy for details.”
Walmart Black Friday Final Deal Predictions
TVs – One thing is certain: Black Friday is the best time to buy a TV. You can find good discounts at other times of the year, but you’ll always find great deals on top TVs during Black Friday. Whether you’re looking for a TV from LG, Samsung, Sony, Vizio, or more, you’ll likely find a good deal at Walmart.
Apple Products – Black Friday is a great time to pick up Apple products, because Walmart reliably offers discounts on various Apple Watch models and iPad models. MacBooks, older iPhones, and also Apple accessories like AirPods will almost certainly get a discount. Last year, Walmart offered a $300 gift card with purchase of the then-new iPhone 14. I wouldn’t be surprised if the retailer offered a similar deal on this year’s iPhone 15 and maybe even offered a discount on the Apple Watch Series 9. See our guide to Apple Black Friday sales for more info about these deals.
Video Games – Last year, Walmart had some great video game hardware deals, including Xbox Series S for $240 and Meta Quest 2 with two games for $349. you want to pick up any games you’ve missed, whether they came out this year or in previous years, you will find tons of video game deals during Black Friday. Even some of the biggest brand-new AAA games are likely to get some kind of discount during Black Friday. Just be sure to buy what you want when you see it on sale, because stock sells out. Even some Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals can go fast.
Blu-rays and DVDs – You can always count on big sales on 4K UHD Blu-rays and DVDs during Black Friday. Even if these movies and TV shows won’t be on the shelf next year, you can count on deals this year.
Headphones and Earbuds – There are almost always deals on AirPods, Sony, Beats, and Samsung headphones at Walmart for Black Friday. There are likely to also be some phone bundles that throw in branded earbuds for free with your purchase, so you’ll want to keep an eye out for those as well. See our guide to Black Friday headphone deals for more info.
Walmart Black Friday Shopping Tips
While Black Friday is generally the best time to get big discounts on many categories of items, there are definitely some Black Friday shopping tips to keep in mind while shopping:
Set a Budget – Whether you’re buying for yourself or for the people on your gift list, you don’t want to go overboard, no matter how good the deals are. Set a budget before the sales kick off, and stick to it.
Create a Shopping List – It’s easy to go nuts buying things when you see a bunch of great deals. But the smart move is go into Black Friday with a shopping list. That way, you can buy what you need, without being sidetracked along the way by shiny deals you don’t actually need.
Research Before You Buy – For many categories, like TVs and gaming PCs, for instance, you have tons of options. To help whittle down your options to the one you really want, you should do your research before you buy. Another question you might have is whether a Black Friday deal is actually a good price compared to normal. One of my favorite tools in this regard is Camelcamelcamel, which shows historical Amazon pricing, so you can see how often it goes on sale, and for what price.
Compare Prices – It’s happened to me more than once — I’ll see an item on my list for 30% off, and I’ll pick it up. Then I’ll hop over to another retailer and see it marked down 50%. For most deals, you should compare prices at various retailers before buying. The Amazon Black Friday sale and Best Buy Black Friday sale are especially worth looking at for price comparisons.
Be Wary of Search Results – Search platforms, such as Google, have a tendency to be flooded with sponsored links in the results. Be careful to avoid clicking on a sponsored ad if you’re looking for reviews or searching for specific products by price.
Is There a Walmart Near Me?
Without knowing who you are or where you live, it’s a pretty safe bet that yes, there is in fact a Walmart near you. Maybe you’re visiting relatives for the holidays, or you just moved into a new town. Or maybe you’ve never been to your local Walmart but the siren song of savings is too strong. If you’re asking if there’s a Walmart near you, just use the Walmart store locator and be shocked by just how many there are near you that you might not have even known about. This is a great tool for deal hunting, too. If there’s a Black Friday deal in-store at Walmart and the first one you visit is sold out, you can quickly pivot to another location.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
The publisher shared the news on Twitter (formerly X) to help celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the original game’s launch. It’s a brief and somewhat vague update, but it’s at least a sign that the team at Ubisoft Montreal is moving in the right direction.
“As you know, the passionate team at@UbisoftMTL is reimagining this legendary story,” the update says, “and we are glad to announce today that the project has passed an important internal milestone and development is progressing.”
As you know, the passionate team at @UbisoftMTL is reimagining this legendary story, and we are glad to announce today that the project has passed an important internal milestone and development is progressing.
It’s not clear what exactly this “important internal milestone” is. Still, considering the Prince of Persia remake has been engulfed by less-than-stellar news sinceits 2020 reveal, it’s nice to receive a positive update.
Prince of Persia’s troubled development
Prince of Persia’s firstdelay arrived in December 2020, just months after its initial announcement, withan indefinite delay following in February 2021. Ubisoft made its most drastic shift yet when development was moved from developers Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai over to Ubisoft Montreal in May 2022. Work has continued at the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla studio since, with the publisher confirming it had moved into the “conception” phase of development in May of this year.
It’s been a tumultuous few years for the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, to say the least. In the meantime, Ubisoft has opted to continue the series in other ways. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown wasrevealed as a 2D Metroidvania entry this past summer, promising something new while fans wait to return to The Sands of Time.
We got to go hands-on with The Lost Crown shortly after its reveal and came away excited: “A 2D Metroidvania was not what I expected of a new Prince of Persia game, but The Lost Crown is already proving itself a worthwhile pivot for the series.”
IGN has reached out to Ubisoft for comment on today’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake update.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
If you are anything like me, Black Friday is the time of year to pick up any stone-cold bangers that you didn’t play during the year. Games go on sale all the time, but the discounts are typically steepest during the Black Friday season and GOG has just kicked their sale off, with tons of games on sale, from CD Projekt, PlayStation, Bethesda, Blizzard, and more on offer.
They also have tons of retro PC games on offer, so if you dig those, this is a treasure trove. The sales continue until Tuesday, the 28th.
GOG Black Friday Sale
GOG games are as much defined by what they are by what they aren’t. Are they digital PC games? Yes, but they are also DRM-free, which means when you buy a game on this storefront, you actually own it and you don’t need a launcher to ‘check-in’ every once and a while. You just own it and can keep it on your PC or move it around however you like. Freedom is nice, isn’t it?
Brian Barnett writes reviews, guides, features, & more for IGN & GameSpot. You can get your fix of his antics on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Bluesky, & Backloggd, & check out his fantastic video game talk show, The Platformers, on Spotify &Apple Podcasts.
