Category: IGN

Black Friday deals are in full swing, and there are plenty of discounts for PlayStation owners to enjoy. Alongside the excellent PS5 console bundle deals, you can also save on a variety of PS5 accessories right now. This includes DualSense controllers (which have been knocked down to $49) to SSDs to console covers. Below, we’ve broken down the best deals on PS5 accessories in this year’s Black Friday sales so you can pick up some exciting new items for your favorite console.

Black Friday 2023: Save Big on PS5 DualSense Controllers

Considering DualSense controllers usually run for $74.99, it’s well worth it to grab them now at this discounted price of $49. The colors available usually sell out quickly, too, so you’ll want to act fast before your favorite disappears.

These SSD Deals Are Our Favorites From Black Friday

Scoring a 2TB SSD for $100 or less is an absolute steal, and these options from Silicon Power and Nextorage Japan are here to make your day with their 2TB SSD deals at $97.97 and $99.99, respectively. They also come with pre-installed heatsinks, which are a must for PS5 users!

Get $10 Off PS5 Console Covers

Over at PlayStation Direct you can also get a $10 discount on console covers. Whether you’re looking for Nova Pink or Starlight Blue, they have a great selection marked down to $44.99. You can also get the PS5 Darkplates 2.0 on dBrand for $10 off.

What PS5 Accessories Do You Need?

While some items, like the console covers, are purely a fun investment to personalize your console, it’s always nice to pick up new controllers. Not only does PlayStation offer a great array of colors to choose from, but having a backup is always handy if your current one breaks or if someone else is coming over to play a co-op game. SSDs are also a nice investment for your PS5 so you can expand your storage. The PS5 doesn’t offer much on its own, so having an additional SSD with a heatsink ready to go can help you out as you build up your PlayStation library.

These PlayStation accessory deals just scratch the surface of what’s available right now for Black Friday. In our roundup of PlayStation and PS5 Black Friday deals, you can find plenty more discounts on games and, more importantly, bundle deals. There are a couple of bundles featuring the PS5 Slim that are well worth checking out before they sell out. And if you want to see some more gift options for the holiday season, we also have a PlayStation gift guide featuring a variety of items that make for great gifts for those in your life with a love for PlayStation.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

For years, video game players have changed the time and date on their hardware, whether it be PC or console, to go back in time or into the future, accessing removed content or content yet to come.

Now, Mortal Kombat 1 players are changing the date on their console to avoid paying for skins that were once available through gameplay — the latest twist in what has been a tumultuous launch for NetherRealm’s gory fighting game.

First, some context. This week Mortal Kombat 1’s already aggressive monetisation sparked yet another backlash after some skins previously available as part of Invasions mode in Season 1 were made available to buy from the in-game store for Dragon Krystals, the game’s premium currency. NetherRealm had previously said players would need to wait for a season to return if they missed its skins, but that appears now not to be the case.

In response, Mortal Kombat 1 players, perhaps inspired by time-manipulating character Geras, found success changing the date on their console to make the Season 1 skins available to unlock for free and, upon reverting their console back to the correct date, brought those skins into the present.

Twitter / X user @iScreamFGC posted to warn Mortal Kombat 1 players not to buy these skins. “All last season’s Items can be purchased by changing the date on your PlayStation 5 to any date before November 11” they posted alongside video evidence. “Load up your game, buy all of last season’s items and you can complete last season’s Mesa! When you’re done change date back to present day and you keep everything!”

DO NOT BUY THIS 🚨🚨🚨

ALL Last Seasons Items can be purchased by changing the date on your PS5 to any date BEFORE 6th November!

Load up ur game, buy all of last Seasons items & u can complete last seasons Mesa! When u done change date back to PRESENT day & u keep EVERYTHING! https://t.co/R8yJbG6gzh pic.twitter.com/fOzABSNaKo

— iScream (@iScreamFGC) November 20, 2023

@iScreamFGC used this date change exploit on PS5, but redditor AdmirableEstimate258 reported it also works on Nintendo Switch: “I never completed a Mesa last season since I only got the game a couple days before the season ended, I tried the date glitch (October 13 is what I used) and went to Invasions, I did the first fight and it gave me every skin in the Mesa (including Order of Darkness Scorpion). Unfortunately the portals softlock you to not go any further in other Mesas so you can’t get the recolors, which means you can get the seasonal recolors for free. The image is from me putting my date to the current and all skins are still there.”

Redditor ShadowMajick also verified the exploit with a video, warning players: “Don’t buy the Season 1 skins from the Premium Store. You can literally just turn the date back on your console/PC and you can access the full seasonal store from the Spectre season anyway.”

As you’d expect, trying to travel into the future to unlock unreleased content doesn’t work. No Peacemaker or Homelander just yet, then.

The furore over these skins has as much to do with Mortal Kombat 1’s FOMO-filled monetisation as it does publisher Warner Bros.’ continued silence over concern about how it’s running the live service portion of the full-price, $70 fighting game. Publisher Warner Bros. has repeatedly failed to issue comment on the backlash, despite various flashpoints including the sale of seasonal Fatalities for real-world cash.

You’d expect NetherRealm will want to clamp down on this date switch exploit, if it wants to maintain the integrity of its monetisation plan. Perhaps a hotfix or emergency patch will be issued. But this is no new problem for the series. Mortal Kombat players did the same thing with Mortal Kombat 11 to complete towers they’d missed. It’s a tradition at this point.

There’s a lot happening in the world of Mortal Kombat 1. IGN has reported on players starting to discover hidden Brutalities, including one for popular DLC character Omni-Man. Mortal Kombat 1’s controversial Seasonal Fatality Bundle, which features unique Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Winter Fatalities, is now live.

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.

“It’s very losable.” That’s how the Nintendo reps sitting next to me described my encounter with Amarys, one of the members of the Blueberry Academy’s Elite Four. Naturally, I decided to test how losable. I was already running an unfamiliar team, but I took it a step further. I also did a couple moves I knew had type disadvantage, just to see how punishing the response would be. They weren’t kidding; I lost, only taking out four of her six Pokémon, though her ace did make an appearance. It wasn’t the result I was hoping for, but I was impressed by how challenging the fight was and how Amarys’s team and decisions put the “Elite” in Elite Four. I may have lost, but as any trainer worth their salt will tell you, there’s always the runback, and I’m looking forward to it when The Indigo Disk drops.

The Indigo Disk is the second DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Unlike The Teal Mask, you can’t play it before completing the base game. This is an endgame DLC; you’ll need to complete both Scarlet and Violet’s main story and The Teal Mask to gain access to it. Once you do, you’ll travel to an entirely new area, the Blueberry Academy, a sister school of Naranja Academy. There, you’ll reunite with some old friends, meet exciting new trainers, and battle them. Oh, and there are some new (and old) Pokémon to catch, too. It’s all very Pokémon, in all the best ways.

My time with The Indigo Disk may have ended with a battle against Amarys, but it started with a trip to Blueberry Academy’s Terarium, an enormous facility that recreates several distinct environments, from tropical beaches to frozen tundra. Naturally, the Terarium is populated by Pokémon native to that environment. Part of the appeal is the sheer amount of Pokémon here. Every starter from the previous generations shows up, providing an excellent chance to both fill out your Pokedex and see how these Pokémon behave in the wild. They don’t just come from Poke Balls provided by friendly professors. Who knew?

Of course, the Terarium isn’t just a place to catch Pokemon, though you can certainly spend an awful lot of time doing that if you like. The Indigo Disk isn’t only adding some new evolutions like Archuladon, who evolves from Duraludon and new Paradox Pokemon like Raging Bolt and Iron Crown; it’s also bringing back a host of returning Pokémon that goes far beyond the return of older starters. I can’t give exact numbers without being banished to Area Zero, but suffice it to say, it’s a large number, and catching them all will take you a while.

Still, I think the real draw for many will be the Terarium itself. It’s absolutely massive and packed with detail, and I had a great time exploring it. I can’t speak to several of the coolest details at the time of this writing, but there’s a lot here, and I’m excited to spend time exploring the Terarium when I get the chance.

Of course, it’s not all fun and games at Blueberry Academy. This is a school, which means there are classes for you to take, and from what I saw, they seem to be pretty hands-on. The one I stopped by was held in the Terarium and tasked me with catching an Alolan Pokémon and bringing it back. I managed to get my hands on an Alolan Grimer and an Alolan Exeggutor before heading back, leaving everyone else with homework. Whoops.

And then of course, there are the battles. Blueberry Academy places a large emphasis on double battles, adding an extra layer to your tactical and team-building decisions, so you’d better be prepared to throw two Poke Balls whenever you run into an opposing trainer. I only played a handful of battles in my time with The Indigo Disk, but each one was a memorable fight that challenged me to manage my team, type matchups, and move selection.

Once I was more or less comfortable, it was Elite Four time. As with the Gym Leaders in the base game, you’ll need to complete a task known as an Elite Trial before you can actually challenge the individual members of the Elite Four and take them on in Pokémon-on-Pokémon combat. In Amarys’s case, it means racing either Koraidon or Miraidon through a series of airborne rings in what often reminded me of one of the obstacle courses in Spyro the Dragon. Oh, did I mention that Koraidon and Miraidon can fly now? They can fly now, and you can use that to navigate the Terarium in neat ways. Amarys’s Elite Trial wasn’t too hard, but it was a nice change of pace from the traditional Pokemon gameplay and gives you something fun to do before you throw down against a member of the Elite Four.

I didn’t win that battle against Amarys, but it just made me more excited to get back to The Indigo Disk. With over 230 new and returning Pokemon to see and capture, an exciting environment to explore, and strong trainers to battle, The Indigo Disk seems like it’s adding all the postgame content a Pokemon fan could want. I personally can’t wait, which is why I fired up my copy of Pokemon Scarlet as soon as I got home. I’ve got a rematch to train for.

When it comes to game night, it’s always a great idea to have a variety of board games around for people to choose from. Unfortunately, building that collection of games can oftentimes cost you more than you’d expect. Have no fear, though, as we’re here to help you out with a variety of deals on board games that are worth picking up. This doesn’t just cater to events like Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday, either. We try to find deals on the best board games all throughout the year, so you can buy your favorites without breaking the bank.

TL;DR – The Best Board Game Deals

Below, you can find a selection of the best board game deals at the moment. And with Black Friday deals kicking in, we’ll keep you updated on even more board game deals as they appear.

The Best Board Game Deals

Black Friday 2023 Board Game Deals

Black Friday features plenty of board game deals, and you can find the best discounts available at the moment listed below.

Board Games: Budget to Best

For when board games aren’t on sale, it’s nice to know you still have options that don’t cost you tons of money. Here, we’ll point you in the direction of more affordable options that are still worth the investment for your next game night.

When Is the Best Time to Find Board Game Deals?

Board games go on sale at sites like Amazon, Target, Walmart, and even GameStop fairly regularly — you can generally find special discounts every month or two. In addition, they absolutely get big discounts during major sale events like Amazon’s Prime Day and Black Friday.

While Prime Day is primarily an Amazon shopping holiday, other retailers always put on competing sales events at the same time. Those are great times to look for board game deals.

As for Black Friday, it’s not just a one-day event: you can often find deals on board games the whole week of Black Friday, as well as on Cyber Monday and throughout that whole following week. Keep in mind that stock runs out (particularly at Amazon), so if you see a good price on a board game you want during one of these major sale events, grab it before it’s gone.

How to Know if it’s Really a Good Board Game Deal

At online board game retailers like Amazon and Walmart, prices are always in flux, to say the least. Many of the board games in the board game section will be discounted to some degree from their MSRP. But there are a few ways to know when a board game is on sale for a notable discount.

For one, you can check Amazon’s daily deals page, where you’ll occasionally find an actual sale on various board games. Sometimes these are from one company, sometimes they’re on the whole category of board games. Target also periodically runs sales on board games, so check their deal page, too.

If you’re looking at a board game and are wondering if the sale price is good, copy the URL and paste it into the search field at camelcamelcamel. That’s an Amazon price tracker that shows you price history. Better yet, it works for any item, not just board games.

Finally, you can follow IGN Deals on Twitter, where we’ll always tweet any notable board game deals we come across.

How Do You Know if a Board Game Is Any Good?

IGN reviews board games fairly regularly, so you can always search to see if we’ve reviewed a game you’re considering picking up. Other websites do, too. We also have a whole lot of board game roundups, ranging from the best classic board games and the best cooperative board games to the best horror board games.

Outside of IGN, the best board game resource around (for my money) is Board Game Geek. It maintains a database of every board and card game you’d want to know about, with all kinds of news, stats, and user reviews all gathered together in one place.