The best early Black Friday gaming deals (so far)

UPDATE: Oct. 18, 2021, 1:45 p.m. EDTThis list has been updated with the best Black Friday gaming deals as of Oct. 18.

Early Black Friday gaming deals as of Oct. 18:

• WD Black 2TB P10 Game Drive— $72.99 (save $17 at Amazon)

• Razer Blade 15 Advanced gaming laptop — $1,681.11 (save $918.88 at Amazon)

• Returnal — $49.93 (save $20.06 at Amazon)

• Xbox Game Pass 3-Month Ultimate Membership — $39.99 (save $5 at GameStop)

Black Friday is never not good for gaming deals, and we're thinking that this year is going to be par for the course (perhaps even better if we see a lot of restocks on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X?).

But even if you end up not being able to score a next-gen console this time around because of bots and supply chain scaries, there are still plenty of gaming deals to be excited about.

If last year is any indication, expect to see a lot of individual games on sale, console bundles (there were a bunch of great Switch deals in 2020), and accessories for both consoles and PC. As for those next-gen consoles, we'll be keeping an eye out and making sure you have the most updated information on restocks.

Below, our favorite Black Friday gaming deals so far.

We're hoping to get our hands on that new Switch OLED model. Credit: Nintendo

GAME DEALS:

OUR TOP PICK: Returnal — $49.93 (save $20.06 at Amazon)

One of the most anticipated releases of 2021 was also one of the most highly praised. The sci-fi, cosmic horror time loop game Returnal combines intense action gameplay with a sense of mystery and discovery that'll have players engaged throughout its single-player story. In short: If you're lucky enough to own a PlayStation 5, Returnal needs to be in your library.

Credit: Housemarque

'Returnal'

Buying Options

Save $20.06 at Amazon

More game deals:

• Resident Evil Village — $49.94 (save $10.05)

• Hitman 3 — $39.99 (save $20)

• Mario Golf: Super Rush — $54.99 (save $5)

• Control Ultimate Edition — $36.99 (save $3)

• Yakuza: Like a Dragon — $45.09 (save $14.90)

• Outriders — $19.99 (save $20)

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla — $44.48 (save $15.51)

• Marvel’s Avengers — $19.99 (save $20)

• Watch Dogs: Legion — $19.99 (save $40)

• The Last of Us Part II — $32.69 (save $7.30)

• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 — $39.99 (save $10)

• God of War — $16.58 (save $3.41)

• Red Dead Redemption 2 — $31.98 (save $3.02)

• Burnout Paradise Remastered (Nintendo Switch) — $18.99 (save $6)

• Doom Eternal — $26.66 (save $13)

ACCESSORY AND SUBSCRIPTION DEALS

OUR TOP PICK: Xbox Game Pass 3-Month Ultimate Membership — $39.99 (save $5 at GameStop)

Basically the Netflix of video games, a subscription to Xbox Game Pass is one of the best online services that gaming has to offer. When you sign up, you'll gain immediate access to an extensive library of Xbox and PC titles that can be downloaded at your leisure, including Xbox exclusive games on release day. You'll also get all of the benefits of Xbox Live Gold online access, as well as the newly added EA Play collection.

Credit: Microsoft

Xbox Game Pass 3-Month Ultimate Membership

Buying Options

Save $5 at GameStop

More deals on accessories and subscriptions:

• SteelSeries Arctis 7 — $132.11 (save $37.88)

• Razer Kraken X Black Wired Gaming Headset — $38.99 (save $11)

• Razer Viper Gaming Mouse — $67.08 (save $12.91)

• Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB SSD — $139.99 (save $30)

• Nintendo Switch Pro Controller with Super Mario Odyssey — $97 (save $32 at Walmart)

• WD_Black 2TB P10 Game Drive — $72.99 (save $17)

• SteelSeries Arctis 5 Wired Gaming Headset for PC and PlayStation 4 — $77.99 (save $22)

• Logitech G935 Wireless Gaming Headset — $129.99 (save $40)

Black Friday gaming deals shopping tips:

The best shopping tip we can give you for Black Friday 2021 is to follow our in-depth coverage of the whole event (wink wink), but besides that, there are a few things you can add to your repertoire to ensure you're getting those amazing deals quickly and efficiently.

First, you should make a wish list of what you hope to find on sale during Black Friday. When it comes to the gaming category, the options can get a little overwhelming, and it'll be easy to either a) spend more than you were hoping to spend, or b) not spend any money at all due to a case of intense online shopping paralysis. This is especially important when you're shopping for individual games, so make sure you get your top 10 in order (maybe a few extra) and keep an eye out for those specific titles. We expect to see a ton of 2021 games on sale, even some of the most recent ones (Returnal, Deathloop), so everything is fair game.

Another tip is for the PC gamers — if you're planning on upgrading your rig with a new graphics card, processor, or some other component, pick them out ahead of time. Things like GPUs and CPUs tend to go out of stock very quickly, so wasting precious time deciding what you want after the sales already start is ill-advised. Unsure of what your PC setup could use an upgrade for? Spend some time at PCPartPicker to get a better idea of what you'll want to be looking out for.

The rest can be said for shopping in any category on Black Friday: Just stay vigilant, calm, and try to enjoy the process. Download the Honey extension, sign up for newsletters from big retailers like Walmart and Best Buy (and our newsletter, while you're at it), and relish in your Black Friday wins.

What deals to expect this year:

Expect to see a lot of the usual suspects this year — big discounts on individual games from 2021 and beyond, deals on accessories like headsets and controllers (look out for those PS5 add-ons), as well as many a PC component.

We're also hoping to see plenty of console bundles, like we did last year. The Nintendo Switch in particular saw a lot of great package deals, and with the recent launch of the Switch OLED, it's not out of the question to see that one paired with some 2021 Nintendo titles.

Of course, we know most will be looking for PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles. It's likely that stock will be set aside for the major shopping event, but we'll let you know once we get confirmation that you'll actually be able to get your hands on one. Just don't expect a discount on those quite yet.

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• What we know about Walmart's Black Friday sales — including deals you can shop early