On top of fashion, giant UHDTVs and Apple gear, gaming is one of the most popular product categories for holiday shoppers. Xbox Black Friday 2018 is likely going to be a big one this year considering how many deals we have been seeing on Microsoft’s flagship hardware throughout 2018. While not everyone is open for Thanksgiving, Microsoft’s Black Friday game deals will be everywhere as early as mid-November, and you won’t want to miss it. Head below for everything you need to prepare for the upcoming onslaught of Xbox One deals.
When is Xbox Black Friday?
Last year, Microsoft maintained regular store hours with its official online Black Friday game deals going live on Thanksgiving morning at 12:01am. But don’t be surprised to see some of them hit as early as mid-November online.
Its digital Xbox marketplace game deals were announced on November 17th with many of them going live that day for Xbox Gold Live members. Everyone else gained access to the digital game sale four days later on November 21st.
When will the Microsoft and Xbox Black Friday ad be released?
Microsoft’s official ad was a little bit late to the party last year. It didn’t land until November 13th, but was literally filled with amazing Xbox One bundle offers, controller deals and more.
Microsoft Free Shipping
Last year, Microsoft offered free shipping on just about all of its online Xbox-related deals. Hopefully this Black Friday will follow suit.
Will there be Xbox Doorbusters?
Not particularly. Some deals were kept as in-store offers only, but most of the big-ticket Xbox Black Friday deals started on November 19th online.
Xbox Live Gold
While not necessary for most of the big hardware offers, having an active Live Gold membership for Black Friday can certainly be beneficial. As we mentioned above, not only will you get early access to the digital Xbox game offers, but also deeper discounts. Live Gold members got up to an extra 33% off already marked down prices right on November 17th last year.
What will be on sale for Xbox Black Friday?
We are expecting the usual official price drops across the entire hardware lineup including Xbox One X and associated bundles, controllers and more. As usual these deals will trickle down through all of the major retailers. While Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and others had loads of comparable Xbox bundle offers last year, Microsoft’s $100 off deal remained competitive.
After seeing so many Xbox One X deals this year we are also expecting to see the best prices ever on configurations for the company’s high-end machine. It’s hard to imagine Microsoft beating out the big retailers here, but don’t be surprised to see gift cards and games getting thrown in to add extra value. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see Microsoft start adding GamePass credit on top of bundles in order to try and edge out competition there.
The Xbox Black Friday digital game sale that kicked off on the 17th last year will certainly be something to watch out for. This is a great way to add titles to your library without leaving the couch or having to be up first thing in the morning for doorbusters and the like. Last year there were literally hundreds of titles in the sale for Xbox One and Xbox 360 with notable prices on many of the newest releases. Expect big time deals on EA sports titles, the Forza games, Assassin’s Creed and many more.
Black Friday at 9to5Toys
Making sure you have our brand new free 9to5Toys app in your pocket is a great to make sure you don’t miss your most sought after gear this season. Our Twitter feed is another great way to do that. Black Friday 2018 is right around the corner now and you don’t want to left out in the cold while everyone is cashing in on the biggest deals of the year.
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