The cheapest new Xbox now costs $499.99. That’s the 512GB Series S, which sold for $399.99 until August 1 and now costs exactly as much as a Nintendo Switch 2, which went up $50 on September 1. A PlayStation 5 with a disc drive is $649.99. Every major console costs more today than it did a year ago, and Sony and Microsoft have each raised U.S. prices twice since August 2025.
The reason is memory. When Microsoft announced its August increase, it said console storage and memory prices had risen more than 2.5 times and that it expects them to double again by fall 2027. So the old pattern, where a console gets cheaper as it ages, isn’t something to bank on right now. The useful question is narrower: whether a holiday sale can take a real bite out of the new prices.
This year’s Black Friday is on the 27th. Below is what last year’s sales did for each console, what’s different this year, and where the money is easier to save while you wait.
Where list prices stand in late October
| Console | U.S. list price now | Change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| PS5 (disc) | $649.99 | Up $100 on April 2 |
| PS5 Digital Edition | $599.99 | Up $100 on April 2 |
| PS5 Pro | $899.99 | Up $150 on April 2 |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | $499.99 | Up $50 on September 1 |
| Xbox Series S (512GB) | $499.99 | Up $100 on August 1 |
| Xbox Series X (digital / disc) | $749.99 / $799.99 | Up $150 on August 1 |
Microsoft also dropped the 2TB Series X, and Sony raised the PlayStation Portal to $249.99 in the same April change. These are list prices. Retailers can sell below them, so check a few stores before you pay full price.
What Black Friday did for consoles last year
Sony was the most aggressive. Starting November 21, 2025, it took $100 off PS5 consoles, which put the Digital Edition at $399, the disc model at $449.99 and the PS5 Pro at $649.99, according to Engadget’s tracking at the time. The DualSense controller dropped to $55 from $80.
Nintendo’s discount came later and through retailers. Around Cyber Monday, Walmart cut the Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle by $50, to $450, and Amazon and later Target matched it. The console on its own stayed at list price. Xbox was the quiet one: deal roundups last November found few or no discounts on new Series X or Series S consoles, and the savings were mostly in games and accessories.
One thing to remember when you read those numbers: last year’s discounts came off lower list prices. If Sony repeated a $100 cut this year, a disc PS5 would land at $549.99, which is what it cost every day before April. No console maker had announced Black Friday 2026 pricing as of this writing, so anything you read about this year’s console deals right now is a guess.
Console by console: buy now or wait
PlayStation 5
If you can wait, waiting makes sense. Sony was the one console maker with a clear hardware discount last Black Friday, and a month is a short time to hold off. The complication is Grand Theft Auto VI, which Rockstar has scheduled for November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, a week before Black Friday. If playing it on launch day is the whole point, the deal calendar and the release calendar don’t line up, and you’ll be choosing between paying list price now and waiting a week or so after launch.
There’s also a middle path. Sony sells certified refurbished consoles through its own store, and its refurbished page says each one comes with the same one-year limited warranty as a new unit. Stock comes and goes, and Sony raised refurbished prices this year as well, so compare the refurbished price with whatever Black Friday brings before deciding.
Nintendo Switch 2
Buy the bundle, not the box. The Mario Kart World bundle is $549.99 and includes a digital copy of the game plus three months of Nintendo Switch Online. The console alone is $499.99, and Mario Kart World launched at $80, so you’re saving about $30 before you count the membership. The Nintendo Switch Sports Resort bundle, out since October 22, is $529.99; Nintendo puts the saving at $27.98 versus buying the pieces separately.
Last year’s best Switch 2 price came on a bundle, not on the console by itself, and that’s where to look again. If a retailer cuts one of these bundles by $50 in November, that would match last year’s best Switch 2 deal. If you don’t care about either game, the standalone console is unlikely to move much.
Xbox Series X and S
Don’t plan around a Black Friday price cut. Microsoft is steering buyers toward other routes instead: it says its Certified Refurbished consoles at Microsoft Stores are up to $100 off list price, and it is promoting trade-in programs with retail partners and 0% APR financing for up to 12 months. Check the warranty on a refurbished unit, which can be shorter than on a new one. Financing only stays free if every payment lands on time and the balance is gone before the promotional period ends.
Also think about the Series S carefully at its new price. It’s digital-only with 512GB of storage, so every game you own lives on that drive or on paid expansion storage. At $499.99, it no longer has the price gap that used to make it the easy budget pick.
Where November savings usually show up
Hardware gets the headlines, but most Black Friday gaming discounts land on everything around the console. Last year’s PlayStation sale is a good example of the pattern:
- Games. Sony advertised up to 75% off hundreds of PS5 and PS4 games on the PlayStation Store, and retailers cut prices on physical discs.
- Controllers and accessories. The DualSense, DualSense Edge, PlayStation Portal and Sony’s headsets all had discounts of $20 to $30, with $100 off PlayStation VR2.
- Subscriptions. New PlayStation Plus members could save up to 33% on a 12-month plan in participating countries.
The practical takeaway: if you buy a console now, hold off on the second controller, the extra games and the subscription until the sales start. That alone can recover a good part of what you’d hope to save on the hardware.
Disc or digital: the math over a few years
The PS5 Digital Edition costs $50 less than the disc model. That looks like a clear saving, and for some people it is. If you buy most of your games on deep digital sales, or you mostly play subscription catalogs and free-to-play games, the disc drive may never earn its keep.
If you tend to buy new releases at full price, finish them and move on, discs can win over time. A used copy is often cheaper than the digital version, and a disc you’re done with can be traded in or resold, which a digital license can’t. Resell a couple of games and that $50 difference can be covered. The Xbox Series S and the Series X Digital give you no disc option at all, so that choice is made for you.
Trade-ins and buying used
If you’re upgrading, an old console is worth something, but how you sell it matters. Retail trade-in programs typically pay more in store credit than in cash, and they pay full value only for a complete console in working order, so bring the controller, power cable and HDMI cable. Get a trade-in quote first, then compare it with what the same console sells for on a local marketplace after fees and hassle. A promo that adds a bonus to trade credit can close the gap.
Buying used is where the biggest discounts are and where the risk is highest. Favor sellers that offer returns, test the console before you pay when buying in person, and ask whether any manufacturer warranty remains. A console that’s 20% cheaper with no recourse can turn out to be the expensive option.
A quick rule for each buyer
- Want a PS5 and can wait: wait for Sony’s Black Friday announcement, and check certified refurbished stock in the meantime.
- Want GTA VI on day one: buy when you need it and save on everything else later.
- Want a Switch 2: pick the bundle with the game you’d buy anyway, and watch for a retailer cut on that bundle.
- Want an Xbox: compare refurbished from Microsoft with any trade-in offer, and don’t hold out for a console discount.
- Already decided: buy the console when it suits you and leave the extras for the sales.
