This year, PlayStation is clearly taking the lead in the Black Friday console wars. From Nov. 21 to Dec. 1, the official PlayStation sale is offering $100 off all PS5 consoles, including the PS5 Pro, and popular bundles like the new Ghost of Yotei, NBA 2K26, and Fortnite editions.

Meanwhile, both Xbox and Nintendo are completely holding back on major console discounts, at least for now, leaving PlayStation with the only major console hardware deals of the season.

While Nintendo's official Black Friday sale doesn't go live until November 23, the gaming giant included no references to any kind of Switch or Switch 2 offer in its recent sale announcement.

Xbox's sale has since gone live, and while it features plenty of discounts on games and controllers, there are no Xbox console deals to be found. This is especially noticeable since it now costs 650 big ones for an Xbox Series X. That's the same price as a PS5 Pro right now!

While this premium console still isn’t for everyone, Sony’s most powerful console (and indeed, the most powerful console in the world) is actually discounted, and down to $649 Black Friday. This matches its best price from the Days of Play sale earlier this year.

In his review for IGN, Michael Higham said, "PlayStation 5 Pro is an impressive console with noticeable boosts in performance and graphics for games that take advantage of its powerful hardware. But for $700, you’ll need to think twice about whether or not the upgrade is worth the price tag."

It's also worth noting that the PS5 Pro also went up in price since then, rising to $749 earlier this year, so the $100 Black Friday discount cancels this out and then some.

But it's still an expensive console, even with the new discount, so echoing Michael's point, this is a purchase you need to be certain about, especially for $649, plus tax.

Still, it's the best price we're getting for the rest of the year, and at least there's a discount for anyone who has been holding out. Xbox and Nintendo fans, bad luck, and maybe next year!

PS5 Early Black Friday Deals

There's also more discounts up for grabs if the PS5 Pro is still a little too steep for you. The new 825GB Digital Edition Fortnite Flowering Chaos bundle drops to $399.99, while the 1TB disc version lands at $449.99.

Both bundles include PlayStation-exclusive Fortnite cosmetics and 1,000 V Bucks, effectively baking the Black Friday discount into the price.

For those who prefer a free game over cosmetic extras, the PS5 NBA 2K26 Bundle is now $449.99, making it arguably the best all-around console deal in the sale, and my personal favorite.

Limited edition Ghost of Yotei PS5 bundles are also part of the lineup, down to $499.99 from $599.99, including a matching DualSense controller and a copy of the game.

Compared to buying the console and game separately in the sale, that works out to roughly $20 in savings while adding a striking special edition design to your setup.

Other top offers include $100 off PlayStation VR2 bundles, $20 off DualSense Controllers, and discounts on games like Astro Bot ($39.99) and Death Stranding 2 ($49.99).

As mentioned, these deals will run through December 1, so if you’ve been holding off on a PS5 upgrade, this is the moment Sony is betting on your flashing the cash.

Should You Wait for Black Friday on November 28?

Like I mentioned, Black Friday deals tend to be a little confusing these days. Most retailers will tease plenty of limited time offers throught the whole of November, but the real discounts tend to not come out until at least a week before "Black Friday proper" as I like to call it.

I've been doing this for six years, and in my experience, PlayStation deals tend to stay exactly the same throughout the whole sale.

So if you've been waiting for a good deal on a PS5, controller, or game, these are the deals we're getting. Have no fear, there will be no Black Friday regrets come December, go forth and make any of the purchases you've been eyeing up.

Is the PS5 Pro Worth it?

So why choose the PS5 Pro over the other PS5 consoles in the sale? Sony highlights three key improvements, which it calls the “big three.” First, the PS5 Pro features a larger GPU, giving it more raw power than the base PS5 or the Slim.

Second, Advanced Ray-Tracing delivers much faster and more detailed lighting effects. Finally, PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) uses AI to upscale games to higher resolutions with more detail.

The combination means games can run at higher frame rates and resolutions simultaneously, reducing the usual compromises between performance and visual fidelity.

Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN's resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.