PlayStation's Black Friday Sale Is Live: Save On PS5, Controllers, And More

If you still haven't upgraded to a PlayStation 5, or need some new games for your collection, Black Friday could be your best opportunity to save money. Although the current generation of Sony game consoles have been on the market for several years now, pricing has remained stubbornly sticky. A 1 terabyte version of the PS5 Slim, which is the new default model replacing the original PS5, costs about $550, though dropping the disc drive will save you $50. For this year's post-Thanksgiving discount, though, Sony is dropping prices on all its consoles.

The PS5 itself isn't the only deal on offer. Sony is slashing prices on controllers and accessories, and even on its digital live subscription service, PlayStation Plus. Games will also be widely discounted, although we don't have a full list of sale titles. If you're the sort of person who likes swag from your favorite brands, you'll be pleased to know that merchandise including apparel, figurines, posters, and more will be included in the savings. Sales are through PlayStation Direct and participating retailers, beginning on Friday, November 21 until December 18.

The most attractive PlayStation discounts for most Black Friday shoppers will likely be the consoles themselves, which are marked down by about $100. The discount applies to both the standard PS5 Slim and the newer PS5 Pro, bringing the discless version of the former down to about $400 and the latter to $650. That's a respectable savings, but it's no doorbuster. Sony's deal is a great place to start your search, but it's worth checking other retailers for an even better price.

PlayStation limited edition bundles are a brand tradition, giving gamers a new title to sink their teeth into alongside the new console. This year, the Fortnight Flowering Chaos Bundle will be on sale at $399 for the 825 GB Digital Edition and $449 for the 1 TB Console version. There's no unique design on the console for this one, but it does come with unspecified in-game exclusive content and 1,000 V-Bucks (Fortnite's in-game currency).

Accessories haven't been left out, including DualSense controllers and even PSVR 2 virtual reality headsets. The regular DualSense (considered the best controller ever made by some) is $20 off, while the more expensive and feature-rich DualSense Edge is discounted by $30. The accessibility-focused Access controller gets a $20 savings. As for the VR headset, you'll score $100 off the PlayStation VR2, a decent opportunity for gamers interested in VR to see what the hype is all about. If you need a headset, the Pulse Elite is $20 off, and the Pulse Explore earbuds get a $30 drop. Lastly, the PlayStation Portal, a handheld device that lets you stream games over the Internet from your PS5, sees a $20 price slash.

PlayStation's Black Friday sales aren't limited to hardware  — games are on the menu, as well as live service subscriptions. Unfortunately, Sony hasn't unveiled a full list of discounted games at press time, so here's your reminder to check the PlayStation Store starting on November 21. If history is any indicator, expect to see heavy discounts on AAA titles from several years back, as well as on popular indie titles. The biggest releases from this calendar year may see slight price reductions, but don't get your hopes up. As of now, Sony has announced discounts to "Death Stranding 2: On The Beach," "Astro Bot," and "God of War: Ragnarök."

PlayStation gamers who enjoy live service titles are all too familiar with the value of PlayStation Plus. It's Sony's subscription service, without which you cannot participate in online multiplayer activities. These days, it also unlocks access to a number of titles bundled along with it, similar to Xbox Game Pass. 

More popular titles like "Cyberpunk 2077" and "The Last of Us Part II" are included with higher cost subscription tiers. In any case, new subscribers can save up to 33%, as can existing Essential and Extra tier subscribers who upgrade to either the Plus Premium or Deluxe tiers. If you play games with multiplayer features locked behind a PS Plus subscription, this is a great opportunity to save some cash month to month.