Ubisoft has released its first developer update for Star Wars Outlaws, with new creative director Drew Rechner promising big changes after the open world adventure debuted to disappointing sales.
Rechner said in the update that Ubisoft had been “gathering and actioning players’ feedback” since launch and has identified key areas where it can “elevate the game experience to better meet” player expectations.
This will result in Star Wars Outlaws getting revamped combat, stealth, and controls. “The first key area of improvement to the game is combat where we see a real opportunity to add more depth and excitement to the experience, further rewarding your tactics and precision,” Rechner said.
“Our second key area is stealth, which is not only about improving the readability and consistency of enemy detection, but also providing choice in how you want to approach each encounter.
“Finally, our third key area of focus is centered around the character controls, which means improving the reliability of cover, increasing the responsiveness of climbing and crouching, and generally improving the consistency of the controls overall.”
These changes will be made when Update 1.4 arrives on November 21, the same day Star Wars Outlaws launches on Steam. Players can expect more information on the changes in the coming weeks.
Rechner moves into the Star Wars Outlaws creative director role as previous creative director, Julian Gerighty, turns his attention to The Division 3 at Massive Entertainment.
Ubisoft as a whole continues to be embattled by rumors of a takeover and other issues. The French publisher delayed Assassin’s Creed Shadows into 2025, and has ditched Epic Games Store exclusivity for its PC games.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Nintendo Switch exclusive Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to sell millions of copies even now, with the game seven-and-a-half years old.
In its latest financial report, Nintendo said Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold another 2.31 million units from April to September, which means Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is now up to an incredible 64.27 million sold. In fact, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold almost as many copies as the brand new The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom so far this financial year, and more than either Pario Mario: The Thousand-Year Door or Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is comfortably the best-selling Nintendo Switch game, ahead of Animal Crossing: New Horizons (46.45 million) in second place. And its enduring popularity is easy to understand; not only is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe superb in its own right, but it’s an almost essential buy for any new Switch owner looking for a fun game to play with family and friends pretty much out of the box. Speaking of which, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe looks set to continue to sell well with Nintendo pushing the Switch ahead of the crucial holiday sales period.
The question now is, will Nintendo release a sequel, presumably Mario Kart 9, for the upcoming Switch 2, or continue Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s dominance via backwards compatibility and a beefy next-gen update?
Nintendo has so far kept its cards close to its chest when it comes to Switch 2 information. All it’s said on the record is that an announcement will be made at some point during this financial year, which ends March 2025. Analysts are now saying it’s unlikely Nintendo will announce Switch 2 this year. A release for the console itself looks set for the next financial year, meaning April 2025 at the earliest.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
The Lapras ex Drop Event adds a new category in the Solo Battle menu that lets players take on four increasingly difficult Lapras decks with a chance of winning a special booster pack after each, the Promo Pack A Series Vol. 1.
This booster pack, available in the Gifts menu once obtained, contains one of five cards, including the Lapras ex and a brand new Mankey. The three remaining cards include alternative art versions of Pikachu, Butterfree, and Clefairy, and all five cards come stamped.
Players must persevere through some random chance encounters before they can pick up all five cards. The Lapras event introduces Chance Rewards, essentially giving players more incentive to repeat battles again and again, as these can drop after each win against a Lapras deck.
Players then have just a one-in-five chance of pulling the Lapras ex in the booster pack, though those looking to collect ’em all will be eager to pick up all five cards anyway. Grinding through the Lapras decks will be necessary to do so, but the Auto Battle feature is still available to speed things up.
Lapras ex itself is a Basic Pokémon with 140 hit points and an 80 damage attack at the cost of three energy: two water and one colorless. This Bubble Drain attack heals 20 damage from Lapras ex too.
Pokémon TCG Pocket arrived in October as a streamlined, digital version of the beloved trading card game. It lets players open packs, collect cards, build decks, and battle others, a simple formula that has already proved popular given it made $12 million in just four days.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
With Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 now a week old, fans of the Multiplayer portion of the game are having their say on the controversial — and unskippable — Winner’s Circle feature.
The Winner’s Circle shows the top three performing players from the winning team after the Play of the Game has run its course. Under normal circumstances it lets each player who does well enough to appear on the podium perform an emote, most of which are either toxic or hilarious depending on your point of view.
Black Ops 6 isn’t the first Call of Duty to feature The Winner’s Circle mechanic, as it’s appeared in the likes of Black Ops 3, Infinite Warfare, and WWII. But it’s impact feels particularly pronounced this year, and the debate around it was only exacerbated by the recent release of fan-favorite map Nuketown, which in addition to the Play of the Game and the Winner’s Circle, shows a short cutscene of the map getting nuked before players return to the lobby.
There are a number of issues players have brought up with Black Ops 6’s Winner’s Circle. The main one is the time it takes to view: players have to sit through the Winner’s Circle whether they make the cut or not, and the handful of seconds it lasts can feel like an age when all you want to do is get into another match or check your loadout. Because of this, some players have called on Treyarch to add a skip button or even pull the Winner’s Circle from the game entirely.
Then there’s the issue of toxicity, with some saying the ability to taunt your opponent after a victory discourages them from continuing to play having just lost a game. The slow camera zoom into the top player’s face doesn’t help matters.
Treyarch actually nerfed the Winner’s Circle following feedback from the Black Ops 6 beta so it had a shorter overall duration and “mitigated emote spam” for launch. During those preview weekends, players were able to spam emotes in the Winner’s Circle, which was certainly more frustrating to watch. Currently, you’re only able to trigger one emote. Or at least, you’re only supposed to be able to trigger one emote.
Players have worked out that they can still spam emotes here by quickly pausing and unpausing the game. Doing this, they’re able to fit in a few emotes into the Winner’s Circle before it closes, which, yeah, is pretty annoying to watch.
It’s been interesting to see how players have reacted to the Winner’s Circle since Black Ops 6’s explosive launch. Some have said they don’t mind it, given it provides them with a bit of time to check their phone before being thrust into the next match (modern gaming!). Others really, really hate it, and want to skip it at all costs. “Goofy” is a word I’ve seen tossed about by many in response to these emotes.
Despite the ongoing debate about Black Ops 6’s Winner’s Circle, it seems unlikely that Treyarch will strip it out of the game or even let players skip it. It provides an opportunity to show off players’ elaborate and often costly cosmetics, including premium emotes, to all players still in the lobby — and we all know how crucial cosmetics sales are to Activision’s bottom line.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Nintendo has slashed its forecast for Switch sales this financial year amid growing anticipation for the announcement of the Switch 2.
Today, November 5, Nintendo cut its Switch sales projection for the financial year ending March 2025 from 13.5 million units to 12.5 million units, with the console now in its eighth year on sale.
Nintendo also cut its forecasts for sales (1.35 trillion yen down to 1.28 trillion yen) and operating profit (400 billion yen to 360 billion yen).
Nintendo has said it will announce the Switch successor at some point during the current financial year, which means fans can expect to hear more before April.
As for the second quarter of the current financial year (July to September 2024), Nintendo generated 276.7 billion yen ($1.8 billion) in revenue and a net profit of 27.7 billion yen ($182 million). That’s a 17% revenue drop and a whopping 69% profit drop versus the same quarter last financial year.
It’s worth noting that last year was a big one for Nintendo, with the release of the Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom breaking records. This year, however, has been notably lighter for the company.
Nintendo sold 4.72 million Switch units in the six months ending September 30, down from the 6.84 million sold during the same period last year. That’s a drop of 31%. Software unit sales were down nearly 28% year-on-year to 70.28 million.
“Unit sales of both hardware and software were extremely high for the first half of the previous fiscal year,” Nintendo said, pointing to the Mario movie’s positive impact on its video game business.
“There were no such special factors in the first half of this fiscal year, and with Nintendo Switch now in its eighth year since launch, unit sales of both hardware and software decreased significantly year-on-year,” Nintendo added.
Alongside the financials, Nintendo provided sales updates for its recently released games. Paper Mario Thousand-Year Door, released in May, sold 1.94 million units, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, released in June, sold 1.57 million units, and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, released in September, “got off to a good start,” Nintendo said, with sales of 2.58 million units. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to sell incredibly well, with another 2.31 million units. It’s now up to an eye-watering 64.27 million sold.
Looking to the future, Nintendo failed to say anything about the Switch 2, but did say it plans to continue to push the Switch.
“By continuing to convey the appeal of Nintendo Switch, we try to not only put one system in every home, but several in every home, or even one for every person,” Nintendo said. “Another objective is to continually release new offerings so more consumers keep playing Nintendo Switch even longer and we can maximize hardware sales.”
Upcoming Switch games include Mario & Luigi: Brothership later this week, and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD in January 2025.
Photo by Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Stardew Valley creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone finally brought update 1.6 to console and mobile devices today, but there’s one small issue – everyone’s chickens are going missing.
The developer warned players about the poultry disappearances in a post on X/Twitter. He says that those who start a new meadowlands farm and open their animal door on day one will find that their chickens are vanishing. It’s a public service announcement that let’s players know that there’s a small issue with update 1.6, and a fix is on the way. Until a follow-up patch arrives, ConcernedApe says players can blame their missing chickens on a sneaky coyote that only appears on day one.
PSA: there is currently an issue, if you start a new farm on the meadowlands farm and open the animal door on the coop day 1, your chickens will disappear. If you leave the door closed for one day, it should save them. We will fix this. Lore: There is a wild coyote on the farm…
It’s unclear when Stardew Valley will fix its missing chicken problem. In the meantime, update 1.6 brings a field of other changes and additions for those still digging into the massively popular, cozy farming sim. Following its arrival on PC this past March, the update dropped Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One today (you can see the full patch notes here), adding the ability to find lost items, use cheat commands on certain platforms, and more. ConcernedApe recommends players start a new farm to see everything update 1.6 has to offer, which is why it’s so important to make sure the word about that pesky coyote gets out there.
We gave Stardew Valley a 10/10 in our updated 2024 review, calling it a “modern classic with an endless list of enticing activities to complete and a deeply satisfying time management challenge to take on.” For more on ConcernedApe’s farming masterpiece, you can read about how the creator only just managed to nab the game’s hardest achievement last week.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
Our IGN First “cover story” game for November is Marvel Rivals, the upcoming 6v6 hero shooter featuring many of Marvel’s biggest superheroes. We kick off our exclusive coverage with five exclusive minutes of gameplay showing Psylocke, the most recently confirmed hero added to Rivals’s sizable roster.
Take a look at the exclusive gameplay above, and if you missed it, you can check out the Psylocke reveal trailer in the video below.
If you missed our hands-on preview impressions from the closed beta from over the summer, you can read that after you finish the Psylocke video. And stay tuned all November long for more exclusive Marvel Rivals coverage on IGN!
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
Treyarch and Raven Software have published yet another Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 update, this time targeting a few of the game’s more annoying elements, such as the flashbang screen effect, the Recon Combat Specialty, and the spawn system.
The November 4 update is only the developer’s latest patch seeking to iron out the experience. Although players quickly took to this year’s Call of Duty when its release date arrived a few weeks back, many have made it clear that there are more than a few kinks left to deal with. Today’s update is one of the beefiest yet, as it tackles common issues and more while promising to provide even more specific fixes in the future.
One tool that players of every skill level can’t seem to stand is the flashbang, which has been called out for the lengthy affect it has on players’ screens. On smaller maps like Nuketown, of which there are a few of in Black Ops 6, the flashbang leaves Operators unable to see their screen for long portions of each match. Post update, players will notice that the duration of the effect has been reduced by 20%. Whether it calms complaints remains to be seen, but it’s clear Treyarch is at least listening.
Other common talking points the team sought to address with today’s patch include the spawn system and Recon Combat Specialty. The former is often a point of contention in any Call of Duty entry, so it should be nice to hear that spawn logic has been tuned across “several” Multiplayer maps in Black Ops 6.
Our number one goal is to always provide the safest spawn that we can across all maps and game modes.
“Spawn tuning will be an ongoing process of taking in data, reviewing gameplay and making measured adjustments in the live environment,” a developer note says. “Our number one goal is to always provide the safest spawn that we can across all maps and game modes.”
Recon, meanwhile, has left many concerned thanks to its ability to allow players to see through walls for a short time after respawning. The Perk combination bonus has now had its duration reduced from 2 seconds to 1.5, with Treyarch promising to reduce it even further ahead of Season 1.
These are the highlights for those looking for a less frustrating Multiplayer experience, but a number of weapon balance adjustments found their way into the November 4 Black Ops 6 update, too. Assault rifles like the XM4 and Model L received nerfs to their long-range damage, while more than a few SMGs had their range buffed. Most of the new Black Ops 6 patch focuses on tweaking Multiplayer, but Zombies players will notice that GobbleGum names should now properly update when players switch between tier tabs.
Today’s update follows a November 1 patch that squashed a number of bugs and exploits across the Multiplayer and Zombies modes. Although today’s fix fleshes out the experience even more, the team will surely polish the FPS further in the coming days and weeks.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched October 25 and will begin its first season of content on November 14. For more on, you can read our reviews for the Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies modes. We gave Multiplayer an 8/10, saying, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 plays it safe but is otherwise exactly what Call of Duty multiplayer should be: fast, fun, and a little on the ridiculous side.”
For everything else revealed in today’s patch, you can see the list of all the changes below. Specific weapon adjustments can be found on the patch notes page here, and make sure to check out ranking of the best guns as well would Black Ops 6 Zombies Guide.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 November 4, 2024 Patch Notes
GLOBAL
Stability
Improved stability when interacting with the Message of the Day.
Improved stability when sending voice communications.
Progression
Completion display will now properly appear when completing Prestige Challenges in both Multiplayer and Zombies.
Operators
Addressed an issue where Bailey wasn’t holding an intended Pistol in the Operator selection menu.
MULTIPLAYER
Maps
Nuketown
Nuketown is now available in Private Matches.
Modes
Addressed an issue where players were spawned in when joining a session in progress instead of spectating before selecting a Loadout. Yes, we saw ourselves in a Killcam before selecting a Loadout too.
Improved stability in Infected game mode.
Spawns
General spawn logic tuning across several maps for improved spawning.
Spawn tuning will be an ongoing process of taking in data, reviewing gameplay and making measured adjustments in the live environment. Our number one goal is to always provide the safest spawn that we can across all maps and game modes.
Loadouts
Addressed an issue where players would automatically equip their previously used Loadout when joining matches already in progress.
Addressed an issue where Players would die at initial spawn when selecting their Loadout.
Weapons
It’s been awesome seeing players discover and share their favorite weapon builds during the first week of launch. Every day we monitor both player feedback and game data to keep tabs on how the weapon meta is evolving and prepare for a comprehensive tuning pass in Season 01.
We have seen the discussions about the relative balance of Assault Rifles and Submachine Guns, and we are making some early, general changes to adjust their effective ranges. For ARs, we are pulling in minimum damage ranges and lessening the impact of headshots at close range. SMGs are receiving damage range increases to improve their mid-range effectiveness.
Shotguns
Last week, we fixed an issue with shotgun Slugs, but we are still working on an additional issue causing this attachment to perform better in hip fire than intended. Slugs are meant to offer an alternate playstyle for shotguns that trades close quarters effectiveness for improved range and precision. We are removing the ability for Slugs to one-hit kill to the body for now and will be revisiting the overall tuning of this attachment in an upcoming update.
Marine SP
Slug attachment Max Damage reduced from 106 to 92.
ASG-89
Slug attachment Max Damage reduced from 106 to 92.
Perks
Recon Combat Specialty
Reduced duration that enemies are highlighted after respawning to 1.5 seconds from 2 seconds. An additional reduction will be coming before Season 01.
Resolved an issue that allowed players to activate Recon Combat Specialty by changing Loadouts.
Dispatcher
Increased Dispatcher Perk score cost for UAV from 500 to 550.
Increased Dispatcher Perk score cost for Counter UAV from 550 to 600.
As we head into Season 1, we are continuing to observe data and feedback for Perks and Combat Specialties in Multiplayer. Currently, Enforcer is the most popular Combat Specialty with Recon in second place. It’s not just about the data though, as your feedback is a critical part of how we approach tuning of the live game. With that said, we are making some spot adjustments today as we as we continue to take a holistic look at our Perks and Combat Specialties moving forward.
Equipment
Flashbang
Reduced Flashbang Tactical screen effect duration by 20%.
Scorestreaks
Increased health of UAV and Counter UAV (rockets to destroy remain unchanged).
Increased initial explosion radius of Napalm Strike.
Reduced the initial entry delay of the LDBR.
Increased the fly-in speed of the Strategic Bomber.
Reduced score cost for Interceptors from 1250 to 1150.
Movement Updates
Adjusted stance change cooldowns to reduce effectiveness of repeated prone to stand movement (enough snaking).
XP Earn Rates
Adjusted Player XP and Weapon XP earn rates for most modes to ensure that players are being rewarded for their match performance as expected wherever they play. These changes include:
Increased Weapon XP earn rates for most modes
Increased Player XP earn rates for the following modes:
Team Deathmatch
Control
Search & Destroy
Gunfight
Slight decrease to Player XP and Weapon XP earned in Face Off modes
Challenges
Addressed an issue where players were able to complete the Nuke Challenge while dying.
UI
Appropriate Perks will now display when viewing the featured player during Best Play.
Known Issues
Gunsmith
We are investigating an issue where any equipped Optic attachment is removed when when entering the Gunsmith in Main Menus.
Players will not notice this issue if entering Gunsmith during a match.
Players can equip Optic attachments, but will need to re-equip them anytime they enter Gunsmith in a Main Menu to adjust attachments or customizations.
In cases where an Optic is locked and equipped via a Blueprint, players will need to reapply the Blueprint to obtain the Optic.
ZOMBIES
UI
GobbleGum names will now properly update when switching between tier tabs.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
Stardew Valley 1.6 is finally out on console and mobile devices following the PC release back in March with the Stardew Valley 1.6.9 update. This adds all previous 1.6 content to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, alongside some new stuff.
If you’ve been holding out for the 1.6 release on console and mobile, we’ve got plenty of Stardew Valley 1.6 guides to help you through the new content, such as an explainer on the new Mastery Points system and new crops like Carrots and Broccoli.
Essential Stardew Valley 1.6 Guides
Below, you’ll find IGN guides that we recommend checking out to aid you in your farming adventure.
Mastery Points
The Mastery Points system is a new feature that rewards those who have leveled all five Stardew Valley skills (Fishing, Farming, Combat, Foraging, and Mining) to level 10. Now, when you use a maxed-out skill, you’ll gain EXP in the new Mastery Gauge. Once the Mastery Gauge is full, you’ll get a Mastery Point that can be spent at Mastery Cave in Cindersap Forest.
For more information on Mastery Points and the rewards you can spend them on, head to our Mastery Points guide.
Raccoon Family Quests
In Stardew Valley 1.6, you’ll receive an announcement randomly telling you that a strong windstorm occurred overnight and if you head to Cindersap Forest, you’ll find that there’s now a giant treestump where a tree was. Once you repair the stump, a raccoon will be standing by it the next day, and he’ll have a quest for you. This is actually a chain of quests known as the Raccoon Family Quests.
As you complete the quests, the raccoon’s family will grow. You can accept a new quest from him every seven in-game days, and you’ll get rewards for doing so, as well as new Shop.
Check out our Raccoon Family Quests guide for walkthroughs on all the quests, as well as checkmarks to track your exact progress!
Golden Joja Parrot
Struggling to track down all 130 Golden Walnuts on Ginger Island? The Golden Joja Parrot is here to help—for a price. In the Stardew Valley 1.6 update, you can now pay the Golden Joja Parrot 10,000g to tell you the location of a Golden Walnut. It’s a pricy service, but if you can afford it, it’s very useful.
Of course, we would recommend NOT spending 10,000g (sorry, birdy!) and instead using our All Golden Walnuts guide to track down the 130 Golden Walnuts scattered around Ginger Island. We’ve also got checkmarks so you can check off the ones you’ve found.
New Fish and Resources
A fish, the Goby, has been added in Stardew Valley 1.6, which you can learn more about, including location, season, and selling price, in our Fish guide. Additionally, there are new fishable resources to find, which can be used to craft the Fish Smoker, which is also new. You’ll need the Fish Smoker for a Raccoon Family Quest!
Head to the following guides to learn more about obtaining the new fishable resources:
Alongside a fish, there are also four additional crops for you to grow. You can find out more about how to find the seeds for the new crops and how to grow them in the following guides:
Click on a link above to visit the guides page for that festival. You’ll find out information such as when each festival takes place, attractions, and what you can buy.
Starting a New Game?
If you’re starting a new game for the Stardew Valley 1.6 update on console and mobile, you may need a refresher on the basics, especially if it’s been a long time since you’ve played early-game content or you’re new to Stardew Valley. We recommend the following guides for new playthroughs:
Beginner’s Guide and Tips – Begin here if you’re starting a new playthrough. Our Beginner’s Guide and Tips page lists key things to know, including the best type of farm to choose, what to do in your first week to set yourself up for success, information on the Community Center, and more!
Skills – There are five skills to learn, each with 10 levels to unlock. As you level a skill up, you’ll unlock new rewards, such as crafting recipes and proficiency, and you can even choose between professions. Our Skills page teaches you everything you need to know.
How to Fish– Fishing is one of the five skills in Stardew Valley. Our How to Fish page teaches you how to unlock fishing, how to fish (including mini-game tips), and how to use Bait.
Cooking Recipes – Once you’ve upgraded your house, you unlock a kitchen with a stove and a fridge, which in turn, unlocks cooking. Our Cooking Recipes page lists every recipe in Stardew Valley and how to get them, plus required ingredients, stats, and sell price.
Crafting Recipes – There are a plethora of crafting recipes that you can use to make items to help you out with farming, decorating, combat, and more. Our Crafting Recipes page lists every crafting recipe in Stardew Valley, how to unlock them, and the materials you’ll need.
How to Make Money – Money is an incredibly valuable resource in Stardew Valley. In fact, you can’t do much without it! Our How to Make Money guide lists essential tips for making cash so you can fill up your coinpurse in no time.
Marriage Guide– Every farmer needs a partner, and our Marriage Guide teaches you everything you need to know about marriage in the game, including all 12 eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, how to actually get married, and how to have a baby. If you fall out of love with your partner, we even tell you how to get divorced. You’ll need to increase your villager hearts to get married, which we also have an explainer for.
Black Friday is the ultimate season for Xbox deals, whether you’re after classic or newly released games, or upgrades to your setup. This year, major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart are all expected to offer unbeatable prices on everything from controllers to must-play games, and the deals will only ramp up as we get closer to Black Friday itself. So, what can you expect on the Xbox front this year? Here’s our preview of what to keep an eye out for, and stay tuned, as this season’s deals could be worth the wait.
Xbox Series X|S: Black Friday Console Deals
Last year, Xbox Series console bundles dominated the holiday sales, especially at Walmart. While Microsoft initially offered $50 off select Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, many retailers took things further, rolling out even bigger discounts and bundles – like the Diablo 4 Xbox Series X bundle, which dropped to $439 and made a major splash in the sale season.
In recent years, some of the best Xbox Black Friday deals have started surfacing around mid-November, with the biggest discounts dropping in the final days leading up to Black Friday. For fans of digital downloads, the Xbox Store typically joins the fray, offering deep discounts on popular franchises and exclusive digital content.
In 2023, Xbox’s Black Friday sales were announced on November 15, kicking off on November 17. While this year’s offers haven’t been confirmed yet, we expect a similar timeline and range of discounts. For context, here’s a snapshot of last year’s highlights:
Up to 50% off digital games
Up to 65% off select Xbox Game Studios titles
Up to 67% off select PC digital games
$50 off select Xbox Series X and Series S consoles
Up to $25 off select Xbox Wireless Controllers
Free engraving on Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 via Xbox Design Lab
Every Xbox Game I’d Like to See On Sale for Black Friday
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
With its intense third-person combat and rich Warhammer lore, Space Marine 2 has become a must-play for fans of the genre. A Black Friday deal would make it a fantastic gift option for Warhammer enthusiasts, making it a holiday highlight for any fan of brutal action and immersive storytelling.
Resident Evil 4
The remake of Resident Evil 4 is still going strong with an impressive $19.99 price reduction this week. Given its acclaim as one of the best remakes in recent years, an extension or further reduction during Black Friday would be a win for players who haven’t picked it up yet.
Sonic X Shadow Generations
Just released, Sonic X Shadow Generations could also see early Black Friday discounts. Sega has a history of marking down recent titles, as seen with Sonic Frontiers last year. Currently priced at $39.99 on Woot, we might see an additional price cut soon. Leaker billbil_kun has hinted it could reach around €26.99 in Europe, which could translate to a similar discount in the US.
Elden Ring
A standout in gaming, Elden Ring has gained even more depth with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. This popular game has held its value, but Black Friday could be the perfect chance for a deal on the main game or its complete edition. Any discount would make this one of the season’s most tempting offers.
Star Wars Outlaws
Star Wars Outlaws has received a steady stream of updates since launch, improving performance and gameplay. A Black Friday discount would be a great opportunity for newcomers to explore Ubisoft’s expansive Star Wars universe. With updates driven by community feedback, Outlaws is shaping up to be a thrilling experience for fans of open-world sci-fi games, and a sale could make it even more accessible.
Xbox Game Pass Black Friday Deals
It’s a hot question: Will we see any discounts on Xbox Game Pass during the Black Friday sales? It’s a tough one, as we’ve already seen plenty of unreal discounts on Game Pass in recent months, especially at Woot. But, Black Friday offers Microsoft a unique opportunity to ride the Black Ops 6 wave and launch Game Pass subscriber numbers into the stratosphere. Although it’s not for certain, I do anticipate Game Pass getting a discount for Black Friday, and I’m hoping it’ll be something like three months of Ultimate for $30, for example. We’ll just have to wait and see!
Xbox Controllers: $39 or Less for Black Friday?
Xbox Wireless Controllers were a hot item last Black Friday, available at a discounted price of $39, up to $25 off the regular cost. We’ve seen a similar deal recently crop up at Lenovo, but it often quickly sells out and is limited in what colors are available. If this returns for Black Friday, and consistently stays in stock for all color variants, then this will be the best time to buy.
Xbox Expandable Storage SSDs Deals
Xbox SSD expansion cards are consistently one of the most popular deals console gamers are looking for over big sale events. They’re expensive, so everyone who wants one is trying to find it at a reduced price. Looking at recent deals on Xbox-compatible SSDs, we expect to see 1TB cards drop to around $100-125, similar to the recent October Prime Day event.
Plan Your Spending: Set a budget and stick to it. Only buy games or accessories you genuinely intend to use.
Create a Wishlist: Make a list of the items you want to buy and stick to it to avoid impulsive purchases.
Compare Prices: Double-check deals at different retailers to ensure you’re getting the best price.
Act Swiftly: Exceptional deals may sell out quickly, so don’t hesitate to grab them.
Don’t Worry If You Miss Out: If you miss a deal, it might come back on Cyber Monday or during the next Prime Day.
Looking for deals right now? Have a look at our roundup of the best PlayStation deals to see the biggest discounts available today. Or, if you’d like to see what’s caught our eye on other platforms, have a look at our individual roundups of the best Nintendo Switch deals and the best Xbox deals or our overall look at the best video game deals.
When Is Black Friday 2024?
The actual date of Black Friday in 2024 falls on November 29 this year, but the deals season will begin a lot sooner than that. Leading up to the big event, retailers will begin to open deals online. This usually starts in the last week of October, just before Halloween. Each week leading up to the event will slowly roll out more deals, which ultimately leads to Black Friday. Retailers will not reveal their biggest Black Friday deals until the big day, but most general deals will be available well in advance. Walmart, for example, has announced its official sale for November 11 this year.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
