Nintendo’s Black Friday sale has discounts on Switch games and controllers

A blonde man with shaggy hair wearing a green and brown toga. The man’s standing on a beach and looking down at his right hand, which seems to be burned, bound in gold metal, and glowing at the wrist. — Image: Nintendo

Nintendo games rarely see big discounts, but the holiday shopping season always proves a good opportunity to save on some contemporary classics. After initially offering special holiday bundles of its Switch consoles, Nintendo has also announced a Black Friday sale on various games and controllers set to begin November 24th and run through the 30th.

Major Nintendo titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Pikmin 4, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and more will be $20 off at retailers like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart once the sale commences. Additionally, Switch accessories like Joy-Con controllers and Nintendo’s Pro Controller will also be $20 off, along with a slick Tears of the Kingdom carrying case getting a $10 discount.

This is all likely to be the tip of the iceberg, as early Black Friday deals are already beginning and retailers will run sales on further games and hardware come the day-of. But while it’s common for retailers to be aggressive with the sale during Black Friday and Cyber Monday times, we don’t always see Nintendo extending as far-reaching of discounts. Since there’s a Switch successor poised to drop in the new year, it’s quite possible Nintendo is a little more sales-heavy this season to help retailers clear as much stock as possible before it’s inevitably replaced by updated hardware and accessories.

While Nintendo recently came forward to clarify that the next Switch will be backwards compatible with original Switch games, we don’t yet know if that will include physical cartridge versions. I’m crossing my fingers that the next Switch will maintain a cartridge slot for all my physical games, but the tides have been shifting towards digital distribution for years. It’s just a matter of time until one of the big three console-makers release a new generation based solely around digital titles, and with the Switch successor looming Nintendo could continue the status quo for a bit longer or really upend things.