Black Friday 2026: Nine UK Deals Actually Worth Putting Your Shoes On For

Black Friday 2026 lands on 27 November, which means the UK high street has already started coughing up its annual pile of suspiciously familiar 'deals'. You know the ones: a games console with a £20 discount and a free plastic water bottle, or a digital deluxe edition that's been 'was £89.99' since the day it launched. The G4DZ stance is simple: most of it is tat. But not all of it.

We've spent the week squinting at price histories, ringing round branches and arguing about whether a Greggs breakfast counts as a business expense. Here are nine deals worth putting your shoes on for — or at least clicking 'collect in store' while you're still in your dressing gown.

First, the rulebook

Before you hand over your card, remember three things. One: a discount is only real if the price was genuinely higher for a decent stretch of time, not just for the two weeks before Black Friday. Two: bundles are where retailers hide the padding. A 'mega pack' with a console, two games and a headset can still be worse value than buying the bits separately. Three: if a deal needs a store credit card, a VIP membership or a 24-month contract to make sense, it's not a deal — it's a trap with a nice font.

Also, check stock at your local branch before you travel. There is nothing more British than a 40-minute bus journey to a retail park only to find the last PS5 bundle went to a bloke called Dave at 8:02am.

The nine

1. PS5 Slim disc bundle with EA Sports FC 27 and an extra DualSense — Smyths Toys, £399.99. The disc version is the one to get if you trade games in or borrow discs from mates. This bundle throws in the new football game and a second controller, which is genuinely useful if you've got a housemate or a child who refuses to play as anyone but Real Madrid. Check it's the 1TB model and not the Digital Edition with a disc drive sold separately.

2. Xbox Series X 1TB with three months Game Pass Ultimate — Currys, £379.99. A solid price for the disc-based Xbox, and the Game Pass code makes the first few months cheap. Make sure the code is included in the box and not a 'ready to play' sticker that means 'we opened it and put a leaflet in'.

3. Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Kart World and 12 months of Switch Online — Argos, £399.99. The Switch 2 is still the family console of choice, and this bundle is decent if you were going to buy the game and the subscription anyway. Click and collect is your friend here; Argos queues on Black Friday are a contact sport.

4. Meta Quest 3S 128GB with Batman: Arkham Shadow and £50 store credit — Amazon UK, £249.99. VR has quietly become one of the better Black Friday categories because retailers overstock it. The 3S is the cheaper headset, but it's good enough for Beat Saber, Supernatural and pretending you're Batman in your front room.

5. DualSense Edge controller — GAME, £149.99. The premium pad usually sits around £209.99, so this is a proper saving if you're serious about shooters or fighting games. It's still a lot for a controller, but it's the cheapest we've seen it without a bundle.

6. 12-month PS Plus Premium — ShopTo, £89.99. Sony's top tier normally runs £119.99, so this is worth stacking if you've got a membership about to lapse. Just check the code region and that it's a UK account — importing a cheap Turkish code is how you end up with a subscription you can't use.

7. Three months Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — CDKeys, £24.99. Stackable, and much cheaper than the monthly rate. Only buy from reputable key sites, and screenshot your order confirmation. If a deal looks too good to be true — like £12 for a year — it's probably a stolen key or a scam.

8. The £20 game shelf — Tesco, Currys and Argos. This is less one deal and more a category. Last year's big hitters like Assassin's Creed Shadows and Monster Hunter Wilds are drifting down to £19.99–£24.99, while Resident Evil Requiem is £35 with a Tesco Clubcard. If you're happy to play a game a year late, Black Friday is the best time to do it.

9. Steam Deck OLED 512GB with carry case — Valve, £429. Not strictly a high street deal, but it's the handheld that makes the January commute bearable. Valve rarely discounts, so £50 off plus a case is as good as it gets. If you're on the fence, remember the Steam Deck runs most of your backlog better than a laptop with a fan that sounds like a leaf blower.

The traps: leave these on the shelf

Avoid any bundle that includes a 'free' gaming chair, energy drink or phone case. Avoid digital 'mystery boxes' — they're just loot boxes with a Black Friday hat on. Avoid 'was £69.99' on a game that launched at £49.99 and has been £29.99 since March. And avoid buying a TV just because it's cheap; if it doesn't have HDMI 2.1 and a decent refresh rate, your new console will look fine but not as good as the bloke on YouTube promised.

Save it for January

Some things are better in the quieter January sales. Big Ubisoft open-world games drop fastest. Sports games are basically worthless by February. Indie darlings often get a deeper discount in the Steam January sale. And if you're eyeing a 100-hour RPG, ask yourself honestly: will you start it before Christmas, or will it sit in the wrapper until Easter? January is also when retailers quietly cut prices on controllers and headsets to clear stock, without the Black Friday crowds.

The G4DZ plan is simple: buy the console bundle if you need one, grab the subscription codes if you'll use them, and leave the rest for the January sales. Your bank balance will thank you, and you won't have to explain to your partner why you bought a £400 console because it came with a free beanie.