Black Friday is a paradox for gamers. There are deals on games, but those deals involve going outside, dealing with crowds of people, and other things we game specifically to temporarily avoid. Fortunately, Sony and Microsoft both like your money and have online stores. But who has the better deal on which games?
PlayStation Network Has The Better Deal Overall
Due to how Sony executes its discounts, PlayStation Store is probably going to be the better deal overall. If you’re not paying for Gold in the first place from Xbox Live, the price reductions will range between 5 and 10% lower than if you were Gold. It’s not a factor if you already subscribe or, if you’re planning to download a ton of games at once a month of Gold might be worth it, but Sony is just offering the discounts up front.
Xbox Live Has The Deals On Current Games; Sony Has The More Obscure Ones
That said, if you want deals on recent releases, Xbox One definitely has the edge. For example, Mafia III is a sweet deal on Xbox One at 20% to 30% off (although you can find it cheaper in a brick-and-mortar store this Friday) and is nowhere to be found on PSN. The same is true of Battlefield 1, NBA 2K17, and Titanfall 2.
That said, you’ll find deals on more cult games like Sniper Elite III, Tropico 5, and a boatload of Japanese games on PSN, although you’ll also find plenty of AAA games like Star Wars: Battlefront Microsoft doesn’t have a Black Friday deal on. If you’ve got both consoles and a wish-list, take a close look before you commit your money.
There’s A Lot Of Overlap
Still, the gaming industry’s pricing policies being what they are, if you have one system, most games are available on both consoles. Deals range from the most recent Hitman to The Witcher III, so if you’re looking to get caught up on some recent games, now is certainly the time no matter which console you own. That said, the prices don’t necessarily overlap. For example, the underrated Mad Max is $10 on the PlayStation Store, and $12 on Xbox Live… and you need to be Gold to get that price.
The Exclusives Are The Best Deals
The best deals, though, are the games that are exclusive to each console. Sony, for example, has games like Bound and The Show: MLB ’16 for some appealingly low under $20 pricing, while Xbox Live has deep cuts like Rare Replay available for cheap.
Much, of course, depends on which console you own. But whether you’re into the PS4 or the Xbox One, there are definitely deals to be had that won’t require an elbow to the face.