Xbox Series X Black Friday After This Year's Price Rise

Will the Xbox Series X be cheaper on Black Friday 2026?

Xbox Series X Black Friday 2026 deals start from a higher price than last year, so a cut is only a deal if it beats this year's prices. Since 1 August 2026 every Xbox console costs $100 or $150 more in the US, and when we checked Xbox Wire on 12 November, Microsoft had still not announced its own Black Friday sale.

This guide gives the console prices the big stores showed on 8 November, what each store has announced, the new X25 console and Nano Controller, the Game Pass plans and the UK picture. Every figure says where it came from and when we read it.

Black Friday dates at Microsoft and each store

Black Friday itself is Friday 27 November and Cyber Monday is 30 November. New for Xbox this month: the X25 Limited Edition (13 November), the Nano Controller (from November) and GTA VI (19 November).

Microsoft's own sale: what is known

Xbox Wire, Microsoft's news site for Xbox, had no Black Friday 2026 post on 8 or 12 November. Start dates have been reported elsewhere, but Microsoft has not confirmed one, and its Microsoft Store Black Friday page timed out for our tools on 12 November, so we give none.

For scale, last year's sale began on 20 November 2025 and ran to 3 December 2025. It cut select Xbox games by up to 75%, and Microsoft's own post listed no console discount.

Console prices before Black Friday: Series X and Series S after the August rise

These are the prices each model had on 8 November, before any Black Friday cut. No store showed a "was" price on a new Xbox console that day, so these are the prices a deal has to beat.

These are each store's own listings, read in a browser on 8 November; marketplace and refurbished listings are left out. xbox.com shows no prices to our tools, so Microsoft's own list is not in the table.

Refurbished is a different product: Best Buy listed a Geek Squad Refurbished Series X 1TB at $699.99 and Series S 512GB at $399.99 on 8 November. The 2TB Galaxy Black model is being retired (Xbox Wire, 25 June); Best Buy showed it sold out, and the 2TB listings left were above $1,500.

Why Xbox prices went up in 2026

Microsoft announced the rise on Xbox Wire on 25 June 2026. From 1 August, console prices went up worldwide by $100 for 512GB models and $150 for 1TB models.

Microsoft's reason: console storage and memory prices "have increased by more than 2.5x", with another doubling expected by fall 2027. It was the second rise in a year, after a $20 to $70 rise in the US in October 2025.

Price history: November 2024, before August 2026 and 8 November 2026

The middle column is worked out, not quoted: it is the 8 November price minus the August rise of $100 or $150.

Those prices are higher than November 2024 by more than October 2025's $20 to $70 rise, so there was at least one other price change in 2025 that Xbox Wire's June post does not list. We could not read an official page for it, so we give no date or amount.

What this means for a deal: a $100 cut on the Series X 1TB would be a real saving on the 8 November price and still leave it $200 above its 2024 price.

A page that shows a Series X Digital Edition under $400, or a UK Series X under £400, is not showing a 2026 price: on 8 November the lowest Series X list prices we saw, both for the 1TB Digital Edition, were $748.00 at Walmart and £619.00 at Currys and Argos.

Xbox Series X Black Friday deals: which model and bundle

Series X or Series X Digital Edition

Both models have a 1TB SSD and play games in true 4K. The Carbon Black Series X adds a 4K UHD Blu-ray drive, so it plays game discs and films on disc. The Robot White Digital Edition plays digital games only (xbox.com). On 8 November the gap between them was $50 at Best Buy and Target.

• The disc model suits you if you buy boxed or used games, or want a Blu-ray player.
• The Digital Edition suits you if your games are digital or come through Game Pass.

The Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition

The X25 marks 25 years of Xbox. According to Xbox Wire and xbox.com, it is a 1TB Series X with a disc drive in translucent OG Green. Each console is individually numbered and comes with a full-game download of Halo: Campaign Evolved and the X25 Special Edition controller.

• Launch: 13 November 2026.
• Price: MSRP $899.99; prices vary by market.
• Limit: pre-orders were limited to one per customer.

It is a collector's console at its launch price, not a Black Friday discount.

GTA VI bundles on Xbox

Grand Theft Auto VI comes to Xbox Series X|S on 19 November 2026, with pre-load from 10 November (Rockstar Games, read 12 November). Xbox Wire adds that it will also be playable through Xbox Cloud Gaming on Xbox One and Series X|S from 19 November. We found no Series X or Series S bundle with GTA VI at the US stores we read on 8 November. Currys listed the Xbox game on its own at £64.99. The X25 comes with Halo: Campaign Evolved, not GTA VI.

Add up the parts of any bundle: Best Buy's Series X plus extra controller package was $853.98 against a "comp. value" of $864.98, a saving of $11. The full bundle checks are in our Black Friday gaming deals guide.

Xbox Series S Black Friday deals: 512GB or 1TB

The Series S is the cheaper Xbox. It is digital only, it targets 1440p and it can upscale to 4K (xbox.com). Microsoft calls it "the lowest-cost way" to play this year's big games, GTA VI included (Xbox Wire, 25 June). It cannot play discs at all.

• 512GB: $499.99 at Best Buy and Target on 8 November.
• 1TB: $599.99 at Best Buy on 8 November, so the extra storage costs $100.
• Storage later: both models take Storage Expansion Cards for Xbox Series X|S, sold separately, which match the speed of the internal SSD. If you may add storage later, compare the $100 step up with the card price at your store.

xbox.com's Series S page showed a "Limited time offer: $50 off Xbox Series S" banner on 8 November, but its footnote gave no terms or dates. We do not count it as a deal until Microsoft publishes the terms.

Where to buy an Xbox in the US: store rules for 2026

Each store's dates are in the dates table above. Below are the store rules that change an Xbox purchase. Holiday return windows for every big store are in our returns and price-matching guide.

Microsoft Store and xbox.com

• Pay later: Buy Now, Pay Later on eligible Xbox hardware at Microsoft Stores, in short-term, interest-free instalments (Xbox Wire, 25 June).
• 0% financing: Microsoft says it is working with partners on 0% APR for up to 12 months, and xbox.com console pages offer "Pay monthly with 0% interest with Xbox All Access". Credit comes from third parties and depends on status and eligibility.
• Certified Refurbished: up to $100 off MSRP at Microsoft Stores.
• Holiday terms: in 2025 Microsoft Store gave free extended returns and price protection through 31 January 2026. We could not read its 2026 holiday terms on 8 November.

Best Buy

Best Buy's Holiday Price Match Guarantee covers a drop in the price of a product sold by Best Buy during the holiday season. Marketplace products are excluded, so check the seller on any listing.

Most purchases made from 30 October to 31 December can be returned through 15 January 2027, or 31 January 2027 for My Best Buy Plus and Total members. Plus and Total members also earn double rewards from 19 November to 6 December. Doorbusters and dates are in our Best Buy Black Friday guide.

GameStop

GameStop's site blocks our tools, so we could not read its 2026 Xbox prices, pre-owned stock or trade-in terms. On any GameStop listing, check whether the console is new, pre-owned or refurbished before you compare prices. Our GameStop coupons page lists its codes and offers.

Amazon, Newegg, Walmart and Target

On Amazon, buy where the listing says the item is sold by Amazon, and compare the price with the table above; we could not see Amazon US console prices on 8 November. Newegg's dates and price rules are in our Newegg Black Friday guide.

Walmart's results mix in other sellers. On 8 November a Series X 1TB from a third-party seller was listed at $862.00, against Walmart's own $798.00. The detail is in our Walmart Black Friday guide and Target Black Friday guide.

Checked offers: the Best Buy offers we have verified are on our Best Buy coupons page, and every Black Friday offer we track is on our Black Friday deals page.

Game Pass Black Friday deals and the Xbox Store game sale

Game Pass plans, trial and renewal terms

On 12 November the Game Pass page offered new members a $1 start: "Get your first month for $1" on Essential and "Get your first 14 days for $1" on Premium. After the offer, the plan "automatically continues at the then-current regular price" unless you cancel, and offers may be for new subscribers only.

Two 2026 changes matter. On 21 April Ultimate dropped from $29.99 to $22.99 a month and PC Game Pass from $16.49 to $13.99. New Call of Duty games no longer join Game Pass at launch; they join about a year later (Xbox Wire).

There are also two US holiday offers for new members: buy a select Samsung TV or a Meta Quest and get an Xbox Nano Controller with 2 months of Game Pass Ultimate (Xbox Wire, 14 October).

No Game Pass Black Friday deal had been announced by 12 November. In 2025 the Black Friday offer was 14 days for $1, then $14.99 a month, for new subscribers. Offers we have checked are on our Xbox Game Pass page.

Xbox Store game sale: what is known

On 12 November the Xbox sales page ran "This week's digital game deals". Examples: 007 First Light Standard Edition at $41.99 instead of $69.99, and Madden NFL 27 Deluxe Edition at $64.99 instead of $99.99. Weekly deals change, so check the page on the day.

The Black Friday game sale had not been announced by 12 November. The 2025 sale put more than 2,000 games on sale, up to 75% off select Xbox games, with US-only discounts.

Controllers, headsets and storage cards

• Xbox Nano Controller: $49.99, Xbox's smallest controller, with all 18 standard inputs, a rechargeable battery, and Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth. Pre-orders opened on 14 October, and it arrives from November in the US, the UK and other markets (Xbox Wire).
• X25 Special Edition Wireless Controller: launched on 20 October in translucent OG Green; Argos listed it at £74.99 on 8 November.
• Standard Xbox Wireless Controller: $48.99 to $64.99 at Target on 8 November, marked "Lower price on select items"; £59.99 a colour at Argos.
• Elite Wireless Controller Series 2: at Target on 8 November, the Core in white was $109.99, down from $144.99, and the full Elite Series 2 was $167.99 against an MSRP of $199.99 (online prices).
• Xbox Design Lab: build your own controller. In 2025, engraving was free from 27 November to 12 December 2025; 2026 offers are not announced.
• Storage Expansion Cards: they match the internal SSD's speed. Microsoft blamed rising storage and memory costs for this year's console rise, so check a card's recent price before you treat a sale price as a deal.
• Headsets: no 2026 Xbox headset price was read yet.

Xbox in the UK: Currys, Argos, John Lewis and GAME

UK prices went up with the August rise as well. These are the prices Currys and Argos showed on 8 November; neither showed a "was" price on a console.

What each UK scheme covers:

• Currys Black Friday Price Guarantee: buy a product with a Black Friday deal tag between 28 October and 24 November 2026 and register it by 27 November. If Currys' own price drops before 1 December, Currys refunds the difference, with emails from 11 December. It is not a match to another shop. Its registration page showed "Registration Closed" when we read it on 8 November, so check that you can register your order.
• Argos Price Guarantee: on badged products, if Argos' price goes lower before Christmas, Argos gives you a voucher for the difference.
• John Lewis: it price matches thousands of brands against 25 leading retailers, during Black Friday too, if you find the same item cheaper there within seven days of buying.
• Amazon UK, Very and GAME: named only. GAME's site did not load for us on 8 November, so we state nothing about its offers.

The full UK dates are in our UK Black Friday guide, and Currys' scheme is set out in our Currys Black Friday guide. Currys codes are on our Currys page.

How to judge an Xbox offer, and what to skip

• Use the 8 November prices. Compare a sale price with the tables above, not with a "was" price that a store sets.
• Gift card bundles. At Currys on 8 November, a Series X Digital Edition with a £50 gift card was £659, £40 more than the console alone. That is only worth it if you will spend the card there.
• Bundles, item by item. Add up the console, the controller and the game at their own prices; Best Buy's Series X and controller package saved $11.
• Game Pass renewal. A $1 trial renews at the regular price. xbox.com says that if you miss switching off recurring billing, you can get the latest charge refunded by cancelling within 30 days of payment, once per account for each subscription.
• Like with like. Microsoft Certified Refurbished, Geek Squad Refurbished and Walmart Restored consoles are not new, so compare them with each other, not with a new console's price.

For more on telling a real cut from a padded one, read are Black Friday deals real.

Xbox Cyber Monday deals: does the Xbox sale carry on?

Last year it did. Xbox's 2025 Black Friday sale ran past Cyber Monday, to 3 December 2025, and free Design Lab engraving ran to 12 December 2025. An Xbox Store sale may be running again on Cyber Monday 2026, 30 November, but Microsoft has not said so.

Each store's Cyber Monday dates are in the first table. All the Cyber Monday offers we track are on our Cyber Monday deals page.

How we check these deals

We read Xbox Wire, xbox.com, Rockstar Games and each store's own pages on 8 November 2026, with store prices read in a browser. On 12 November 2026 we read Xbox Wire, the Xbox sales and Game Pass pages, Rockstar's GTA VI page, Best Buy's holiday calendar, Walmart's holiday release and Amazon's deals release again; the console prices in the tables are still the 8 November figures.

• Not read: Microsoft Store's price pages timed out on 8 November and its Black Friday page on 12 November, GameStop and Newegg blocked our tools and GAME's site did not load, so nothing from them is stated.
• No workarounds: we never get round a block or a sign-in, and anything from 2025 is labelled 2025.
• Updates: we plan updates on 19, 23 and 27 November and on Cyber Monday.

More guides are in our Black Friday deals hub.

Related reading

• Black Friday gaming deals for PS5, Xbox, Switch and PC
• Best Buy Black Friday dates and Doorbusters
• Walmart Black Friday events and dates
• Black Friday in the UK