Black Friday 2019 Nintendo Switch deals: Here's the how to get the best discounts – CNET

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We’ve rounded up all the bundles and special deals we could find for the Switch and Switch Lite.


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This story is part of Holiday Gift Guide 2019, your source for the season’s best gifts and deals, hand-picked by the experts at CNET.

We’re only a day or so away from Black Friday itself, but many great deals have already arrived. In fact, some have come and gone — Walmart’s bundle of Nintendo Switch and Minecraft was so sweet that it sold out quickly. But all is not lost, because there’s a veritable torrent of deals on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite (not to mention the PS4 and Xbox One). At the moment, it’s hard to beat one particular deal on the Switch Lite. Right now, Antonline (via Google Shopping) has it for $175 when you apply promo code 19CYBERNS at checkout. It costs $200 everywhere else.

And there’s more to come. On Thanksgiving Day, expect a solid Switch and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle to go on sale at AmazonWalmartGameStopTarget and Best Buy (per Nintendo’s Holiday Gift Guide). We are also expecting to see a 25% discount on select Joy-Con controllers at Amazon, Best Buy and Target.

One note of caution: There are three different Switch models available right now. Nintendo released an upgraded Switch, sometimes referred to as the V2, back in August that cranked up the battery life by about 50% (up to about 9 hours). But the original is still out there, too; it will be featured in the Mario Kart bundle described above (and below). And then there’s the new Switch Lite — a smaller, handheld version with a 7-hour battery life. 

Read more: Best Nintendo Switch accessories for 2019

Best Nintendo Switch console deals AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW

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The Switch Lite is barely a month old, and for that reason alone, we didn’t expect to see any deals for Black Friday 2019. But while it’s $200 pretty much everywhere, we did find it — for a limited time, and while supplies last — for $175. 

Right now, Antonline (via Google Shopping) has the Nintendo Switch Lite for $175 when you apply promo code 19CYBERNS at checkout.

When this deal runs out, it’s back to $200 pretty much everywhere. That said, if you’ve been sitting on the fence, now is the time to get a Switch Lite, which CNET’s Scott Stein called “maybe the best $200 gaming portable I’ve ever used.”

Read our Nintendo Switch Lite review.

Toys for Bob

The new version of the Switch — which offers improved battery life — found in this deal usually costs $299 on its own. With this bundle, you’re getting a copy of Spyro Reignited Trilogy thrown in for free. 

Briefly sold out, this deal is back (for the moment)!

Nintendo

Last weekend, I told you about a $38 deal on the newly released and super-hot Pokemon Sword/Shield combo (but you had to pick one or the other, darn it). Alas, it sold out in minutes. That was a bummer, but this deal from Walmart is similar, after a fashion. If you’re in the market for a Switch Lite, you can get the console, a carrying case and screen protector, and your choice of Sword or Shield for $239. (For an extra $10, you can get the Zacian & Zamazenta Edition of the console.)

Read GameSpot’s Pokemon Sword/Shield review.

Nintendo Switch game deals COMING SOON

As we said, that Mario Kart bundle hits on Thanksgiving, but it’s got the “gotcha” of being the earlier hardware with lesser battery life (see below). 

Nintendo

Nintendo is bundling the download code for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the first-gen version of the Switch for $300, and throwing in a screen protector as well. That’s a solid deal, but be aware that you’re getting the OG Switch, not the new one. Since that means your battery life will be somewhere between 2.5 and 6.5 hours, you probably want to take advantage of this deal only if you mostly plan to keep it docked. For lots of away missions, you might want to pass on this and get the updated Switch. Check out this CNET article that tells you how to tell the difference between the two Switch consoles by looking at the box art. This deal starts on Nov. 28.

Read our Nintendo Switch review.

But what if you already have a Switch, and you’re hankering for some games? We have you covered — here are some awesome deals we’ve rounded up. Read the details carefully, since some of these deals start before Black Friday. Wait too long and you might miss out.

Nintendo Switch game deals COMING SOON

Nintendo

It’s hard not to love Breath of the Wild, which may well be the best Zelda installment of all time (sorry, Ocarina of Time). This game should be selling for $40 pretty much everywhere, but Walmart will sell it for just $30 for a limited time starting on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. PT.

Read GameSpot’s Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild review.

Nintendo

Is this a game in which you get to play against your favorite Mushroom Kingdom characters? Yes. Can you play singles or doubles with up to four local or online players? Yes. Sounds like you need to grab this title, which is also available for less than the $40 it’ll cost everywhere else starting on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. PT.

Read GameSpot’s Mario Tennis Aces review.

Nintendo

If you’re a fan of paintball combat — either the real kind that nobody tells you can give you welts, or the virtual videogame kind — then Splatoon probably has a special place in your heart. Splatoon 2 is starting to get a little long in the tooth (it was released in 2017) but it’s still a blast, and the Technicolor paint-based combat is still both thrilling and charming. Starting on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. PT, you can get this at Walmart for about $10 less than just about anywhere else.

Read GameSpot’s Splatoon 2 review.

GameSpot

This game has been around the block as well, but it’s so well loved that I couldn’t help but include it in this list. Like most of the rest of the games I’ve already listed here, you’ll be able to snag it for about half price for a limited time starting on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. PT.

Read GameSpot’s Super Mario Odyssey review.

Pokemon

You don’t have to wait for Black Friday to get this deal. The highly anticipated pair of RPG titles for the Switch — Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield — both debut on Saturday, Nov. 16, for $60 each. But you can get either game for just $38 at Facebook Marketplace starting at 10 a.m. PT on Saturday, Nov. 16, while supplies last.

Read GameSpot’s Pokemon Sword/Shield review.

Originally published earlier this week. Regularly updated with new information.


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