While we usually see some of the best gaming deals around the holiday season, Amazon's annual Prime Day sale is another great opportunity to save big on everything from games and accessories to consoles and PCs. Although you might have to wait until the sale officially kicks off tomorrow to find what you really want, Amazon is offering early deals already, and other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart are having their own sales events, too.
This means that if you're willing to be patient and keep an eye on multiple retailers, you can potentially snag a great discount on a new Nintendo Switch OLED , games you've had on your wishlist for ages, and accessories like external hard drives, controllers, and charging stations. I've compiled a list of items from Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart to help you find the deepest discounts.
This gaming desktop is built with an AMD Ryzen 9 5000 Series CPU, 32GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card, a 1TB SSD, and a 2TB HDD for all the power, performance, and storage you need for your game library.
The Lenovo Legion has a 16-inch display with a 2560 x 1600 resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate for better detailing and smoother motion. It also has a 14-hour battery life, letting you work and game all day before you need to plug in.
This bundle includes the digital-only Xbox Series S console with 512GB of internal storage, a controller, and a 2TB Seagate expansion card for plenty of storage space for an all-digital game library.
The latest version of the Nintendo Switch features a 7-inch OLED screen for better contrast, detailing, and color accuracy while in handheld mode. Please note that this is a Japanese import version of the console.
Elden Ring for $50 (save $10 at Amazon) : The award-winning, open-world RPG from the makers of Dark Souls lets players explore a massive world full of magic and monsters.
Diablo IV for $39 (save $30 at Amazon) : This action RPG lets players explore dungeons alone or with friends online. With cross-play, you don't have to have the same console to play together.
Dead Space (2023) for $30 (save $20 at Best Buy) : A remake of the sci-fi survival horror classic lets you once again join Isaac Clarke and the crew of the USG Kellion as they fight to survive aboard a dead ship crawling with nightmarish creatures.
Sonic Frontiers for $20 (save $40 at Best Buy) : The latest entry in the beloved Sega franchise features a mix of classic platforming, open-world exploration, and massive boss battles to usher in a new era for Sonic and friends.
F1 2024 Standard Edition for $48 (save $22 at Best Buy) : Take on top Formula One and Formula 2 tracks in an all-new career mode featuring dozens of current and retired F1 and Formula 2 drivers and mid-race objectives for XP and gear boosts.
Persona 3 Reload Launch Edition for $35 (save $35 at Best Buy) : In this remake of the third entry in the Persona series, you return to Gekkoukan High School and the Abyss of Time with a revamped narrative and quality-of-life upgrades to bring the title in line with modern game design.
Deathloop Standard Edition for $45 (save $15 at Best Buy) : A first-person shooter which has players following two rival assassins doomed to repeat the dame day in a mysterious time loop for eternity. The only way to break the cycle is to find and eliminate eight targets before the day resets.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! for $40 (save $20 at Best Buy) : A companion story to Yakuza: Like a Dragon, players visit 1860s Japan, taking on the role of a low-ranking samurai named Sakamoto Ryoma on a quest to overthrow the shogunate and avenge his adoptive father's murder.
Early Prime Day Xbox Series X|S deals
Grab an Xbox Series X for $449 at Walmart during Black Friday sales.
Super Mario Maker 2 for $40 (save $20 at Walmart) : This is a follow-up to the smash-hit level creator for the Wii U and 3DS features 100 pre-made stages and thousands of assets for creating your dream Super Mario levels.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder for $45 (save $15 at Walmart) : The newest mainline Mario game introduces new power-ups like the Bubble Fire Flower, Drill Hat, and Elephant Fruit as well as a badge system for customizing your playstyle.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for $50 (save $10 at Walmart) : Everyone's favorite kart racing game is back with all-new courses and updated versions of old favorites from previous platforms like the GBA, SNES, and N64.
Amazon is having its annual Prime Day sale on July 16 and July 17, 2024. While you'll have to wait until the official dates for most sale prices to take effect, if you keep an eye on Amazon and other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart, you can snag great deals beforehand and even after the Prime Day sale sends.
Are gaming devices and accessories really cheaper on Prime Day?
Most gaming items go on sale at steep discounts around the end-of-year holiday season, but if you're willing to be patient and keep tabs on multiple retailers, you can grab everything from physical or digital games and controllers to external hard drives, gaming monitors, and even console bundles.
You can also save big during other summer sales events like the Steam Summer Sale (which ends today at 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern), PlayStation's Essential Picks and Games Under $15 sales, and Microsoft offering Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for both PC and console for just $1 for the first 14 days. Many developers and publishers offer rolling sales and discounts throughout the year on storefronts like Steam, Epic, and Origin. So make sure to check your wishlist often to see if you can snag a few games at a discount. If you're looking to pick up new, or at least new-to-you accessories like controllers, don't be afraid to pick up a pre-owned or refurbished model.
Used hardware can still be a great value, as long as you practice due diligence and make sure to read all descriptions of the item's condition and any warranty or return/exchange terms in case you run into issues. Also, make sure that when you're buying pre-owned, that you're not buying third-party accessories as you'll have a harder time finding replacement parts or even a reliable customer service as some brands may alredy be defunct.
How did we choose these Prime Day deals?
Discounts and sales on gaming consoles, computers, and accessories can feel like they're very few and far between, and sometimes when you do find a discount, it's not much better than paying full price. I only chose items that offered a significant (15 percent or more) discount or items that rarely go on sale, such as Nintendo games and consoles. I also chose accessories and peripherals from trusted, reputable brands with verified customer support and warranties.