The best video game deals for Black Friday 2018

Ah, Black Friday. The "holiday" that celebrates consumerism and keeps encroaching more and more on Thanksgiving. I would be lying if I said I hated it. Truth is, it's a pretty great time of the year to buy new video games.

If you have been waiting for sales or price drops to avoid playing some of this year's biggest and best games, you're probably going to be in luck this week. And if you're in need of a console itself to play those games on? You might be able to score a great deal there, too.

Here are the Black Friday gaming deals that might actually be worth fighting a crowd for.

Updated on Nov. 11 to correct pricing for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.

A note on digital games: If you don't need physical, boxed copies of your new favorite video games, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are having digital Black Friday sales on their respective console storefronts. Those sales run all week, and many of the best deals match the physical deals you'll find below.

A note about Amazon: Some would argue that shopping Amazon from the comfort of your couch (and avoiding any hint of a physical crowd) is the best way to do Black Friday. There's merit to that, but keeping track of their deals on a list like this can be tricky. In years past, Amazon deals have matched some of the best deals you'll see at brick-and-mortar stores, but they are often limited to timed "lightning deals," and they aren't always announced in advance.

Hardware

Need to pick up a new gaming console, or maybe a big-ticket accessory for one you already have? If you've been holding out on the latest generation of gaming consoles, jumping in will be very affordable on Black Friday.

Xbox One

Microsoft's Xbox One X, their souped-up console that's built for 4K gaming, will be getting the best discount it's ever had in its relatively short life so far. You can grab an Xbox One X for $399 (normally it's $499) at Walmart, Amazon and at the Microsoft Store. Kohl's will also also have an Xbox One X for $399, with the added bonus of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. If those spots are a bust, GameStop will offer $70 off Xbox One X and Xbox One S consoles.

If you don't need to extra power but still want an Xbox, that still-great Xbox One S is an easy get. The 1 TB Minecraft Creators Edition bundle is $199 ($100 off) at Best Buy, GameStop, Amazon, Walmart, Kohl's and the Microsoft Store.

PlayStation 4

If you're looking to upgrade to a PlayStation 4 Pro this Christmas, you might be out of luck. No retailers so far are advertising any great deals on the beefier Sony console.

Instead, the big emphasis is on the 1TB PS4 Slim bundle with Spider-Man for $199 ($100 off). That's available just about everywhere -- Target, Walmart, GameStop and Best Buy. Considering that Spider-Man is one of the best video games of the year, that's a pretty sweet deal.

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo's console/handheld hybrid system has been a pretty steady success since its debut last March, so the deals here may not seem extreme, but there are still some great opportunities to get on-board with one of the company's best consoles ever.

You can get a Nintendo Switch bundle with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for $299 ($60 off) at Walmart, Target and GameStop.

PlayStation VR

The PS4's virtual reality headset, which I've argued is the most consumer-friendly way of getting into VR so far, has a couple of bundle options this holiday.

For $199 you can get the VR headset, camera (required) and two great games, Moss and Astro Bot: Rescue Mission. That deal is available at Walmart, GameStop, Target, Best Buy and Amazon. Those are, in my opinion, two of the best games available on the PlayStation VR (and they're both family friendly), which makes this a great deal if you want to take the plunge into virtual reality and already have a PS4.

For $249 you can get the VR headset, camera (required), two move controllers (required by select games) and two games: Creed: Rise to Glory and Superhot VR. That deal can be found at GameStop, Target, Best Buy, Walmart and Amazon.

Target's Black Friday ad says that all of its PSVR bundles will be $100, which is a nice deal if you'd rather get a different game (like Skyrim VR).

Accessories

Best Buy has a good deal on what I think is one of the coolest things Nintendo has put out in awhile: Nintendo Labo. You can get two kits for $99 (they usually run $70-$80 each).

Games

The list of games you can find on sale during Black Friday is long. Games from last year (and earlier) are often heavily discounted, as are games that, frankly, nobody wants to buy due to their lack of quality.

For that reason, I'm being a bit subjective here and highlighting deals for games that I think are actually worth the time, money and effort you might spend trying to get them on sale.

Even that list is long, so if you want my personal favorites, they're Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Soulcalibur VI, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, God of War and Starlink: Battle for Atlas.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey (XBO, PS4): $35 at Target, Walmart