Should you buy a console now or wait for Black Friday? What Australian prices say
Every console's price has gone up in 2026 and no store has announced a Black Friday console deal. Last year's sale prices, this year's rises and what to do.
It depends on the console, and waiting is a bigger bet than it was a year ago. Every console’s recommended retail price (RRP) has gone up since last Black Friday. Some stores are still selling consoles under the new RRPs, and no store has announced a Black Friday console price yet. Here’s what happened last year, what’s been announced for this one, and what each console costs today.
The short answer
- Switch 2 on its own: Target and Officeworks have it at $699, which is $71 under the $769.95 RRP. That matches the lowest price OzBargain recorded after the rise, which was Big W’s $699 from 1 to 14 October. If you can find one in stock, buying now is reasonable.
- Switch 2 + Mario Kart World: this one may be worth waiting for. Kmart is tipped to sell the bundle for $649 from 26 November, though it hasn’t listed it. Today it’s $799 at Officeworks, $829 at Target and $839 at JB Hi-Fi.
- PS5: last year’s Black Friday and Boxing Day prices were $200 or more under the RRP at the time. Sony has since raised its prices by $60 to $200, and nobody has said what this year’s sale looks like. Today’s cheapest are Target’s $889 for the Digital Edition and $949 with a disc drive.
- Xbox Series X|S: we couldn’t find an Australian Xbox Black Friday price from last year, so there’s less history to go on. Target has the Series X with a disc drive at $949, which is $150 under its $1,099 RRP.
- For GTA 6: the game is out on 19 November, eight days before Black Friday. If you want to play it at launch, waiting means missing the first week. Our release-time guide has what’s known about the unlock time.
Why waiting is a bigger bet this year
All three console makers put prices up in 2026:
| Console | Rise took effect | What changed in Australia |
|---|---|---|
| PS5 with disc drive | 2 April | $829.95 to $999.95 |
| PS5 Digital Edition | 2 April | $749.95 to $919.95 |
| PS5 Pro | 2 April | $1,199.95 to $1,399.95 |
| Xbox Series S 512GB | 1 August | up $150, to $699 |
| Xbox Series S 1TB | 1 August | up $250, to $849 |
| Xbox Series X Digital and Series X | 1 August | up $250, to $999 and $1,099 |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | 1 September | $699.95 to $769.95 |
The PlayStation and Xbox figures are PlayStation Australia’s and Microsoft’s, as Press Start reported them. The Switch 2 figure is from Nintendo Australia.
The companies gave reasons. Sony pointed to continued pressure from the global economy. Nintendo said market conditions are behind the change and expects them to last over the medium to long term. Microsoft was more specific: it said memory and storage prices for consoles have risen more than 2.5 times, and it expects them to double again by the fall of 2027. We found no announcement of another price rise, but that’s the backdrop for any plan to wait for a sale.
What last year’s sales looked like
These are deals posted on OzBargain, so they show what the stores charged on those days:
| Date | Deal | Under the RRP then |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Nov 2025 | Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle, $716 at Big W (early Black Friday) | $54 |
| 28 Nov 2025 | PS5 Digital $479 and PS5 with disc drive $629 at JB Hi-Fi (Black Friday) | about $271 and $201 |
| 19 Dec 2025 | PS5 Digital $479, PS5 $629 and PS5 Pro $979 at JB Hi-Fi and Big W (Boxing Day sales) | about $271, $201 and $221 |
| 24 Jan 2026 | Switch 2 console, $649 at JB Hi-Fi | $51 |
| 29 May 2026 | Switch 2 console, $629 at Big W (toy sale, before the rise) | $71 |
| 1–14 Oct 2026 | Switch 2 console, $699 at Big W (after the rise) | $71 |
A few things stand out:
- The PS5 had by far the deepest cuts, from Black Friday through to Boxing Day. Sony’s April rise means a repeat would land at different prices.
- The Switch 2 gets discounted all year. Its cuts have been $51 to $71 each time, in January, May and October as well as at Black Friday.
- Xbox is the gap. We didn’t find an Australian Xbox Black Friday or Boxing Day price from 2025, which isn’t the same as there having been none.
What’s been announced for 2026
- Dates: Black Friday is Friday 27 November and Cyber Monday is Monday 30 November, according to JB Hi-Fi. JB says its deals start well before then. Kmart says its online-only offers start on Monday 16 November. Our Black Friday guide has every date stores have announced.
- Console prices: we haven’t found a store page that names a console price for Black Friday. The only lead is the Kmart Switch 2 bundle tip, which Vooks reported. Kmart hasn’t confirmed it.
What consoles cost today
| Console | Cheapest of the stores we checked | RRP |
|---|---|---|
| Switch 2 | $699 at Target and Officeworks ($769 at JB Hi-Fi and Big W) | $769.95 |
| Switch 2 + Mario Kart World | $799 at Officeworks ($829 at Target, $839 at JB Hi-Fi) | – |
| Switch 2 + Switch Sports Resort | $749 at Target and Officeworks | – |
| PS5 Digital Edition | $889 at Target ($919 at JB Hi-Fi) | $919.95 |
| PS5 with disc drive | $949 at Target ($999 at JB Hi-Fi) | $999.95 |
| PS5 Pro | $1,399 at JB Hi-Fi, out of stock | $1,399.95 |
| Xbox Series S 512GB | $699 at Target | $699 |
| Xbox Series S 1TB | $849 at Officeworks | $849 |
| Xbox Series X Digital | $999 at Officeworks | $999 |
| Xbox Series X with disc drive | $949 at Target ($1,099 at JB Hi-Fi) | $1,099 |
Two more notes on the table:
- Target and Officeworks have a Switch 2 + Switch Sports Resort bundle at $749, which is $20 under what JB Hi-Fi and Big W charge for the console alone.
- Big W’s PS5 Digital + Fortnite Flowering Chaos bundle was $749 when we checked earlier on 31 October. Big W’s site refused our later checks, so look at its listing before you rely on that price.
Buy now, or wait?
Buy now if:
- You want GTA 6 on 19 November.
- It’s a Christmas gift and you’ve found a console under its RRP, such as Target’s Switch 2 at $699, PS5 Digital at $889 or Series X at $949. Stores can change these at any time.
- You’re buying a Switch 2 on its own. $699 matches the lowest price we found since the rise.
- Stock is tight. JB Hi-Fi’s PS5 Pro was out of stock when we checked, and Press Start reported in August, before the rise, that Switch 2 stock was low across Australia.
Wait if:
- You want the Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle. The $649 tip from Kmart is worth seeing play out first, but it’s only a tip.
- You’re not in a hurry for a PS5 or Xbox, and you’re happy to take a chance that stores repeat last year’s cuts. Nobody has announced it.
- You’d rather have the option of asking for a lower price: Officeworks lists a Price Beat Guarantee on its pages. Check its terms before you rely on it.
We’ll update this page as stores announce their Black Friday console prices.
Console prices checked on each store’s own product page between about 4:25pm and 4:45pm AEDT on Saturday 31 October 2026, except where noted. They don’t include delivery, and stock can change by postcode. “Cheapest of the stores we checked” means Target, Officeworks, JB Hi-Fi and, for the Switch 2 console, Big W. RRPs for PlayStation and Xbox are as reported by Press Start; Nintendo’s is from Nintendo Australia. Past deals are from OzBargain posts and show what stores charged on those days.
