The deals available right now are just the opening act.
In the days before Amazon's second Prime Day event, retailers across the gaming landscape have begun quietly lowering prices on some of the most sought-after titles for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox. This pre-sale ritual — familiar in retail but newly urgent in an era of $70 games — reflects the ongoing negotiation between an industry that has raised its prices and consumers who must weigh desire against cost. The discounts arriving now are less a gift than a signal: the larger wave is still coming, and those who wait may find even deeper value when October 10 arrives.
- With standard game prices now anchored at $70, even a 30-40% cut carries real weight — Madden NFL 24 dropping to $49 and Dead Space to $40 represent the kind of savings that shift a hesitation into a purchase.
- The competition between retailers is already creating friction, with Target locking its best Switch deals behind a free membership wall while Walmart quietly undercuts on Tears of the Kingdom at $48.
- Xbox owners are left with a thinner selection, though Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 both land at $40, suggesting cross-platform titles are bearing the heaviest discounting pressure.
- Retailers are betting that early deal-hunters will return when Prime Day Round 2 officially opens October 10, using this week as both inventory clearance and audience capture.
- The current deals are described as an opening act — consumers face the strategic tension of buying now at good prices or waiting for potentially better ones just days away.
Amazon's second Prime Day event — branded as Big Deal Days — doesn't officially begin until October 10, but the discounts have already started landing. Across PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox, retailers are cutting prices on new and recent titles in ways that feel less like promotional gestures and more like genuine reckonings with the $70 game price ceiling.
PS5 owners are seeing some of the sharpest reductions. Madden NFL 24, fresh off its launch, has already fallen to $49 from $70 — its lowest price since release. Dead Space sits at $40, a $30 drop, while Gran Turismo 7 and Miles Morales Ultimate Edition hover in the low $40s. These are the kinds of cuts that make a premium-priced game feel like a reasonable transaction again.
Switch deals come with a small asterisk: Target's best offers require a Target Circle membership, which is free and quick to set up. Members can pick up Zelda: Skyward Sword HD and Mario Strikers for $40 each. Walmart is offering Tears of the Kingdom at $48, and Amazon has Link's Awakening at $40 for those drawn to older entries in the series.
Xbox deals are sparser but present — Dead Space again at $40, a preowned Diablo IV at half its original price, and Resident Evil 4 down from $60 to $40. The platform's sale selection trails PlayStation and Switch, but the savings are meaningful where they exist.
The deeper story here is strategic timing. Retailers are drawing traffic and clearing inventory in the days before the main event, counting on early shoppers to return when the official sale begins. For anyone hunting deals, the calculus is simple but not easy: the prices today are good, but next week's flood may bring something better.
The video game deals have already started arriving, even though Amazon's second Prime Day event—officially called Big Deal Days—doesn't begin until October 10. Across multiple retailers, prices on new and recent titles for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox are dropping significantly, giving shoppers a head start on what's likely to be a much larger sale event in the coming week.
On the PlayStation 5 side, the discounts are substantial. Madden NFL 24, which just hit shelves, is selling for $49, down from its $70 list price—the lowest price the game has commanded since launch. Dead Space has fallen to $40, a $30 cut from its original asking price. Gran Turismo 7 sits at $41, and Miles Morales Ultimate Edition is available for $43. These aren't token reductions; they represent the kind of markdowns that make a $70 game feel like an actual purchase rather than an investment.
Nintendo Switch owners have their own opportunities, though with a small catch. Target is running aggressive Switch game promotions, but they're exclusive to Target Circle members—a membership that costs nothing to join and takes minutes to activate online. Once enrolled, shoppers can grab The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD and Mario Strikers for $40 each. Elsewhere, Walmart is undercutting everyone on Tears of the Kingdom, the latest mainline Zelda game, at $48. For those who want to revisit a classic, Amazon has Link's Awakening marked down to $40.
Xbox deals are thinner on the ground, but they're there. Dead Space again appears at $40, making it one of the most aggressively discounted titles across all platforms. A preowned copy of Diablo IV is selling for $40, half its original $70 price. Resident Evil 4 has dropped to $40 from $60, and Street Fighter 6 is priced at $49. The selection is smaller than what PlayStation and Switch are offering, but the savings are real.
What makes this moment interesting is the timing. Retailers are clearly using the week before Prime Day Round 2 to clear inventory and draw traffic, betting that early shoppers will return when the official event begins on October 10. For consumers, it means the deals available right now are just the opening act. The expectation is that when the event officially launches, the discounts will expand and deepen, with new titles joining the sale and prices potentially dropping further. The smart move for anyone hunting for games is to grab what they want now if the price is right, but also to keep watching—because next week, the real flood of deals is coming.
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why are retailers starting these sales a week early? Seems like they're giving away their leverage.
They're not really giving anything away. Early sales drive traffic and create urgency. People see a deal, they buy it, and then they come back when Prime Day officially starts because they're already in shopping mode. It's a psychological play.
So the deals we're seeing now—are these the best prices we'll see, or should people wait?
That's the gamble. Some of these prices—like Madden NFL 24 at $49—might be the floor. But others could drop further next week. The safest bet is to grab anything that feels like a genuine discount if you want it now, and assume the selection will just be bigger on October 10.
I noticed Xbox has way fewer deals than PlayStation and Switch. Is that intentional?
Probably reflects demand and inventory. PlayStation and Switch have broader game libraries and more casual players hunting for deals. Xbox's audience skews toward Game Pass subscribers, who might not be as price-sensitive on individual games. Retailers stock what they think will move.
The Target Circle thing—is that a real barrier, or just marketing?
It's purely marketing. The membership is free and takes 30 seconds to sign up for online. But psychologically, it works. Some people won't bother, so Target gets to advertise exclusive deals while actually making them available to anyone willing to spend half a minute.
What happens to these prices after Prime Day ends?
They'll likely climb back up. This is a concentrated window. Once October 10 passes and the event ends, publishers and retailers will reset to normal pricing. If you want a game at a discount, you need to act during these two weeks.