Look, I’m going to level with you right from the jump – there are no Switch 2 Black Friday deals. None. Not a single one, because the Switch 2 doesn’t actually exist yet in stores. Nintendo hasn’t even officially announced the thing, let alone put it on shelves for eager shoppers to snap up during holiday sales. But that hasn’t stopped literally thousands of people from typing “Switch 2 Black Friday” into Google over the past few weeks, hoping against hope that they’ll stumble onto some magical early bird special.

What’s really happening is kind of fascinating, actually. We’re watching real-time confusion play out across the internet, a perfect storm of wishful thinking, aggressive SEO, and the eternal human tendency to get ahead of ourselves. People want the Switch 2 so badly that they’re already shopping for deals on it. Meanwhile, savvy retailers and deal sites are helpfully redirecting all that search traffic toward the current Switch lineup – you know, the console that actually exists.

So let’s talk about what you can actually buy this Black Friday, what deals are legitimately worth your time, and why this whole Switch 2 situation tells us something interesting about where gaming is headed.

What’s Actually On Sale (And What’s Not)

Here’s where things get a bit messy. If you search for Switch 2 deals right now, you’ll find plenty of articles claiming to have exactly what you’re looking for. Spoiler alert: they don’t. What they do have are deals on the current Switch models – the OLED, the standard Switch, and the Switch Lite – plus a ton of accessories and games that will presumably work with whatever Nintendo eventually releases.

The OLED model seems to be getting the most attention this year, probably because it’s the newest iteration and the one that feels closest to what a “Switch 2” might offer. Best Buy’s been running bundles that include the white OLED console with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for around $350, which honestly isn’t a terrible deal considering the console alone typically runs $350. Walmart’s doing similar package deals, throwing in a case or some extra Joy-Con grips.

The Games Everyone’s Buying

Now this is where Black Friday actually delivers. First-party Nintendo games almost never go on sale – like, ever – but during Black Friday week, you can usually snag titles like Tears of the Kingdom, Pokemon Scarlet/Violet, or Splatoon 3 for $40 instead of the usual $60. That’s a genuine 33% discount, which in Nintendo Land might as well be a going-out-of-business sale.

Target’s doing this thing where you buy two games and get one free on select titles, which sounds great until you realize they’ve carefully curated which games qualify. Still, if you need to stock up on games for the family, it’s not the worst approach. Amazon’s taking a different route, just slashing prices across the board on popular titles. Pick your poison, basically.

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: Down to $40 at most major retailers – probably the biggest get of the season
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Also hitting that $40 sweet spot, and it’s actually really good
• Pokemon Scarlet/Violet: Around $35-40 depending on where you look, despite the performance issues that still haven’t been fully patched
• Ring Fit Adventure: Weirdly popular again, hovering around $50 – blame the New Year’s resolution crowd getting an early start

The Switch 2 Rumor Mill (And Why Everyone’s So Confused)

Okay, so why are people even searching for Switch 2 deals in the first place? Well, the rumor mill’s been working overtime for like two years now. Every few months, some industry insider drops a “definitely happening this time” prediction, tech sites go wild analyzing patent filings, and the hype cycle starts spinning all over again.

The current best guess – and I’m emphasizing guess here – is that Nintendo might announce something in early 2025, with an actual release possibly in the fall. That’s based on production reports, developer whispers, and the fact that the original Switch is now almost eight years old, which is ancient in console years. But Nintendo’s gonna Nintendo, which means they’ll announce it exactly when they feel like it and not a moment sooner.

What We Think We Know

The leaks and rumors have been surprisingly consistent lately, which either means they’re accurate or everyone’s just repeating the same educated guesses. Word on the street suggests a bigger screen (maybe 8 inches instead of 7), better performance (finally hitting consistent 1080p in handheld mode would be nice), and backwards compatibility with existing Switch games. That last part’s crucial – Nintendo would be absolutely bonkers to abandon the massive Switch library they’ve built up.

Some reports mention magnetic Joy-Cons instead of the slide-on rails we have now, which could solve the drift problem that’s plagued the current model. Others talk about DLSS support for upscaling, basically borrowing some tech from NVIDIA to make games look prettier without requiring a massive hardware jump. It all sounds… plausible? But again, we’re working with rumors here.

Should You Wait or Buy Now?

This is the million-dollar question everyone’s wrestling with, isn’t it? You want a Switch, the deals are tempting, but what if the Switch 2 drops in six months and you feel like a chump?

Here’s my take, for whatever it’s worth. If you don’t currently own a Switch and you’re itching to play the massive library of games available right now – Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey, Animal Crossing, Smash Bros., the whole catalog – then honestly, grab one during Black Friday. You’ll get months or even a year of entertainment before the Switch 2 potentially arrives, and if Nintendo does their usual thing, the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible anyway. Your games won’t become worthless overnight.

On the other hand, if you already own a Switch and you’re just feeling that upgrade itch? Maybe hold off. The performance boost from a regular Switch to an OLED isn’t that dramatic – it’s basically just a nicer screen and better speakers. Save your money and put it toward the actual next-gen console when it eventually materializes.

The Accessories Angle

One sneaky-smart play is stocking up on accessories that’ll likely work with both generations. Extra Joy-Cons are on sale (though still expensive, because Nintendo), pro controllers are discounted, and carrying cases are dirt cheap. If the Switch 2 maintains a similar form factor – which seems likely – these purchases won’t go to waste.

SD cards are another safe bet. The Switch’s internal storage is laughably small, and if you go digital at all, you’ll need extra space. Black Friday usually brings microSD cards down to ridiculous prices. A 512GB card for under $40? That’s basically free in tech terms.

“The question isn’t whether Nintendo will release a Switch successor. The question is when, and whether they can recapture the magic that made the original such a phenomenon.”

What This Whole Mess Says About Gaming Right Now

There’s something genuinely interesting happening here if you zoom out a bit. The fact that people are frantically searching for deals on a product that doesn’t exist yet shows just how much anticipation Nintendo’s built up. The Switch was lightning in a bottle – a console that somehow appealed to hardcore gamers, casual players, kids, adults, everyone. Pulling that off twice feels almost impossible, but the hunger for it is clearly there.

It also highlights how the traditional console cycle has gotten weird. Seven or eight years between major hardware releases used to be standard, but we’re in this strange period where smartphones update annually and PC gamers swap out graphics cards every couple years. The patience required to wait for new console hardware feels almost quaint by comparison. Or maybe just frustrating, depending on your perspective.

The other thing worth noting – and this is where I might be reading too much into search trends – is that people have learned to be skeptical of launch prices. Everyone’s hunting for deals on something that hasn’t even been announced yet because we’ve collectively figured out that waiting a few months (or in this case, getting ahead of the curve) usually saves money. Nintendo’s one of the few companies that can resist that pressure, maintaining prices for years, but even they’re not immune to Black Friday fever.

So where does that leave us? Black Friday 2024 won’t bring Switch 2 deals because the Switch 2 isn’t real yet, at least not in any tangible sense. What it will bring is probably the last really good opportunity to grab original Switch hardware and games at a discount before Nintendo shifts focus entirely to whatever comes next. If you’ve been on the fence, now’s genuinely not a bad time to jump in. Just don’t expect miracles – this is still Nintendo we’re talking about, and their idea of a “deep discount” would make most other companies laugh.

The waiting game for the actual Switch 2 continues. My advice? Set up a Google Alert, follow some reliable gaming news sources, and maybe check your bank account to make sure you’ll actually be ready when Nintendo finally makes their move. Because if history’s any guide, they’ll announce it on some random Tuesday morning with about fifteen minutes of advance notice, and the internet will promptly lose its collective mind.

In the meantime, those Black Friday deals on existing Switch stuff? They’re real, they’re here, and honestly, they’re probably the best you’re going to see for a while. Make of that what you will.