Each year, Black Friday -- which falls on the Friday following American Thanksgiving -- sees companies heavily discounting their products. In recent years, Black Friday has also come to encompass digital video games, leading to sizeable discounts for titles on such services as the PlayStation Store. These sales represent one of the best chances gamers have to further build their already insurmountable backlogs.
With the PS Store's Black Friday deals having officially begun, here are six great discounted titles gamers should consider picking up. For the purposes of this non-exhaustive list, games that are discounted but otherwise available for free -- such as PS Plus Collection member Persona 5 -- have been excluded from consideration. Unless otherwise stated, all games are also available on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (Regular: $38.99; Deluxe: $45.49)
Developed by Eidos-Montréal, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy sees players taking on the role of Peter Quill/Star-Lord as he leads the titular team after one of their get-rich-quick schemes goes wrong. While players use Star-Lord to blast away enemies, they're also able to issue commands to the rest of the Guardians to take foes out.
The PS Store's Black Friday deal has Guardians of the Galaxy for 35 percent off, which is pretty good considering the fact the game was only released late last month. The PlayStation 5 version of the game holds a solid 80 on Metacritic at the time of writing.
Deathloop (Regular: $29.99; Deluxe: $39.99)
Developed by Arkane Studios, Deathloop is a first-person shooter in which players must eliminate eight targets before midnight, otherwise they'll find themselves back at the start of a time loop. To make matters more complicated, players also find themselves hunted by Julianna Blake, who tries to keep them from completing their mission.
At the time of writing, the PlayStation 5 version of Deathloop holds an 88 on Metacritic. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, Deathloop is also quite new, having released in September. The current price point represents a 50 percent discount, which is pretty great for a Game of the Year nominee.
Red Dead Redemption 2 ($23.99)
The oldest game on this list, Red Dead Redemption 2 released in 2018. Developed by Rockstar Studios, the title sees players taking control of outlaw Arthur Morgan as he experiences the end of the Wild West. While the action-adventure shooter does serve as a prequel to 2010's Red Dead Redemption, playing that game isn't really necessary to enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2.
The PlayStation 4 version of Red Dead Redemption 2 holds an impressive 97 percent on Metacritic. Generally considered one of the best games ever made, Red Dead Redemption 2 is discounted 60 percent during Sony's Black Friday deals. While the game does come up for sale fairly often, it's definitely worth picking up for those who haven't already.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (Regular: $46.89; Deluxe: $60.29)
Developed by Square Enix Business Division 1 and originally released in 2020, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a new version of the classic 1997 JRPG of the same name. The title sees players taking control of Cloud Strife as he works with the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE to stop Shinra Electric Power Company from destroying the planet. Remake features a number of major changes from the original, including surprising new plot points. Intergrade is essentially an upgraded version of Final Fantasy VII Remake that features new content centered around the character Yuffie Kisaragi.
In terms of buying Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, there are a lot of different options, including, but not limited to, PlayStation 5 upgrades for people who had the base game on PlayStation 4, so read the product descriptions carefully. The PlayStation 5 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade currently holds an impressive 89 on Metacritic. While the discount is only 33 percent, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade has a lot of gameplay, so it's well worth the price tag.
Hades ($26.79)
Developed by Supergiant Games, Hades originally released in 2020. In the game, players take control of Zagreus, the son of Hades, as he tries to escape the Underworld. The game is a roguelike and sees Zagreus dying a lot in his quest. However, Hades also benefits from a cast of interesting, likable characters and an absolutely fantastic story.
The PlayStation 5 version of Hades holds a 93 on Metacritic. Hades won a ton of awards the year it released, including several Game of the Year honors. While 20 percent isn't exactly a steep discount, Hades is an addictive, fun experience.