Dina Bader: How much should you spend on a Nintendo Switch for Black Friday?

Black Friday tends to be one of the the best opportunities to find stellar deals on video games and gaming consoles, but even the biggest shopping holiday of the year was thrown for a loop after all the trials and tribulations we've been through in 2020. Just finding consoles like the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One X on store shelves has been much harder than usual this year, and actually finding one on sale or bundled with another product for some added value has felt nearly impossible since last holiday season.

Even if stores wanted to have great sales on these consoles, they wouldn't have many available to sell based on their stock of these items in recent months. However, if you're determined to buy a console like the Nintendo Switch this month, there are still several options out there that could get one in your hands within the next few days. Not all of them are worthy of being called Black Friday deals though.

Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 bundle | Coming to GameStop

This is really the best Black Friday Nintendo Switch bundle you'll probably see this year. Not only do you get the gaming system, but you also get the best-selling Switch game and a 3-month Nintendo Switch Online Individual Membership for free. Stock should become available at GameStop beginning Wednesday, November 25 at 8 p.m. CT.

$299.99 at GameStop

The best Black Friday deal on a Nintendo Switch console has actually already sold out at several retailers, including Best Buy, Target, and Amazon, though it's likely that more stock may become available towards the end of the week. This bundle includes the Nintendo Switch console at its regular price of $299.99 while also including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and three months of Nintendo Switch Online at no additional charge for an added value of nearly $70. GameStop and Walmart are scheduled to offer this deal as well beginning November 25 at 7 p.m. ET.

If you're having trouble getting your hands on the main Black Friday deal, Best Buy has the console in stock at its regular price and there are a few other bundles available at retailers like Adorama and Walmart. However, some of these bundles raise the price of the items so you have to spend even more buying them this way. For instance, this Nintendo Switch Super Smash Brothers bundle at Walmart is available for $499.99 and includes the console, along with the game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and a handful of accessories.

Nintendo Switch bundles | $499.99 at Walmart

If you're willing to spend a bit extra, Walmart is selling other Nintendo Switch bundles for $499.99 each, which include the Nintendo Switch console as well as either Super Smash Brothers Ultimate or Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity along with a set of accessories similar to the ones found in the bundles above.

$499.99 at Walmart

Considering the console sells for $300 and the game sells for $60 separately, there's no good way to spin the fact that Walmart wants you to pay an additional $140 for accessories that may cost less than $20 separately. Another bundle available at Walmart includes Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity for the same price.

Meanwhile, you can find a better bundle over at Adorama on the limited edition Animal Crossing version of the console. It includes the special edition console along with the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a matching Animal Crossing carrying case, and a SanDisk 128GB microSD that's perfect for saving game data and digital game downloads, all for $449.99. Though that's still not exactly a deal, it's not as grossly overpriced as Walmart's bundles above are either.

Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing bundle | $449.99 at Adorama

Pick up the limited edition Animal Crossing edition of the Nintendo Switch console along with the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons at Adorama. You'll also snag a SanDisk 128GB microSD card with the purchase that's designed to save games and other data on the Nintendo Switch, as well as an Animal Crossing carrying case for your new console.

$449.99 at Adorama

For the most affordable way to jump into gaming with a Nintendo Switch, consider the Nintendo Switch Lite! It is a totally portable model of the console that can play all the same games for $100 less! Plus you can get one for as low as $189.99 at Target when you use a Target RedCard at checkout. Then again, Best Buy has a great Switch Lite bundle to consider on sale for $239.97 which includes a travel case and a SanDisk 128GB microSD card.