It’s hard to believe, but we’re inches away from the biggest gifting day of the year. With December 25th in sight, there’s no doubt just about all of us know a child, friend, parent, grandparent or shamefully-familiar Uber Eats delivery driver that’s begging to find a video game console under their trees this year.
With that in mind, and with deadlines looming, we figured we’d put together a quick list of places to shop for the three major consoles this Christmas – especially given that that is the year we’re finally seeing the PS5 and Xbox Series X in good supply in stores.
It’s been a wild couple of years for anyone trying to get their hands on the PS5 since it launched in November 2020, but your chances at snagging one are now the best they’ve ever been. If your loved ones are pining after the newest PlayStation, you’ll be glad to know it’s just about as simple now as walking into a store and grabbing one or adding it to cart online. The toughest part will be deciding which version you need, with the console coming in both disc-based and digital-only forms as well as the current bundle containing the disc-based PS5 and a digital download for God of War Ragnarök.
Whatever the decision there, you’ll be able to find all 3 SKUs in pretty good supply at the below retailers, just don’t wait too long to commit or you may see them start to sell out prior to Christmas or miss shipping cut-offs:
Amazon: Digital Console | Disc Console | God of War Ragnarök Bundle
JB Hi-Fi: Digital Console | Disc Console | God of War Ragnarök Bundle
The Good Guys: Digital Console | Disc Console | God of War Ragnarök Bundle
Harvey Norman: Digital Console | Disc Console | God of War Ragnarök Bundle
EB Games: Digital Console | Disc Console | God of War Ragnarök Bundle
Big W: Digital Console | Disc Console | God of War Ragnarök Bundle
The Gamesmen: Digital Console | Disc Console | God of War Ragnarök Bundle
Sony Store: God of War Ragnarök Bundle | Horizon Forbidden West Bundle
Much like the PS5, the Xbox Series X is starting to flood back into retailers just in time for Christmas 2022. When it comes to which one you should be buying though, it’s a slightly different story to Sony’s console. Rather than two identically-powerful consoles with different disc configurations, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are different in a number of ways.
The Series X has a disc drive, more storage and more powerful hardware to deliver a premium gaming experience while the Series S is incredibly small but digital-only far less powerful and works best as a first gaming console or a secondary machine for the kids/games room paired up with an Xbox Game Pass subscription.
Amazon: Xbox Series X | Xbox Series S (Gilded Bundle)
JB Hi-Fi: Xbox Series X | Xbox Series S (Gilded Hunter Bundle)
The Good Guys: Xbox Series X | Xbox Series S
Harvey Norman: Xbox Series X | Xbox Series S (Gilded Hunter Bundle)
EB Games: Xbox Series X | Xbox Series S
Big W: Xbox Series X | Xbox Series S (Gilded Hunter Bundle)
The Gamesmen: Xbox Series X | Xbox Series S (Gilded Hunter Bundle)
Microsoft Store: Xbox Series X + Accessory Bundle | Xbox Series S (Gilded Hunter Bundle)
The Nintendo Switch has been an evergreen Christmas hit since it launched back in 2017 and it’s still going strong, propelled by the launch of the OLED Model that features a bigger, brighter screen.
You shouldn’t have much trouble finding a Switch this year but it’s worth noting that many retailers are still ranging the Black Friday bundle that packs in a digital download for the excellent Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and 3 months of Nintendo Switch Online, so do a bit of shopping around and make sure you’re getting the best value for money. At the time of writing, all of the below stores are running the bundle.
Amazon: Switch OLED | Switch (MK8 Bundle) | Switch Lite
JB Hi-Fi: Switch OLED | Switch (MK8 Bundle) | Switch Lite
The Good Guys: Switch OLED | Switch (MK8 Bundle) | Switch Lite
Harvey Norman: Switch OLED | Switch (MK8 Bundle) | Switch Lite
EB Games: Switch OLED | Switch (MK8 Bundle) | Switch Lite
Big W: Switch OLED | Switch (MK8 Bundle) | Switch Lite
K-Mart: Switch (MK8 Bundle)
The Gamesmen: Switch OLED | Switch (MK8 Bundle) | Switch Lite