The best gaming discounts of the year officially start in 3 days

If you’re hoping to catch up on some of the year’s biggest gaming releases, now might be a great time to check a few games off your wishlist, particularly if you want to avoid paying full price. Amazon Prime Day officially starts on Tuesday, June 23, and several of its competitors are launching big, overlapping sales. This week might be the best time to snag some recently released games before the barrage of new stuff featured at Summer Game Fest.

Amazon Prime Day actually spans four days: June 23 through June 26. Products sitewide will get steep discounts, while sudden, time-limited “Lightning Deals” will pop up throughout the period.

Prime Day deals are member exclusive — you need a Prime membership to gain access to the savings, including Prime Day Lightning Deals. Prime costs $14.99 per month, though if you haven’t been subscribed for at least 12 months, you can get a 30-day free trial. Students and people aged 18-24 are eligible for Prime Young Adult, which lowers the price to $7.49 per month.

Amazon is also advertising upcoming discounts of up to 45% on headphones and earbuds from Beats, Bose, and JLab, plus up to 35% off hardware, games, and accessories from Nintendo, Xbox, and Logitech. Last year, games like Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake and Demon’s Souls both dropped in price by at least 50%, so you may see similar discounts on really popular titles in a few days.

Deals aren’t limited to Prime Day itself, either. You can already shop early Prime Day deals on Amazon, including discounts on Apple, Sony, and Logitech products. And several other retailers are running competing sales. Mashable reports that Best Buy’s Tech Fest runs from June 22 to June 28, with Walmart Deals running those same days. Target Circle Deal Days will run from June 23 to June 26, with early access for paid Target Circle 360 Members.

You don’t need any membership to shop discounts from Best Buy, Walmart, though a free Target Circle account is required for Target Circle Deal Days. If you have a paid membership to one of those retailers, though, you may get a few extra perks. Walmart+ members get early access to Walmart Deals, while paid My Best Buy members will get exclusive sales and more reward opportunities. Finally, if you’re looking specifically for software, Steam runs its annual Summer Sale from June 25 to July 9.

Photo: Nintendo

If you’re in the market for a Nintendo Switch 2, now might be the time to commit. Last month, Nintendo announced a price hike from $449.99 to $499.99 for the console. That increase comes into effect on Sept. 1. Right now, Amazon and other retailers are selling a Switch 2 bundle that comes with the game of your choice (Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, or Pokémon Pokopia). While Prime Day and related deals likely won’t discount the console itself much more, keep an eye out for discounts on games, controllers, and accessories — including SD and microSD cards — across consoles.

Prime Day starts on June 23 at 3 a.m. ET and ends on June 27 at 2:59 a.m. ET.