Pokémon Scarlet and Violet officially released on Nov. 18, introducing new and old trainers to the open-world region of Paldea and all the characters and Pokémon that reside there. The two games represent the first time the franchise has ventured into open-world RPG territory.
The results have been quite mixed, to say the least.
The game is selling tremendously in certain regions, as most main series Pokémon games tend to do, but the game has drawn criticism for its massive amount of bugs and overall performance issues, leading to several players attempting to get refunds.
Issues aside, both Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are set to be highly sought-after games during the upcoming holiday season, and the biggest consumer spending season every year begins with Black Friday. Unfortunately for aspiring trainers out there, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are not included in the discounted section of the Nintendo eShop’s Black Friday promotion.
But all is not lost. Just like how you have to find a path around a sleeping Snorlax, there are ways to get a deal on either Pokémon Scarlet or Violet that are more indirect.
$20 Nintendo eShop Gift Cards via Amazon
For U.S. customers, you can potentially knock a few dollars off your Nintendo eShop purchase of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet by using $20 Nintendo eShop Gift Cards that are on sale on Amazon for $18.50. You can only purchase up to two per customer, but it appears you can go back and buy a third in a separate transaction or get someone else with an Amazon account to buy the third.
In theory, this will result in $60 of Nintendo eShop credit (enough for Pokémon Scarlet or Violet) for the cost of $55.50 on Amazon.
Keep in mind that there is a maximum unused account balance that may be stored on a single Nintendo eShop account, supposedly set at $200.
Nintendo Switch OLED bundle (UK)
If you’re in the UK then you can take advantage of Very’s Black Friday sale which will net you both of the new Pokémon titles alongside a Nintendo Switch OLED console for a competitive price.
According to the listing, this deal will shave off £60 from the typical price of this bundle, only setting you back £329 for both device and game. It is worth noting this Switch OLED bundled with the games is not the exclusive Pokémon Scarlet and Violet device that is also available separately in stores, but rather just a regular Switch console.
If you’re outside of the UK unfortunately this deal may not be available for you to take advantage of, and you may just have to wait for other deals to pop up.
At the time of writing, these appear to be the only ways of getting any sort of deal on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet during Black Friday. This article will be updated with other methods if and when they become available.