Buy three games, get the cheapest one free—including preorders
As the holiday season approaches, Target has entered the annual ritual of retail competition with an early Black Friday promotion that rewards deliberate shoppers: buy three eligible video games, and the least expensive becomes free. The offer spans new releases, beloved older titles, and even upcoming preorders — a structure that invites consumers to think carefully about value rather than simply spend. In the broader arc of holiday commerce, it reflects how retailers increasingly compress the shopping season, each vying to capture attention before the calendar reaches its traditional turning point.
- Target has launched a buy-two-get-one-free game promotion ahead of Black Friday, covering major 2022 releases across multiple platforms.
- The deal creates real urgency for shoppers: a preorder for the Resident Evil 4 remake can be secured at no extra cost when paired with two other eligible titles.
- Amazon briefly countered with its own identical promotion, only to pull it down without explanation — signaling that the retail battle for holiday game buyers is already volatile.
- The promotion's flexibility is its sharpest edge, allowing shoppers to mix new releases with older favorites and maximize the value of the free title.
- Target's offer is live now and appears stable, but the fluid behavior of competing retailers suggests the landscape could shift before Black Friday officially arrives.
Target has kicked off its early Black Friday push with a buy-two-get-one-free promotion on video games — a deal that sounds simple but rewards careful planning. The cheapest of three eligible titles becomes free, and the selection is strong enough to make the math genuinely worthwhile.
The lineup includes some of 2022's most talked-about releases: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. More notably, shoppers can apply the promotion to a preorder of the Resident Evil 4 remake — effectively locking in a January 2023 release at no additional cost when paired with two other purchases.
The deal doesn't stop at new releases. Older titles like Resident Evil Village and Mass Effect: Legendary Edition — a three-game RPG bundle — are also eligible, giving shoppers room to mix premium new titles with well-regarded catalog games and let the discount fall on whichever costs least.
The timing reflects a broader shift in holiday retail: Black Friday has been creeping earlier for years, and this year is no exception. Amazon briefly ran a competing buy-two-get-one promotion on games before quietly removing it — whether by accident or design remains unclear. Target's promotion, meanwhile, appears to be holding. For anyone looking to build out a game library before the year closes, the window is open now.
Target has opened its early Black Friday campaign with a straightforward offer: buy three eligible games, and the cheapest one is yours free. It's the kind of promotion that sounds simple in theory and works out to genuine savings in practice, especially if you're strategic about which titles you pair together.
The selection is worth paying attention to. Target has stocked the promotion with games that actually matter—recent releases that people want. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is there, along with Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, which landed on Nintendo Switch earlier this year to solid reviews. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga rounds out the newer blockbusters. But here's where it gets interesting: you can also snag a preorder for Resident Evil 4's upcoming remake without paying a dime, as long as you buy two other games in the promotion. That's a meaningful way to lock in a January 2023 release at no additional cost.
The promotion isn't limited to 2022's biggest hits. Target has also included older games that have aged well. Resident Evil Village remains a compelling horror experience. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition bundles three acclaimed RPGs into one package. Even Mario Kart Live—the physical-world racing game that projects onto your TV—is eligible, though the source material notes with some humor that terrorizing your cat with it probably isn't advisable.
What makes this deal work is the flexibility. You're not locked into buying three new releases at full price. You could grab one premium title, one mid-tier game, and one older favorite, and walk away with the cheapest of the three for free. The math shifts depending on what you choose, but the structure rewards thoughtful shopping.
Target's timing matters here. Black Friday doesn't officially arrive until late November, but retailers have been pushing promotions earlier each year. Amazon briefly launched a competing buy-two-get-one-free deal on games, but the promotion disappeared from the site quickly—removed rather than left to run its course. Whether that was a test, a pricing error, or a strategic retreat remains unclear, but it suggests the retail landscape around the holidays is fluid. Target's promotion is live now and appears to be staying put, at least for the moment. For anyone building a game library before the year ends, the window to stack savings is open.
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
So this is just a straight discount, right? Buy three, get one free?
Exactly. The math is simple—you pick three games, pay for two, walk out with three. The trick is choosing which two you pay for.
And they're letting you preorder games in this deal? That seems unusual.
That's the smart part. Resident Evil 4 doesn't come out until January, but if you buy two other games now, the preorder is free. You're locking in a future purchase at no cost.
What if someone just wants one game, though? Can they still get a deal?
Not really. The promotion requires three items. But the selection is broad enough—games from this year, older titles, different platforms—that most people can find three things worth having.
Did other retailers jump on this?
Amazon tried. They had the same promotion up briefly, but pulled it down almost immediately. Whether it was a mistake or a strategic choice, nobody's saying. Target's version is still running.
So if I wanted to maximize this, what would I actually buy?
Depends on what you play. But you could grab Modern Warfare II at full price, Mario + Rabbids at full price, and let the Resident Evil 4 preorder be your free item. Or flip it—buy the preorder and one new game, get an older title like Mass Effect free. The flexibility is the real value.