In advance of Black Friday sales, Xbox is giving some gamers gift cards to use on the Microsoft Store. Although the gift cards are modest in value, they will be a welcome gift for any Xbox owners looking to find great deals on Black Friday.
Black Friday has special significance for many this year, in light of the new next-gen console launches. Anyone who has newly acquired an Xbox Series X/S console will definitely be looking to build a library of games. This year, theMicrosoft Store’s Black Friday saleoffers a range of major titles at a deep discount. It also includes a discount on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, if players would prefer to build a game library through that service.
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Some gamers have received messages from Microsoft that include a $5 gift card to use for anything on the Microsoft Store. There does not appear to be any kind of pattern to who is receiving these gift cards. The notifications seem to come through theXbox smartphone app,so anyone hoping for a gift card should make sure they install and check the app. Comments on a related Reddit thread suggest the gift card needs to be redeemed by December 31st of this year, and used within 90 days of that date.
Owners of new Xbox Series consoles should note that many games that are on-sale are not optimized for next-gen systems. This means they should a consult thelist of games optimized for Xbox Series consolesin advance of making any purchases. Although games will still run without optimization, many will surely want to use their new Microsoft gift card towards the purchase of optimized games.
That said, many gamers will still be spending the holidays with an Xbox One console. Thechaotic Xbox Series X pre-order processleft many without a way to get a new console. For these gamers, the gift card may provide a chance to sample the best games of the previous generation. Alternatively, they can start newer games now and continue them later on next-gen consoles, once they eventually obtain them.
Current Game Pass Ultimate owners may not need the gift card for games if they are satisfied with the games they have access to. After all,Game Pass includes games optimized for new consoles, so both Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S console owners are covered. Thankfully, the gift card can be used for more than just games on the Microsoft Store. Gamers who are already satisfied with their games might be able to watch a new movie instead.
