Walmart Announces First Wave of 2026 Black Friday Deals, Starting November 12

Walmart Announces First Wave of 2026 Black Friday Deals, Starting November 12The holiday sale season begins.Walmart has officially announced when its first major wave of Black Friday deals will go live, with the retailer's sale kicking off at 12 am ET on November 12. The event promises discounts across a range of major brands, with Walmart+ members once again getting early access before everyone else.That early access could be handy if you're hoping to pick up something that's likely to sell out quickly. Walmart's holiday sales have previously included restocks of hard-to-find Pokémon TCG products and discounts on gaming accessories, although we'll have to wait and see what makes the cut this year. Walmart+ MembershipBlack Friday itself doesn't fall until November 27 this year, but the early November sales have become a familiar part of the holiday shopping calendar. Rather than saving everything for one weekend, retailers are spreading their deals across several events, giving shoppers more opportunities to find discounts before the big day. Speaking of which, Best Buy has also recently announced its starting sale dates, with its "Door BOOsters" sale starting on October 30 and running through to November 1, while it's early Black Friday sale will kick off on November 6 this year.That said, there's no need to rush into every offer that catches your eye. Walmart's and Best Buy's upcoming early sales could turn up some worthwhile deals, but we'll certainly be keeping an eye out for further, and potentially better, discounts as Black Friday proper gets closer and closer. As a reminder, the best offers on gaming, tech, and entertainment will all still likely arrive later in the month (by my predictions, from November 18-22 onwards), so it's probably worth playing it cool and sticking it out a bit longer to get a better deal.We'll be rounding up the best Black Friday deals as they go live, so check back for updates as the sales gets underway soon.More Top DealsRobert Anderson is a Senior Commerce Editor for IGN. Based in London, UK, he is a qualified journalist with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (First Class Degree) and over seven years of professional writing and editing experience.You can usually find Robert lost in open-world RPG games like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077. Outside of gaming, his passions include reading comics (especially Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man), taking photos, and keeping up with the latest in film and TV.His primary coverage focuses on tracking down the best gaming deals and diving into the fast-paced world of Trading Card Games (TCGs). He regularly covers everything from the latest releases in Pokémon TCG and the most expensive cards to comprehensive Magic: The Gathering buying guides.