Black Friday
toy deals

01 What to expect at this price

Toy prices hit their lowest point of the year in Black Friday week, and the most popular sets often sell out before December.

We favour building sets, STEM kits and family games over one-trick toys, and note the age range on each.

Every pick here has a real discount on Amazon right now, and the list refreshes every six hours until Cyber Monday. We note the catch on each, so you can tell a good deal from a big percentage.

02 What to check before you buy

• Check the price historyCompare with October prices. Inflated list prices are the most common Black Friday trick.
• Check the age rangeSmall parts and difficulty are set by the age on the box.
• Do not wait for FridayAmazon's sale runs for about a week and popular items sell out first.
• Sort reviews by most recentA high average built years ago says nothing about the unit shipping today, especially where sellers swap suppliers.

03Picking toys on Black Friday that get played with

Open-ended toys get played with longest: building bricks, magnetic tiles, play food and dress-up. Toys that do one trick are exciting on Christmas morning and forgotten by January.

Match the age on the box, and read it as a skill level, not just a safety warning. A set aimed two years too old frustrates a child more than it teaches.

Popular sets sell out before December every year. If a child has asked for something specific, Black Friday is the time to buy it.

04How to tell a real Black Friday deal from a fake one

A Black Friday discount is only real if the price is lower than what the item actually sold for in October. Many listings raise the list price in early November so the percentage looks bigger. We filter on Amazon's own saving data and still suggest checking the price history before you buy.

Early deals are often as good as the day itself. Amazon now runs its Black Friday sale for about a week before Thanksgiving, and popular sizes and colours sell out first.

This list updates every six hours from now through Cyber Monday (November 30), so prices on this page move as the sale goes on.

05Before you buy: the boring checks that save money

Confirm who is actually selling. 'Ships from and sold by Amazon' or 'Fulfilled by Amazon' from an established seller gives you Amazon's returns process. A third-party seller shipping directly may have their own terms, and recovering money is slower.

Look for a clippable coupon under the price. It is a checkbox that takes a further amount off at checkout, it stacks with the discount already shown, and it is the single most commonly missed saving on the site.

Sort the reviews by most recent rather than reading the top ones. A four-and-a-half star average built three years ago tells you nothing about the unit shipping today, particularly in categories where sellers change suppliers between production runs.

06 Common questions

Prices are pulled live from Amazon and change often. How we pick deals · More buying guides.