Holiday Windows PC Deals 2026: What to Know

Microsoft has set out its 2026 holiday offers for Windows PCs: weekly deals of up to $500 off select Windows 11 laptops and desktops, a free bundle of 25 Xbox games with eligible PCs, and a MacBook Pro trade-in offer toward the new Surface Laptop Ultra. The details are in the Windows Experience Blog post from October 15, 2026.

The catch is timing. The weekly deals and the game bundle do not start until November 2, and most of the offers are for US buyers at Best Buy, Costco, Walmart and Microsoft.com. If you’re shopping now, the dates below tell you whether to wait.

Three Windows 11 laptops, including a 2-in-1 in tent mode, on a blue background from Microsoft's 2026 holiday campaign — Microsoft’s holiday campaign covers PCs from Surface, Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and others. Image: Microsoft.

Holiday offers and key dates
Offer	What you get	Dates and limits
Weekly PC deals	New deals each week, with savings of up to $500 on select Windows 11 PCs	November 2 to December 25 at select retailers, while supplies last. Savings are measured against MSRP
25 free Xbox games	A digital bundle Microsoft values at over $500	Buy an eligible PC from a participating US retailer between November 2 and December 31, then claim by February 12, 2027
MacBook Pro trade-in	Up to $1,000 toward a Surface Laptop Ultra	At Microsoft Store. Microsoft has not published an end date
Surface payment options	More flexible ways to pay for Surface	At Microsoft.com from Black Friday, US only

Table of Contents

The 25 free Xbox games, and the deadlines that matter

To mark 25 years of Xbox, US buyers of an eligible Windows 11 PC can claim 25 games at no extra cost. Microsoft names The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Minecraft Dungeons and Gears of War: Reloaded among them.

Grid of game covers in the Xbox 25th anniversary bundle for Windows PCs, including Skyrim, Halo, Age of Empires II, Gears of War Reloaded and Doom — Microsoft’s bundle artwork also shows The Outer Worlds, Quake, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Oblivion, Fallout 76, Age of Mythology and Doom with Doom II. The final list and compatibility details go up on November 2. Image: Microsoft.

The games are tied to your Microsoft account, so you can play the PC versions on any compatible Windows PC. Select titles also work on Xbox Series X|S through Xbox Play Anywhere, but some games in the bundle cannot be played on consoles at all.

Check before you buy

Microsoft says some eligible PCs cannot play all 25 games, without naming which ones. The claim appears in the Microsoft Store app on your new PC no later than November 30, and you must activate the PC and claim the bundle by February 12, 2027. Full terms and the compatibility list will be at aka.ms/XBOXbundle from November 2.

Surface offers

Microsoft says there will be savings across the Surface family each week, with the Surface Pro 12-inch starting at $849. If you’re torn between the two Surface Pro sizes, our Surface Pro 12-inch vs 13-inch comparison covers the price and spec differences.

The headline offer is aimed at Mac owners: trade in a MacBook Pro at Microsoft Store and get up to $1,000 toward a Surface Laptop Ultra, Microsoft’s NVIDIA RTX Spark laptop for developers and creators. We cover its pricing and specs in our Surface Laptop Ultra guide.

Surface Laptop models in black, green and purple next to Surface Pro tablets with keyboards in copper and purple — Surface Laptop and Surface Pro in several colors, part of the lineup Microsoft is discounting through the holidays. Image: Microsoft.

Partner PCs Microsoft is highlighting

Microsoft says prices start at $249, based on Walmart’s published pricing as of October 14. It groups its featured partner laptops by what you’ll use them for, though it does not say which models will carry which weekly deal.

Featured partner PCs by use
Category	Models	Best for
Core Essentials	HP OmniBook 3, Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3	Browsing, email and streaming
Everyday Productivity	Acer Swift Air 14, Dell XPS 13	School, work projects and multitasking
Premium Performance	ASUS Zenbook A14, HP OmniBook X, Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1	All-day performance, creative work and gaming

A few specifics stand out. Microsoft says the Dell XPS 13 weighs 1kg and is rated for 17 hours of streaming, the ASUS Zenbook A14 runs a Snapdragon X processor at just over 2 lb, and the Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 uses AMD Ryzen AI 400 Series chips with optional pen support.

How to get the most from the offers

Because the discounts are measured against MSRP, compare the deal price with what the same model has recently sold for, not just the crossed-out price. Deals change weekly, so a laptop that is not on offer one week may be the next.

If the games are a big part of the appeal, wait for the compatibility list on November 2 before buying, particularly for a budget model. For what’s new in Windows 11 itself, including the faster Start menu and the new Photos app Microsoft is promoting alongside these deals, see our Windows 11 speed and Photos app report.