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Whether you pre-order your favorite games or prefer to wait after release and check the reviews before buying, this article explores the different times to buy a video game and aims to answer just when is the best time to buy a game.
By Daniel
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If games are expensive to buy at launch and cost us more money after release with the added DLC and microtransactions, is it better to pre-order them for a better deal?
Yes. Pre-ordering games is a much more cost-effective way to buy games for launch, particularly from key sellers like the ones on Allkeyshop.com.
Let’s look at ten massive games and look at the price history on official stores and online CD key stores to get a better idea.
Cyberpunk 2077
Pre-Release Price:
- Official Stores: €49.99
- Key Sellers: €33.16
Post-Launch Price:
- Official Stores: €37.99
- Key Sellers: €16.49
F1 2020
Pre-Release Price
- Official Stores: €54.99
- Key Sellers: €39.93
Post-Launch Price:
- Official Stores: €13.74
- Key Sellers: €9.34
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Pre-Release Price:
- Official Stores: €69.99
- Key Sellers: €49.00
Post-Launch Price:
- Official Stores: €62.99
- Key Sellers: €43.46
Half-Life: Alyx
Pre-Release Price:
- Official Stores: €49.99
- Key Sellers: €32.97
Post-Launch Price:
- Official Stores: €29.99
- Key Sellers: €24.17
Crusader Kings III
Pre-Release Price:
- Official Stores: €49.99
- Key Sellers: €29.73
Post-Launch Price:
- Official Stores: €18.86
- Key Sellers: €15.55
FIFA 21
Pre-Release Price:
- Official Stores: €59.99
- Key Sellers: €28.49
Post-Launch Price:
- Official Stores: €9.59
- Key Sellers: €10.21
Hades
Pre-Release Price:
- Official Stores: €19.99
- Key Sellers: €15.32
Post-Launch Price:
- Official Stores: €6.79
- Key Sellers: €14.14
Star Wars: Squadrons
Pre-Release Price:
- Official Stores: €39.99
- Key Sellers: €21.59
Post-Launch Price:
- Official Stores: €14.79
- Key Sellers: €8.19
Rust
Pre-Release Price:
- Official Stores: €18.99
- Key Sellers: €9.99
Post-Launch Price:
- Official Stores: €16.99
- Key Sellers: €15.99
Among Us
Pre-Release Price:
- Official Stores: €3.99
- Key Sellers: €2.81
Post-Launch Price:
- Official Stores: €0:00
- Key Sellers: €3.00
If we look at the numbers above, we can see that if we pre-order a game from key sellers that you can find on Allkeyshop, you are much more likely to get a cheaper deal than simply buying the game at launch.
Of course, the same games do get cheaper as time goes on, but then you risk the chance of falling behind in content, missing out on season passes, exclusive content, and playing with your friends. All of which can be solved by pre-ordering the game.
WHY ARE NEW GAMES EXPENSIVE?
For as long as I can remember, people have been saying that video games cost too much.
And there’s an argument to be had that games are constantly becoming more expensive, even though the base price of a new game tends to remain the same for a few years.
If the base price of video games doesn’t often increase, what exactly is making video games so expensive?
We have to explore a few of the factors that cause games to rise in price, and these are:
- New console generation
- Different available game editions
- Microtransactions
- DLC
New Console Generation
We are currently on the ninth generation of consoles which began with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S consoles.
A new console generation means improved graphics, new and innovative mechanics, and higher quality hardware.
All the new improvements usually lead to a small increase in price for new launch titles, and we’ve seen that AAA games on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S now cost up to $70.
Different Game Editions
One factor often forgotten about when considering the price of a video game is the different editions made available for the game.
It’s common for games to have various editions, such as standard, deluxe, and collector editions, with each being more expensive than the last.
The price of the different editions is often subtle, usually $10 or $20 in price. Still, that slight price increase can persuade people to buy a more expensive version of the game to fear missing out on exclusive content.
You may think that only a hardcore fan of a franchise or company would purchase a deluxe or collector’s edition of a game, but that is not necessarily true when you consider that many of these games offer a season pass within that edition.
Games such as FIFA and Madden NFL and many more offer additional weekly or seasonal bonuses after purchase, depending on the more expensive game edition.
It may not seem like such a big deal, or you may even see it as a better deal to spend more on launch for a little more reward, but even this raises the standard price of the games you play.
Microtransactions
Okay, it may not be surprising that microtransactions can raise the cost of playing a video game, but do you know how much games earn on microtransactions?
According to Activision Blizzard, back in August 2020, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone made a staggering $500 million in microtransactions in three months.
That money is spent on things like battle passes, in-game skins and bundles, and COD points.
Another game of Blizzards, Hearthstone, made almost $500 million per year from the sale of digital card packs, content, and in-game cosmetics.
You may be one of those people that thinks spending small amounts of money on a free-to-play game is worth it if you enjoy the game, and of course, you should support the developers of your favorite games, but every small amount of money you spend on it raises the cost of playing that game.
Thinking a free-to-play game is simply a free game may no longer be accurate, particularly if we look at Fortnite, which made an incredible $2.5 billion in 2020.
It’s not just F2P games, either. AAA games also contain microtransactions now as they look to squeeze you for extra cash for in-game cosmetics, additional character skins, or even different character slots.
DLC
Many consider DLC to include any extra content released for a game post-launch, including any microtransactions. However, we are using the term to describe more significant content releases such as expansions.
It seems incredibly rare now that a AAA game does not release an expansion that we have to pay for post-launch.
Some even include the first expansion in the cost of their special edition as a way of persuading you to spend more at launch.
There are, of course, arguments to be had that if you’re spending $70 on a new game, you should be receiving the full game and should not need to unlock parts of the game by spending more money later down the line.
We should not pretend either that it’s just AAA games that do it, the whole gaming industry does it, and we continue to spend money because we all want to play more of our favorite games.
There are some extreme examples of this, such as Train Simulator 2020, whose entire catalog of DLC will cost you a staggering $10,000.
So, after all these points, we can say that although new games are expensive to buy, they are even more costly to play.
Buy Games In Pre-Order Phase
In summary, we can say that purchasing games during their pre-order phase can be a much more cost-effective way of buying video games.
Due to pre-order deals, hype, and investment ahead of the game’s launch.
If a game proves to be a success, the game’s price can sneak up at launch, and discounts and sales can be smaller.
We mention investment because playing a video game is an investment of your time.
If a game turns out to be good and you spend hundreds or thousands of hours playing it, you have invested in earning achievements, rewards, skill, and fun.
All of that begins during the pre-order phase, notably if the game features a pre-order beta or early access period.
Over the game’s lifetime, it may go down in price, but the enjoyment you earn throughout will reflect the time you’ve invested.
BUY CHEAP GAMES ON ALLKEYSHOP
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