Do you await price drops?

[Ando85]

I notice nowadays games drop in price dramatically only a few months after their release. A lot of times they become a fraction of the cost. I'm trying to be patient and await this to save money. But, sometimes I can't resist some games I've been highly anticipating.

Do you buy games for the full price soon after they are released or do you patiently await price drops?

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

If I really want them, I will buy them for full price. If I don't, I will wait. A lot of times games I never had any intention of buying, I will pick up during Steam sales and such.
I try to limit myself on what I spend for gaming in a set period so I don't break the bank. I was way more likely to buy games for full price when they were 50$. Now that 60% is becoming the norm, even for PC games, I generally wait.

 

[ArmorKingBaneGief]

I'm waiting to buy Arkham City until all of it's DLC is just included in the box or something.

(Also, I need to get a television and gaming system first, but that's another issue.)

 

[Sp3ratus]

It all depends on the title. Most of the time, yes, I do wait for the price drop or the sales(noticeable, the Steam summer/winter sales), since it's pretty much inevitable to happen. For major titles, I do cave sometimes, though, specifically in the case of ME3 and TOR. The latter, I regret somewhat, but oh well, nothing really gained from dwelling on it. The former though, I have regrets about. I love the Mass Effect series and getting to play the third one right away was absolutely worth it.

Those two are the only really recent ones, however. I waited to buy DA2 until it was cheaper, same with Saints Row: The Third. Despite the title probably being worth their full price, I have no problem waiting most of the time, since as I said, the price drop seems inevitable for all titles.

 

[Dandark]

If I really want it, I usaully buy full price, especailly if it's a game that I know i'll like. Usauly if im not sure I will just rent it first rather than wait for a price drop.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

I do most of the times, but sometimes if it's a game i really want i will try and save up to get the game as soon as it comes out.

 

[JCD2k4]

I usually pre-order a select handful of games. The rest I buy after a price drop or even used, depending on the multiplayer.

 

[GoaThief]

I'll usually buy at full price if I don't have a backlog of games to get through, but I will make exceptions for smaller developers, exceptional games (Portal 2, Skyrim) and new IPs in particular (those deserving, really). For games I've missed - I've recently started playing the Assassins Creed series, for example - of course I'll hunt for the cheapest price new, excluding second hand copies.

 

[Zhukov]

Yeah, all the time.

I only buy games brand new if (a) I'm super excited for them or (b) there's nothing else coming out for a while.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well there are two cases when I pay full price, 1st the game is just that good(extremely rare), 2nd I can resell it on ebay and get most of my money back.

But for most games I do wait, or rather I don't really have time to play subpar shit anyway but once they pop up in some discount or another I will check them out.

 

[Zantos]

Depends, sometimes I do buy on release, maybe 2 or 3 games a year depending on what's coming out. Usually sequels to games I already love, I think the only one that wasn't was Bulletstorm.

If either I'm too swamped with work or I'm just not that bothered, I'll wait and get it a little cheaper.

 

[Iwata]

All the time. I can perfectly wait for a couple of months to buy a game if it means I'll get it for half price or less. I have enough of a backlog to keep me entertained for a long, long time.

 

[VaudevillianVeteran]

Well, the majority of the time I do this, usually within a few weeks, depending on trade-in, the prices significantly drop, making it much more copeable.
Every now and then I spring for a new game but otherwise, yeah, I wait.

 

[Aircross]

If the game is available on Steam I wait for it to be off by at least 66%.

I'm just that spoiled.

 

[Emiscary]

I bought ME3 launch day. I've since reconsidered my policy on waiting for price drops.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Depends on the game in question. I have absolutely no issue with paying full launch price for something I really want, but I also have a few, basically, mental tiers below that. There are certainly titles I want but won't buy until they drop to under $40, $20 and $10 respectively.

 

[Swyftstar]

I will also answer with depends on the game. If it's a major game that all my friends have been waiting for then I will get it day one. If it's a niche single player game or a game that I am not too sure about I will wait for the price drop.

 

[DasDestroyer]

If I really want the game, I will usually buy it as I am in the comfortable zone where I don't have to pay for much yet, but have a decent income. If I am less than "I really REALLY want this game", I will probably wait for a price drop or, better yet, steam sale.

 

[Wuffykins]

Yes, albeit only with western releases.

I've quickly found out just how expensive being a fan of Shoot Em Ups can be with tracking down older games, importing newer ones, and other associated costs, so I certainly take full advantage on how the price of new releases drops off quite fast in order to keep my budget in check.

I do make certain exceptions depending on the situation though, like the fact my copy of Wasteland 2 is definitely showing up with the cloth map option.

 

[DoPo]

Pretty much all the games I bought lately were reduced price. Steam really spoiled me. But it's not entirely Steam's fault - before that I would still avoid getting games as soon as they come out because of the tendency to have a buggy first release that is fixable by patches. Or just that there would be patches that fix something other than bugs (balance issues, for example). Even if I had anticipated the game, I would wait for about a month before getting it. Steam just made waiting even more rewarding.