Do you buy games at release or do you wait till it is cheaper?

[Casper Andersen]

I was just thinking about how I buy games, and I realized that it was mostly from sales or a good while after release. Some games I have been looking forward to, I will get, but it is mostly to share the experience with my friends. Either if the game is has an online aspect, like an MMO, Diablo 3 etc or just to share stories about playing through the game, like Elder Scrolls 5,GTA titles etc.
For me it is mostly a price issue, since a new console release is about 83$ and PC 67$ in Denmark, this is because of taxes. But it makes it so the game has to be really special for me to spend that amount of money on it, because about 3-6 months later I can get it for around 17$. Also there is steam sales, the normal prices on steam are actually a bit higher than most store prices(in Denmark), but those sales really make it worth it to just wait.
Also you can often get "complete" or GOTY editions months later, with all the DLC, for a cheaper price than the original release price of the game.
I cant help but think this is bad for business, I have often heard that games make most of their revenue in the first couple of weeks after release, but if the smartest consumer behavior is to wait wont that hurt the industry in the long run?


Currently I am playing Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, and will be getting Revelations when the price drops a bit more

 

[Strain42]

It depends on the game. For starters the majority of video games I buy don't even cost $60 at launch price anyway, so I don't mind the launch price.

For most AAA games though, yeah. I wait for a price drop unless I REALLY want it. To put some perspective on this, the last game I actually spend $60 on was Saints Row the Third back on launch day, so well over half a year ago, and the next one I will be spending that on isn't until next month.

I really look at it in a case by case basis. I ask myself "Is it going to get a price drop?" and "Is it going to have a GOTY edition?"

For most AAA on the market today, the answer to at least one of those questions, often both, is Yes.

Just last week I got the L.A. Noire Complete Edition for only 20 bucks.

 

[dimensional]

Generally wait now as I just dont have time to play many long games atm plus money is pretty tight I tend to buy fighting games on release as I play them a lot so will be getting persona 4 arena and DOA5 on release (most likely) but other games I will wait until they drop in price. Things like Skyrim I am going to wait a few years until the game of the year edition comes out and is cheap while ME3 ill probably wait until it comes really cheap with all the DLC as well (or I will just borrow it from a friend). These days I rarely pay more than 15 pounds for a game except the few I get at launch ofc.

It does mean I replay old games more now though.

 

[ZuttoAragi]

For me it's neither, I wait until the game comes out, rent it and then buy at whatever price it's currently at.

 

[Sarah Kerrigan]

I usually do it if I am 'meh' about a game, not 'OHMYGODIMUSTHAVETHATATLAUNCH' A game I feel 'meh' for and will wait is Spec Ops The Line. I played the demo and the premise looks cool, but it wasn't something I would go at launch for.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

I very rarely pay full price for a game. I simply don't think most games are worth $60.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

I wait for cheaper, but never because it's saving me money. It's more like "Oh, the game's on sale. I really didn't want it when it came out, but for that price, I may as well." And then I go back to TF2.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I'm not sure if I've ever paid full price for a game. They just aren't worth more than about $20 to me, never have been. I don't ascribe to the dollars per hour metric, I think of it as a complete entertainment product, regardless of length. I mean, it's not like The Fellowship of the Ring costs more than The Matrix, despite being a longer movie. There's no reason for games to be any different. There are excuses, but no reasons.

 

[Erttheking]

For me it depends. If it's a game that I know I want to buy several months in advance I usually pay full price. If it's a game I'm not certain about the full price tends to turn me away and I walk away with a game I only paid $15 for. Hey, got Bioshock 2 that way, it was a good purchase as far as I'm concerned....really should get the first one.

 

[Smeggs]

I recently discovered that you can actually buy online passes for used copies of games such as BF3, so you do not need to buy them new to play MP. I hope EA can see this middle finger, because I'm raising it as high as I can in their general direction.

Anyway, I've only ever paid full on something with an immense single player campaign, such as Skyrim or the Mass Effects. I tend to think quite hard on any game purchase over thirty greenbacks. Sixty dollars is an investment of trust that my time and money will be well spent toward this game.

 

[Fatalistic]

It depends on the game. I paid full price for most of my games... But now I'm playing the waiting game. When Prototype 2 drops it's price, I may look into it. I'm also hoping to beat Dragon Age: Origins (I'm on my 11th attempt... Not a joke, unfortunately), then pick up that Dragon Age 2 Ultimate Edition they're selling now...

 

[Reyold]

Usually, I wait 'til they're cheaper before I buy them, though there have been exceptions (looking at you, Batman: Arkham City).

 

[Bazaalmon]

I tend to wait, unless it's a really good game/from a really good company. Case in point: Last game I paid the full $60 for was The Witcher 2. Go CDProjekt Red!

Spoiler

 

[Hazy992]

Depends on the game. Most games I wait until they're cheap but others I have to have straight away. Halo 4 and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will be day one purchases for me.

 

[Psychocouch]

If it's a PC game that I'm really looking forward to, like Skyrim or Diablo III (way over-hyped unfortunately), then yes, I'll buy it on the day of release or soon after.

If, on the other hand, it's a 360 or PS3 game, then I'd probably just wait for it to go down in price, especially since console games cost about $110 each for the big releases in Australia. (Halo, CoD, TES etc, etc.)

 

[TheMann]

I buy very few games at launch for full price. It just seems that if I wait even a few months I'll only pay half as much or less. The last game I bought at launch for full price was Portal 2, and Starcraft 2 before that. I suppose I bought Alan Wake at "full price" but that was the PC release, which was $30 for the collector's edition. There were only three games coming out this year that I wanted at launch and those are Borderlands 2, Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, and Bioshock Infinite. Since the latter two of those games have already been pushed back to early 2013, the only 2012 game I'll be buying at full price will be Borderlands 2. It's tough to justify spending $50-$60 on a game when you know that in 6 months you may very well be able to get it for $15.

 

[Bizzaro Stormy]

Normally I buy used or after the price has fallen. However, if a game captured my attention during the pre-release advertisements and articles then I will sometimes pre-order it. So far I've only done that three times but I've never regretted it.

 

[StriderShinryu]

I have absolutely no issues with paying full launch price for a game, but I definitely don't pay that for every game. If I trust the developer and have decided based upon all of the pre release media that I want something, I buy it day one (and will often pre order).

 

[zehydra]

I don't see any benefit of buying at release. I usually buy a couple months after release, unless there's a large discount.

 

[Worgen]

I only pay full price for physical games, if its digital then I wait till its on sale.