For those of us who play video games the cost of these games has been increasing steadily over the years as they become more mainstream. No matter if you’re purchasing a console game that’s $59.99 to PC games that not only run in the $40′s but also nickel and dime you with downloadable content. That’s I created a quick guide to getting video games to cheap with a few quick tips to put money in your pocket and still allow you to get the games you want.
Always Buy Used
When buying a console game the easiest way and probably most efficient way to save is to never buy new. When you purchase a used video game from a retailer like Gamestop or Amazon you get a huge discount of sometimes up to 80% off the original price. This includes games that even came out just a few months ago. Many of the major retailers offer guarantees that the game works but be aware that marketplaces like eBay and Craigslist don’t have these guarantees.
Let The Hype Die Down
When a game is first released the price will remain high for some time. If you wait for the initial hype to die down then most games will have a $10 or so drop. The biggest savings is with sports game where once the season is over the prices drop by $20 or more. Since most of these games are the same year after year with a few slight roster changes it makes sense to wait or just buy the year before and upload the new rosters online to be added to the game.
Take Advantage of Coupon Codes and Deals
We have a large number of deals available for places that sell video games. This includes everything from Gamestop coupon codes to help save on Gamestop to Origin promo codes. On the Gamestop side of things they usually have a few good codes to help you save on console games and systems along with free shipping. On the Origin side of things they do have a few deals available for console games but the best promo codes seem to be for downloadable content which is where I think they excel anyways.
Rent Games
The average person only plays a game for about a month at a time. Whether this means you beat the game or simply got sick of it the likelihood of playing the game for more than that is slim to none. So instead of purchasing the game you are much better off in most cases renting the games from a place like Gamefly or a local store if those still exist in your area. To help you save check out a few of the Gamefly promo codes we have available. If you’re someone who doesn’t play a lot of games then renting through a service like Gamefly probably doesn’t make much sense if you’re trying to save.
Resell and Trade-In Your Games
When we get done playing a game it will usually just sit around and collect dust. Next time you’re done playing a game check out the different places to resell it including many major stores as well as secondary places like the previously mentioned eBay. In my opinion it’s much easier to just sell the game back to a place like Gamespot instead of having to list the game online within a marketplace, sell it, then ship it for a measly $5-$10. Instead you can trade the game in for store credits in which many stores will have promotions to get 30% in credits or more added on when you purchase the newest game to hit the shelves. You can also trade-in old consoles as long as they work correctly but the amount you receive doesn’t usually amount to much.
So take these tips and hopefully you can save a few dollars when purchasing your next game. What are some other tips on how you’ve saved on video games? Leave them below in the comments.
