34 Ways To Save Money On Video Games

34 Ways To Save Money On Video Games

by

DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.

 

Video games are a great way to keep yourself entertained for long hours at a time. After beating a game it can be hard to find another new game that is worth your hard-earned money. Find the best ways to consume video games at a low cost.

1. See how the game plays

Twitch streaming

Watch the game being played before spending your hard-earned dollars on the next video game that you have been waiting to come out.

For example, before I subscribed to play wow classic on release. I watched a big-time Twitch streamer named Asmongold reviewing the game when it was in the beta which help me determine that I should renew my subscription when wow classic would later release.

Here are some ways to watch gamers below:

  • Twitch –  World’s largest live-streaming platform for gamers and lifestyle casters that provides support to growing communities around a shared interest. Twitch streams show off their gameplay or live activities by sharing their screen with subscribers and fans who can listen to them and watch them live.
  • Watch Game playthroughs on Youtube to determine if the video games are worth buying. See Channel Full Playthroughs.
  • Liquipedia– Contains a large wiki for Esports, tournament overviews, team player profiles, and game information, and provides a resource for live updated results.
  • Juked – follow Esports with this wiki, the best resource for live updated results, tournament overview, team and player profiles, game information, and more.
  • Esports earnings – shows a list of the top Esports games along with prize money for those who do well.

2. Video game recommendations, Game stats/rankings, and upcoming release dates.

Quickly find different new video games to play based on your current favorites! One of my favorite games is Diablo and when I searched it on Gameslikefinder it provided a list of over 32 similar games like Diablo and helped me find a new fun game called Path of Exile.

Video Recommendations

  • Whatoplay – gives you personalized video game recommendations for every platform. Whattoplay displays a play score that helps assess the quality of new video games that are released.
  • Gameslikefinder – Top video game recommendation website that helps you find similar video games based on the ones you currently like.
  • 50gameslike – Video game recommendation engine that has over 60,000 videos in its database. Search by one or more genres that you want to play or the name of a game you love and find over 50 matching recommendations. For the full list of games.
  • Gamersdecide – Find the best PC Games that have been rated by PC Gamers.
  • Gamingscan – Alternative games to playlist articles
  • Mmorpg – list of MMORPG games with searchable filters like genre and publisher.
  • Truetrophies – best dungeon crawler games on PlayStation.

Video Game Stats/Rankings

Stats about video games can be an effective way of narrowing down which game to play if you are stuck between two different games with little time to play both of them. Easily find the current most popular games and what other people are playing with several ideas below:

  • Steamdb – database of everything on Steam that shows current Steam sales, most played Steam games, current patch notes for each Steam game, upcoming Steam games, trending Steam games, and a whole lot more.
  • Newzoo–  shows the 20 Most Popular PC Games worldwide, ranked by Monthly Active Users (MAU).
  • Activeplayer – shows top-played pc games
  • MMO Population – list of the most played MMOs.
  • Steam250 – top 250 Steam games categorized by most played Stream Top 250, Hidden Gems, etc.
  • Steamspy – all the data and stats about Steam games.
  • Twitchtracker – top Twitch games database base with filters like Viewers, channels, hours watched, peak viewers, etc.
  • Gaming analytics – easily find the top items that have been wished listed on Steam.
  • Sullygnome – Twitch Stats and analysis with searchable filters like most-watched channels, most-watch games, fastest-growing channels, etc.
  • Vgchartz – shows a list of the top-selling games by total shipped.
  • Ranker – searches different top-ranked video game lists on the largest fan-powered rankings website where anyone can vote. See a list of 100+ Best video games of all time.

Upcoming Releases for Video Games

Many gamers have a huge appetite for video games and like to keep up with the latest releases.

The Last Gamer is someone who has quite a love for video games and has built the Worlds Greatest Game Room.

Check out the links below for some ways to make sure you don’t miss the next release of any video game.

See also  6 Best Cash-Back Apps To Save Money On Every Purchase

Video Game Databases

Explore games from the past!

Dig into video game platforms you have never heard of.

  • Mobygames –  in-depth video game database that is searchable based on various gaming platforms, release date years, Genres, Themes, Rating Systems, and Companies
  • Taminggaming – a family video game database -helps parents and guardians navigate the world of video games

3. Try Speedrunning & hardcode modes.

Consider taking your gaming up a level and go from a casual laid-back player to a little more hard-core by completing your games a little faster. A big community of other speedrunners can be found on a website called Speedrun.

Speed Run has several speed-running leaderboards, forums, resources, and a growing community of people who are running through video games at lightning speed. Some of the most popular games that have been speedrunners are Super Mario 64, Minecraft: Java Edition, and Super Mario Odyssey.

Seek out a new challenge in your video game hobby by going hardcore! Add some new rules and challenges to existing games you have already played through.

For example, some players in World of Warcraft Classic have created a small new niche community that is called Classic Hardcore which goes against the commonly found norm of people who are getting their characters leveled up quickly through dungeons in the game.

Classic Hardcore comes with the rule that if your character dies it’s game over and you must delete your character. Also, you will find some game developers adding hardcode modes in their games before they are released such as in the Diablo series.

Think of some of the video games you have! Can you go without dying on any of your characters? Are you able to complete the game without using certain items?

4. High replay value games

Minecraft

Some video games are timeless and can be played for many hours at a time. MMOs, dungeon crawlers, and MOBAs are constantly updated with new item changes and in-game additions that further increase the game replay value.

Games like Diablo 3, Fortnite, and League of Legends feature seasons that last for a few months and involve people ranking on a leaderboard based on their in-game performance. Some other games that have a huge amount of replay value are Minecraft, Overwatch, Apex Legends, and World of Warcraft.

5. Track your digital video games

Video game collections can grow over time and take over entire rooms if you are not careful, such as seen on the Last Gamers channel

Gog Galaxy – organize all your digital video games from multiple platforms and put them into a powerful app.

6. Video game subscriptions

Video game subscriptions can be a great option if you are interested in testing out several video games in a short time to find your next favorite game. There are several video subscription services out there to choose from. Here are some interesting ones below:

  • Gamefly – is your movie and video game rental destination. We have thousands of titles to choose from for any system, including Xbox One, PS4, and Switch.
  • Playonjump – So long, and thanks for all the fish!
  • Indiegala  – Grab the best selection of Steam games and discounts for PC, Macs, and Linux from the IndieGala Store. New offers are constantly being added.
  • Utomik – is your unlimited-play PC gaming subscription service with a weekly growing library. Start your Free 14-day trial now. Cancel anytime.
  • Blacknut – Browse the largest cloud video game collection subscription
  • Amazon Prime gaming – play free videos using your Prime membership.
  • Gamepasscounter – 500+ Unique games on Xbox game pass

7. Check the price history of video games

Some savvy tools will track price history and alert you to any price drops on video games to make sure you are getting the best deal on your next video game purchase.

  • Pricecharting – a great option for finding the price of older games. It provides historical prices as well as Prices for loose, complete, and brand-new conditions. See PicaPic(nostalgia hit incoming) for a list of handheld electronic games.
  • Keepa – Amazon price tracker that shows the price history of items on Amazon and provides alerts when prices drop.

8. Can your device handle this video game?

Is your PC a clunker or are you looking to buy a new one to get into playing video games as your new hobby? Make sure that your PC or Laptop can handle all the latest and greatest video game graphic updates by getting informed on their system requirements.

  • Systemrequirementslab – Free tool that analyzes your computer quickly to determine if your computer can run that new popular PC game.
  • Gamedebate – provides information on pc game system requirements and hardware test tools that you can use.
  • Notebookcheck – Shows benchmark comparisons of laptops, in-depth reviews, and news on laptops/notebooks, netbooks, and tablets.
  • Cpubenchmark – provides over 1 million CPUs and 1,000 models benchmarked and compared in graph form, updated daily.
  • Videocardbenchmark – Shows over 1 million video cards and 3,9000+ models tested – updated daily.
  • Geekbench – a cross-platform benchmark that determines how well your desktop computer compares to the newest devices that are released on the market.
  • Displayspecifications – Search features and specifications of TVs and desktop monitors
  • DPI / PPI Calculator – Noteworthy and common display sizes of monitors, PCs, notebooks, tablets, phablets, smartphones, handhelds, smartwatches, and HMDs.

9. Download some computer software to help  your PC

Add some software to your computer to handle some of the computer’s daily maintenance tasks.

  • Iobit – Automatically scans and updates over 6,000,000+ device drivers to improve your computer’s overall performance.
  • Ccleaner – Free software that shows user information about the hardware and software of their computer.
See also  6 Ways To Save Money On Books(Or Get Them For For Free)

10. Building the right PC for your budget

Pc Build

Try and get the best bang for your buck with PC deals that are happening all the time. There are tons of Youtube channels out there that show other people going through the steps of building a PC that can help you through the process.

Also, below are some websites that will help make sure you are getting the right price on new PC parts when you are building your PC.

  • Pcpartpicker – Helps you build your new PC with buying guides and a system builder, and shows examples of completed builds.
  • Logicalincrements –  help you search through different PC parts to find the best for your next PC build.
  • Buildmypc – Free PC Part Picker helps you build a custom PC according to your requirements. The components are divided into different categories so that you don’t miss any parts when building your new top-of-the-line PC.
  • Choosemypc – Automatically generates a list of PC parts for your budget and requirements
  • Mechanicalkeyboardskeyboard – Mechanical keyboard guide

Online places to get your custom pc & parts

  • Newegg – has the best prices on Gaming Systems, PC parts, and more with fast shipping
  • NZXT – This is where I got my custom pc parts for the current computer I am using.

11. Get the game on an emulator

Got rid of your old classic games and can’t find them hidden away in the storage room? Look into playing your favorite video game on several online emulators that are out on the web.

  • Emulation Wiki – awesome directory of emulators.
  • Emulator-zone – another directory of emulators.
  • Fightcade – a matchmaking application for playing retro games online that is bundled with different emulators for seamless online play. Free, and without ads!

Other options to change the way you play video games

Video Games in a gaming room

12. Check out places you can get amazing deals on video games below

There are a good amount of ways to get deals on games and some games or even free. Ensure that you catch all the latest sales by using the websites below:

Also, check out the deal websites in the Online Deals spreadsheet.

  • Amazon – Get free games, exclusive in-game content, and a free Twitch channel subscription each month. Also, you will get all new games within the first two weeks of release are 20% off, including digital deluxe and collector editions!
  • Steampowered – shows daily sales, seasonal sales, and entire game franchises. Steam is built for PC gamers who want a big collection of games. You can make a wish list that will alert you when a new game goes on sale.
  • Ebay – is perfect for buying old physical copies cheaply.

Find deals from Cheapassgamer forum threads(find the latest deals by going to the last page in the forum post listed below)

  1. Playstation Deals, PS Plus games, and Discussion
  2. GOG Deals Thread
  3. Steam+ Deals Mega Thread (All PC Gaming Deals)
  4. Japanese Niche Games Deals & Discussion Thread 4.0
  5. Nintendo eShop Deals and Discussions
  6. Oculus Quest Daily Deals
  7. Target Clearance Thread XXIV
  8. The Home Arcade Tremendous Deals and Discussion Thread
  9. Walmart YMMV In Store Clearance Thread I (READ THE FAQs)
  10. Best Buy YMMV Thread
  11. Amazon Warehouse Deals Thread XVIII
  12. Meijer Sales/Clearance Thread
  13. amiibo Deals and Discussion Thread
  14. Indie/Limited/Obscure Physical Release Deals and Discussion Thread
  15. Official Playstation VR Deals and Discussion Thread
  16. PS Vita Deals & Discussions Thread
  17. Gamerpower – has alot of free games.

Video Game Deals & Discounts & Bundles

  • Psprices – shows current discounts in the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, App Store, and Nintendo eshop.
  • Isthereanydeal – shows the best game deals across several online stores.
  • DekuDeals – great for tracking prices of Nintendo Switch games on the eShop and major retailers.
  • Steamdb Sales – shows all the current Steam sales. 
  • Prepareyourwallet – let you know when the next Steam sale is.
  • CheapShark – find the best prices on digital game downloads for pc.
  • r/GameDeals – community on Reddit where you can share and discuss game deals.
  • r/Gamebundles – dedicated to talking about video game bundles.
  • Indiegamebundles – Free games from Game Bundles.
  • Humblebundle – you can get several free games with the humble bundle subscription. Subscribing to the newsletter will help keep you up to date every time a new bundle becomes available.
  • Groupees – lists a huge amount of digital bundles.
  • Epicbundles -more bundles.
  • Fanatical – offers Steam game bundles from AAA and indie titles
  • Indiegala provides many different themed video game bundles
  • Itch.io – Bundles available on Itch.io

13. Play free 2-play (F2PG) games

  • Metacritic Upcoming Free Games – play a F2P game and game for free.
  • F2PG – contains a huge list of free 2-play games along with ongoing daily news updates related to F2p games.
  • Gamepressure F2PG – free-to-play games listed at Gamepressure
  • GameDatum – provides a list filterable list with 100s of games to play for free online.
  • Steam F2PG – games that are free two play available on Steam.
  • Itch.io – Tons of free indie games to play.
  • r/Freegames & r/FreegamesOnSteam – are two awesome subreddits that have free games.
  • Gamerpower – Get free games & In-Game Loot.
See also  27 Top Secret Ways To Save Money When Eating On The Go

14. Play on gamer-free weekends

Take advantage of a video game-free weekend. Games can go free to play on various holiday weekends to give people the opportunity to play them. Often people will end up buying the game after playing it for free so they can continue playing it. (Overwatch has been known to have these free weekends.)

15. Reduce your hardware needs and game with the cloud

If you do not have a good internet connection, bandwidth, hardware, or data to handle it, cloud gaming might be a good solution.

Two cloud gaming services available are OnLive and Kaikai which allow users to use a micro-console and a TV to use their service, where they’re able to play games for a fee or play demos for free.

One of the benefits of cloud gaming is not having to have a big machine to run games on your pc. All your saved game data and everything is stored on the server. There are fewer compatibility issues to be found when it comes to cloud gaming. However, the downside is that you need a good internet connection.

  • Neverinstall – allows you to play games in the browser at super-fast speeds.
  • Speedtest.net – see if you are getting the internet speeds that you are paying for by testing your internet speed with a speed test.

16. Buy used games if you can wait

  • Avoid keeping up with the jones and wait a month or two and you will probably find a lot of used games for sale on Amazon at a lower price.

17. Play through the game fully

Make sure you get the most out of what you paid for and go after any hidden Easter eggs that can make a game last longer. Eeggs – has a list of over 14,000+ video game easter eggs.

18. Sell the game once you’re done with it.

Get some money back from the game you probably mastered and use that money to either pay your bills or buy a different game.

19. Mod your games

  • Mod the games you enjoy and make them last longer. Check out Nexusmods – which is the largest modding community that features a ton of different mods you can add to your favorite games.
  • Moddb & Wemode – contains a list of over 20,000 mods.
  • Gamebanana -for even more mods.

20. Stay up to date on the latest and greatest with niche gaming blogs.

Niche gaming blogs or great for finding the best information and deals on your favorite gaming device.

Below are some good niche gaming/achievement-tracking blogs.

21. Find free games in game stores

  • Here are some game stores worth checking out for free games Epicgames, Steam, gog.com, origin, blizzard, Ubisoft, Uplay, game power, and greenmangaming, see also Steamgifts for Steam giveaways.

22. Find the best-rated games

  • OpenCritic – is a video game review aggregator. OpenCritic creates a single page by combining review data from hundreds of online publications, blogs, and channels. The goal of OpenCritic is to assist consumers in making more educated choices regarding game preorders, purchases, or play.
  • Metacritic – This is another video game review aggregator that shows an aggregated metascore(based on critics), and a user score(based on individual users).
  • Videogamecritic – Master Index of classic video game reviews.

23. Try passing the time by playing free browser games.

  • Wikigame – a game based on exploring Wikipedia articles.
  • Trivatoday – is great for trivia nerds.
  • Poki & Crazygames – both sites contain a giant list of browser games available.
  • LCDgames – play classic handheld LCD games online.
  • Freeware games – list of over 1,126 freeware games.

24. Barter your games

Barter – Trade your video game leftovers for some of your wishlist games.

25. Resale your old Digital video games

Robot Cache – Resale the digital video games that you no longer play.

26. Get some help with a Gaming/Wiki guide

  • Fandom – (800m monthly visits) provides a huge database of video game wikis to help guide you through your favorite video games.
  • Here are some other places you can find gaming guides Gamepressure, IGN, Jayisgames(old games), and Gamefaqs.

27. Buy the right things for your gaming setup

Get inspiration from other people’s workspaces and gaming setups.

  • Maker Stations – features high-quality, in-depth interviews with creators and makers about their workspaces, as well as WFH tips and ideas.
  • Workspaces – a beautiful collection of desk setups from creative individuals.
  • Scooget – Inspirational gaming and workspace setups with shoppable photos.
  • r/Workspaces & r/Battlestations – Shows the best-looking desk setups.
  • Minimal Desk Setups – shows simple computer setups & provides helpful guides to get you set up quickly.

28. Stay up to date on video games with news/patch notes

  • Whatsnew & Nohto – Stay up to date on all your favorite video games all in one place.
  • Steamdb Patch notes – follow the patch notes changes of your favorite Steam games.
  • Gamebyte – tons of articles covering gaming news.

29. Play video game demos

Try games before you buy them by playing a demo version of the game.

Demos on Steam – Free Demos of games you find on Steam.

30. Play a demake of your favorite video game

A demake is a video game remake on an older platform. You can find a bunch of demakes at Itch Demakes.

31. Swap your video games with someone

  • Gamesexchange – Marketplace where you can Swap, Sell, and buy video games.
  • r/gameswap – Subreddit community where you can swap your new and used console video games with other Redditors.
  • Steamtradematcher – easily trade your duplicate Steam trading cards.

32. Add your video games to a launcher

Save time by putting your video games all in one place with a video game launcher.

33. Track your video games

Make sure you never lose any video games that you have in your collection by tracking them in a single place.

34. Take a video game quiz

Quantic Foundry – Find out the best new video games to play by taking a gamer quiz.

35. Play Top Ranked games

Find really good games by searching the top most played and ranked games out their.

37. Play with others

Plink Find perfect teammates for your favorite games in a click

Reddit articles for extra ideas on how to save money on video games

  1. If you’re looking at a new video game and you want a good experience, check if it’s available in Belgium. Reddit post
  2. Frugal gaming – A few tips and tricks and welcomeing new gamers. Reddit post
  3. My list of useful PC and Gaming software. Reddit post

38. Patience Pays off

Patience is key. If you wait instead of buying a game the day it’s released, you have time to get reviews, both from the pros and from other users. This can keep you from spending on a highly-touted game that turns out to be a dud.

Video games can be a low-cost way to pass the time if you shop the deals and find new ways to get more life out of your games by Speedrunning them among many other things mentioned. Kick back and get gaming out there!