I simply love playing video games.
And I bet we’re on the same page (pardon me…webpage).
Now we can tell that buying games are a big hassle. Maybe we are earning some money part-time, and we are doing our best to find the most effective solution to own the games. But still, it can be a costly affair if we love many games and we have a comparatively lower budget.
Some of you might be pupils, and you can ask your parents to buy a game for you.
But everybody needs to save money while buying video games….even I had to.
I have been buying them myself since the age of 20. I got this fantastic job as a freelancer while studying, and I could manage my work because I loved doing what I did,
Before that, my poor dad and grandmother became the victims of my insatiable gaming thirst.
But I realised that it was time for me to buy the game. So, I saved money quite strategically.
So far, so good, right?
Well, it was okay till this part, and you are welcome to praise my moves toward living practically and saving money.
But then I bought the game.
I realised I had made a mistake.
It took a day and a half of my mum’s telephonic counselling to get me back on track as I regretted my decision intensely.
I learnt that you need to make a purchase (when it is about gaming) more strategically than how you save money.
Now I am smart enough to save money on buying the next game I have in mind.
Besides, there are a lot of games coming in this year.
The reason I wrote this post is to share with you all the tricks to maintain a good balance in buying games so that you don’t mess up and get a good return for the money you invest.
How to Buy a Game FRUGALLY
What I realised is that you need to fix yourself more onto the game rather than the hardware facilities.
Consider buying a gaming laptop instead of a console. It would be used as a tool to make your gaming compact, and you can literally enjoy hundreds of them in one device.
Don’t do it altogether, though. You’re going to destroy your laptop that way.
To grab the limited-period offer that was popular at that time, I used a small personal loan for bad credit with no guarantor (I had suffered bad credit issues then). But I realised that purchasing the laptop gave me a lot of savings in return.
I am going to discuss this point at the end of the post.
However, I can say that there are many other ways to save money while buying a game.
Here they are:
1. Download the Games instead of Purchasing Physical Games
It is always better to download the soft copy of the games rather than buy the entire console and then the games in discs.
Chances are that console you are plugging in and playing with will get outdated a few years later, and then you have got to buy a new version.
That isn’t very frugal of you if you keep buying new consoles whenever they hit the market.
Rather buy them and download them to your gaming PC or Laptop. That is going to offer you the best return for money.
2. A Golden Trick: Digital Sales
This is a sales offer where different platforms offer huge discounts on selling games.
Buying games this way is ultimately fruitful to own digital copies of the game as you can own the game, and to do that, you really do not need to visit any physical store. You can own the game from the comfort of your home.
One of the popular sales platforms is Steam Sales. On this platform, you are going to get discount rates that are unbelievable. You can, in fact, use just a few pounds to buy a game.
But the advantages of Steam Sales do not stop here.
You can purchase packages of games that extend the game’s life on your device. For example, you can buy updated versions or premium copies of the games to unlock newer features.
Steam happens twice a year.
So, go ahead and take advantage. It is for you, after all.
3. Buy the Whole Series
Often referred to as the ‘bundles;, buying the entire video game series can do you good if you want to save some good money.
Popular games such as Call of Duty or Far Cry have many versions, and all of them are addictive to play. If you play at least one of these games, chances are you are going to go for the next versions one by one, and that is a costly affair.
Instead, buy the whole series and save some cash.
4. You Can Use the Trade-in Policy
Although not much in use, trade-ins are offered in many game shops still.
Consider CeX for that.
Trade-ins are simply called an exchange policy where you can exchange your old console, the game, and gaming accessories for getting a new game (most probably the digital version) free.
One good tip, choose to go to the store credit rather than using cash for this exchange.
5. Buying a Gaming Laptop
Gaming laptops cost a little high and a little tempting on limited period offers. However, that’s not a problem when there is a same day loan for bad credit around.
Your gaming laptop is a powerhouse for gaming and can give you the facility to play games in a cooler way.
Besides, many online gaming competitions are organised on desktop PCs or Laptop/ PC platforms (games such as CS: Go).
I bought Metro Exodus from the Windows Store, and I must tell you I have been more than mesmerised to play such a popular and extensive AAA game on my laptop with an external gaming mouse.
As mentioned earlier, a console is cheaper, but it won’t help you much as they get outdated. On the other hand, a laptop isn’t facing that problem pretty soon.
6. Use Gift Cards
Many stores, such as ShopTo, offer gift cards for popular games.
You can get these gift cards for different gaming platforms such as Nintendo; Xbox and PlayStation.
Trust me. Discounts in these cards are pretty attractive.
7. Compare Prices While Buying Digital Versions
Use portals such as bestgameprice.co.uk to compare prices of games offered on different platforms.
This tool for price comparison will get you the most affordable deal. You can use it to find out the price for all your favourite games or even their series of them.
To Conclude: You May Not Need to Choose Resale Sites
Some resale sites might not have full legal authentication (no offence!). We still need to know about them.
Apart from that, a single game coding error can make you lose the whole game and, with it, your money.
So, if you want to buy a game, do so smartly but carefully as well.
