Games industry insider explains how you can save money when buying video games

Gamers are spoilt for choice - over 10,000 new games land on Steam each year and consoles have seen landmark game numbers. In 2024, it can feel like there’s more games to play than time or money allow.

According to Ciaran McCormick, an expert at game publisher Kwalee.com, there’s many tactics you can use to save money when buying some of the most exciting games.

A survey of 537 PC gamers by Kwalee has found that 56% are not willing to spend more than $50, putting the most expensive AAA games out of their reach. While 19% of players are willing to fork out an inflation busting $88 or more on a video game, these tips are essential to help the majority buy video games.

Top 5 tips to save money on games

Expensive doesn’t always mean more fun

A lot of attention goes to AAA games - the biggest games on the market. But because they’ve got massive production budgets, they often come with hefty price tags. Next generation console games have reached $70 - tough to swallow in a cost of living crisis. That’s just the base version of a game as well - when you add cosmetic and quest DLCs it can easily get to $150, reaching over $300 for some Collector’s Editions. That doesn’t mean that the more expensive a game is, the more fun you’ll have though.

Ciaran recommends indie games at a lower price. He said: “Indie games are cheaper, but still give you fun, creative ways to play, often trying new ideas. You’d be surprised by how premium some of the titles can be - and you can bag them from anywhere from a few dollars to $30.

Use the Steam wishlist

Another great tip if you're a PC gamer is to use the Steam wishlist. When you wishlist games, you get email notifications when they go live, or even when they go on sale and can be bought for a bargain. Games can often be publicised long before they launch, and it’s easy to forget and regret. So for games coming out in 2024 like The Precinct and Voidwrought, you can hit the wishlist button and get reminded in future when they’re available.

Choose subscriptions

Game libraries services have also taken the world by storm. An alternative to buying individual games is to use subscription services. For example, the most basic versions of Xbox Game Pass and PlaystationPlus are available for a year for $74.99 (up from $59.99) and $79.99 respectively. For that once a month price, you get regular new games, plus access to a huge back library of games - and depending on your chosen plan you might be impressed by the big names or recent releases that are included.

Buy game bundles

Many platforms and publishers like Kwalee also offer bundles where you can buy similar games together for a reduced price than you’d pay individually. Charities and publishers like Humble also offer ‘pay what you want’ prices for video game bundles. This lets you pay what you can afford, but if you can help pay generously towards the development of a game, it’ll help developers and publishers stay in business and keep bringing you entertainment.

Fall back in love with pre-owned

Of course, some ways of saving money have been around for decades and are still as relevant as ever. Ciaran said: “You can pick up pre-owned games from physical stores for a discount and you wouldn’t ever know the distance. I give them as gifts and I’m not ashamed! The more people that get to play games the better.”

With plenty of choice, now is a great time to be a gamer and these useful tips can help you pick up a bargain and support indie game developers making great games on lower budgets.

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About Ciaran McCormick

Ciaran McCormick is the Senior Brand Manager at Kwalee, helping players and developers worldwide discover the fun games that the studio is making. He is a lifelong gamer and has been able to combine this passion with his marketing career.

About Kwalee

Kwalee is a multi-award-winning games publisher and developer based in Leamington Spa, UK, and has published a growing catalogue of PC and console titles including Eternal Hope, Scathe, Wildmender and ROBOBEAT along with upcoming titles The Precinct, The Spirit of the Samurai, Voidwrought, Hordes of Hunger and In Sink. 

Founded by games industry icon and Codemasters co-founder David Darling CBE, who leads a fast-growing team of global gaming experts with studios in the UK, India, China and Portugal along with remote team members all over the world, Kwalee is on the lookout for high-quality games to publish on all platforms and encourages developers to get in touch.

Officially recognised as 'Best Publisher' (Mobile Games Awards 2022) and 'Best Large Studio' (TIGA Awards 2021), Kwalee is also an ambassador of not-for-profit organisation Women in Games and a regular supporter of the charity SpecialEffect.