5 ways to avoid paying full price for games

by Blake Snow { Nov 2nd 2006 at 3:15PM }

With game prices going up, Modojo examines 5 ways to avoid paying full price on games. They are in summary:

Wait for price drops
Go shopping online
Use a Best Buy gift card
Buy used games
Check the Cheap Ass Gamer forums

Hit the read link for full descriptions especially for number three's clever $5 off. Considering the upcoming holiday onslaught of new games, what are some of your favorite tactics to stay thrifty?

[Thanks, John]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

@ Nov 2nd 2006 3:20PM

You forgot emulators and ROMS, for retro stuff anyways.. people paying 8 bucks to play SMW are getting ripped off.

ShockWave @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:23PM

6. Download the games from torrents.

7. Mod the console like Xbox360 and copy the games on DVD9 discs.

Patrick @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:24PM

Half.Com is usually a good way to find cheap games, or just wait it out for the greatest hits version.
Sometimes, you just can't wait though! aka TP

ElChino @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:27PM

I hate the moderators at Cheap Ass Gamer. They ban people just for having an opinion that conflicts with theirs. Every thread that defends the PS3 is deleted even if posted in the PS3 section. Any thread that bashes the Wii is also deleted even if posted in the Wii section. Not to mention the majority of people that post on the website are immature teenagers that like to flame people they don't argee with instead of having a normal discussion like adults would.

Agent MOO @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:27PM

Gamefly! On my XBOX 360 I've saved $900 over the 9 months I've been using it. You can "keep" the game you've rented for a discounted price, they send you the box and manual.

Enzo @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:28PM

"You forgot emulators and ROMS, for retro stuff anyways.. people paying 8 bucks to play SMW are getting ripped off."
This is one of the most ignorant posts I've ever read.
Pay less for your games by stealing them!

pandlcg @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:28PM

right now you can get $10 off and purchase over $30 at buy.com.... i think it's around for another week. I used it on my double agent purchase, although i'm not sure if you can use it one preorders.

Either way it helps bring down the $60 price tage to the $50 level it should be at.

John @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:30PM

Rent them from gamefly or gameznflix, who would that not be considered an option?

Martin @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:31PM

Gamefly,

FFXII arrived the day after its release.

GunForHire @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:31PM

Get a job at a games retailer. Works for me! Without my 30% discount I'd be totally screwed with the number of 360 games I buy...

@ Nov 2nd 2006 3:35PM

"This is one of the most ignorant posts I've ever read.
Pay less for your games by stealing them!"

I beleive "...ways to avoid paying full price..." encompasses FREE, no?

Also, there are those 500-games-in-1 controller consoles that they sell in the grey market; theres a stall in my local mall that sells a NES version of that with 200 games preloaded.

crono141 @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:38PM

Sounds like a "cease and desist" waiting to happen.

randomengine @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:39PM

Gamefly

Sami @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:40PM

I import. Wherever the deal's the best, that's where I buy, and often it's US stores. You Americans have really cheap prices for games.

@ Nov 2nd 2006 3:41PM

Lik-Sang .. oh, never mind.

Enzo @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:47PM

"I beleive "...ways to avoid paying full price..." encompasses FREE, no?"

No, no it doesn't. It's obvious that this article is not about pirating games or else step 1 would have been "PIRATE YOUR GAMES"
Jesus.

Ben Hollis @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:50PM

I buy all my used games off Amazon Marketplace now... games tend to drop to their "true value" pretty quickly. I just bought Chromehounds for $20 used, while the retail price is still $57.

@ Nov 2nd 2006 3:53PM

http://www.everyvideogame.com/

.. just to tick off Enzo ;- )

Paolo Augello @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:53PM

Well here in Canada, we got blitzed with 360 specials. First we had a deal on Splinter Cell:DA, from Best Buy...buy the game and get a free 13 month Live subscription. Then in Canada only again, BlockBuster Video had a "Trade in 2 Get a Pre-order free" so I went out and bought several USED, NHL 2k6's and Tomb Raiders for 14.99 and did the deal on GoW, CoD3 and R6: Vegas...in the end I got 4 NEW games (3 pre-orders) for 114.00. I forgot to mention that I sold my 13 month Live subscription...now how's that for buying CHEAP!

unimental @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:55PM

Don't forget that emulation isn't stealing if you own the cartridge itself. Super Mario World can be had for under $5 at most used game retailers, so you can still emulate legally for less than the cost of the Virtual Console price.

K-man @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:55PM

I buy my games from Costco. They are usually like $10 cheaper and sometimes they come out a week early to.

For Example I picked up Elite Beat Agents Monday, one week before the official release date. For DS fans here's a video of it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irTk0MO0T5s

Awesome-Q @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:01PM

People who download torrents are losers.
Get a life douche bag, I hope your PC catches the AIDS virus.

mnugghuhx @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:06PM

gamefly is sweet. they have good deals. Anybody ever go to costco? I got madden 07 for X360 a day after it came out for 51 dollars. They have pretty much all games 7-10 off, its pretty sweet.

Borat @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:07PM

Cheap Ass Gamer is awesome if you want to trade/sell/buy. Plus you can find the best deals really quickly.

Gamefly used to offer a lot of used games in excellent condition cheap, but their inventory has been really low for a while.

Gamestop's Buy 2 used get one free deal is also pretty good, although I hate that store.

LordMinogue @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:11PM

For $70 I bought into a Microsoft employee discount account. Got 3 wireless controllers + wireless card + remote + batteries + VGA adapter + 14 inch LCD + access to 1st party games for half off (this caused me to buy a bunch of stuff I normally wouldnt buy, but I can play games in 1080p before Sony fans ^_^).

I rent single player games / borrow from friends.

Bought: Oblivion
Borrowed: Dead Rising + Crome Hounds
Rented: Prey + Splinter Cell DA
Demoed: Lost Planet + Need for Speed

bobartig @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:12PM

Get a job in the gaming industry, preferably for a company whose games you like.

DWells55 @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:17PM

I usually hold off on any game I know I'm not going to play a lot or want to pick up in the future. I usually purchase games if there is a strong online component and I know there a lot of my friends also purchasing the game. For some games I get sucked into the whole pre-order thing, I just put $25 down on the "Legendary" Halo 3 edition.

-D. Wells
Join me in boycotting EA's spyware and if you'd like, their games altogether: http://www.petitiononline.com/bf2142ad/petition.html

tugboat @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:20PM

I almost always buy my games used. Outside of a few games that I felt compelled to buy new, (Halo 2, San Andreas, GT3/4, Metroid) I rarely end up spending more than $20 on a game. A game is a game for me, and I'll enjoy it even more if I can get it for less. I also do the same with game consoles, I generally wait until they hit the sub $200 mark before I consider making an investment.

Aaron @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:26PM

i got ff12 for $37 after a rollback at walmart, the price tag even said $50. how awesome is that?

Brian @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:37PM

lol @ #18. I remember when "knowing how to find warez" was the coolest thing ever. Here are some other things that were cool that year:

Ace of Base
Hootie & the Blowfish
Doom II
Se7en

FTP sites and BBSes were kind of a pain, but at least they had ASCII porn. Anyway, these days, it's hard NOT to find pirated software out there. Thanks for the link though, it was super helpful.

PS: for the older crowd, yes I do realize that software swapping was popular far before that particular year, but the beginning of 'net was a pretty fun sexy time for me.

polly @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:53PM

@ ElChino #4

That's because nobody at CAG cares which company you think will win the next gen console war. The site is for gaming deals so quit trying to bring your drama to one of the few untainted communities left.

And what's up with Joystiq posting all the game deals lately? Stick to the news guys.

Psaakyrn @ Nov 2nd 2006 5:11PM

3 others:
Work at a games retail store. Then use the employee benifits to get goods cheap.
Import. Though it might be harder for Sony games now.
Share. Buy with others. Unless it's FFXI, which then you're 100% screwed. (other MMOs doesn't have as bad a character policy as FFXI, even if you can't play at the same time)

Alex Shaffer @ Nov 2nd 2006 5:33PM

Gamefly rots if you want Xbox 360 titles and/or live on the East Coast. They have very little stock, and it takes ages to get the stuff they do have.

DeadPlasmaCell @ Nov 2nd 2006 5:37PM

Gamefly for me.. I live in TX and get games within 3 days of the release. And if I want to keep the game I just click the "keep it" button and pay the "used" price for it. Usually $15+ off of retail.

Ilaylowfoshow @ Nov 2nd 2006 5:37PM

Should have done what i did...

FYE had a trade in any 2 360'games and get 1 free..

Traded in: Burnout,Madden'06, NBA 2K6,Table Tennis, Top Spin 2 and GRAW

Recieved Godfather, Tiger Woods and Splinter Cell Limited Edition....being I already have those games..they won't be opened, reciept is kept..and they will be returned for FEAR, Rainbow Six and Call of Duty 3 (Already have GOW paid for) ,LOL

crono141 @ Nov 2nd 2006 5:47PM

WTF polly.

As a gamer, I'd LOVE to know where to get good deals. This is NEWS to me, and totally relevant.

Xuse @ Nov 2nd 2006 5:48PM

I work for a game company so I get my games for free.

If this isn't an option then move near a Fry's. They sell new releases for 5 to 15 dollars off every week!

32_Footsteps @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:03PM

Okay, that Best Buy tip is awesome. I preordered Guitar Hero 2 there (it came with a free t-shirt) - I'll test this out when I go to pick up the game (worst case scenario, I'll just pay what I would've paid anyhow).

steve @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:03PM

to get older games
then go with emuparadise.org to find ROMs
i still play super smash bros for the n64 over the internet over Kaillera
o and Bittorrent is a good way to get games too

Psaakyrn @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:16PM

Irregardless of your percieved social values, piracy is still illegal, and so is using downloaded roms even if you own the original.

a) You are given permission to duplicate your original, NOT to play other people's duplicates. If your original is messed up before you duplicate them, it's YOUR fault, and thus does not entitle you to play other people's duplicates.

b) It is NOT the seller's responsibility to give you options to duplicate (even if it is their responsibility to not prevent you from doing so, but cartridges are NOT legitimate proof of prevention), and thus if you can't duplicate, it's NOT their fault and they are NOT legally liable to give you a duplicate copy. Thus your enternally accessed duplicates ARE illegal.

If however you use speciallized hardware to copy the images from your carts to your computer, that's perfectly legal. But I'm sure that's not what you're talking about here.

Jeremy @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:20PM

buy at gamestop or hastings on the cheap then return to wal-mart in new packageing and claim it was a gift get gift card for full price and get the game you want

Jon @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:43PM

ElChino, I'm surprised to hear of your dislike for Cheapassgamer's forum. I've found the community to be more welcoming than your average community. But oh well, can't please everyone.

PeteL @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:36PM

I've been finding good deals online. I've been able to snag a few new releases from outpost.com (Fry's) for $48, no tax, free shipping. And buy.com since I picked up their credit card sends me coupons, usually for $10 off $50. I got Saints Row for $45 and Oblivion for $37 (that time I had a $20 off $50) right when they came out. I have GOW pre-orderd for $46 shipped from family video.com (Code NEWMEM96 got $5 off).

Reeve @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:56PM

ElChino: You must be visiting a different CAG than me. The CAG forums are one of the best (and most mature) of the big gaming boards I've ever been a member of.

As for where I go for deals, nowadays I always check CAG first. However, recently I've been finding some great deals via Amazon's Marketplace sellers.

Xavier Gill @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:25PM

"This is one of the most ignorant posts I've ever read.
Pay less for your games by stealing them!"

FFS, Copyright Infringment IS NOT theft!

Petrie @ Nov 2nd 2006 10:11PM

It really amuses me that quite frankly, number 5 encompasses the rest of the steps quite well.

refinedsugar @ Nov 2nd 2006 10:40PM

The one thing you don't want to listen to (I know I didn't for a time) is common sense. Keep your gaming purchases realistic. Spend what you can afford and more importantly only buy what you have time for. Buy one game at a time, play it, finish it and get another one. It works out much better than buying 2-6 new games at full retail price only to watch them collect dust as their value drops off. You'll save yourself some green and headaches down the road.

polly @ Nov 2nd 2006 11:10PM

@ crono141

If you're searching Joystiq for the latest gaming deals then you are late to the game. As a true "gamer" looking for great deals you should have been already aware of cheapassgamer. Type in "cheap games" in a google search and see what the first link is. CAG has been an excellent source on deals for a long time now. If you're new here then I highly suggest making that site your first stop for them.

The point is Joystiq has lately been reposting what most already knew. I come to Joystiq for the latest industry news. If I'm looking for cheap games, sorry, but that role has already been filled.

CAG FTW.