Guest post by Chloe Boone
The growing inflation rates shouldn’t make your hobby break the bank. That’s not the point! After all, gaming is supposed to be a source of relaxation and not something to stress you out or worry you. The good news is that there are some simple ways to save money on video games without sacrificing the quality of your gaming experience. Another good news is that you can also make money while playing your favorite games. How does that work? That’s easy — you can become a booster or sell WoW gold on a popular website for gamers like WowVendor.
So let us help you a bit. As the cost of living is going up, we’ve compiled a list of tips and tricks that will help you save money on video games to make your favorite hobby as affordable as possible. So keep reading and reduce your expenses!
#1 — Free-To-Play Games
One of the easiest ways to save on video games is to go for free-to-play games. Luckily, there are more than plenty of options. So here are some ways to save money while playing free-to-play games:
- Stock up on free games — Free games are more prevalent than ever, especially on PC. Sony is currently giving away some games to make gamers stay at home. Pay-what-you-want bundles from Itch.io and Humble Bundle can offer free (or almost free) games on PC, usually from indie developers.
- Try free-to-play games — There are more than enough highly regarded games of different genres that won’t cost you a dime to play, including AAA titles such as Apex Legends, Dota 2, Fortnite, and Call of Duty: Warzone. Remember that most of them are multiplayer, so you’ll need a stable Internet connection to make the most of them.
- Grab free games when you can — Many subscription services allow you to claim games to keep, but there are a few places where you can grab a free game for absolutely no cost.
- Be mindful of games that are only free to some extent — Some free-to-play games, such as Destiny 2 and World of Warcraft, will only allow you to play the game up until a certain point before you are required to pay for a subscription or expansions in order to progress any further.
It is also recommended to avoid games designed to get you to pay later. Some free-to-play games are designed to get you to pay later. For example, Rocket League is infinite fun for £0, but World of Warcraft requires a subscription after you achieve a certain level.
#2 — Xbox Game Pass
Microsoft’s premium gaming subscription service Xbox Game Pass is frequently referred to as the “Netflix of games” for a good reason. You can join up for unlimited access to hundreds of titles, including the top space games like Mass Effect, Halo, Alien: Isolation, and Dead Space, for just £7.99 a month on both consoles and PCs. In case you’re the kind of person who enjoys toggling between different games, this service will undoubtedly provide value for your money. Nonetheless, this might not be as great of a deal as it sounds if you would rather focus on one game at a time.
#3 — Regular Sales in The Best Online Gaming Stores
Valve’s Steam store has deals many times a year that discount most titles sold on the site. While bargains on new gaming products are typically scarce, you can expect to get insane discounts of up to 90% on a variety of well-known PC games. The sale dates vary, but Steam always attempts to host sales at the same time of year. The winter sale, for example, takes place over Christmas, with supplementary summer and fall sales taking place in June/July and October/November, respectively.
If you have a console, you can also benefit from seasonal discounts around key holidays. The Xbox and PlayStation digital stores frequently provide discounts as well; however, these aren’t always as substantial as promotions on Steam. For example, at the time of writing (November 2023), PlayStation is offering a staggering 70% off the popular game Assassin’s Creed® Unity for £7.31 instead of £24.39 (regular price).
#4 — Swap Games
This cost-cutting trick may appear archaic. But if you’re a console gamer with a collection of physical copies of games you no longer need, consider setting up an exchange system with your buddies. Swapping games can be tricky logistically, as you will need a willing companion who has the same console as you. There are, however, established services and close-knit online groups that will help you with trading.
#5 — Monthly PlayStation Plus Free Games
Many PS5 and PS4 owners know what PlayStation Plus is. While the premium service mainly exists to give players access to online multiplayer features, it also provides three to five free games each month. The catch is that you must have an up-to-date PS Plus subscription that costs £6.99 per month in order to “unlock” the free games.
Let’s Wrap up!
Gaming is not always an expensive hobby. There are many tricks that will help you reduce your gaming expenses to the maximum. Free-to-play games, game swapping, and Xbox Game Pass subscription are just some of the ways to keep your favorite hobby as budget-friendly as possible.
