How to get notified instantly about new game deals for your wishlist?

Never Miss a Discount: Your Guide to Instant Game Deal Notifications

For avid gamers, the thrill of discovering a beloved title on sale is unmatched. The only thing worse than paying full price is missing out on a significant discount for a game you’ve been eyeing. Fortunately, with the right tools and strategies, you can ensure you’re instantly alerted the moment your wishlist games hit a new low price. Gone are the days of constant refreshing; welcome to the era of smart, automated deal hunting.

Leveraging Native Platform Wishlists: Your First Line of Defense

Most major gaming platforms offer built-in wishlist functionality that can send you email notifications when a game you’ve marked goes on sale. While not always instant, these are a crucial starting point:

• Steam: The undisputed king of PC gaming features a robust wishlist system. Simply add games, and Steam will email you when they go on sale, often for major seasonal events or publisher-specific promotions.
• Epic Games Store: Similar to Steam, Epic allows you to wishlist games and receive email alerts when they’re discounted.
• PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop: Console digital storefronts also provide wishlist features, sending notifications directly to your associated email address when prices drop.

While convenient, these native systems typically only notify you about sales on their specific platform. For comprehensive coverage, you’ll need to look further.

Unlocking Advanced Tracking with Third-Party Aggregators

This is where the real power of instant notifications lies. Websites dedicated to tracking game prices across dozens of storefronts can alert you regardless of where the deal is happening. They often offer advanced features like price history and custom thresholds.

IsThereAnyDeal.com: The Gold Standard

Considered one of the best resources for PC game deals, IsThereAnyDeal (ITAD) tracks prices from almost every reputable digital retailer (Steam, Epic, GOG, Humble Store, Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, and many more). Here’s how to maximize its potential:

1. Import Your Wishlists: You can directly import your wishlists from Steam, GOG, Epic, and other platforms, consolidating all your desired games in one place.
2. Set Up Email Alerts: For each game on your ITAD list, you can set an email notification for a percentage discount (e.g., 50% off) or a specific price point.
3. Browser Push Notifications: Even better, ITAD allows you to enable browser push notifications, delivering alerts instantly to your desktop or mobile device the moment a deal goes live.
4. Historical Lows: ITAD displays price history, helping you determine if a current sale is truly a good deal or if you should wait for a lower price.

Other Noteworthy Aggregators

• GG.deals: A fantastic alternative to ITAD, offering a similar set of features including price comparison, email alerts, and detailed price history. It also covers some console deals.
• CheapShark.com: A straightforward price comparison site that focuses on PC deals. While it lacks some of the advanced wishlist management of ITAD, it’s excellent for quick price checks and has an API for developers.

Leveraging Browser Extensions for Real-time Alerts

Several browser extensions can enhance your deal-hunting experience, often working in conjunction with deal aggregators or directly on storefronts:

• IsThereAnyDeal Browser Extension: Directly integrates with the ITAD website, providing quick access to price history and deal alerts while you’re browsing game pages on various storefronts.
• Specific Store Enhancers (e.g., Augmented Steam): Extensions designed for platforms like Steam often add price history graphs directly to game pages and can highlight if a game is cheaper elsewhere.

These extensions provide immediate context and alerts right where you’re shopping, minimizing the chance of missing a flash sale.

Beyond Email: Push Notifications and RSS Feeds

For truly instant alerts, move beyond traditional email:

• Browser Push Notifications: As mentioned with IsThereAnyDeal and GG.deals, enabling browser push notifications is the closest you’ll get to real-time alerts without constantly checking. These pop up on your screen like any other system notification.
• RSS Feeds: For the tech-savvy, many deal sites (including some aggregators) offer RSS feeds for deals. By subscribing to these feeds with an RSS reader, you can receive updates almost instantly as new deals are posted.

Maximizing Your Deal Hunting: Pro Tips

• Set Realistic Price Thresholds: Don’t wait for a game to be 90% off if you’re happy with 50%. Adjust your notification settings to reflect what you’re willing to pay.
• Combine Methods: Use your platform’s native wishlist for basic alerts and a third-party aggregator with push notifications for comprehensive, instant coverage.
• Check Reputable Sources: Always buy from official and licensed digital storefronts linked by the aggregators to avoid gray market keys.
• Act Fast on Flash Sales: Some of the best deals, especially during major sales events, are flash sales that last only a few hours. Instant notifications are crucial here.

Conclusion: Smart Shopping for Gamers

Gone are the days of endlessly scouring multiple storefronts or missing out on the perfect deal. By strategically using platform wishlists, powerful third-party aggregators, browser extensions, and instant notification methods like push alerts, you can transform your game acquisition process. Set up your systems today, and let the deals come to you, ensuring your gaming library grows without breaking the bank.