Best tools to check if a digital game deal is a historical low price?

Never Overpay: The Quest for Historical Low Game Prices

In the vast and ever-evolving landscape of digital game storefronts, sales and discounts are a constant. While a flashing ‘75% off!’ sign might seem irresistible, seasoned gamers know that not all deals are created equal. The real challenge lies in discerning whether a current offer is merely a good price or a bonafide historical low – the cheapest the game has ever been. Knowing this can save you significant money and prevent buyer’s remorse when an even better deal appears just weeks later.

Fortunately, a suite of powerful tools has emerged to empower consumers, providing detailed price history and tracking across various platforms. Let’s explore the best resources to ensure you’re always snagging the absolute best deal.

Multi-Platform Price Trackers: Your Central Hub for PC Deals

IsThereAnyDeal (ITAD)

For PC gamers, IsThereAnyDeal is often considered the gold standard. ITAD aggregates prices from a multitude of authorized digital storefronts – including Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Humble Store, Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, and many more. Its key features include:

• Historical Low Price Display: Clearly shows the game’s all-time lowest price and the date it occurred.
• Price History Graph: Visualizes price fluctuations over time, allowing you to spot trends.
• Bundle Information: Tracks when a game has been part of a bundle, often indicating even deeper discounts.
• Wishlist & Alerts: Set up email alerts for price drops on games you’re watching, including when they hit a new historical low.
• DRM Information: Provides details on the digital rights management (DRM) used for each game.

ITAD is incredibly comprehensive and user-friendly, making it an indispensable tool for PC gaming deal hunters.

Console-Specific Trackers: PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo

While multi-platform sites like ITAD primarily focus on PC, console gamers have dedicated resources to monitor prices:

PSDeals, XboxDeals, and Nintendo eShop Discounts

• PSDeals.net: Focuses on PlayStation Store deals across various regions. It offers price history, allows you to track specific games, and highlights historical low prices for PS4 and PS5 titles.
• XboxDeals.net: Similar to PSDeals, this site tracks sales on the Xbox Store, providing price history and low price alerts for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S games.
• DekuDeals (for Nintendo Switch): DekuDeals is an excellent resource for Nintendo Switch games, tracking both eShop and physical retailer prices. It provides comprehensive price history, allows users to set up wishlists, and clearly indicates historical low prices for digital Switch titles.

These sites are vital for console owners to avoid missing out on the best digital discounts.

Platform-Specific Tools: Digging Deeper into Storefronts

SteamDB

For Steam users, SteamDB is an invaluable companion. While ITAD links to Steam, SteamDB provides even more granular data directly from Valve’s platform. Beyond just price history, SteamDB offers:

• Detailed Price Graphs: Very precise graphs showing every price change, including temporary discounts.
• Regional Pricing: Helps understand how prices vary across different Steam regions.
• Bundle & Package History: Information on bundles the game has been part of.
• Player Count Data: Interesting for seeing game popularity trends alongside price.

SteamDB is particularly useful for scrutinizing Steam sales and ensuring you’re getting the best possible deal directly from the source.

Epic Games Store, GOG, and Others

While not as robust as SteamDB, many individual storefronts or third-party sites offer some level of price tracking or sale aggregation for their specific ecosystems:

• Epic Games Store: While Epic’s own store doesn’t have a direct price history feature, ITAD often tracks its deals, and dedicated communities (like r/GameDeals) frequently highlight Epic’s free games and historical low sales.
• GOG.com: GOG also features regularly on ITAD, and their frequent sales are well-documented by deal tracking sites.

Tips for Smart Deal Hunting

Armed with these tools, you’re ready to become a master deal hunter. Here are some extra tips:

• Use Wishlists and Price Alerts: Almost all these tools allow you to add games to a wishlist and receive notifications when they drop to a desired price or a historical low. This is the most efficient way to track games you genuinely want.
• Be Patient: Unless a game is brand new and you simply can’t wait, patience often pays off. Most games will eventually see significant discounts, and often multiple historical lows over their lifespan.
• Check Multiple Sources: Always cross-reference. If you see a deal on one site, quickly check ITAD (or the console equivalent) to confirm its historical standing.
• Consider Bundles: Sometimes, the best way to get a historical low on a game is when it’s part of a larger bundle, even if you only want one title from it.

Conclusion: Your Wallet Will Thank You

Gone are the days of guessing whether a game deal is truly good. With the sophisticated price tracking and historical data provided by tools like IsThereAnyDeal, SteamDB, PSDeals, DekuDeals, and others, you have all the information you need at your fingertips. By integrating these resources into your game purchasing habits, you’ll ensure that every digital game you add to your library is acquired at its absolute best price, maximizing your savings and your gaming pleasure.