Best strategy to find lowest price PC & console game deals/codes fast?
Finding the absolute lowest price for PC and console games can feel like a daunting task in a market saturated with various storefronts, key resellers, and constantly changing sales. However, with the right approach and tools, you can swiftly identify the best deals and secure those coveted game codes or digital purchases without overpaying. This guide will outline a robust strategy to become a master deal hunter.
Leveraging Price Comparison Sites and Aggregators
The cornerstone of any effective deal-hunting strategy is the use of dedicated price comparison websites and deal aggregators. These platforms do the heavy lifting for you, scanning numerous digital storefronts, legitimate key resellers, and even physical retailers (if applicable) to present you with a comprehensive list of current prices.
Popular choices include:
- IsThereAnyDeal: Excellent for PC games, it tracks prices across most major digital storefronts and even predicts future sales.
- CheapShark: Another great option for PC, it aggregates deals from a wide array of official retailers.
- DekuDeals (for Nintendo Switch), PS Deals, XB Deals: These platforms specialize in console digital storefronts, providing price history, sales alerts, and regional pricing information.
Subscribing to Newsletters and Following Deal Accounts
Many gaming retailers, platforms, and deal-focused websites offer newsletters that alert subscribers to flash sales, exclusive discounts, or upcoming promotions. Signing up for these can provide timely notifications directly to your inbox. Similarly, following dedicated deal accounts on social media platforms like Twitter (e.g., Wario64, CheapAssGamer) or joining specific subreddits (e.g., r/GameDeals, r/consoledeals) can give you real-time updates as soon as deals go live. These communities are often the first to spot and share significant price drops.
Utilizing Browser Extensions and Price Trackers
For an even more integrated approach, consider using browser extensions that automatically track price history and alert you to sales directly on store pages. Extensions like Enhanced Steam (for Steam users) or general price trackers can display historical pricing data, helping you determine if a current deal is truly a good one or if the game has been cheaper in the past. Some also offer wish-list integration with price drop notifications.
Harnessing Official Store Sales and Bundles
Don’t overlook the major seasonal sales events from official platforms. Steam’s Summer/Winter Sales, PlayStation Store’s Days of Play, Xbox’s Black Friday sales, and Nintendo eShop’s various promotions are predictable opportunities for massive discounts. Keeping an eye on their announcements or setting up alerts for specific games on your wishlist within these stores can be highly effective. Additionally, explore game bundles from sites like Humble Bundle or Fanatical, which often offer multiple games at incredibly low prices, sometimes including highly sought-after titles.
Exploring Legitimate Key Resellers (with caution)
While price comparison sites often include them, it’s worth highlighting legitimate key resellers like Green Man Gaming, Fanatical, or Indiegala. These sites acquire keys directly from publishers and often run their own promotions, sometimes beating the prices of official storefronts. Always ensure you are using reputable sites that are authorized resellers to avoid issues with invalid keys or grey market practices.
Conclusion
By combining the power of price comparison tools, active community engagement, smart alerts, and an awareness of major sales events, you can dramatically cut down the time it takes to find the lowest price for PC and console games. Develop a routine of checking your preferred aggregators, subscribing to relevant alerts, and leveraging browser extensions, and you’ll be well on your way to building your game library without breaking the bank.
