Missed a game deal? How to set up alerts for future game price drops?
Never Miss a Discount Again: The Power of Price Drop Alerts
There’s nothing quite as frustrating for a gamer as seeing a fantastic deal on a title you’ve been eyeing, only to realize you’ve missed it by a day or two. The world of video game pricing is dynamic, with sales, flash deals, and seasonal discounts constantly fluctuating across various platforms and storefronts. While it might seem like a game of chance, smart gamers know that staying ahead of price drops is less about luck and more about strategic planning. This guide will walk you through the best ways to set up alerts, ensuring you’re always in the loop when your desired games hit their lowest prices.
Why Price Tracking is Your Best Friend
In a market saturated with thousands of games and numerous digital storefronts (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, Nintendo eShop, and more), manually checking prices is an impossible task. Price tracking tools and alert systems automate this process for you. They monitor pricing across multiple retailers and notify you the moment a game on your wishlist drops to a specific price or enters a sale. This not only saves you money but also time and the heartache of missed opportunities.
Top Tools and Methods for Price Drop Alerts
1. Dedicated Game Deal Websites & Apps
These platforms specialize in aggregating game prices from various digital storefronts and often provide historical price data, helping you make informed purchasing decisions. Many also offer robust alert systems.
- IsThereAnyDeal (ITAD): A comprehensive platform that tracks prices across dozens of PC game stores. You can create a waitlist for games and receive email notifications when they go on sale or drop below a certain price point.
- CheapShark: Focuses specifically on PC game deals, allowing users to set up email alerts for specific games or filter by discount percentage.
- GG.deals: Similar to ITAD, it covers PC game deals from many stores, offering price history, DRM information, and a powerful notification system for wishlist items.
- DekuDeals: The go-to site for Nintendo Switch deals, tracking prices across the eShop and physical retailers. It has an excellent alert system for wishlist items.
2. Platform-Specific Wishlists and Notifications
Most major digital storefronts now offer their own wishlist features, which can often be configured to send you notifications when items go on sale.
- Steam Wishlist: Add games to your Steam wishlist, and you’ll typically receive an email when they go on sale.
- PlayStation Store Wishlist: Similar functionality, notifying you of price drops on wishlisted titles.
- Xbox Store Wishlist: Allows you to track games and receive alerts when sales occur.
- Nintendo eShop: While the eShop itself is less robust with direct notifications, using a third-party site like DekuDeals (mentioned above) in conjunction with your eShop wishlist is highly effective.
3. Browser Extensions
Some browser extensions can augment your deal-hunting efforts by overlaying price data directly onto store pages or offering their own alert systems.
- Augmented Steam: A popular extension that adds price history, package info, and more directly to Steam store pages, often linking to ITAD for alerts.
- Honey/Camelcamelcamel (for physical games): While primarily for general shopping, these can sometimes track physical game prices on major retailers like Amazon, though less specialized for digital game deals.
4. Setting Up Your Alerts: A Step-by-Step Guide
Regardless of the tool you choose, the general process for setting up price drop alerts is similar:
- Choose Your Preferred Platform/Tool: Select one or more of the services mentioned above based on your primary gaming platform(s) and preferences.
- Create an Account and Log In: Most services require an account to save wishlists and send notifications.
- Build Your Wishlist/Watchlist: Search for the games you’re interested in and add them to your personal list.
- Configure Notification Preferences: This is crucial. Specify whether you want email alerts, browser push notifications, or in-app notifications. Many services allow you to set a specific price threshold (e.g., “notify me only when it drops below $20” or “when it’s 50% off”).
- Sit Back and Wait: Once configured, the system will do the work for you. You’ll receive a notification when your desired game hits your target price or goes on sale.
Maximizing Your Savings with Smart Strategies
- Patience is Key: Not every game will hit your target price immediately. Some popular titles might take a year or two post-launch to see significant discounts.
- Check Price History: Tools like ITAD and GG.deals show historical low prices. This helps you gauge whether a current deal is genuinely good or if it tends to drop even lower.
- Consider Bundles: Sometimes, games are part of bundles that offer incredible value. Keep an eye on sites like Humble Bundle or Fanatical.
- Look Beyond Your Primary Store: While you might prefer Steam, a game might be significantly cheaper on GOG or the Epic Games Store, especially with their periodic coupon offerings.
Never Miss a Deal Again
Missing out on a great game deal can be disappointing, but with the array of tools and strategies available today, it doesn’t have to be a recurring problem. By investing a little time upfront to set up price drop alerts, you can transform your game purchasing from a reactive scramble to a proactive, money-saving endeavor. Happy gaming, and happy saving!
