What are the best tools to track game price drops across Steam, Epic, and console stores?

Never Miss a Deal: Your Guide to Tracking Game Price Drops

For avid gamers, few things are as satisfying as snagging a highly anticipated title at a significant discount. However, with the sheer volume of games released and the constant fluctuation of prices across multiple digital storefronts like Steam, Epic Games, PlayStation Store, Xbox Marketplace, and Nintendo eShop, keeping track can feel like a full-time job. Thankfully, a variety of powerful tools exist to simplify this process, ensuring you never pay full price again.

Whether you’re building a massive PC library or hunting for console exclusives, knowing where and how to track price drops is key. Let’s explore the best resources available to help you find those irresistible deals.

PC Game Price Tracking: Steam, Epic, and Beyond

PC gaming offers a robust ecosystem of storefronts, each with its own sales events. To navigate this, dedicated tools are essential:

IsThereAnyDeal (ITAD)

Often considered the gold standard for PC game price tracking, IsThereAnyDeal aggregates prices from over 40 legitimate storefronts, including Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Humble Store, Fanatical, and more. It features an excellent wishlist system where you can set custom price alerts. ITAD also provides historical price charts, allowing you to see if a current deal is genuinely a good one or if the game has been cheaper in the past. It’s an indispensable tool for serious PC deal hunters.

Enhanced Store Wishlists (Steam, Epic Games)

Both Steam and Epic Games Store offer native wishlist functionalities that will notify you via email when a game on your list goes on sale. While not as comprehensive as third-party aggregators, they are simple to use for games you know you want from specific platforms.

PCGamingWiki

While not primarily a price tracker, PCGamingWiki often lists historical lowest prices and sometimes links to current deals. It’s more for research into game compatibility and fixes, but a useful secondary resource for price context.

Console Game Price Tracking: PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch

Console digital storefronts can be trickier due to their closed ecosystems, but several excellent services have emerged to tackle this challenge.

DekuDeals (Nintendo Switch)

For Nintendo Switch owners, DekuDeals is an absolute must-have. It meticulously tracks prices for both digital eShop titles and physical cartridge versions across various retailers. It offers robust wishlists, price drop alerts, and detailed historical price charts, making it easy to identify the best time to buy any Switch game.

PSDeals.net / platprices.com (PlayStation)

PSDeals.net (and similar sites like platprices.com) specialize in tracking PlayStation game prices across various regions. They provide historical data, alert systems for wishlisted games, and often include information on PS Plus discounts. These sites are invaluable for PlayStation fans looking to expand their library without breaking the bank.

XBDeals.com (Xbox)

Similar to PSDeals, XBDeals.com is the go-to resource for tracking Xbox game prices. It monitors the Xbox Marketplace for both Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S titles, offering wishlists, email alerts, and comprehensive historical price information. It’s perfect for ensuring you catch every major Xbox sale.

Multi-Platform Aggregators & General Tools

Some tools cast a wider net, covering both PC and console deals, or provide supplementary information.

CheapShark

CheapShark is a powerful aggregator that pulls deals from numerous PC storefronts and also includes a significant amount of console game deal data. Its strength lies in its ability to search across platforms and its API, which many other deal sites utilize. While its interface might be simpler than some dedicated trackers, its breadth of coverage is impressive.

CamelCamelCamel (for Physical Games)

While primarily for Amazon products, CamelCamelCamel is incredibly useful if you’re tracking physical copies of games. It provides detailed price history charts for Amazon listings, allowing you to see if a current physical game price is a good deal compared to its past. This can be particularly useful for console games where physical and digital prices often compete.

Community Deal Sites (e.g., Reddit’s r/GameDeals)

For up-to-the-minute, community-vetted deals, subreddits like r/GameDeals are fantastic. Users post deals as they go live, often providing context, reviews, and discussing the quality of the deal. While not a tracking tool in the traditional sense, it’s a valuable resource for finding deals discovered by fellow gamers.

Tips for Savvy Game Shopping

• Set Price Alerts: Almost all recommended tools allow you to set a target price for games. Use this feature to get notified immediately when a game hits your desired price point.
• Check Historical Lows: Always compare the current deal against the game’s all-time lowest price. This prevents buyer’s remorse and helps you identify truly exceptional sales.
• Be Patient: Most games will eventually go on sale. If you’re not in a hurry, waiting a few months after release can often yield significant savings.
• Consider Bundles: Keep an eye out for game bundles (e.g., Humble Bundle, Fanatical) which can offer incredible value for multiple titles.

Conclusion

Tracking game price drops across Steam, Epic, and console stores doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By leveraging dedicated tools like IsThereAnyDeal, DekuDeals, PSDeals, and XBDeals, alongside multi-platform aggregators like CheapShark, you can become a master of game deal hunting. Arm yourself with these resources, set your wishlists, and enjoy a constantly expanding game library without ever having to pay full price again!