What are the best tools to track PC & console game price drops & find active discount codes?

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

In the vast and ever-expanding world of video games, prices can fluctuate dramatically. Savvy gamers know that patience often pays off, leading to significant savings on highly anticipated titles. Whether you’re a PC enthusiast or a console loyalist, a suite of powerful tools exists to help you track price drops, identify historical lows, and even unearth active discount codes. This guide will walk you through the most effective resources to ensure your gaming library grows without breaking the bank.

Dedicated PC Game Price Trackers

PC gaming often boasts the most competitive pricing thanks to a multitude of digital storefronts. Several platforms specialize in aggregating deals from Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Humble Bundle, and more.

• IsThereAnyDeal (ITAD): Often considered the gold standard, ITAD aggregates prices from over 40 authorized PC game stores. You can create wishlists, set price alerts, view historical price charts, and discover bundles. It’s an indispensable tool for any serious PC gamer.
• SteamDB: While primarily focused on Steam, SteamDB provides extensive data, including historical low prices, ongoing sales, and even predictions for upcoming sales events. It’s excellent for deep dives into Steam’s vast catalog.
• GG.deals: Similar to ITAD, GG.deals tracks prices across numerous PC stores, offering price history, alerts, and a clean interface. It’s a strong alternative or complementary tool to ITAD.

Console Game Deal Trackers

Console digital storefronts (PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop) have their own unique sales cycles, but third-party retailers and dedicated trackers can help you find physical and digital deals.

• PSDeals / Deku Deals / Xbox Store Checker: These sites are specifically tailored for PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox games, respectively. They track prices across their respective digital storefronts and often physical retailers, providing price history, wishlists, and email alerts for specific titles.
• Retailer-Specific Apps & Newsletters: Major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and Walmart frequently have sales on console games. Signing up for their newsletters or using their mobile apps can keep you informed about current discounts.

Multi-Platform Aggregators & Historical Data

Some tools cast a wider net, covering both PC and console titles, and provide crucial historical data to help you decide if a current deal is truly a good one.

• CheapShark: A popular aggregator that covers PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo games from various digital and physical retailers. It’s great for quickly comparing prices across platforms and stores. CheapShark also offers price history and email alerts.
• CamelCamelCamel (for Amazon): While not gaming-specific, this tool tracks the price history of millions of products on Amazon, including physical games and accessories. It’s invaluable for determining if an Amazon deal is a genuine discount or a frequent sale price.

Finding Active Discount Codes & Coupons

Beyond direct price drops, active discount codes can often stack on top of sales, providing even deeper savings. Here’s how to find them:

• Browser Extensions (Honey, Rakuten, RetailMeNot Deal Finder): These extensions automatically search for and apply coupon codes at checkout when you’re shopping online. They can be incredibly effective for finding discounts on games or accessories from various retailers.
• Dedicated Coupon Sites (RetailMeNot, Coupons.com, Slickdeals): These websites host a vast database of coupon codes submitted by users and staff. Always check these sites before making a purchase, especially from less common game retailers.
• Publisher & Retailer Newsletters: Many game publishers (e.g., Ubisoft, EA) and digital storefronts (e.g., Fanatical, Green Man Gaming) send out exclusive discount codes to their newsletter subscribers.
• Gaming Subreddits & Forums: Communities like r/GameDeals or platform-specific subreddits are excellent for finding user-submitted deals and coupon codes, often with discussions about their validity.

Tips for Savvy Game Shoppers

• Set Price Alerts: Almost all tracking tools mentioned offer email alerts. Use them! Add games to your wishlist and get notified instantly when they hit your target price.
• Check Historical Lows: Don’t just jump on a sale. Use price history charts to see if the current discount is truly the lowest the game has ever been.
• Be Patient: Most games, especially single-player titles, will eventually see significant price drops within months of release.
• Consider Bundles: Websites like Humble Bundle and Fanatical frequently offer game bundles that provide excellent value, often for charity.
• Factor in DRM & Platform: Always double-check what platform and Digital Rights Management (DRM) a key is for before purchasing, especially from third-party sellers.

Conclusion

Tracking game price drops and finding discount codes doesn’t have to be a chore. By leveraging a combination of dedicated tracking websites, browser extensions, and active community participation, you can significantly reduce the cost of your gaming hobby. With these tools in your arsenal, you’re well-equipped to build an impressive game library without ever paying full price again.