What price tracking tools reveal the best game deals on PC & console?

In the vast and ever-expanding world of video games, finding a great deal can feel like a game in itself. With new titles launching constantly and digital storefronts offering frequent sales, keeping track of price drops for your wishlist can be overwhelming. Fortunately, a suite of dedicated price tracking tools has emerged to help gamers save money and grab titles at their lowest historical prices.

The Power of Price Tracking: Never Miss a Sale

Price tracking tools are essential for any savvy gamer. They monitor prices across numerous digital and sometimes physical storefronts, alerting you when a game on your wishlist hits a desired price point. This not only saves you money but also time, as you don’t have to manually check multiple sites daily. These tools often provide historical price data, allowing you to see if a current sale is truly a good deal or if a better price might be just around the corner.

Top PC Game Price Trackers

PC gaming boasts a competitive landscape of digital storefronts including Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Humble Store, and many others. This fragmentation makes price tracking even more vital:

• IsThereAnyDeal (ITAD)

  ITAD is arguably the gold standard for PC game deal aggregation. It tracks prices across dozens of official storefronts, historical lows, and even bundles. Users can create wishlists, set up email alerts for price drops, and compare prices at a glance. It’s incredibly comprehensive and essential for anyone serious about saving on PC games.

• GG.deals

  Similar to ITAD, GG.deals provides extensive price comparison, historical data, and deal alerts for PC games. It also integrates user reviews and information about game bundles, making it a powerful all-in-one resource for PC gamers looking for value.

• SteamDB / Enhanced Steam (Browser Extensions)

  While not standalone trackers, browser extensions like Enhanced Steam (or simply checking SteamDB) add price history and region-specific lowest prices directly to Steam store pages. This is invaluable for quickly verifying if a Steam sale price is genuinely good.

Essential Console Game Deal Trackers

Console gaming also benefits immensely from price tracking, especially with digital sales on PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop:

• DekuDeals (Nintendo Switch Focus)

  For Nintendo Switch owners, DekuDeals is an indispensable resource. It tracks both digital eShop sales and physical game prices from major retailers. Its robust wishlist and alert system, coupled with historical price charts, makes it easy to bag those first-party Nintendo titles at a discount.

• PSDeals / XB Deals (PlayStation & Xbox)

  These sites are excellent for PlayStation and Xbox gamers, respectively. They aggregate deals from their corresponding digital storefronts, provide price history, and allow users to set up alerts for specific games or series. They are tailor-made for navigating the frequent sales on these platforms.

• CamelCamelCamel (Physical Console Games)

  While primarily an Amazon price tracker, CamelCamelCamel is invaluable for monitoring physical console game prices. If you prefer owning physical copies or if a digital version never goes on sale, this tool can alert you when a disc or cartridge drops to an affordable price on Amazon.

Maximizing Your Savings: Tips for Using Price Trackers

To get the most out of these powerful tools, consider these strategies:

• Set Up Wishlists and Alerts: The most crucial step is to add all your desired games to the wishlist of your chosen tracker(s) and enable email or push notifications.
• Check Historical Prices: Always look at the game’s price history. This helps determine if a current sale is a true low or if you should wait for an even better deal.
• Be Patient: Many games, especially older titles, will eventually hit deep discounts. Patience is a virtue in deal hunting.
• Consider Bundles: Some trackers also highlight game bundles (e.g., Humble Bundle, Fanatical) where you can get multiple games for a fraction of their individual prices.
• Regional Pricing: Be aware that prices and sales can vary by region. Some tools allow you to track deals in different currencies or storefronts.

Beyond the Tools: General Deal Hunting Strategies

While price trackers are invaluable, complement them with these general strategies:

• Holiday & Seasonal Sales: Keep an eye out for major sales events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Steam Summer/Winter Sales, and console-specific seasonal promotions.
• Publisher Sales: Many publishers host their own sales events throughout the year, offering deep discounts on their entire catalog.
• Free Games: Don’t forget platforms like Epic Games Store and Amazon Prime Gaming that regularly offer free titles, which can sometimes include games on your wishlist.

By leveraging these sophisticated price tracking tools and adopting smart shopping habits, you can significantly reduce your gaming budget without compromising on the titles you want to play. Happy hunting!