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[Rick Dangerous]

Here is the digital sales history, for example, of God of War Ragnarok

It's been discounted 6 times in the past year-ish since gg deals started tracking Playstation games. 5 out of 6 times, it was discounted to $39.89 (from $69.99), so not even half off. In August, it was discounted only to $49.59.

Here's the same price history in the same timeframe for Gran Turismo 7

Again only reaching a threshold of $39.89 as the bottom floor of the discounts, with various other steps between that and full price along the way.

Finally, an older game - Returnal. Same time frame, let's look at the discounts.

At least this one has been marked down below 50% off in the past year.


One common trend I'm seeing is that the digital games usually get discounted around Christmas, and then don't go any lower than that throughout the entirety of the following year. Wildly different strategy than something like Steam where publishers and developers are free to generate their own digital keys and sell them elsewhere without having to give Valve a cut, thus promoting actual competition for digital pricing.

Very interesting and useful post. Thanks for the investigation and giving me some data. That unfortunately confirms my fear. Grabbing a 20€ aaa game on sale is not gonna be easy, near impossible.

 

[Rick Dangerous]

https://psprices.com/

You can create an account, add games to your wish list, and they'll email you when they go on sale. Same thing on PC at https://isthereanydeal.com/. I've been using these for years and it's very easy to build up a huge backlog of games you got at low prices.

Great and useful ! Thanks !

 

[Tsaki]

God of war Ragnarok: 80€
Returnal : 80€
Elden ring : 60€
Sackboy : 70€
GT7 : 80€.

Did I miss something ?
Gaming became expensive as hell. I'll surely wait for the recurring sales but base price is quite high.

Yes, wait for the sales. This site keeps track the lowest prices on PSN, it'll help you decide if a sale is low enough

PlayStation Games Price Tracker — PS Deals in the official USA PlayStation Store

Subscribe and receive instant notifications when game in your watchlist becomes cheaper. Best price guaranteed! Try today - it's FREE!

psdeals.net

 

[Rick Dangerous]

One last think : I do not support buying used games until we find a system where the Devs get some money out of the transaction and not some dumb dealer that created nothing. I'm quite sensitive to this, being a dev myself...

 

[Natsuko]

I don't know if this is just an exception, but it's not necessarily cheaper in the shop if there isn't a sale on or something. I took the following photo on 12 August 2024.

That wasn't an exception, just an extreme example. The game is terribly bad and they want so many euros for it. That's why you wait for a sale. It's the same digitally as in a shop.

Addition for clarification: With the first sentence I mean I don't know if it's an exception for my region. Maybe stores elsewhere are cheaper. But not here.

 

[bender]

If you are going digital, shop for PSN Wallet Cards when they are on sale. That will save you 10% pretty easily and sometimes more. Use a PS Store Price tracker and only buy when on sale. Join PS Stars and use the PS App on your phone as store purchases earn points you can redeem for wallet funds.

 

[tommib]

Wait for sales or get a disc drive.

 

[jshackles]

Is there anyway to just get the upgrade without the expansion? As I’m not interested in the expansion?

 

[Topher]

One last think : I do not support buying used games until we find a system where the Devs get some money out of the transaction and not some dumb dealer that created nothing. I'm quite sensitive to this, being a dev myself...

You can personally not support anything you want, but First Sale Doctrine has been around quite a while and it applies to video games just as it does to movies, books, etc. Nothing wrong with anyone who buys used video games. That's just established law.

 

[Magister]

https://psprices.com/

You can create an account, add games to your wish list, and they'll email you when they go on sale. Same thing on PC at https://isthereanydeal.com/. I've been using these for years and it's very easy to build up a huge backlog of games you got at low prices.

If you want one for Switch/PS5, there is https://www.dekudeals.com/ which I prefer. If you want to shop Playstation just change your platform from Switch to Playstation 5 and you're good as when you do that it also shows PS5 games.

 

[Rick Dangerous]

You can personally not support anything you want, but First Sale Doctrine has been around quite a while and it applies to video games just as it does to movies, books, etc. Nothing wrong with anyone who buys used video games. That's just established law.

Yeah nothing illegal of course. But when I can, I support the guys who make games.

 

[Rick Dangerous]

Created an account on psdeal.net and created my wishlist. Looks like I'm set.

 

[ReBurn]

Very interesting and useful post. Thanks for the investigation and giving me some data. That unfortunately confirms my fear. Grabbing a 20€ aaa game on sale is not gonna be easy, near impossible.

$35-$40 is the new $20

 

[rm082e]

Very interesting and useful post. Thanks for the investigation and giving me some data. That unfortunately confirms my fear. Grabbing a 20€ aaa game on sale is not gonna be easy, near impossible.

Keep in mind you can install the PlayStation app on your phone and buy games from it anywhere. I purchase almost all my games on the app. If your PlayStation is in rest mode, you can even tell the app to install the game to the console and it will be ready to play when you get home.

 

[Fbh]

Permanent price drops are becoming a rarity, these days older games just go on sale more often.
And even then deep discounts under $30 aren't as common anymore.
That's one of the reasons I still prefer physical, you can take advantage of sales and promotions from multiple storefronts instead of having to wait until the game you want is on sale on PSN. Like Returnal is $45 right now Amazon.

Also also as a tip: While key reselling sites are mostly focused on PC, games that get Ps5 bundles often still show up on there with decent prices.
Like Spiderman 2 is $40 right now on CDKeys and I remember buying GOW Ragnarok on there for around $35 last year (might have been on black Friday)

 

[Rick Dangerous]

Keep in mind you can install the PlayStation app on your phone and buy games from it anywhere. I purchase almost all my games on the app. If your PlayStation is in rest mode, you can even tell the app to install the game to the console and it will be ready to play when you get home.

Yep. I buy from time to time through the app.

 

[Bojji]

Welcome to digital stores.
They go on offer every now and then, but discs > digital.

Pretty much, digital fucking future with only one player holding all the cards sucks ass.

Physical is the king until those corpo motherfuckers decide to not include disc drive at all.

 

[cormack12]

If you go digital there are caveats

1. Half price games if you console share
2. Games will be more expensive 75% of the time at launch
3. If you wait for sales, they are more reasonable but still not as cheap as retail disks

Also welcome to the digital side my brother. Here we party with naked valkyires, sup wine from the teat of bacchus' unholy army of beasts and slather ourselves with the nectar of melted gold.

 

[Giallo Corsa]

Hi,

I just pre-ordered my ps5 pro and bought a new TV last week.
So I was preparing my future library and checked the current prices of the games I wanted to get to have an idea. Bear in mind that I nearly did not play since ps5 appeared for various reasons.

Now that I have my ultimate library to start with, I was expecting, as it was the case during PS3 and PS4 that I could grab old games for cheap as I was expecting prices to go down after some time

What a shock it was to me when I saw the actual prices. Price do not fall anymore with time ?

Look at some prices I got on PS store. I thought it was insane.

God of war Ragnarok: 80€
Returnal : 80€
Elden ring : 60€
Sackboy : 70€
GT7 : 80€.

Did I miss something ?
Gaming became expensive as hell. I'll surely wait for the recurring sales but base price is quite high.

All of those games mentioned have been on various sales, Returnal in particular was 39.99 up until a few days ago.
Sure, you can find it for 20/20-something used if you have the disc version but, they're not at 80 Eurodollars all the time...

Personally, this gen I have been mostly digital - it helps that I can get a 50€ PSN card for 40€ from online key stores/shops so I've been saving a lot that way.
To make an example, just the past week I got both Wukong and Space Marine 2 for 56€ each

 

[graywolf323]

Now do Nintendo

yep first party Switch games are just insane, Nintendo never drops the prices (or does more than ~33% off sales) even now 8+ years after launch

 

[ap_puff]

All of those games mentioned have been on various sales, Returnal in particular was 39.99 up until a few days ago.
Sure, you can find it for 20/20-something used if you have the disc version but, they're not at 80 Eurodollars all the time...

Personally, this gen I have been mostly digital - it helps that I can get a 50€ PSN card for 40€ from online key stores/shops so I've been saving a lot that way.
To make an example, just the past week I got both Wukong and Space Marine 2 for 56€ each

I think his point is that 3 years after launch during ps4, a game like Returnal would have permanently cut to $20.

 

[Pop]

Enjoy your overpriced digital 20 year old games

 

[Putonahappyface]

GIVE ME PHYSICAL OR GIVE ME DEATH

 

[Shake Your Rump]

One last think : I do not support buying used games until we find a system where the Devs get some money out of the transaction and not some dumb dealer that created nothing. I'm quite sensitive to this, being a dev myself...

Imagine everything was like this. Sell your old car and the manufacturer get a cut? Sell some old books and pay a fee to the publisher? No thanks.

When physical games are produced, there is an implicit agreement (possibly an explicit contract?) that payment and royalties are for that single copy. If that is not "enough" money, then the publisher can factor in used sales and raise their MSRP accordingly.

 

[Trilobit]

I put games I really want on Wishlist and check it sometimes. Sometimes I buy PS Plus because it has games I want to play that I know I won't be replaying. I also have disc version PS5 so if a game is above my breaking point on PSN I'll check for a used physical version.

It was always obvious to me that if people's only option is digital then developers (and Sony) will eventually exploit that. When consoles become digital only I might consider becoming a PC gamer.

 

[SHA]

Is it okay to own xbox now?

 

[JaksGhost]

Agree. Where’s the PS classics prices?
Just got a ps5 a few weeks back and wanted to get Ghosts of Tsushima and it’s $70.
I can wait until a sale but I wish I didn’t have to.
I just can’t pay $70 for a 4 year old game.

I thought it was $50 for some time? If you’re in the US just look at Walmart for price cuts. I got Stellar Blade for $40 when it first came out because they were clearing their video game section. They always have games under the PSN price.

 

[Cakeboxer]

If you want cheap digital games get a pc or a Xbox.

 

[Bonfires Down]

Buying digital does get less appealing the more expensive it is. If it’s $10-20, eh whatever not really worth getting physical just for the resale value. At $70 though, the resale potential does matter.

 

[Rick Dangerous]

I think his point is that 3 years after launch during ps4, a game like Returnal would have permanently cut to $20.

This

 

[YeulEmeralda]

Games no longer have permanent price drops. This also happens on PC.

It's all about the sales now. Publishers try to attract attention on their back catalog with them.

 

[Klosshufvud]

Console digital storefronts are a complete scam. Just buy used. Not like it makes a difference. I find it repulsive how GT7 costs more now than it did the month after it launched.

 

[StereoVsn]

Hi,

I just pre-ordered my ps5 pro and bought a new TV last week.
So I was preparing my future library and checked the current prices of the games I wanted to get to have an idea. Bear in mind that I nearly did not play since ps5 appeared for various reasons.

Now that I have my ultimate library to start with, I was expecting, as it was the case during PS3 and PS4 that I could grab old games for cheap as I was expecting prices to go down after some time

What a shock it was to me when I saw the actual prices. Price do not fall anymore with time ?

Look at some prices I got on PS store. I thought it was insane.

God of war Ragnarok: 80€
Returnal : 80€
Elden ring : 60€
Sackboy : 70€
GT7 : 80€.

Did I miss something ?
Gaming became expensive as hell. I'll surely wait for the recurring sales but base price is quite high.

Step 1 - Buy the Disk Drive
Step 2 - Buy physical copies used at discount
Step 3 - Sony sucks for not including the Disk Drive in the first place.
Step 4 - Digital Only prices generally suck especially with Sony since you can buy not buy games off PSN. You could make it a bit easier by buying PSN $/€/£ at discount. For example on US Costco always has 10% off. And of course wait for sales.

 

[R6Rider]

Console digital storefronts are a complete scam.

The complaints also apply to PC storefronts as well.

Take for example the first Space Marine game that was re-released as an "Anniversary Edition" so they could charge $60 for an 13 year old game.

Or look at even older titles such as 20 year old Call of Duty games selling for $20. The 2022 MW2 is still $70 on Steam.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is still $60.

 

[Klosshufvud]

The complaints also apply to PC storefronts as well.

Take for example the first Space Marine game that was re-released as an "Anniversary Edition" so they could charge $60 for an 13 year old game.

Or look at even older titles such as 20 year old Call of Duty games selling for $20. The 2022 MW2 is still $70 on Steam.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is still $60.

Difference is that on PC you can easily find Steam keys or keys for any other storefront way cheaper with a simple google search. You can't do that on consoles.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Gaming prices on console stores are stupid, buying used physical games is still the greatest.

 

[R6Rider]

Difference is that on PC you can easily find Steam keys or keys for any other storefront way cheaper with a simple google search. You can't do that on consoles.

You're right. Consoles have the option of physical, while PC has more options to get games digitally.

 

[Facism]

Difference is that on PC you can easily find Steam keys or keys for any other storefront way cheaper with a simple google search. You can't do that on consoles.

fr gg.deals or isthereanydeal.

The last time I plaid full price for a game on PC was BG3. Before that? Who knows. Like 10 years ago. if you're only looking at storefronts on PC, you're never going to find a good deal outside of sales.

 

[Klosshufvud]

You're right. Consoles have the option of physical, while PC has more options to get games digitally.

Yeah pretty much. On consoles, I just buy used on any reliable used market. On PC, I just find a site that sells games for a decent price. CDkeys comes to mind.

 

[SportsFan581]

Yeah, the move to the $70 start price has made the sales less enticing also. You can still get some solid deals with patience, especially if you are willing to shop the key sites.

 

[DeepSpace5D]

Just wait for sales in that case. They are happening all the time on the PSN store. When one sale ends, a new themed sale begins.

I think I picked up Sackboy for $30 years ago and GoW: Ragnarok for $40 last year.

 

[Paasei]

Yet another reason why digital only on console is a bad idea.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

That is the primary reason I say physical >>>>>>>> digital. The pricing and sales of digital games are dictated by the company, but with physical you have the option to resale, trade, buy used or borrow. I’ll never forget when I bought MotorStorm: Apocalypse for $3 on PS3 while it was still $60 on the PSN digital store years later. That’s inexcusable. Not only that, but you can shop practically anywhere games are sold instead of being restricted to PSN only. Personally, I recommend just getting a disc drive honestly.

 

[Bojji]

I think his point is that 3 years after launch during ps4, a game like Returnal would have permanently cut to $20.

Pretty much like this "essentials" series in PS3 days, or "greatest hits":

 

[CompleteGlobalSaturation]

Welcome to your digital only console future.

Want cheap games? Get a PC.

 

[kazuyamishima]

Sadly, Sony followed into Nintendo footsteps and keep their first party games at RRP.

 

[Wolves hunt in packs]

I don't think you missed anything, there was a bump in price of games, and the way they make sales over PSN, like there were $15 off when buying $100 promotions last gen on PS4, and games like Days Gone gone on sale for $20 after a year iirc, while Demon's Souls lowest is $30 after 4 years from launch. So yeah there are less good sales and prices.

 

[Lokaum D+]

Hopefully you ll never buy a Nintendo console

 

[Crayon]

This is why the steam key system is so important.

 

[thefool]

Say no to a digital future.

This is where I thrive, buying cheap used games.