Who buys new releases and what's your rationale for doing so?

Please don't misunderstand, this is in no way intending to redicule or put down people's purchasing habits. I am genuinely curious.

Nowadays with games expected to get additional content, balance/performance/bug fix patches and price drops down the line, I struggle to understand why the average gamer on a budget would purchase (or preorder) new release titles? Surely it's not simply impatience or lack of games, considering choice has never been greater and we all have a backlog?

I get why YouTubers do it since it's part of their work (and a lot of them get free copies anyway), but if someone gifted me a new release, I'd still wait a few months for patching and DLC.

I mean, for myself, I'm pretty sure it just boils down to impatience! Mind you, I don't buy many on release and tend to angle more for the cheaper indies than AAA anyway. When I do get something on release or right around it, it's because I know I really want it, so if I have the money and planning to get it anyway, might as well just do it. So, yeah, impatience. And it depends on the dev; some I just trust more to make something I'll like and not be a bug-ridden fest.

I don't do this often, but when I do, the game has to be really on my radar like Elden Ring. I don't just do it willy nilly since gaming can easily become incredibly expensive, so I really pick and choose what interests me most. I also choose based on the studio and how likely it is to be put onto a sale. I never buy Ubisoft games at launch since they can potentially go down to $15 dollars by the end of their first year like Watch Dogs Legions.

I buy the games I want as soon as I can because if I made myself wait months to get it, I'd probably not want it anymore.

I very rarely buy anything within its release window, but when I do, it's for a game that really excites me and I can't wait to check it out. The only exception to this is if there's a good pre-order deal, then I might choose that instead, but it's only if it's cheaper anyway.

Basically if it's that exciting, then I might pick it up new. =)

I play alot of Nintendo first party-games and usually they don't need patching and they seldom are put on sale. So if I can afford them at release and want to play them right away I usually buy them for full price then and there. Otherwise I wait until I have the time.

For games on Xbox and Playstation I rarely buy new releases because they usually don't excite me that much. They are also easier to pick up cheap later when they are on sale or used copies, and I enjoy searching for cheaper deals. But if I'm really looking forward to a game, or want to be part of the initial "craze" around it (like with Elden Ring for example) which is sometimes fun, then I'll buy it on release day. If it needs patching then I guess I'll just have to wait. DLC doesn't usually interest me, I tend to get bored before I get to it and seldom feel like playing them.
With that said, I have made some purchases that I've regretted paying full price for, for sure. For example, both Borderlands 3 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider were big disappointments for me, and I paid full price for both of them.

In regards to economy, I am now in my late thirties, I have a job that pays well, and I think things over before I buy stuff (usually...) so I feel comfortable buying full price if the above criterias are filled. A great advice I heard was "you should only buy when you feel comfortable buying". And only you can decide when that is.

I usually don't bother. There are clear established patterns for game pricing these days (in the UK at least) it just doesn't make sense to buy at launch. Pre order bonuses that were physical free items (like t-shirts, bags and such) have become useless item tat like cosmetics. A lot of games get "day one" editions that are the only version of the game you ever see and are still available over a year after release.

That's before considering digital game pricing, again there are clear patterns for many publishers and waiting a few months can often see 50% or more reductions.

I bought Hitman 3 digitally on release which would normally be two things I would never do but I knew that would be a game I would play over a long period of time even after playing it a lot at release. I did wait for a price drop on the DLC however as it was priced rather high. The previous game before that on release day was Tony Hawk's 1+2, a game that I wasn't going to wait for, but again this was justified from a personal standpoint.

Buying games on day one just seems like throwing money away, game pricing doesn't require that much patience.

Two things make me buy a game on the first day:
- Joining all the conversation about the game (being part of the zeitgeist)
- Doing my part for good sales numbers in a series that I love

For the first, Death Stranding is a good example, I was super curious about that game. The latter, Metroid Dread, such a nice surprise.

I have a strict rule that I'll only preorder games I already know to be good, from reputable developers or from a series I already enjoy. The most recent Pokemon games, the God of War and Fatal Frame re-releases to Steam, Elden Ring, Life Is Strange True Colors, the recent Monster Hunter releases, Nier Replicant and Tales of Arise were some of my most recent preorders. Games I'm uncertain of, I'll wait or preorder closer to release day just for the bonuses. It's hard for me to completely not like a game, so I guess I'm less picky in many regards than most people are. I like preorder bonuses, I like collecting games in a franchise, and I like knowing I can play day one should I choose to.

To me, it depends on a sense of trust in the developer. For example, I'll gladly buy anything by Platinum Games or Supergiant Games on day one because they've established themselves as studios with a track record of consistency. Likewise, despite having some of the worst consumer-friendly practices, I'll usually buy a triple-A Nintendo game when it comes out as well due to a similarly established track record of consistency. The same applies to Capcom.

Additionally, certain games can catch my attention either through good marketing or just a really interesting concept that appeals to me.

On the opposite end, I'm confident that I'll never buy another Konami game ever again due to how broken my faith in their competency has become. Companies like Bethesda and Blizzard have also shattered my trust in them as developers. (Blizzard in particular is a company I will never support again in light of the s*xual misconduct)

I´m not on a budget, very impatient and I want to avoid spoilers.

I pay full price on games that I feel that I want to play right know.

Surely, that is dumb looking from a money point of view, but since I started playing paying games with my money, I realize not every game you buy you will enjoy it or even boot it up.

At first, I would wait good deals to buy games I'm interesting to and that I know that I would like to play at some point. However, this caused me to starting to play some games I still haven't got the "itchy feeling" to play it yet, and I would just retire the game - not because I don't enjoy the game. I do. But because I played at wrong moment on my life.

Therefore, I WANTED to play some other game but just because they weren't in some kind of discount, I would buy and play a game I didn't want to (at the moment, but maybe I would play in the future). Crazy, right?

Now, I stopped buying games on deals just because they are cheap. Hell, I don't even claim free games on PC, only on PSPlus. I just play one game at the time, review and absorb it all that the game had to offer.

Afterwards, after I spent some time to choose and "hype" myself to the next game, I just pay the price it is at the moment. And that's not only for release days like Elden Ring this year, but also like for Undernauts and Shovel Knight this month which I paid full price for them :)

I bought New World and Endwalker in 2021 because they are online games that are fun to play when everyone else is playing them.
But for single player story games I agree there's no need to be in a rush. I have bought new games at release, played them for a few hours, stopped for some reason and then suddenly sales come around with that game at half price making me feel like a total sucker.

Now I only get new games if: 1. It's an online game or 2. I really care about not being spoiled (like when I bought tlou 2). There's no rush, my backlog can last me for years when it comes to singleplayer experiences.

"... I'd still wait a few months for patching and DLC."

And for better guides. And for better mods, if the game gets modded. Waiting a couple of years after release will get you a much better game experience for much cheaper - at least with single player games or co-ops where you have patient friends. It takes a good five years now before graphics even start to look a little dated!

I pay full price on games that I feel that I want to play right know.

Surely, that is dumb looking from a money point of view, but since I started playing paying games with my money, I realize not every game you buy you will enjoy it or even boot it up.

At first, I would wait good deals to buy games I'm interesting to and that I know that I would like to play at some point. However, this caused me to starting to play some games I still haven't got the "itchy feeling" to play it yet, and I would just retire the game - not because I don't enjoy the game. I do. But because I played at wrong moment on my life.

Therefore, I WANTED to play some other game but just because they weren't in some kind of discount, I would buy and play a game I didn't want to (at the moment, but maybe I would play in the future). Crazy, right?

Now, I stopped buying games on deals just because they are cheap. Hell, I don't even claim free games on PC, only on PSPlus. I just play one game at the time, review and absorb it all that the game had to offer.

Afterwards, after I spent some time to choose and "hype" myself to the next game, I just pay the price it is at the moment. And that's not only for release days like Elden Ring this year, but also like for Undernauts and Shovel Knight this month which I paid full price for them :)

Interesting take on the question. In all honesty, if money were not a factor, I think I would do the exact same (i.e. don't buy a game unless I'm going to play it right away - even if it's on sale and I know I'll enjoy it). This actually overturns my previous belief that if I were rich my stream library would be in the 1000s, rather, my library would be more or less the same size, but my wishlist would no longer exist.

I find I appreciate things a lot more when I don't have an endless library just available to me all at once.
E.g. Back when I'd get 1 - 2 new games a year, my patience and tolerance was way higher, and I'd complete them. But when I discovered emulation in high school, I downloaded a heap of roms but barely got more than a couple hours into a title before switching to another, and another, and so forth.

Same with on demand streaming services, I have so much media at my fingertips, I'm overwhelmed with choice and end up just rewatching Simpsons episodes.

I've only bought one game on release and that was Life is Strange: True Colors, the rationale of which should be obvious if you look at my profile pic. And even then I got it "discounted" because I had gift cards. I didn't pre-order it though, I bought it day 1 after seeing it had good reviews and for the most part it was a bug free experience that didn't hugely disappoint.

There's really no other reason for me to buy a game on release, especially when most titles I'm interested in are on Game Pass day 1. As anyone who knows me knows, I tend to have unconventional taste in games, at least compared to the masses and my friends. Life is Strange is really the sole exception to that rule so I wanted to play it before my friends spoiled it by accident. Otherwise I have next to no risk of having interesting games spoiled so I just wait until they go on sale. My general rule is a $20 limit on games, with an exception for certain bundles.

So yeah, I have almost no rationale for buying new games that would even tempt me to buy them.

I buy quite a few games in the release window. I like being in the moment while games are coming up for discussion on podcasts.

I don’t collect games though, so I am generally happy to return games and make 70-80% of my money back in general.

I actually made a small profit of £4 once!

If I really love a game and want to replay it, I’ll pick it up digitally later on for peanuts. This is quite rare for me though, especially now as I don’t record replays on here.

The only games I bought in recent years on release were KH3 (instant regret) due to the hype behind it and I thought I was a huge fan of the series growing up. I was so let down due to the story being an utter mess. I may have overlooked the confusion prior but this game felt so empty in its fighting.

The other one I bought on release was Metroid Dread which I was so happy to have gotten. I got it due to my tie to the series. Considering I love me a good metroidvania, particularly one that sticks to the roots. I was so blown away by super metroid and the Prime series that I wanted to help bolster the sales. I want the game and series to succeed.

Lastly, Amazon use to have 10$ off pre-orders, and here I thought I was saving a ton of money just by getting it early on. Now that the pre-order bonus is gone and seeing how quickly games drop in price, unless I really want to support a studio, I am almost always going to wait for sales.

Interesting take on the question. In all honesty, if money were not a factor, I think I would do the exact same (i.e. don't buy a game unless I'm going to play it right away - even if it's on sale and I know I'll enjoy it). This actually overturns my previous belief that if I were rich my stream library would be in the 1000s, rather, my library would be more or less the same size, but my wishlist would no longer exist.

I find I appreciate things a lot more when I don't have an endless library just available to me all at once.
E.g. Back when I'd get 1 - 2 new games a year, my patience and tolerance was way higher, and I'd complete them. But when I discovered emulation in high school, I downloaded a heap of roms but barely got more than a couple hours into a title before switching to another, and another, and so forth.

Same with on demand streaming services, I have so much media at my fingertips, I'm overwhelmed with choice and end up just rewatching Simpsons episodes.

Exactly! I feel the same way.

A little off-topic, but that's probably why I prefer to go the cinema instead of streaming to watch a movie. Or how I actually enjoy watching episodes from new animes that launch one episode each week than to actually bing all at once. Having too many things from what to choose from can actually backfire to a certain extent.

And who never done that with emulation? I think I bragged more about having a lot of games which I could play emulating than actually playing them :P

Usually I get games right when they release when they’re apart of a series I really like (Zelda, Fire Emblem, Smash, etc.) and/or I am just really excited about it. Usually for those I trust they’ll be good quality, but I probably plan to play them no matter cause it’s fun to play it when it’s all the buzz. Also for some more story focused games I like to get them early to avoid spoilers.

Series like Zelda, Shin Megami Tensei, and sometimes Fire Emblem are the ones I get games on day 1.
I mainly get otome and other very niche localizations on day one (so hopefully we get more in the future) and if it is a game that I can't wait for and I liked the demo/idea, I will get the early access (which I've done only for Slime Rancher and Timberborn).
Oh, and stuff that I play with my boyfriend. If AoE IV and It Takes Two weren't on gamepass, we would have bought those too.