Earlier today, reports started to swirl about the biggest UK games retailer stopping in-store pre-orders in 2024, and the news has got us thinking about the practice and whether it still has a place in gaming these days.
At one time, pre-ordering new games felt like a much more worthwhile thing to go out and do. When physical discs were the main source of video game distribution, stores could actually run out of copies - especially before online shopping got so big. Then, there was the fact that loads of individual stores would offer up cool physical rewards for nipping in and pre-ordering a big new release.
These days though, most of that just doesn't happen. Digital distribution is a much larger portion of the overall game-selling market, so running out of discs is never really an issue nowadays - save for companies like Limited Run where that's the whole ethos of the operation. Then, you have subscription services piled on top of that that eliminate the event of buying a game entirely.
To be honest, we think that in 2024, big hulking collector's editions — and releases like those from Limited Run — are the only real reasons to pre-order a game, and even then, we rarely do. There's just so much to go at from the likes of Xbox Game Pass and our great massive backlogs that, well, pre-ordering is just something we hardly ever do these days.
But, what about our PX readers out there? When buying games, do you still consider pre-ordering them? Do you save those pre-orders for really select releases? Or, is it all basically Game Pass in this day and age? Come vote in our poll and tell us more down below!
Comments 56
I'm about as far away from pre-ordering games as I can get. If it's not free or launching in a service like gamepass then I am probably not playing at launch. 99% of the time I am waiting for the game to hit $20 (or less) before I consider playing it. Civ 7 will probably be the first game in well over 5 years that I buy at full price at launch.
Despite owning many titles, I can't think of a single XB-specific game I've ever preordered prior to now, with the one exception being the Snake Eater Delta CE . 🤔 Might cancel it though, since I got the PS5 CE reserved as well. 🤔
I will gladly preorder 1st party Nintendo stuff, games with price errors, or stuff I genuinely want to play at launch.
I only pre-order the odd Nintendo game these days as they barely have a price cut and you can guarantee they aren't broken at launch.
I use to preorder games. To be honest there's no need to prorder a game unless you want the added bonuses like the trinkets or in game stuff. With digital platforms it's not like you won't be able to find a copy like during the SNES days. Even if every store does sell out you can just by the game digitally if you want it that bad. I have cut back on alot of the stuff I own so the trinkets and stuff you get with a preorder aren't worth it for me they just become dust collectors.
I think the last game I pre-ordered was Borderlands 3 a few years ago.
Back when pre ordering actually scored you some swag like a shirt ir poster I did fairly often. Now you're lucky if you get an in game skin. Plus many games are much better with a few months of patches...🤷
I never pre-order anything ever and never will. Games are now worse than ever & that’s a fact. Xbox is the last place I will pre-order because they have the worst games & game pass lets me try before I buy. Oh, & every game that I like after try, I buy.
My policy is I’m never again risking wasting money on buying games early. Especially in the digital age where consumer rights are violated because you mostly can’t return or sell digital games.
I pre ordered Rebirth, but physical simply because I could get it for £50.
I’d never preorder digital on any platform. Hardly like they are going to sell out.
My pre-orders stopped when everyone thought it was okay to launch broken games and take a year to fix it. If they were fixed at all.
I do make exceptions for physical copies that are confirmed to have the whole game. But I feel like that is almost too much of an outlier to even mention.
I pre order on PS5 and Steam sometimes if I really want the game and it reviews well before release. I very rarely buy games on Xbox.
I pre-order games pretty often and have been doing so for at least the past 7 years.
These days my pre-orders are very specific though and only for games that I really want on release day.
Plus for a lot of the japanese games I have interest in, the retailers where I live seem to not stock a lot of them, resulting in them getting sold out pretty fast.
The Atelier Ryza games are recent examples of games that are almost impossible to buy physically in Sweden nowadays unless you try to find them pre-owned through auction sites.
Also it should be noted that I never pre-order digital games.
There's no point on Xbox store to pre order as they don't charge you till the game comes out it's pointless to me
Almost 90% of what I play is from Gamepass. And I only buy a few games when they are on sale.
I never pre-ordered to begin with . i just get it when it comes out
Is this an old poll I might have voted on? Because I can't vote.
But yes, I do it all the time, but mainly indie games.
A lot has changed in the last 5-7 years. I only pre order when i know i want to play it on release to get the pre-install so it is ready really. The last great pre order bonus for me was the Todd Mcfarlene poster for Assassins Creed 4. In. Frame on my wall. That was a great poster!
I would pre-order at Best Buy when they used to give you a $10 gift card for doing so but never since.
I preorder games day one when they are definitely for me and I know what I’m getting and they are a quality title and probably AAA.
2023. TOTK, Mario Odyssey and HFW DLC.
2024. Nothing so far but Astro Bot for sure.
It’s just the state of the market and trust for me.
Yes I preorder when I know I'll like a game, which is quite often. I know my tastes. I went to preorder Darkest Dungeon 2 today when I saw their announcement that you get 15% off for preordering, but it seems that claim was nonsense as it's full price in the store.
Pre-ordering is giving away free money to something not even out and is unproven. Not wisest financial decision.
Plus games need 6-8 months of patches after release to be playable. Really sad.
Anymore?
I never did!
@Tasuki Now borderlands 3 I was very much a hypocrite on about pre-ordering. But I wanted get the loot chest edition. Have pre-order to get those kinds things.
My last preorder was Fallout 4. The launch parties were a lot of fun back in the day my 2 sons would always come with me. They are grown and out of the house now living on their own.
@Aniscape Todd McFarlane did Assassin's Creed poster? That has be sweet looking. Been fan of his since I bought the Hulk issue that had Grey Hulk and Wolverine in pretty good fight. That was before his spider-man run. He always does epic work.
@Aniscape Is that a Starfield rig in your profile pic?
I think xcom 2 was my last physical pre order at a store. I tend to wait and buy physical on sale, or play on GP
Truly depends on the game and whether or not it gets a day 1Game Pass release. The only recent example for Xbox is when I pre-ordered Alan Wake 2.
@GuyinPA75 starfield rig was a giveaway before the game came out. Would have been nice to own 😏
@GuyinPA75
Yeah Love McFarlene! Here is a link to the image: https://ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/web01.ho-sting/videogamesartwork_com/public/concept-art/1590656839/assassinscreedivblackflag_promotional_poster_by_todd_mcfarlane.jpg
It was a 24in really nice size for a game pre order
I haven’t pre ordered a game since 2018 or 2019 it’s been a while since i have
I just preordered EA Sports College Football last night. I know I’m going to like it and I want to make sure it’s ready to go day one.
@Enigk every pokemon game released in the last 6 years released broken...
I don’t preorder digital, but I still preorder physical fairly often (especially if a steelbook is included…I don’t care for most other Knick knacks included with physical, though the art books or soundtrack are also cool).
In general no. But AC:Shadows is the first game I have preordered in years for xbox (wait. Forgot about Dragon’s Dogma 2). I usually just wait for price drops. I still preorder on Switch but only for games that i know have low print runs. Never preorder on PS5.
I never pre-order games on Xbox or on any console, even for titles that I am excited about. Nowadays, games can be rushed to the market and be broken upon release and not be fixed until later, and there is a chance that you could be given a mediocre or bad and possibly poorly made game if you pre-order. It's pretty much the approach I'll be taking for the Perfect Dark reboot when it gets close to launch. I am excited about it, but I feel there could be a 50/50 chance that the game is either good or mediocre. I was considering trying it out on Game Pass when it releases eventually and then deciding whether I want to buy it or not, but given that they are downgrading the subscriptions and making them too expensive, I'll probably have to wait a bit for it.
With day one quality being what it is, I find it incredibly hard to even think about pre-ordering a game...
I don't know why anyone would put themselves through the frustration of day one games. The last time I pre-ordered day one was for Cyberpunk 2077 and CoD Black Ops Cold War. Cyberpunk's release is well documented. On BO Cold War the game kept freezing on me when I went on the infiltration mission in Russia and the helicopter arrived.
Before that the previous pre-order was Batman Arkham Origins, got 10 hours on day one into the game meticulously going through and my save corrupted. Found out next day it was a known bug.
Day one is dead to me.
Only if I’m super excited about a game and there’s a special edition/ steelbook. Pre-ordered Space Marine 2 recently, but before that don’t think I’d done so since Gears. Most games I’m happy to wait for the price to go down
I assume with gamepass many maybe pre-load it.
I myself as don't use Gamepass I don't pre-order, let alone have I think for Xbox. Others I know have for PS5 games but that's about it. Not a pre-order type. I see pre-order dates, go uh huh release date is then and get my games, anime, whatever games/weeks later when it's available or cheaper.
Sorry, but if you pre-order a game in this day and age, you are a mug 🤷
@DeanyBabyy I'll give you that but then they don't really get fixed anyway and still rarely get much of a discount.
Back in the 360 era there was a period where if you knew how to shop around you could often get up to around 40% off on a preorder. Those days are long gone.
I preordered the DLCs for Forza Horizon 5 and Starfield because I fell into the early access rabbit hole for those (and honestly, being able to play Starfield for a week before the internet's collective ****-ing on it was a much more pleasant way to play Starfield) and knew they were both games I would put hundreds of hours into, but they're about the only things I remember preordering this decade.
Edit: made the autocensor made more sense.
I do limited releases on Switch. Ironically, the big publishers doing exclusive bonuses like missions and early access has turned me off from pre-ordering those games. The idea that they keep trying to push the limits of what I will accept, like they are trying to call my bluff? I'm not bluffing.
I pre-order physical games that interest me. I don't mind paying full price for some new physical media that interests me. I support my fellow professionals. I'll never pre-order a digital console game nor wait for gamepass or another subscription service.
If you get extras for preordering I do
I only pre-order if there is a good reason (for me) to pre-order - whether its getting to play the game Early (like with Starfield) or it comes with some 'extras' for pre-ordering.
I haven't pre-ordered anything Physically for years now and I refuse to pay £70 for any game. So the games I have 'pre-ordered' were on Game Pass - Starfield and now BO6. The reason for 'pre-ordering' was because of the Shattered Space DLC/early access with Starfield - and BO6 Vault edition too has 'pre-order' bonuses and comes with the Season Pass too - which I'd likely buy anyway...
So unless I feel I have a good reason, I won't pre-order.. Certainly won't pre-order for a 'Base' game that has the exact same content whether I pre-order, buy day 1 or wait for a sale. I certainly wouldn't pre-order ANY game I know is coming to Game Pass either...
I did my first pre-order this June- Shadow of the Erdtree, simply because I was super excited about it.
I've been gaming since the commodore 64 was current. This is the first time I have pre ordered.
I almost never pre-order on any platform. There are a few exceptions like Zelda but it's 0-2 a year max, but only from studios I am 99% convinced won't dial it in and won't have a poor day performance. That is very few studios.
I can't remember the last Xbox game I pre-ordered, certainly would have been before Game Pass, maybe even as far back as Halo Reach on the 360.
I dont preorder anything unless it is a game I know I will buy and you get early access for doing so. Even then, Ill buy it the day before the early access starts.
Since I only buy digital, and have a very fast connection, there just isnt a reason to preorder. Only games I can think of that I preorder or the forza games, which I buy the super pack add on for since I have gamepass. (I buy the full games when they are set to expire and are on sale)
Physical on Xbox for no preorder cost yes, digital? Only at discounts for PC from Fanatical or Green Man.
From the Xbox or Steam official stores for Xbox games at full cost? Yeah, no that ship has sailed.
I only pre-order first party Nintendo games.
Very rarely. Although I'll preorder a game on PC if the price is below MSRP. That's how I snagged a pre-purchase of Metaphor: ReFantazio for $40.
The last Xbox game I preordered was Dying Light 2 💀
Unfortunately the right to buy Xbox games on disc is not ours, even Starfield and Halo Infinite are not sold in packages in our country.
I say fairly often; in that as about often as I purchase a physical Xbox game, I preorder it. I do believe some of the games I enjoy may have smaller runs, especially in the era of mostly digital and game pass.
I have never done a digital preorder that I can recall
The last games I preordered were Transformers War for Cybertron and Transformers Fall of Cybertron. I believe I also preordered each of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy.
I don’t even buy games at launch, never mind preordering. But I’m glad that there is a substantial group of people with a serious FOMO problem, who are willing to become beta testers and early reviewers and pay full price for it, so I don’t have to.
I just pre-ordered Sonic X Shadow Generations for the XSX. Main reason I still pre-order is I prefer physical and feel like if I don't try to get them early, especially on Xbox, I'll miss out. Only do it for games I know I want to play right away, though.
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