10 Ways That Gamers Can Save Money

By Jamie Cotton /

Whichever way you look at it, gaming is an expensive hobby. With the RRP of the most popular console games reaching the dizzy heights of £54.99 these days, our money isn€™t going as far as it used to. Accessories, too, are getting pricier; it€™s almost at the point where the Kinect is more expensive the Xbox 360, while Wii U controllers set us back a whopping £100. In these troubled times, it€™s getting harder and harder for gamers to justify the cost of their hobby. But fear not €“ here are some tips for the thrifty amongst us€

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10. Get Online

Admittedly, the vast majority of people these days do connect their games to the internet. However, for those of you still stuck somewhere between the Atari 2600 and the Gamecube, I can€™t stress enough how much of a bargain online connectivity is. It€™s free on the PS3 and PC, and £40/year on the Xbox 360. For less than a price of a modern game, you can get endless hours of gameplay from playing against your friends or fellow gamers €“ largely because no one online match is ever the same. Also, remember that buying games online is always cheaper than buying from a retailer. Always.

9. Wait

Forgive me for being Mr Obvious again (it€™s not like that in the later suggestions, honest) but remember this: the longer you wait for a game, the cheaper it gets. Even just spending a month completing the games in your backlog €“ admit it, we all have them €“ would do wonders with your wallet. The time of year that you buy a game also matters. Buying games in the summer €“ when there is usually a drought of new games €“ is often a good idea, as the shops don€™t have any big releases that they can use to empty your wallet so they find themselves competing to sell older games. The January sales are always a good time to nab a bargain, too €“ as is Black Friday for US residents.