Video games can be pricey, here’s how you can play without going broke

It’s no stretch to say Graham, Ryan and Colin Peterson love video games. Still, even their avid appreciation for gaming falls a little short of their father’s.

“I’ve always loved the competition and playing with people,” Jon Peterson said. “It’s great for me to spend time with the kids and play video games. Introducing them to new games is so much fun.”

But all those new games can get pricey. Peterson said the hottest ones often cost around $60. In-game purchases such as special powers and avatar skins can push the total well past that.

Password protect the store

Peterson said parents can save money by password protecting the console’s store.

“I’ve already been burned by that,” Peterson explained. “You’ve got to put the lock on the system with a password the kids don’t know, so they’re not doing that spending.”

Wait until the game goes on sale

Bradford MacGowan is also a video gaming aficionado.

“I play quite a bit,” MacGowan said. “Honestly, a little bit more than I should sometimes. When I’m out of school, maybe 15, 20 hours a week.”

His top advice for people looking to save money on video games is to be patient.

“A lot of times, after a few months a game has been out, they’ll drop the initial price on it,” MacGowan explained. “From $60, if the game wasn’t as popular they might drop it to $30. If the game is very popular they won’t drop the initial price until the sale.”

MacGowan says keep an eye out for sales, usually in the summer and the winter.

“A lot of times, they’ll have publisher sales,” MacGowan said. “Find out what publisher has the game you want and then look to see whatever system you’re on, if it’s PC or a console, will have a publisher sale. A lot of times it’ll be like 50 percent to 75 percent off.”

Buy used games

“There’s a huge market for used games,” Peterson said. “Once you hit that burn out period, sell it. You buy it for $60 and you can sell it for $40, easily. That’s how I get a lot of my games. I just wait, and someone posts it and says, “Hey, I’ve got this game I’m done with and I’ll sell it for $40 and I’ve just saved myself $20, and I play it and then sell it for $35 a couple weeks later.”

While you can find used games from online classifieds, consider paying a little more by buying used from stores like GameStop or FYE.

“They do usually have policies that if the game doesn’t work you can bring it back,” MacGowan explained. “You won’t necessarily be getting that guarantee if you buy it from someone else on online classifieds.”

Subscription services

Another way to save money is through subscription services like Xbox Live, Playstation Plus or Nintendo Switch Online, among others.

“A lot of those services give you bonuses on different sales and you can get certain games for free,” MacGowan said.

The Petersons pay $10 a month for Xbox Game Pass.

“You get anywhere from 30 to 40 games on there that you can download and play for free, Peterson said. “Some are older games, but the kids don’t mind. They just want to play stuff.”

Rent before buying

Peterson says it’s not unusual for him or his sons to experience a burn out point with a new game.

“You buy this game for $60, and it’s a 40 hour long game but five hours in, you’re like, ‘I’m kind of done.’” Peterson explained.

He recommends trips to the RedBox to rent a game, or the online service GameFly that will ship video game rentals to you.

“You can totally check them out,” MacGowan said. “’Does it look as fun as I thought? I read the reviews and they said this.’ But here, you can actually see some of the gameplay before you buy in.”

Or, you can go to the library. Many have video games you can check out for free.

Extra chores?

Peterson has a final tip for parents. When his boys want a game really badly, he tells them they have to earn it.

“It makes me the worst dad in the world, but they’ll go out and do some chores and some lemonade on the side of the street and buy that game,” Peterson said. “And they feel like they own that game, right?”