Talking Point: Should We Still Be Pre-Ordering Games?

Simple; Only if they come with cool stuff like art books or they are limited to their respective orders.

Outside that, seems fruitless.

The problem is the boutique publishers with their limited preorder windows and/or limited quantities with zero chance for reprints. Preorder now or pay double or more down the road. How much are the physical releases for Bayonetta, Rockman Legacy Collection 2, Ikaruga, Steredenn, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime (etc) commanding in the second hand market these days? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgvGKuH9Haw

Most pre-orders are sold out quickly, but i've occasionally come across a years-old call of duty or other game in walmart or bestbuy, covered in dust, with the pre-order or collector's edition goodies still inside, only now 90% off since its been so long

I stopped preordering after I bought a game for PC called Rage, back in the day. It had poor QA testing and only ran on a very specific setup, which I did not have, even though I met the general sys requirements. Now, I watch video footage, read user reviews regarding performance, etc. before buying anything. In a mostly digital age, there's zero reason to preorder. There's even less reason to hoard physical games, imo.

Pre orders are basically only for limited editions of games or for hardware/collectible items. Otherwise theres not really any point in preordering a game that will have a million copies available day 1 that can and will be delivered or collected on the same day.

If there is a limited quantity of said item available, that's when I pre order.

Preorder bonuses are almost never worth from my experience.
I preordered a game once in my life and regretted it.

I preordered MH Rise a while back physically and my copy came pretty late in the afternoon (around 6pm).
So everyone got to play the game a significant amount before me and all I got to show for me were some cosmetics I never used anyway.

@Magician Sounds like Nintendo.

I mostly pre-order games just to insure I can get it on launch, and that I'd have the funds to do so. The bonuses matter very little to me, and I only pre-order games I know I'll like, or think I'll like.

The only pre-order I ever regretted was FE3H, but I was fortunate enough to be able to cancel before it was too late.

I always pre-order Pokemon and first party Nintendo games (that I intend to play), because I have no reason to believe my trust will be broken.

Granted the only reason I do this is because it guarentees me the physical copy sooner than if I had to go out and buy it a wal-mart, which probably only applies to a few other people.

I do think pre-order bonuses have gotten a bit out of hand in recent times, and I stopped doing so for the most part as a result. It just doesn't even feel special anymore. Only when it's something actually cool like an artbook or in-game goodies (which absolutely should NEVER be locked behind pre-orders by the way!!! Timed pre-order exclusive is fine though), then I'll pre-order still. And when it's a game I know I'll want at launch anyway.

I no longer pre-order. After being duped by terrible games like Destiny and No Man's Sky, I generally will not bother unless there is a discount or a compelling goodie involved

To be fair, videogames are not something people need, just like the Pui Pui Molcar You got.

But it's funny to buy and play games and collectibles. So, nothing wrong with that.

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: It's sad that for some physical games (from Boutique publishers like Limited Run, Strictly Limited, etc), pre-ordering is the only choice available. Which is troubling because these places have no return policies, and the pre-order windows often conflict with the release of reviews for games. So there's not always a way to know if a new game will be good or not until after you pay for it. And that kinda sucks.

I pre-order games all the time, mostly so they will be delivered by release date. Which they usually are. I hardly regret pre-ordering a game unless the reviews aren't very good. But I can always cancel my order so it isn't a big deal. Best Buy sometimes gives away pre-order bonuses or Steelbook cases, so that's always nice!

I only ever preorder after the reviews for a game go live. Unless if it's a game I know I'll play regardless of how good it is, like Metroid Dread.

I would like to see a new hybrid CE kind of pre-order. I don't want the cart. Carts get lost. My kids have lost 2 so far. But, sometimes I'd really like to have the CE goodies. I'd be perfectly happy to pre-order a CE bundle that comes with a code to redeem the digital version. I'm in the minority on that. And, Nintendo closing down the older eshops is very much concerning for keeping newer systems that are more reliant on digital eshops. But, I'm more apt to lose the cart, and there are far, far, far more digital only title for Switch than any previous Nintendo system.

I should amend my comment that I am not necessarily in favor of preorders. That's dumb. We're well past having to deal with scarcity of new games. But, do offer a way to get CE items and bonuses for digital distribution of games. Please.

If it's digital only, heck no. Unless they can entice me with more than a little $3 DLC trinket.

If it's physical, it depends. If it's released by Nintendo or Square, I can grab it when it launches, or whenever, because they'll be on shelves FOREVER.

UNLESS it's a special edition, in which case I have about a 10 minute window to TRY to preorder.

If it's a really niche title that will probably only see a small print run, I'll preorder.

I also preordered the TMNT Cowabunga Collection, because I'm terrified Nickelodeon will change their mind in a month and they'll vanish from shelves.

Plush of Kate Gray (soapbox not included)

The pre order bonuses are mostly junk that I'd throw in a draw and it'd never see the light of day again.

The main reason I pre order is simply to guarantee that I get it on launch day (no doubt I could easily go in to pretty much any store and buy it on the day but there's always a paranoid part of me that convinces me it may sell out)

Also Smyths are usually pretty good at giving discounts for a pre order

I always pre-order the Nintendo games I really want. I play Nintendo games for so long that I know what I'm getting. The only non-Nintendo console game I pre-ordered recently was Elden Ring and I'm not regretting it at all.

It seems rare for me to find pre-order bonuses these days, and that is pretty much the only reason to pre-order. Games generally don't sell out, and if they do never for long, and I am BAFFLED why pre-ordering digital games would have any benefit whatsoever.

I pre-order physical safe bets that I know I'll like. I have rarely got this wrong and I have plenty of physicals. I like to keep track of what big, full retail games are due to be released and have them on some kind of pre-order. Just something I've liked to do historically. I rarely pre-order indies.

(One pre-order I got wrong was the download of the GTA trilogy on Switch. That's amongst the biggest pre-order errors I have ever made! Lol)

@Yosher I just flashed back to the pre-order of Bioshock 2 that was supposed to come with the vinyl record of the Bioshock 1 soundtrack - went to my local gamestop at midnight and the records hadn’t shown up so they offered me FIVE. DOLLARS. BACK.

I’ve got Lego Star Wars deluxe preordered, to secure it, but got my finger on the button ready to cancel if poor reviews/screenshots/footage drops before release. If it doesn’t and it’s a flop, then more fool me

I only pre-order if it is a game I think I will absolutely LOVE (Splatoon 3) or a game that comes with something really cool (for Animal Crossing I got the free totebag from Target). Instead of pre-order, I usually wait for games to go on sale because I have enough to play already. But for the right swag, or if it is something I REALLY want to support the developer, I'll pre-order.

@TMG44 Nintendo I feel you can really trust with your pre order money in terms of the game you’ll get and it’s launch quality (usually no major bugs)

Preordering physical makes sense as you are guaranteed a copy on release as many niche titles tend to not get many copies in store if at all. Many times I’ve been the only copy at my GameStop.

Digital preorders however don’t make any logical sense as it’s always available. There is no stock to worry about.

I understand how hard it is today to control impulse buying. I think I regret those more than preorders. A game will go on sale whether I see it on Deku Deals or a SwitchUp video and I get that FOMO. A lot of these I don't end up finishing.

Last year I set a limit that I could only buy four games the entire year. It worked out well. So far this year I've already bought two. I need to save the last two for Splatoon 3 and Pokemon Scarlet/Violet.

This system has me clearing out my backlog a lot more and replaying games I actually enjoy. I recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in a similar position.

I’ll pre-order limited editions of games I know I’m more than likely going to love (Dread the most recent example) and games that are likely to have smaller print runs. Bonuses are fun but I wouldn’t pre-order a game just to get a figure or whatever.

Used to be worth pre-ordering games from certain sites if you wanted them early since they were pretty reliable at sending games out and getting them to you a few days before they released but that hasn’t happened for a while now.

@GameOtaku I can understand pre-ordering digital to get it preloaded so you can play it as soon as it goes live. Don’t really understand doing it way in advance though, the times I’ve pre-ordered digital have been when reviews come out and I have a good idea of whether it’s going to be worth my time or not

I pre-order games I know i'm going to play on day one, if not there is no reason to, unless there is a really good collectors item with it?

But A live A live is a game I want to pre order, nothing comes with it but I'm sure going to want to play it day one.

If it's a game I already know 100% I want or I want to make sure I get a limited/collectors physical copy then I'll preorder.

Otherwise I can wait for reviews and/or sales

Lately I only pre order to get a new game as soon as I can since they ship at launch. The local Game Stop is at an out-of-the-way spot & doesn't stay well-stocked.

At this point, I tend to limit my pre-orders into two categories:

1) If there's a pre-order bonus and only once the reviews hit so I know that I'm going to want the game at launch

2) If there's a special edition or if it's a niche title that might only have a limited run so that I have the security of knowing that I'll have it beforehand

Elsewhere, I've tried to cut back a bit. Feels like we've had too many high-profile games come out unfinished or disappointingly. Thankfully, the publisher that I find my tastes line up with the most is Nintendo and at least they rarely release games that fall into the former category.

I only preorder games I know will run out at my store and I really want to play them Day 1. Latest preorder I made was Elden Ring, mostly because I wanted the Collectors edition. generally, I don't preorder. Worst game I've preordered is TLOU2, so I haven't been burned too bad

I rarely go for preorders (partly because there are always too many discounted wishlist items to compete for the full-pricer sum of a potential impulse buy in advance), but when I do, I do in full confidence. TWEWY, XCDE, the recent Rune Factory 5 (mere hours away from unlocking now!) - I know I'll fully enjoy these games, I know I'll be aiming to play them ASAP and keep them on board at all times, I know I'll never be getting them anywhere but Switch [this generation, anyway] and I know I'll be the judge of all the alleged "performance issues" the tabloids and fandoms always complain about - need I remind you how Bloodstained was labelled unplayable at launch while my own release month copy magically ran fine outside a sluggish initial loading screen and was lots of fun even before all the patches? Same with Burnout Paradise, same with My Time at Portia, almost same with The Outer Worlds (I got it after some patches but never had the issues that the internet continued complaining about afterwards)... excuse me for not holding all these cautionary "reviews" in high regard.😏 Frames per second may be objective (in DF domain or somewhere like that); "playability" is anything but.

Games don’t sell out like they used to. And if you really want the game you can go digital. Only a special edition with fun swag merits a pre order for me nowadays.

Either I really know I like the game and will play it immediately upon launch or has cool physical freebies.

The only time I regret pre-ordering is when there are cool physical freebies and collector/special editions but didn't like the actual games.

For me it depends on the game, if its a franchise where I've enjoyed the previous games like xenoblade and fire emblem then I ore order without any doubt, but if its a new game especially jrpgs I like to wait until reviews come out and see some actual gameplay videos before I decide.

Preorder when there is a limited run of statues etc makes sense to me. But all other preorders just give the developer an excuse to make money an release a broken product they can patch later.
they got your money, it doesn't have to be good at launch.

I've only preordered two games in the past 10 years or so: Twilight Princess HD, and Breath of the Wild. BotW didn't have any preorder bonuses, but TP had a "sound selections" CD that had several good songs on it, including the Hyrule Overworld theme (one of the greatest videogame songs of all time ). I do preorder DLC though. All of the Smash passes, the recent Mario Kart DLC, the BotW expansion, etc.

I will preorder a game digitally to preload the game before launch. With the way Nintendo handles preorders now I wait until it is under a week so they I am buying the game at the time and not setting up a schedule to buy it. The last game I preordered in store was StarCraft 2 Legacy of the Void to complete the Collectors Edition for the 3 games.

I'm not really into pre-ordering, only time I did that was with Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U, but recently some stores aren't getting stock of recently released games (good luck trying to find a Pokémon Legends: Arceus copy in the stores here in my city) or are getting them weeks later (Metroid Dread, Big Brain Academy, Miitopia) and I'm not really into buying online.

So, considering that, I did pre-order Kirby and the Forgotten Land, even though I wasn't planning to, and I will probably do the same Mario Strikers: Battle League. Not to mention, tomorrow when I pick up my pre-order after work I can also buy a Smash King Dedede amiibo, the store seemingly has in stock.
Speaking of amiibo, these figures are probably the only thing I pre-order if they're available. Otherwise I might not have a chance to get them.
I was lucky I could get a Banjo-Kazooie amiibo and the Metroid Dread duo after their releases before they vanished.

In the digital realm, I only pre-order DLC if I have the chance so I can get it at launch and not worry about not having money due to it by then.

I don't think I've ever regretted a pre-order because the reason I'm pre-ordering is to support a studio/game I belive in, and that holds true regardless of whether the game turns out to be as amazing as I hope.
I only pre-order games when it's a game that I'll want to play regardless of if every review says it's mediocre. I believe in voting with my wallet, and I know that pre-order sales and first month sales really help a studio out not only monetarily but in demonstrating public confidence to publishers. Basically, I want to show support for studios making the games I most want to see.

I pretty much never do Kickstarters, but Hollow Knight was the rare exception of a game & team I truly believed in and wanted to help it become reality. And sure enough it's now my favorite game of all time.

in the past when games would often take months or more to make it to Europe i would often pre order since there were enough impressions of the game that i could know whether or not it would be something i would want.
even in the age of patches the games would often ship with the patches when it came to the west.

nowadays i don't do it as much due to a mixture of games coming out relatively close to one another, sometimes worldwide, plus in the case of switch i usually wait to see how the game runs.

@GannonBanned Well at least they compensated you a little? Or tried to at least? But that's still really dumb. Sorry that happened to ya.

In general I only preorder if it’s cheaper and is a game I know I will get at launch (and even then it is usually a Nintendo game because they don’t drop in price) or is a game/edition/amiibo that will be hard to get otherwise. Otherwise I can wait and people should. Just bought cyberpunk for 5 dollars yesterday. And it will upgrade to the series x version when I get one. As opposed to the day one beta testers that ended up losing money.

we need to as a community stop doing it.

I pre-ordered 3D All-Stars because it was a limited release. And I will be pre-ordering the next Zelda. That's it.

I find myself uniquely positioned on this topic because I tend to pre-order a lot of games even though I generally think the process is worthless in most cases and the physical trinkets mean pretty much nothing to me. For me, it’s kind of an odd budget thing. If I find myself with actual paper money in my wallet, which is rare, I almost always use that for a pre-order because the alternative situation usually goes as follows: I have $20, I think I’ll just grab a Coke next time I stop for gas. Okay, now I’ve got $17, but singles are dumb, so maybe I guess I’ll grab a candy bar. Damn, now the total is 5.25, so now I have four singles and a pocket full of change. Repeat this process two more times and that $20 has literally disappeared into nothing of any substance. So yeah, I’d rather avoid that so situation and know that the games I really want to play on launch day are sometimes paid off before I get them

There wasn’t an option for me. I don’t preorder. I have never not been able to buy a game I wanted on launch day, or any other time I’ve walked into a store to buy one. I also do not support kickstarter. I am not a bank and spend my money on finished products.

If i dare say something that might get some upset at me, i gotta say; I'm kind of impressed that this wasn't the usual kind of BIG PUBLISHERS BAD GUYS kind of rant i usually see when it comes to Pre-Order topics nowadays. Goes to show you can't always judge a book by it's cover.
But what about my angle then? Well, for someone like me, it's surprising to say i don't pre-order games all the time. I usually only get things when I'm super, assured, over the moon confident that this is a product I'll actually care for. It doesn't always work like that mind you- Guardians of the galaxy was a game i WAS interested in, yet i shrugged off at first only to desire it comes Christmas time. Not everything you get is gonna be a hole in one. But every once in a while, you see that ONE GAME that just fits you in so many ways, and that you want to be prepared for enough that you remember to mark the date on your calendar (Then again, when in some situation the game comes out and it takes a few days to get to your place and in that time all the youtube people get to paste the whole game online thus spoiling everything, i do start to get a little annoyed.)
That's kind of what makes the topic of pre-ordering so tense, really- It's pretty much a gamble, and we all know the downsides of gambling, don't we? But then again, aren't all video games, wether they be a game that's not fully done yet or they cost a pretty penny for you to track down? It's the same with getting a game normally; You find out about the thing, you buy your copy, you take your chances. Pre-Orders take that part of it and shoot it up to stupidly risky degrees (Not a good thing, in my opinion). That's kind of why pre-orders are so rare for me-When it goes really wrong, Either i don't have enough cash for it or i get notified one day the purchance didn't go through- and i forgot all about it.
So what should you take as my angle on Pre-Orders? Simple; Do it only when you are sure that, no matter what, this product is something that is just YOU in so many ways, and thus worth putting away a couple of dollars for a few months over. A lot can happen in a few months- Don't blow it.

Well I preordered Kirby digital from Nintendo UK so loaded and ready to go tomorrow.
Got 2 gifts with it as well.
I did wait for the reviews just in case.
But if we are talking BOTW2 or a Mario Odyssey 2
Then preorder straight away no reviews.

I've only preordered once, and that was for Mario 3D all stars. I preordered it the day before release mainly just to be able to play it as soon as it released. I don't regret it. I preordered because I know that Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy are all terrific games, and I hadn't played them yet at the time.

But for other, new games, nah. Preordering is stupid. Why pay for something that you know will be bad?

I think I pre-ordered a few games and they all been games that I enjoy (or might enjoy).
And they have been kid icarus uprising sm4sh for 3DS Mario rabbids kingdom battle and sonic colors ultimate. I did preorder smash ultimate but I was on a trip and a bunch of problems later my parents just took me to target to buy it.😅

I'm probably in the minority here but I usually wait a few months when games get a 30%-50% discount. Don't really care for most pre-order bonus's but then again I'm a cheap *****.

I did regret getting Fire Emblem Fates Limited Edition, until about 10 seconds ago when I saw people will buy it for £200+. I'm sure they were selling for £50 a few months ago!

I regret getting Zelda Game and Watch, because you can get new for less already.

I didn't regret pre-ordering the Wii.

It's probably 66/33 that I don't regret pre-orders.

Remembering the joy of having something to look forward to in upcoming video games once helped pull me out of an emotional slump back in college; while preorders certainly don't have an exclusive license to such anticipation, I can at least appreciate how they can help cultivate it. So there's that.

Sign me up for one o' those Kate Gray plushies if NLife ever decides to hawk the extras out of their digital storefront's trunk, though, as some publishers do =o.

I was part of the Kickstarters for Friday the 13th and Toe Jam & Earl: Back to the Groove. Does that count as pre-order?
Also, I wanted LEGO Star Wars for my birthday (April 3rd), so I chose to pre-order it to get the Luke minifig.
Oh yeah, we got the last Smash Bros as well.
All games I knew I'd like, and with bonus stuff to boot.
But yeah, it's a VERY rare case that I go for the pre-order.

I mean, in my 40 years or so gaming, I'm no stranger to being disappointed by a game. But on the flip side, I have had a ton of fun with games that only managed a mediocre score (leaving me to wonder if the reviewer was jaded or just dead inside!) It is what it is. I'll happily preorder something I want to play day one. I think it helps when you play something that's just bang average. It keeps your standards and expectations grounded. Honestly, play Dark Star on the C64 and you'll think every game is a masterpiece!

Last game I pre ordered was Metroid Dread cos I knew I would get my money’s worth even if it reviewed badly I don’t tend to do it unless it’s something I know I will play to destruction

I feel like pre ordering is like going on a blind date but paying upfront. When you get to the date you realize you should have bought 2 can dine from McDonald’s but instead you bought a 3 course meal at the Ritz Carlton.

I very rarely preorder anything unless it fits some or all of the following criteria:
1. It's a franchise I trust (Zelda, Xenoblade, Metroid, etc.) and want to play very soon
2. There's a special edition or bonus with goodies that I consider worth the extra value (Only happened a handful of times)
3. It's a limited/exclusive run of a game I know I'll like or am willing to take a chance on

For various reasons, I'm usually better off waiting for a discount or sale unless I truly want to play a game immediately. Plus, Walmart in the US automatically knocks a certain percentage off retail games once they're in stores.

I have yet to be smacked with preorder remorse since I'm so picky about it, but the same can't be said for the one time I backed a Kickstarter.

I generally only preorder digital games so I can play them the moment they release. I seldom preorder physical games because midnight releases don't really happen anymore, so generally I'll only preorder physical special editions for games in series I love. If I don't preorder a game, I'm probably not going to pay full price for it. I view the extra $20 or more I spend on a new release as a tax for being part of the zeitgeist.

Only if I find it worth it. I certainly don't trust big AAA developers. As much as Nintendo gets hate I've never preordered a first party Nintendo game and totally regretted it. It may have just not been my jam at worse. Most of these other companies ship full price, broken games. Of course I've preordered a couple from other companies and regretted it but that was part of the learning experience.

Where is the option "Because I'm a sucker for in-game costumes"?

I went to one midnight release, CoD MW2. I used to preorder all the time, when amazon had the 20% off. Now I wait for sales. Backlog allows me to wait.

I very rarely ever pre-order anything, but there are a few games I'm glad I did for the cool goodies.

The one pre-order I'm still the happiest with? Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin for the DS. That package was jam packed with awesome stuff, and I love that game to this day.

I only pre-oeder after reviews.

I actually preorder as a way of budgeting. I will.start to slowly pay for a release I know I'm going to like (or think so at least) months in advance as I drop by GameStop on my way home from work I'll dip like 10-20$ in a pay period. Then when it's time to pick up my new game I'm not out any consequential amount of cash

I used to be a big preorder guy in high school because that allowed me to save up money over a period of time and continuously pay it off at GameStop; I still do that occasionally. I don't really preorder stuff anymore, only whenever it's something I really want (Miitopia for Switch) or something that I think might potentially be hard to find (the Zelda Game & Watch LOL).

Only preorders I've ever regretted were Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer (fun game, just wish my younger self had the foresight to know it wasn't worth $40) and Super Bomberman R (hype for the Switch's launch made me want another game to go with Zelda and then I realized I actually hate Bomberman games haha).

@VoidofLight

I mostly pre-order games just to insure I can get it on launch, and that I'd have the funds to do so. The bonuses matter very little to me, and I only pre-order games I know I'll like, or think I'll like.

I’m a big ditto on this.

Preordering makes almost no sense these days. Even if you get a perk, it's usually visual in nature, only. The pros of preordering are far outweighed by the cons of possibly buying a game that was completely over-hyped. Your better off following the Battle of Bunker Hill, and not "firing until you see the whites of their eyes" or at least a few reviews. IMHO

The only reason to pre-order digital is if they have some major discount/gift and you cant wait to play the game.

I preorder games I know I’ll like. There have been times I should have thought it through, but I generally cancel if I grow extremely cold on a game or decide I have too much backlogged.

For example, Kirby I preordered, it was an easy one to say yes for me. I’ve been playing his games since 1996 with Dreamland 2 on Game Boy. Haven’t gotten all of his games, but generally whenever I have gotten them I haven’t been disappointed. The last Kirby game was a loads of fun, this one will be no different.

One game, the last Yoshi game and Fire Emblem Heroes, weren’t my cup of tea. Thankfully, when I’m unsure I get them physically instead of digital as to trade them in for something I want later.

I really regret getting Luigi’s Mansion 3 physically and not digitally, especially since the OLED game card flap hates people without nails.

If I'm intent on playing a game ASAP or there's a discount or bonus, I'll absolutely preorder a game. I only do it with games I know I'll want to play.

With that said, I've stopped pre-ordering games atm because there's generally more of an incentive to wait to pick up a game at a discount from Walmart after launch.

Generally, with most games, I'll do whatever nets me access to the best deals, be they discounts, preorder bonuses, etc.

I will only preorder if I get a good discount. And any freebie I keep unopened, if and when I sell the game I give the freebie free. It seem to help with the sale.

@Yorumi Do you think it's unethical for a publisher to allow pre-ordering as an option by default?

If so, why?

I only do it with LRG titles that I want

Not so sure why we are debating this, let alone how it's become an article in the first place.

Surely it's a simple question of choice, if people want to pre-order a game for whatever reason it's up to them, if you don't then that's fine too.

I have never got to release day and struggled to buy a game, I suppose sometimes depending on the company you order from you may get the game a little early.

But as many suggest on here, best to wait for the reviews before finally deciding to purchase, although many do not trust reviews in the first place... so not quite sure where that leaves us.

Last couple of years I've only been buying physical games, first party or exclusives, never for the bonuses, though they are appreciated

I thought to myself "Total War Warhammer 3 is a surefire bet, I've got a great computer and I should be able to run this and the pre-release stuff has allowed me to watch many hours of gameplay" and then they slapped Denuvo onto the game and even with a computer well above the recommended specs the game ran like garbage.

I pre-ordered GTA-5, that seemed like a surefire bet, turns out steam had an issue and you needed twice the space of the entire game to unpack the pre-load, I didn't have that and was on metered internet.

The more I look at the AAA games industry the worse an idea pre-ordering sounds(hello Gran Turismo 7).

Battlefield 2042 has cured me of my pre-order ills. Never again.

I stopped preordering games because they would always arrive late. When my copy of Age of Calamity was delayed by a week, it was the last straw and I just cancelled my preorder to buy the game on release day physically in store (by this time Amazon had also long ended it's 20% discount on preorder games).

I only preorder after reviews come out, or if I 100% know I'm going to like a game, like Smash Bros or a mainline Zelda game. I never preorder any other or third party games before reviews come out at the very least. Kind of a have my cake and eat it too

I pre-ordered Miitopia on the Switch. That's literally all I've pre-ordered. I never pre-order unless I know it's going to be good.

@larryisaman
But you could just as well download it when it goes live. Unlike physical inventory digital is always in stock unless it’s delisted.

I collect some IPs: Fire Emblem, Zelda, Xenoblade Chronicles, and a couple others. I'll always preorder physical copies of those games for pick-up on release day. Otherwise, digital or physical purchases whenever I get to it.

I only preorder when I don’t care about the reviews because I am already sold on something in particular from that game

You should have never pre-ordered games.

still???

i never do that. i laugh at people who do. what do you get? some cheap merchandise at best. some worthless digital items ingame at worst. and in the absolute worst case scenario, the game is actually garbage and you wasted even more money than you should have
gamers these days are so weird.

Why did I think with that thumbnail the article was going to ask about licking cartridges?

I have a weird mind, that's why.

@GameOtaku Point is that if you pre-order it digital you can preload it so that you’re not waiting for it to download once it goes live, you can start playing the second it unlocks. If you’re definitely going to buy the game you might as well buy it early and have it playable right away especially if the file size is massive, what’s the point in waiting for it to release to buy it

Bad practices, with releasing unfinished games then discounting them to much cheaper before patching them up, especially on switch. I'm thinking GTA and Bloodstained, the outer worlds. They ruin it for everyone. Order discounts make me think it is another game that doesn't work properly. Also, at retail, you can usually find someone selling the $60 games for less than $60 at launch. It really does not make sense to preorder.

still hoping xenoblade 3 gets a collectors edition.

Regular retail releases I always try to preorder in person at my local Gamestop, and go back there on release day to pick up. I’m old fashioned! I hear you Kate, about missing the charming part of brick&mortar stores. There’s no indy stores nearby where I can do preorders, so Gamestop it is and I’m glad they’re still open.

I rarely regret preorders, usually because the titles are from quality publishers, or ports of reputable AAA games or indies. All the LRG or Strictly Limited, etc releases I preorder I don’t regret, because it’s preorder or miss out.

I don’t preorder for the foo-foo goodies, but rather for the physical game itself. I buy physical and will continue to do so as long as it’s an option. Games on cart, flawed though they may be, have tangible, lasting value. EShop downloads aren’t worth half as much to me, and I can’t even share them with my kids!

So if preordering is the way to ensure I get the physical editions I want, then yes please, and I’ll take that risk of getting a dud every now and then.

Never preordered anything. I’m immune to marketing hype

I think I’ve only ever pre-ordered firstly party games from Nintendo, and even then I’d rather wait.

The backlog of shame isn’t getting any smaller, so I’d rather only purchase games that run and look good on the console, waiting for reviews from SwitchUp and of course NL And from the lovely people in the comments section!

If it's something I'm getting at launch I pretty much always wait to order things right when they're about to come out. Kind of like to give it enough time to install before release but I also don't see any reason to go ahead and buy things until they're about to come out and opinions are already floating around about them.

Though I don't buy that many games right at launch anyway. I think the only games I've bought full price this year are Legends: Arceus and WWE 2K22 and I'm probably not getting another until Three Hopes and Nirvana Initiative.

If a CD soundtrack is included, maybe.

If I need to buy an obscenely oversized and overpriced box just for the CD... then most likely not.

Strictly Limited’s boxed version of The First Tree was tempting, but paying an extra 20 Euros (and likely a higher shipping cost) solely for the CD just didn’t seem very sensible, especially for a game that was on sale for about AU$3.00 in the eShop at the time of purchase.

The fact that the album can be purchased digitally in a lossless format for a more sensible amount sealed the deal for me.

I’ve also preordered from EB Games for steelbook bonuses (even though that means paying full RRP, while virtually everybody else is charging $10 less), but if their bonus is something worthless like a poster or otherwise offered elsewhere for less, then I’ll spring for the cheaper option.

Also, if a vendor is offering the lowest price on the market (or close to it anyway) with a pre-order bonus, then I’ll give my money to them.

But generally, no, I won’t preorder if there are no incentives involved. Publishers can also be criminally deceptive by withholding the fact that their releases don’t contain the full game on the cartridge, and in those instances, I want to see the cover with my own eyes before making a purchase, as download warnings are usually not reflected online.

Wow, @KateGray ... when I saw the article headline, I immediately recalled my pre-order of PoOT. And then I read the lede! I own all the BokuMono games and plushies, so I kind of "had" to pre-order that one, but I feel so guilty having supported Marvelous' fleecing of us sheep, especially when they started spouting off about how great the pre-order sales were.

I only preorder the month of release for safe bets (Zelda, Mario and the like) and review day for stuff I'm less sure on.

I don't think I've ever pre ordered a game before. I just don't see the point and I've herd trying to cancel the pre order if you change your mind is a pain.

The only preorder I regret was Dragon Age 2, what a giant pile of crap. Honestly I generally just do not preorder western releases these days since they seem to launch with no quality assurance.

I only preorder Nintendo games I know I’ll be playing- Zelda, Kirby, Splatoon, etc. If I’m unsure about it I’ll wait. Generally speaking Nintendo games seem to resist steep sales and/or take a long while to get a steep sale. I thought about preordering Guardians of the Galaxy ( Xbox) but decided to wait until Black Friday. I did end up buying 1/2 price then only a few months after release.

Simple answer? No.

Not to say I haven't done so. But it's been really few and far in between (and I seriously mean extremely few and far in between). I would if there was a financial benefit to it and it offered real discounts. Otherwise, it's pointless

❗️Parts of this article (where Kate mentions wanting to get the same dopamine hit) reminded me of a BBC: Radio 4 podcast called "Costing The Earth: Dare To Share".

It's from 2017 and mentions how we have "peak stuff" where we don't actually WANT things but prefer to have EXPERIENCES instead.

Give it a listen📻

PS: As regards the tagine for this article, YES, I WANT A KATE PLUSHIE! 🤩

It depends on the circumstances. I just preordered the TMNT Cowabunga Collection. I only seem to pre-order games once or twice a year, and it's almost always something that I really want, or something that I believe will hold or increase value over time.

The vast majority of games I own are purchased on sale, and my ownership ratio of physical to digital is about 1 to 4.

I rarely ever feel remorse for pre-ordering a game, though I did preorder and wait for the Shantae 5 physical release. It wasn't a terrible feeling, but after finding out that there were updates shortly after, I was like "well.... this is a little self-defeating."

I think, that rather than completely eschew pre-order purchases, I prefer to simply use discretion and avoid overtly impulsive behavior.

As for games like TMNT Cowabunga Collection - the type of game I've been wanting for ages - it will really have to suck and be sold for like 5 dollars before I feel any remorse.

See I don't really preorder at all. Often I'll preload a game to my Switch so that I can play it immediately. Games release on Fridays and if I preload, I can play it on the bus on my way to work as I ain't getting up early to purchase and download it. But I don't preorder physical games and have zero interest in the bonuses.

I don't often regret a purchase, either. I find as I get older, I go less and less outside my comfort zone of familiarity and basically only buy games that I know I'll enjoy from IPs that I know well. I just wanna chill, I'm not looking for excitement!

Once upon a time, Amazon Prime offered a discount on pre-orders for Prime users. At the time, I pre-ordered Bayonetta 3 and Metroid Prime 4, both of which were ordered several years ago. They eventually got rid of the discount and I got rid of pre-ordering

No. (Xxxxxxtraspace)

@larryisaman
If you can connect to the internet to unlock it. That’s not always possible.

I find that, prior to GAME refusing to ship to the U.S., I ended up ordering UK/PAL-region Nintendo games specifically because they actually had exclusive pre-order bonuses worth getting—steelbooks, better figures, watches...

Nintendo of America has consistently dropped the ball on physical merchandise, both as part of Club Nintendo and for pre-orders.

No—I DON'T want a pack of f*cking stickers. What the hell am I going to do with another rubber keychain?!

I want a nice steelbook that I can use to display my game; I want special cases. I don't want some piece of trash that's going to get lost or destroyed from basic use.

I've learned that there's no real benefit to pre-ordering games, including physical copies. Unlike console, games are super duper abundant in their stock, and each restock could happen every hour or even half hour in most stores. There's really never a shortage unless the game was a limited-time release or simply rare. The only physical games I can think of that fit this category (outside of the large selection of games from Limited Run Games™ and Super Rare Games™) are the original Xenoblade Chronicles in North America, and Super Mario 3D All-Stars as a whole. Sure, maybe there's a collector's edition of the game out there, so it's sort of justified to pre-order. But regularly, why would you?

On the digital side of things, the only benefit I see is well... questionable intentions. Never has "pre-loading" a game really save that much time unless you really, really wanted to play the game on Day 1, at 12:00am/00:00. Outside of that, people use this to access the game way earlier and unfortunately leak it.

At the end of the day, publishers are starting to look more towards "early purchase" bonuses rather than pre-order bonuses, because it offers a much more fair game for everyone trying to get the game. I hope this is the avenue they continue to follow, because pre-orders feel largely unfair and unnecessary.

Nothing beat the time Nintendo straight up gave a copy of Ocarina of Time and Master Quest to people who preordered Wind Waker. Preorders have never been as good as that.

@Diogmites Same, Amazon says they'll honor it if and when the title is released in 2029

I usually know I'll like a game when it's announced. The only pre-orders I've ever regretted have been Sonic games. So much promise in the trailers, so poorly executed. And yes I'm even talking about Sonic Lost World.

My most recent pre-order was the Pokémon Gen IV Pearl remake. They ruined my favourite Pokémon generation and region by making movement controls bad, doors sucked you inside if you so much as brushed them, Platinum content was missing, difficulty was dumbed down, graphics looked awful… etc, etc.

So I asked Nintendo AU for a refund, then when that initial request was denied (as they always are) I made it clear that I was deeply unhappy to the point where I wouldn't be buying more games in the future. And then I got my refund.

I'm thinking that was my final pre-order. I'm tired of being burnt.

I bought Taxi Chaos before the reviews came in after reading false stories put out saying it was being published by Sega of Japan.

That said, the lesson learnt saved me from pre ordering GTA Triology.

I don’t preorder digital games. I don’t know the point. I also generally don’t buy AAA/$60 games digital.

GameStop, for decades, has determined their total stock of a given game by the number of preorders received. Generally for every preorder of a given game, the store would receive three copies. So preordering helps give a mini boost to the profile of any game you’re interested in. GameStop also usually has bonus trade value toward new releases through the first week of release. If it’s something I know I’ll play for sure I preorder it just to get my trades out of the way so I can pick up and split in a second on release day, otherwise I’ll read reviews and go in the first week.

Pre Ordered for the first time and it was Kirby, convinced by the demo…

And didn’t buy or preorder Metroid Dread for the same reason…

I rarely pre-order something, but I haven't been able to do it on Switch yet. I did try to pre-order Triangle Strategy since I was already hooked from the demo after playing it a few times, but Nintendo wanted me to pay by the end of February, even though the game would launch in March. So, I canceled my pre-order and just bought the game on release day. Same price, played on launch day, but managed to properly organize my finances.

Edit: Btw, Kate, we should be talking about this new(-ish) trend of offering demos for new releases. I gotta say, I'm enjoying this approach to get a feel of the game to decide my purchase.

In the words of late TotalBiscuit: "We Do Not Pre-order".
Although I did for Pokemon Sword and Shield and my girlfriend in turn pre-ordered two copies of Animal Crossing.

If I want to play it right away, yes.

Nintendo games in particular are more pre-order worthy due to then staying in the same price range. I'm more wary of third party pre-ordering and the only real exceptions I've made is the SMT games.

Depends on the game and situation.

The only things in life I preorder are Marvel MCU movie tickets. I used to pre-order Star Wars movie tickets as well, but I have lost faith in them.

I've never pre-ordered a video game. Just wait for the reviews, which usually come out the very day of release for big games.

No. Why is this even a question? As long as there is no 100% no-questions-asked-money-back policy from the stores (offline and online, e-stores included), and developers deliver broken trash and drag their feet for YEARS to repair their mess: NO PREORDERS!

I only pre-order collector's/limited editions of games, to ensure I'll actually get one. Otherwise I'll steer clear of any pre-ordering.

I feel like I used to preorder a lot more than I do now. Nowadays a lot of times I just wait for sales post release. The only times I preorder now is when I’m 99% sure I’ll not only love the game but make the time to play it the same week it releases regardless of what else I’m playing because I’m so excited.

On that note, I preordered Kirby and am super excited. I think the last game I preordered before this was Arceus and I was happy with that preorder.

I pre-order a lot of first party Nintendo games. That being said I didn't preorder the new Kirby game since I was planning on saving that money for something else. I am going to pick Kirby up today (launch day) because I could use a little Kirby after the week I've had. So that didn't really work out to my advantage haha.

I pre-ordered Pokemon Arceus from Gamestop and wasn't even able to get my bonus art cards (the only reason for purchasing a preorder) because I have a day job and wasn't able to pick up my copy until after 5:00. Sure I get first come first serve, but if you pre-order it you should be guaranteed to get the item. :/ Whatever, its made me remember how dumb pre-ordering is again.

The last game I was salty about pre-ordering was the PC release of Assassin's Creed Revelations, shipped late and had no bonus items if I remember. And I didn't really end up liking the game...probably because my computer couldn't handle it.

I only get pre orders for like Christmas and Birthdays and things like that, I usually don't buy them because I want to go to the store and pick up the game and be able to play it as soon as I get home, Instead of waiting for it to ship.

PreOrders are for Bonus extra games items or DLC. That's why I do it otherwise they are gone or cost eShop to buy them.

I usually only preorder if there's a discount, an awesome extra you can't get anywhere else, or if it's a physical copy I know I want for my collection. Sometimes there's not enough of them sent to places to actually get one, so preordering will (usually) ensure I get one. Also, this is where those pre-release reviews and videos come in handy. If there's a game I'm on the fence about, I usually watch the gameplay videos to see if it's something I'll actually play and like.

@Spunky This issue grinds my gears as well. I'm a recent amputee so I cannot drive and haven't driven in years actually. All my preorders I have to wait until after work to get them and usually by then the employees have just given the bonuses to whoever purchased the game, preorder or not. Irritating.

@Tallicalynn Sorry to hear about your predicament! I've been told the same thing by employees, "Oh yeah well we started giving them away to whomever" ugh. Or I've had them try to tell me I didn't have my preorder in early enough so I wasn't counted in the total preorders for the store, so they weren't sent enough to cover all of the preorders they ended up getting.

Maybe give a $5 refund or whatever to whomever pre-ordered but was unable to receive the bonus, that would take a little sting out of not getting the items. Or maybe not give away the items until all preorders have been picked up. Seems to be a challenge. Hope we can both get any cool items next time we preorder!