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What is the *main* reason you preorder games?

Why do you preorder?

  • I want to pay now and forget about it

    Votes: 37 16.2%
  • I know I will enjoy the game no matter how it turns out

    Votes: 51 22.3%
  • I want collectibles/preorder bonuses

    Votes: 57 24.9%
  • I want to support the studios

    Votes: 43 18.8%
  • I don't usually preorder with 1 or 2 exceptions

    Votes: 59 25.8%
  • I never preorder

    Votes: 72 31.4%
  • To preload game files to play immediately it's out

    Votes: 10 4.4%

  • Total voters
    229

kicker

Banned
What, specifically is the reason you preorder games?

And of course, you can do whatever you want with your money, don't answer the poll if you don't want to

I'm just curious since this is a mostly console-focused forum and console exclusives tend to generate a lot of preorders

edit: asking about DIGITAL games specifically
 
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drganon

Member
I've only done it when it was a game I knew I'd like and it actually saved a little bit of money doing so.
 

kicker

Banned
I preorder when I want a game ASAP, which is very rare for me.

I'll be preordering Fashion Dreamer so I can get it to my niece the day it comes out instead of ordering from a website in my state that I have a few hundred bucks in credit to.
disc version
I should probably have put digital games in the title, that's more what I meant.

Physical is obvious
 
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The Cockatrice

Gold Member
Unless there is a demo and its awesome, for example in RE4R's case, I really loved the demo on PC, I dont preorder. This is why Capcom is winning this gen.
 
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AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
I want the disc on the day so I can play it and then sell it ASAP.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
I preordered games back when digital wasn’t a thing, and copies were going to be limited.

No point in doing so today.
 
If it's the physical version: Because they are cheaper in my country. Instead of 80€ i pay 67€ for them.

If it's digital: it means there's some bonus stuff i want or because i can pre-load the game so at midnight it's already ready to go. Did this with GT7 and didn't regret it one bit.
 

Doczu

Member
My only pre ordering exception is for CollectornEditions and Collector Editions of Nintendo games.
You can make a pretty penny on those after a few years 🤷🏻‍♂️

Other than that - fuck pre ordering, after all those years people should know it's a bad idea
 
I preordered Diablo IV, just using it at as an example, because:

1. It's a game I'm going to play no matter what and don't care how much I pay for it. I wouldn't pre order a game if I had doubts about it.
2. I don't want to wait until release to pay for it. I could but if I have the money now then might as well pay for it.
3. No doubt there will be a preload so I can play it as soon as it goes live. I know Diablo servers will be fucked at launch but most games are fine. And anyway I bought the Ultimate Edition so I'm pre loading for the 4 day early access.
4. It has a preorder bonus which was early access to the beta. Could I have went without it and just played the open beta? Yeah but I'm preordering the game anyway.


I also have TOTK preordered. It's a physical copy but points 1 + 2 still stand and as such they are the main reasons I preorder a game. I suppose you could argue that if those are my main reasons then there really is no reason to preorder. So I guess I preorder because I want to and I can.

Physical games are easy to find these days but still if it's a popular or niche game I ain't risking it. I'm sure Nintendo will have more than enough copies but I'm getting my order in early to guarantee it. In reality I think the only physical game you would really need to preorder is something like GTA VII.
 
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sainraja

Member
I generally only pre-order games that I have long been into; however, for new series that look interesting, I am not really in a rush to pre-order them unless they look like something I will enjoy. This isn't a hard-and-fast rule, though.
 
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Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
I don’t preorder much usually things like destiny and the Star Wars game that I’m sure I’m going to get. Easier just to pay for it so I don’t got to remover to buy it later.
 

Kev Kev

Member
I would only preorder if it's a game from one of my favorite series and I'm confident it's going to be great.

Even then, I haven't pre-ordered in probably a decade. RE4 Remake for instance, I'm sure it's amazing and I love RE, but I still didn't pre-order. In fact, I typically like to wait a while for games to go on sale. If I can save 30 or 40 bucks a couple years after release, then I'll just forget about it and play my back log until that time comes around.
 
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Beer Baelly

Al Pachinko, Konami President
Digital preorders?

spiderman GIF
 

Edmund

Member
Excitement and I want the game unlocked at 12 midnight.

I have street fighter 6 Ultimate Edition preordered and I will do the same for Tekken 8.
I remember taking a shit and clipping my nails 30 minutes before tekken 7 launched so I can play without taking a break the moment the game launched.

I'm just a massive fighting game fan.
 
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mxbison

Member
When I see a good deal for a game I will 100% buy day 1 anyway.

Doesn't happen very often. Recently did it with Zelda TotK but that was before the shitty sandbox trailer. Oh well.
 

tommycronin

Banned
I only pre ordered back in the ps3 dues to actual fears my game shop wouldn't have a copy. Now since ps4-5 they've all been available digitally so there's legit no reason to pre order anymore.
 

Shifty1897

Member
I only preorder when there's a whole-ass game I want as a preorder bonus. This last happened with Ace Combat 7.
 

Gandih42

Member
The cost and ability to play exactly on release doesn't matter too much to me, as I normally don't have that much time to play games anyway.

For me it's mostly about physical collectibles (never in-game content), by which I really just mean Steelbook cases. And that only matters for games I expect to have a lasting impression. There was a nice little write-up by a reader in a recent Edge Magazine, talking about the ritual of buying a new game. I really enoy the process of receiving, unwrapping, and inserting the game when starting something new for the first time. With time being limited, it's even more important because I want to spend my time with things I can have fond memories off and little rituals like that are a part it. In that equation, the Steelbook becomes a little piece of "art-memorabilia" to remember the game and experience by.

This is sounding incredibly fart-smelling - I just want the most out of the games I do play, for that I'll make a rare exception and pre-order.
 

analog_future

Resident Crybaby
I preorder digitally all the time on Xbox.

If the game reviews poorly or if the more I see of it the more I realize it isn't for me, I just cancel the preorder.

It's not that hard.
 

kingwingin

Member
I would preorder if they still did midnight launches where I live but only big releases like Pokémon get those.

Otherwise discs are mass produced and I’ll just swing by after work and pick up a copy
 

Celcius

°Temp. member
Since I only buy digitally, I’d would only preorder to get a bonus and preload, and I would only preorder the day before it comes out.
 

Impotaku

Member
There’s a lot of japanese switch 3rd party games that if you don’t preorder them you end up getting fucked over by scalpers the second amazon japan sell out of their allocation all the marketplace sellers will double & triple the price. So I preorder to lock in a retail price as if I change my mind before release I can easily cancel as no money goes down. Plus sometimes they fully sell out and you are waiting ages till they get more stock.

Newest case been the reprint of ikaruka it’s supposed to retail for about 8000 yen but soon as all of amazons preorders had been claimed it went up 18,000 yen. Some games only get a single print run as well, melty blood now goes for stupid money as it got one run and then sold out so now the resellers take the piss. With a AAA western game I’d never risk getting a preorder but with Nintendo 1st party and the 3rd party indie stuff it’s generally safe that they will release in a playable state (although there have been exceptions)
 
I preordered every Hitman game since the reboot because I want to support the studio and got pretty nervous when their future was in jeopardy.
 

hybrid_birth

Gold Member
So I can get pre-order skins. How else would I achieve my fantasy of being Britney Spears in Barbie Horse Adventures?
 

Durien

Member
I usually have a lot going on so for me, I find out it exists then pre-order it. Then when I forget about it a couple of days later, it'll show up on my doorstep like Christmas lol
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
The only reason I pre-order a game since the last couple of years is because it has to be something that I'm absolutely sure I want to play, and it comes with something like a steelbook
 

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
it's sometimes cheaper to preorder off key sites than it is to wait for release. if i know it's something i'm gonna buy anyway i'll do it. i got elden ring for $38 on preorder.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I never pre-order digital because I always buy physical.
Physical I pre-order to get game on release without having to worry about it on release day, having to work and all.
Usually for a pre-order bonus or limited edition version like a Steelbook.
Especially those that get scalped
If it doesn't have anything I wait for sale.
Digital only games I always wait for sale.
 

GymWolf

Member
On console because gamestop supervalue your games if you preorder something else, like today i'm gonna gave forspoken back to get ff16 or the new zelda for half the price.

On pc, because usually they key for games get pricier the more you get close to release day, so i usually save from 5 to 10 euros by preordering some months before, but it's not always the case.

People who don't understand preorders are people who don't have special deals for preorders available to them, i payed every ps3\ps4 games 20 euros less just by preordering because the euronics close to where i live had this deal.

Op, put a "because i pay less" choice in the poll.
 
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rofif

Can’t Git Gud
I never pre-order digital because I always buy physical.
Physical I pre-order to get game on release without having to worry about it on release day, having to work and all.
Usually for a pre-order bonus or limited edition version like a Steelbook.
Especially those that get scalped
If it doesn't have anything I wait for sale.
Digital only games I always wait for sale.
Oh yeah I forgot about that reason.
I pre-order because I buy physical and it comes here day earlier usually.
No way t find the game anywhere on release day recently anyway. It used to be that I could go to media markt on release day, on my way from work and pick up a brand new game. Not happening lately. Physical games are dying and it's fucked up
 
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MiguelItUp

Member
For me it's typically...
  • I know I will enjoy the game no matter how it turns out
  • I want collectibles/preorder bonuses
If it's a small studio and I want to support the studio, then that too. But that doesn't happen too often. Dark & Darker will probably be the next one for me. But that is expected to be Early Access, but hey, close enough, lol.
 

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
I collect collector's and limited editions, which you often need to pre-order or you miss out. See: RE4 collector's edition.

Also, depending on the game, I want to play day one.
 

just_jr

Member
I usually preorder games to avoid story mode spoilers (my last one was GOW Ragnarok) or games that I'll be probably buying anyway in their launch period, like Street Fighter 6

Let's say that for each 10 games I buy, only 1 is preorder
 

oji-san

Banned
Voted "I know I will enjoy the game no matter how it turns out".

Only pre-ordered twice.. GoW 2018 and Ragnarok, worked out only once... 2018.
 

ANDS

King of Gaslighting
To preorder a game I know I'll be playing at midnight. . .and usually only an hour before and certainly not on STEAM (where the preload decryption takes longer than just downloading the damn thing outright).

Beyond that, literally no point in digital pre-orders.
 
Because I already decided to buy the game and I'm not changing my mind. By not preordering all I'm doing is losing out on the free stuff from the preorder bonus (some of which are pretty good).
 
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