Gaming is a pleasant experience, but it can be a pretty expensive hobby. And ever since the pandemic, the number of gamers has been rising rapidly due to the lockdown. Gaming consoles alone cost hundreds of dollars, and gaming PCs can be thousands. Let’s not forget about the cost of purchasing a new game. So, gaming is a pretty tiring process of assembling all your required gaming parts. Once you start building your PC, you need to get hold of the latest graphics card, processors, and gaming headphones. So with the cost adding up and tightening of budget, what are gamers supposed to do? You don’t have to get worried about leaving your gaming habit midway. We have some hacks and strategies that you can imply to reduce the cost of your gaming hobby.

1. Keep an eye on deals and sales.

It is recommended to keep an eye on the sales and deals available for purchasing games. Digital storefront companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo also offer various discounts on many games. Likewise, platforms like Steam, GOG, Itch.io also provide you with good deals for purchasing games. You can either add or wishlist the items and wait for them to go up for sale. If you are unwilling to scour the web, you can visit IsThereAnyDeal. This website aggregates sales more or less across the internet and lets you compare the prices. You can select the cheapest best deal for you. There is an abundance of good buys all over the internet, so you don’t have to dig too deep. If you refuse to purchase games, you can go to https://thepirateproxybay.com/ and download games from there for free.

2. Purchasing games in bulk

Buying bulk products is a popular way of saving money, and it can be applied to gaming. But gamers have to find bundles that are worth purchasing. Humble Bundle is an excellent place to start buying games in a bundle. It has a pay-what-you-want service for bundles on games, comics software, and more. A part of your money goes to charity. Humble Bundle keeps on switching the bundles every few weeks. The essential factor is to keep an eye on the updated bundles, and you will end up buying a new game at a low price. Other sites like Fanatical, IndieGala, and Itch.io have their weekly or monthly bundle deals to help you save money.

3. Subscribing to a monthly game service

Music lovers have Spotify, screen viewers have Netflix, anime fans have Crunchyroll, and comic book fans have Comixology. What do gamers have? Is it possible to play dozens of games for one reasonable monthly price? Almost yes. A significant place in gaming is Xbox Game Pass, available on Xbox consoles and PC. The service has a lot of games, and the $14.99 Game Pass Ultimate package also includes EA Play and Xbox Live Gold. This complete and attractive package makes it the clear front-runner of the market.

4. Try game streaming

If you want a subscription but do not have access to play the latest PC, PlayStation, and Xbox titles, game streaming can be a good alternative. If your internet connection runs smoothly, you can switch remote servers for a monthly price. A service known as Shadow by Blade lets you rent a high-powered virtual PC and play the games you own. But the service can be pretty expensive and very exclusively available to few gamers. Instead, Nvidia GeForce Now allows you to play from your Steam library on nearly any device after you pay $9.99 every month. Newer options like Amazon’s Luna or Google’s Stadia give you a high-quality gaming experience on your phone or PC. It should be mentioned here that Luna is much more affordable and reliable among the two of them.

5. Grab free games when possible

Even though many subscription services allow you to keep some games, there are very few places where you can grab a free game with absolutely no cost. Sites like r/Freegamestuff usually track these free games for you. You can also check out the Epic Game Store if you want free games, which gives out free games every week. Grand Theft Auto V, Hitman, Just Cause 4, Rage 2, Star Wars Battlefront II, and other games were some of the few past titles this service gave away. You can also find a few free games available on Steam, Itch.io, and even GOG for a limited period.

CONCLUSION

More than two-thirds of young Americans play video games. But gaming is not cheap. Gamers often spend a lot on purchasing new games, gaming accessories, and subscriptions. Fortunately, there are several ways to play a game while not getting over your budget. We have mentioned a few pointers, but you will find plenty of ways to reduce your spending habit for games with a bit of research.