Subscriptions Services, Offers & Bonuses: Tools That Make Gaming Cost-Effective
Prices of video games have drastically increased in recent years as economies around the world experience inflation. Gaming as a hobby has become expensive as players not only have to invest in a high-end PC or a latest-gen console but also pay for ever-increasing prices of video games. For example, the average price of a “AAA” title has risen by 20–40% in the past 5 years.
The online gaming community is in the same boat as well. While many online games are F2P (free-to-play), there are some that do require gamers to open their wallets that some just can’t resist. Fortunately, there are a few tools out there that gamers can use to make their hobby cost-effective, and this article will explore that.
Sony’s PlayStation Plus & Microsoft’s Game Pass
Subscription services like Xbox's Game Pass and Sony's PlayStation Plus have gained a lot of attention from gamers due to how beneficial they are for saving money. Sony and Microsoft have made a lot of changes to their services by adding an array of critically acclaimed titles to their respective catalogs, increasing the appeal of their premium plans.
Furthermore, subscribed members get free in-game items and occasional bonuses for some games, like valuable resources and cosmetics. Subscribers also get exclusive discounts on games, both PS Plus and Game Pass have this feature. Plans of both subscription services are similarly priced.
These services, which are as cheap as $15 a month, allow players access to a variety of games available on the platform. This way gamers can save money for that one game and still enjoy the others while not purchasing every single copy. For the games that are not available in the catalog and the new releases, the member-exclusive discounts are very useful.
Use Price Trackers
If you are planning to upgrade your PC, want to get new copies of games, or are waiting for computer peripherals to go on sale, then utilize online price trackers. These trackers help gamers compare prices of PC components across various retailers for free.
If you want the best deals on every product, then the use of reliable price trackers is a must. These online resource tools also keep a record of the price history of a product and notify users of changes if they opt for it.
That said, some price trackers are not exclusive to gaming; you will also come across those that provide similar information for electronics. Overall, these are tools for financially responsible users who seek the best deal possible.
Utilize Bonuses and Promotions
Many gamers miss out on bonuses and promotions offered by publishers and their collaborators. These usually require information that’s not readily available in games. Beyond popular sites that offer CS2 (CS:GO) skins, other occasional promotions can provide in-game items as valuable as currency. For instance, developers of Genshin Impact run monthly events on their official website, usually in the form of mini-browser games. Participating in these events can reward players with in-game currency and other valuable items.
Some bonuses are advertised better, like the casino bonus at Ignition, which provides first-time players with cash on their first-ever deposit. Though a common trend among gambling platforms, the amount of welcome bonus varies across various sites. Ignition rewards crypto depositors with up to $3000 as a welcome bonus, and credit/debit card users get up to $2000.
This is how bonuses work: first, the players make their first-ever deposit in the online casino account, and next the platform matches the bonus, which is available in the same account right away. The player can then use this deposit plus the received bonus to bet on the games available on the platform freely. This allows new players to start off with bigger bankrolls and the flexibility to explore more games.
Besides the one-time aforementioned bonus, there are other promotions that players can take advantage of in a similar way, and yes, some of these can be combined for even greater amounts of cash. Cryptocurrency users are perhaps the biggest winners here, as they get the most out of every transaction. It is advised to keep an eye out for every possible bonus that you can benefit from, and this applies to every form of online gaming.
Make Informed Decisions
Avoid impulse buying and do not spend more than you have to for in-game cosmetics, all of this money can be saved easily. This will allow you to buy more quality games in the long term. Utilize game-sharing features when possible and split the cost of the game with your friends or family. If your friend already owns a game that you want, you can ask them to share it with you, and this even works with digital purchases. PlayStation’s game sharing and Steam’s library sharing feature are popularly used for this.