What Are Your Steam Game Sale Percentage Off Preferences?

[swillfly]

I typically wait until any games on my wishlist are at least 60% off before I consider buying them.

When they are 80% off or more then I gobble them up unless there are some reasons why they're so discounted (i.e. clunky console port, unfinished/abandoned by devs, etc.)

Steam publisher sales seem to happen frequently so if I miss a sale then a few months later it seems there's another.

Do you have a percentage off preference before buying?

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

I don't buy on Steam anymore, but more generally, it varies from game to game, depending on how much I want it.

But I usually wait for at least -50%, and additionally it has to be a reasonable price point for me. If I really want a game I might pay $10 or $15 for it, but if I'm not dying to get the game I will probably just wait for -75% and $5 or less.

[Tito Shivan]

Publicado originalmente por GunsForBucks:

I also dislike games that "die", like multiplayer only games that have to be online. You end up at the whim of the devs to be able to play it at all. Waiting as I do for games lets me know what they are doing and what to expect from the game.

This is why price aside I always put my money on multiplayer games that do put effort into the single player aspect of it.

If the game has Vs bots mode or a solid Solo play experience then I'll put my money into it, as I know it'll still be playable after the playerbase has moved to the next big thing. If your game purely relies on multiplayer and does not bother to offer some grounded single player experience, don't expect me to get my money for it.

Which brings me to:

Publicado originalmente por Quint the Alligator Snapper:

If I really want a game

With a very sizable library I noticed theres very, very few cases where I really want a game. I can wait for almost everything to go down in price because I have a backlog as large as to last for a lifetime to fill that gap.

[Gallifrey - CSSC Gaming Founder]

Publicado originalmente por Tito Shivan:

Publicado originalmente por GunsForBucks:

I also dislike games that "die", like multiplayer only games that have to be online. You end up at the whim of the devs to be able to play it at all. Waiting as I do for games lets me know what they are doing and what to expect from the game.

This is why price aside I always put my money on multiplayer games that do put effort into the single player aspect of it.

If the game has Vs bots mode or a solid Solo play experience then I'll put my money into it, as I know it'll still be playable after the playerbase has moved to the next big thing. If your game purely relies on multiplayer and does not bother to offer some grounded single player experience, don't expect me to get my money for it.

Which brings me to:

Publicado originalmente por Quint the Alligator Snapper:

If I really want a game

With a very sizable library I noticed theres very, very few cases where I really want a game. I can wait for almost everything to go down in price because I have a backlog as large as to last for a lifetime to fill that gap.

Echo final paragraph. Plus about forty plus freebies on Epic.

S.x.

[Sazzouu]

90% and above -> Instant Buy
75% and above -> If the publisher is known to not go any further or if it is the lowest possible pricing I consider buying

50% is the first mark where I have a look into it. Anything below I won't even look at it with my butt. Exceptions to these rules are games that I am even willing to pre-order because I am thirsty as fudge for them

[J4MESOX4D]

I don't really have percentage parameters - if a game is worth buying then I'll pick it up regardless of price or discount. I rarely buy games at full price though and if there is a new title I'm interested in, I mostly buy outside of Steam where entry discounts may be offered.

I've seen users nitpick over percentages only to be disappointed i.e waiting many months/1 year+ for a 75% discount that never materialised when they could've got 66% off for instance.

I really only buy games I want or am interested in playing some day though - I don't buy games for the sake of it or because it has a good discount. A few years ago I did used to buy anything and everything that seemed a good deal but that would just lead to a huge backlog and many games I never got round to playing or wasn't motivated to do so. For all the savings I made on games, I certainly wasted money in the process.

[Gus the Crocodile]

Unless we're talking AAA games from the big corporate publishers (which I play few of anyway), I'm not out to pay creators the least amount of money possible. If I like a game it's almost certainly worth the asking price.

[Jazz]

I'm a giant cheapskate. I never buy full price and almost never buy a game if it's over $20. I also usually only buy a game if it's on a record low discount.

[crunchyfrog]

Publicado originalmente por swillfly:

Lots of valid points - thanks folks!

The most important take-away I'm thinking is caveat emptor "let the buyer beware" - which is to say -> exercise caution prior to any purchase and research it. There's no shortcuts there AFAIK.

Without getting off into the DRM/Denuvo tangent I'll say simply that I prefer no extra software besides the essential product but it's not a dealbreaker for me unless it causes gameplay grief substantiated by numerous outside reviews/experience.

I like crunchyfrog's "what is this worth to me" arbitrary angle as this dictates how likely I am to lean towards a purchase or waiting until later anyhow.

As for supporting devs, it seems that during an initial kickstarter or during early alpha/beta is the time to throw them money (if so inclined). I can't imagine the devs getting anything out of sales once something has gone gold and they're off a project. I'm not sure though. Any devs wish to illuminate how (& when) it's best to support their efforts?

I guess the percentage off really isn't that important -muchlike all the grocery coupons. Likely a way to promote sales and move merchandise.

Yup, that's basically it. I'm glad you got my convoluted explanation. Makes me happy.

The cardinal rule I learned years ago with gaming especially is simply this - BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.

I know, it sounds corny as hell, but think about it. How many times have your friends said "this game's great, you should buy it" then you've bought it and tried kidding yourself it's good when you just don't get it? I've seen people galore sell games the day after purchase based on this very reason.

And how many times have you looked at games bullshots to promote a game before release and you get whipped up, only to be disappointed on release? I could go on.

The point is to ignore all this ♥♥♥♥, and think about what it all means to YOU. For me, that means not taking a blind bit of notice what others like, nor taking any interest in any game until reviews come in.

But the kicker here is the whole price thing, of course, and in the same way, percentages off are irrelevant to you. Only what YOU deem it worth is the key value to you.

So, yeah, the whole BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF is a valuable tool, perhaps THE most valuable tool, because done right, it ensures you NEVER get disappointed.

I haven't bought a single game in decades where I didn't know exactly what I was getting.

[Mailer]

For me it is an evaluation between the age of the game and the percentage of the sale, and the two generally go hand in hand, but not always. (Older games yield greater sale percentages)

I am usually turned towards higher percentages around 80%, which in turn generally implies older games, which is fine with me since I have relatively dated hardware.

I don't expect a lot of new games to meet my criteria, and I almost never make investments in early access or subscriptions.

[crunchyfrog]

Publicado originalmente por Mailer:

For me it is an evaluation between the age of the game and the percentage of the sale, and the two generally go hand in hand, but not always. (Older games yield greater sale percentages)

I am usually turned towards higher percentages around 80%, which in turn generally implies older games, which is fine with me since I have relatively dated hardware.

I don't expect a lot of new games to meet my criteria, and I almost never make investments in early access or subscriptions.

Good practice. That's precisely why I just ignore the percenatages though and just cut through the ♥♥♥♥ and give any game a value TO ME of what it is worth. Saves a lot of time and nonsense.

I dig what you're saying though.

Some games I will wait years for to buy. My favourite time is when a console is "dead". For instance, I've been buying up Wii U games en masse over the last year as they are cheap as chips now and undesirable. Best times to pick stuff up. I also try to pick up a spare console so I always have a backup or spares too.

[GunsForBucks]

In terms of early access it is rare for me to support things like that.

But you can't really make rules about these things since there are always exceptions.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/367270/Angels_Fall_First/

[boRZ]

I see the percentage off discount and then I further deduce. Spawn of Totoro made a good point but for me I'm not going to purchase a new (/old marked down game) atm until I've finished a few other 'AAA' level games left in my library .
For example I saw that Doom (2016) dropped to $10 an excellent price for any sale for that game. I'm making my way through old Doom games I never played.

[crunchyfrog]

Publicado originalmente por Palaceultima:

I see the percentage off discount and then I further deduce. Spawn of Totoro made a good point but for me I'm not going to purchase a new (/old marked down game) atm until I've finished a few other 'AAA' level games left in my library .
For example I saw that Doom (2016) dropped to $10 an excellent price for any sale for that game. I'm making my way through old Doom games I never played.

Nothing wrong with such self-control at all. In fact it's again admirable and just being honest with yourself again.

This is the one thing I probably go overboard with though.

Because I do that thing where I never buy games anywhere near release, and am a real cheapskate (this is mostly because I'm retired and disabled so I have LOADS of free time to play every day), it means that I get more games for the price of an otherwise new release.

Generally speaking, about once a month I go through the usual shops I use online, and either buy new or used certain games - instead of one games for £50, I can easily get 15 for that price, some times a bit less.

This has the knock on effect of meaning that for the same money spent I get LOADS more gameplay hours, which in turn, means that I am never in a position where I'm stuck for anything to play. Which once again means that I never have to worry about buying a game anywhere near new, and so on ad infinitum.

But I readily admit I've got a backlog of well, well over 1000 games. So I do go overboard, mostly because I'm planning for the future.