Why Gamers Wait For Sales Instead Of Buying DLC At Launch

Back in the day, you didn’t really argue with yourself much about getting your favorite DLC when you saw it coming out. I know I didn’t when I first saw The Old Hunters coming out for my all-time favorite title, Bloodborne, but today, things have changed, really changed. You decide whether that’s for the better or worse, though the outcome is usually the former. 

These days, a lot of gamers are in no rush. They’ve seen enough price drops, seasonal sales, and “complete editions” to know that waiting usually pays off. Besides, we adult gamers with jobs and families always have a hefty backlog that yearns for us to get into, so the wait part genuinely helps clear that before adding yet another article to the list.

Launch Day DLC Can Be Risky

We have numerous examples of how this factor can often be the norm in modern-day gaming, with Cyberpunk 2077 serving as a shining example of the notion. The futuristic RPG by CD Projekt Red got off to a horrendous start back when it came out in December 2020. It wasn’t until a year later that things started to drastically improve, with the game spawning an expansion as well that became quite highly rated as well. 

Initially, however, a lot of people had their doubts, no thanks to the base game’s notorious launch history. All cleared up well on its side, though in time. 

Gift Cards Amplify The Sale Experience

This is one thing that’s not talked about a lot, though, and that is the experience of getting your DLCs through gift cards, recharged from options on Eneba, for instance, instead of making direct purchases.

Players have this habit of holding onto their gift cards, so it feels more as if you just spent on games from a budget that was already there, and you didn’t have to take out cash separately. Sounds ironic, but it isn’t. 

When A Bundle Comes Up, You Know The Wait Was Not In Vain

That’s right. Ubisoft’s Ubi Store, in particular, has this really terrific habit of getting its best titles up on sale in bundled versions. That can effectively save you hundreds of dollars, if not thousands, long-term, and I can easily think of other retail platforms replicating the same formula for their user base.

Base games will get coupled up with their DLC counterpart, and the entire thing will get discounted to the point where making the purchase will become a no-brainer.

Some Players Still Get On Day One, And That’s All Right

Some DLC, however, is time sensitive, so if you’re buying your expansions the moment it releases, I don’t blame you. Just make sure to assess whether the purchase is truly worth it, because it’s almost always worth going the other way with downloadable content. The goods will still be there, usually in a better state, and at a better price. And for a lot of gamers, that trade-off is an easy one.