May 30th, 2023, Christien Pheby
The practice of preordering video games has been the subject of criticism for a long time. While some enjoy the bells and whistles that come with a reserved copy of a game, others have argued that preordering is a “bad deal” for consumers, who would be better served if they waited to read reviews or hear the word on the street.
But how many gamers actually pick up their favourite titles in advance, and why?
We asked US gamers – defined here as those who play on console/PC, for at least an hour a week – whether they pre-order video games. Overall, 25% say they do so always or often; 26% say they do so sometimes; while 51% say they do so rarely or never (1% don’t know).
When those who do preorder games are asked why, the most popular motivations include brand loyalty – i.e. that the game is part of a franchise that they enjoy (35%), in-game content that offers a gameplay advantage such as unique weapons or extra ammo (33%), or cosmetics (33%). Discounts are also up there (32%), as is positive pre-release buzz (31%).
Pre-loading – wherein you download the game before its official launch, thereby allowing you to play as soon as it releases – is a similarly popular motivation (31%). A quarter of gamers also say they pre-order games to support a developer (24%), while a fifth say they do it so they can buy the game as part of a bundle (22%).
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Methodology
YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online in March 2023, with a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults in Great Britain (aged 18+ years), using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, gender, social grade and education to be representative of all adults in Great Britain (18 years or older), and reflect the latest ONS population estimates. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.