Have you ever bought a game on release day?

[Corrie]

I did! Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, I took a bus to the mall and picked up the game, then took the bus directly back, hyped to play when I got home. There was actually a girl on that same bus who was playing the game! It was really cool to see another fan in the wild!

 

[Beanz]

i think i bought the pikmin 1 + pikmin 2 bundle on release date, im not sure though.

i pre-ordered new horizons months ahead of release from gamestop, i actually had planned to go pick it up from the store in person but covid happened and they mailed it instead. i remember choosing to pre-order because i was so worried that there would be no copies left at the store, but i was able to go to target the day after and they had plenty left lol

 

[Romaki]

Since I started working I at least bought every original Pokémon title and New Horizons on release date. Also Tears of the Kingdom, I think.
You might think Pokémon Violet is capable of changing my opinion on that, but I experienced no gamebreaking bugs. Just very silly things.

For me those releases are like events I don't want to miss. Is it FOMO? Sure, but I like sharing the same obsessions as the current zeitgeist.

 

[Asteroid]

I bought Pokemon Diamond and Pearl both on release day for their pre-order bonuses.

It's not worth it to buy games on release day because eventually, i'll find a way to get the game I want. Sometimes cheaper too.

 

[RemMomori]

The first game I bought on my own on launch day was Splatoon 3! I was super into Splatoon 2 and I was confident that I was going to like the next game so I pre-ordered it so I could play on day one! I also didn't want to get spoiled on the ending of the story mode so that was the first thing I cleared! I did want to play more on launch day but I had covid and was super tired so I couldn't play much.

I also got New Horizons on launch day but my parents bought me that one for my birthday (my birthday was the day right after the release lol)

 

[Asarena]

Games that I buy on release day are usually games that I'm very excited for. If it's a new game from one of my favorite series then there's a good chance I'll want to play it ASAP. Some examples of games like that are Super Mario Odyssey, Pikmin 4, Animal Crossing New Horizons, Splatoon 2 & 3, and Luigi's Mansion 3. I bought all of those on their release day. Aside from that, I usually wait a bit to look at reviews and gameplay more before buying

 

[Mars Adept]

I used to constantly, particularly with Kirby games. ACNH was another game I bought on launch. I’ve been disappointed by so many new games that nowadays I just play older games.

 

[Coach]

I've bought plenty straight away! Some I don't regret whatsoever (ACNH, Life is Strange: True Colours) and some that I definitely do regret (Cyberpunk 2077 for ps4... lol). I'll definitely continue to selectively preorder games I trust will be good or that I know I'll like, such as the upcoming mario party or dead rising remake.

 

[Aerith]

I used to do this more often, but nowadays I only do it when I absolutely must play it (especially if I'm worried about spoilers). I'm more patient and happy to wait for a sale for most games, however, Animal Crossing will always be one of those that I pre-order and play the day it's released.

 

[Milleram]

I always preorder Pokemon games so I can have them on release day. That's only because Pokemon is my favourite game franchise. For other games (unless I want a special or limited release), I usually don't mind waiting.

 

[duckvely]

i think new horizons is the only game i bought on release day

 

[Zerous]

I do if it’s a game I know I’m going to get and I’m really excited for, and sometimes if there’s a preorder gift with it! Like I got splatoon 3 and got the little keychain, or sun and moon with the pin and the poster. But I’ve gotten a lot of Pokémon games on release, new leaf and new horizon, and totk!

 

[Bluelady]

Yup. Every mainline Fire Emblem game released after Awakening.

ACNH as well.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I’ve bought every mainline Pokémon game since Sun and Moon and mainline Zelda game since Link’s Awakening on release day. Also did the same for NH, Paper Mario Origami King, and Super Mario Party.

 

[VillageDweller]

I used to more when I was a teenager, but now I very infrequently get games at release, the only ones I will now are from specific series, namely Animal Crossing and Monster Hunter, the previous two (New Horizons and Monster Hunter Rise) which I did buy at launch. I'd say I lean more towards it for Nintendo games as well as they are less likely to decrease in price overtime compared to other games, Steam sales, etc. I'll definitely be getting Monster Hunter Wilds at launch next year, and the next AC game!

 

[SkyKnight03]

New Horizons.

Sometimes Pokemon.

Some of the annual released sports games. (god help me. this is a mistake because most of them need to be patched and don't work properly on release). But I do it anyways to play them with my younger cousin.

 

[Mokuren]

Oh yes I used to do this all the time but not anymore. Games are getting released in an unfinished state or are just trash.

 

[rosefairy]

Yes, I'll usually go for it if it's a game that I've been waiting years for. Especially if it's part of a series I adore or the trailers make me feel confident I'll love it. For instance, I'll always dive into a new Persona game on launch (not including the spin offs) because I know for a fact the hours of enjoyment I'll get from it will be well worth the price tag in the end. P5 got delayed so many times, so it was an exciting day when it finally released! I think there's a social aspect to it too, especially with a story game like that. I liked being able to share my initial reactions and excitement with friends who were playing at the same time. The same was true for Kingdom Hearts 3.

I also got ACNH and Splatoon 3 on launch, even though I never played games in those series before, because I was endlessly curious about them and knew the general consensus is that they're very fun and solid games. (There was so much truth in that because I have accumulated hours of playtime on both / can revisit them any time and know I'm going to have fun.) If I'm curious enough about an indie game, I'll sometimes take a chance and buy it on launch because they tend to be less expensive.

Other than that it's pretty rare for me. If I'm not sure how much I'm going to enjoy a game I try to wait for a sale. Especially with how expensive games are now. If I buy a game on launch I want to feel confident that it's polished and finished. I used to buy Pokemon games right away, but with the last one being so buggy I'm going to start waiting it out to see if it's actually worth it first.