I've done it a handful of times, but it's normally if it's a title i've been really excited about and know i'm for sure going to love (so namely animal crossing and i think a few story of seasons games). a lot of other games I'll only buy if they come highly recommended and I've seen gameplay, so it's usually a little while after release. the only exception there is if the game was on another platform first and then i buy the switch version on release day
Games I bought on launch day include Animal Crossing NL/NH, majority of the Pokemon games excluding gen 1-3 cause I was too young to care, Spectrobes.
Pokemon games kinda easy to buy on launch since it releases around my birthday and still to this day plan sleepovers with the boys if its a main release lol
I do! The last games I preordered were Persona 5 Royal for the Switch (also when it came out on the ps4 too I believe), Fire Emblem Three Hopes, Persona 5 Strikers (I think), I think Pokemon Legends. I did for Final Fantasy XV for ps4; still kinda regretting it since it had so many plot holes and by the time they added more to the ending and introduced the dlc, I had long been done.
My most memorable one was ACNL, cuz we bought 4 copies for me and my 3 oldest kiddos & then sat on them for like 9-10 days so we could start playing them on the 12 hour drive when we went on vacation.
I also got HHD and ACNH on release as well. I did the midnight release for HHD because I got the new animal crossing 3DS that came loaded with that game and I bought them out of their Amiibo cards at GameStop that night as well. I remember that not being super fun because Paige (one of their employees) & I built the kingdom hearts display while we waited for the midnight release.
I also got to do the midnight release of SSBU with both of my boys because we had been coming home from the emergency room As we had a scare with my youngest and because it was pretty late already and we had to go get his antibiotics, we went ahead and went right next-door to GameStop and got in line before they released it so we can go ahead and pick ours up.
We’ve done multiple of the Pokémon game releases as well. I know we were there for sword and shield and arceus legends and Scarlet and Violet and I want to say we got shining pearl and brilliant diamond as well on release. I know I’ve got videos somewhere where Dante one of the store managers at GameStop said he would release it early if we sing the theme song so we did as a big group ha ha ha!!!
When there's something I really want or benefits from pre-ordering a game that I like, I'll often pre-order games. So, yes, I've gotten games on release day.
Like, for example, I'll pre-order certain Sims expansions if I'm not sure I'll have the money still when they release or if there's items that come along with pre-ordering it that I like. I have the new DLC for Diablo pre-ordered (I swear it wasn't just because I wanted a pet cat or rideable tiger... okay, maybe it was. Shush.)
So, I guess my biggest deciding points are perks and money I have atm.
You wanna talk about getting something on release day by going and standing in a store at midnight? My dad took me to the event at Walmart when the 7th Harry Potter book came out when I was a kid. I got these special bracelets. The first one you got signified where you were in line (Like if you had to go to the bathroom or something or wanted to shop, you'd just have to go to the end of your section, not the whole line) We were the very last of the Gryffindor Section which was the 1st chunk of the line. Then you got the other three bracelets and a poster when you reached the front of the line and made your purchase. I wish I wasn't scatterbrained as a kid and actually kept them in a safe place. Still have the hard copy of the book, don't have the bracelets or poster... sigh.
Off the top of my head, I got ACNH at GameStop a day before it was supposed to officially release haha I was so stoked. I just went in there lookin' for whatever and there it was all ready to go. I also got Pokemon X on release day too as well as Alpha Sapphire. Those are just three, but I'm pretty sure there's more.
I’ve done it often for most games I’ve wanted over the past few years now that I can afford it. The odd game I wait on cause while I’d like to get it it’s not a huge want so it can wait for a sale.
Prior to Pokemon Alpha Sapphire (November 2014) I never preordered though as I rarely had the funds to buy games and had to rely on getting them gifts or money as gifts to then buy later on. Pokemon Alpha Sapphire was an exception at that time as I couldn’t afford much but purposely put aside money when it was first announced ahead of launch.
i think the first time i bought a game on release was let's go eevee because i was in the market to finally buy a switch and they had a bundle at the time so it seemed like a good deal. the other one was persona 3 reload since it launched on xbox gamepass so i "purchased" it on launch day.
