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You are here: Home / Tech Geek / Gaming / How to Save Money on the Video Games Your Kids Have to Have

How to Save Money on the Video Games Your Kids Have to Have

January 17, 2020 by Nerdy Dad RP 35 Comments

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How to Save Money on the Video Games Your Kids Have to Have

Video games can be incredibly awesome ways for your kids to pass the time on dreary days, and even meet new people online that share their interests. The only problem is that video games can be expensive, especially during the holiday season. But before you start giving up buying groceries to buy video games, there are a few ways that the resourceful dad can get her kids the games they want without spending a ton of money.

Use a Game Rental Service

In most cases, your kids want video games that they have never played. They have seen the awesome commercials on the television, but they have no clue what the game really is.

The cheapest way to avoid buying brand new games that your kids lose interest in after a couple of hours is to get a subscription to a video game rental service. You can get games in any format you need at a low monthly rate. Plus this gives your kids a chance to try the games before you buy them.

Take Advantage of Downloads


Playing free games online is a great way to save money.  If your kids have to have that newest game the day it comes out and renting the game is not good enough, then you can get the PC download version of the game and save more than half off the retail purchase price.

Do you or your kids love video games? It can be quite an expensive hobby. Here's how to save: Click To Tweet

Trade Video Games

If you have a game that your kids no longer want, then you could try and see how much the local video game store will give you for the game. The chances are pretty good that you will only get offered a fraction of what you paid for the game.

A smarter move is to find a good video game trading website and offer to trade that game to someone who has a game that your kids want. You only pay for the postage, and your kids get a new game to play.

You can also set up a network of local parents to swap games with as well.

Buy Used Games


It could be argued that the market for used video games is almost as large as the new game market.

Your favorite online auction website has pages and pages of used video games for sale. There are also websites dedicated specifically to the process of buying and selling used video games.

These websites can save you money when you purchase used games, and you can also use these sites to sell your kid’s old games and get a lot more than the retail store down the street would give you.

If your kids love video games, then you need to be creative with how you buy games. There are plenty of ways to get the games your kids want without spending a small fortune.

“Some trees flourish, others die. Some cattle grow strong, others are taken by wolves. Some men are born rich enough and dumb enough to enjoy their lives. Ain’t nothing fair.”
– Red Dead Redemption
What is your favorite video game?

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Filed Under: Gaming, Living Life, Love & Money, Tech Geek Tagged With: save money, video games

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Comments

  1. Edna Williams says

    June 4, 2020 at 11:39 pm

    Video games online could be a great way for kids to pass the time, especially now, and free online games would be even better! These suggestion will be very helpful for so many parents! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      June 9, 2020 at 12:29 pm

      There are a lot of free computer game websites. The graphics aren’t the best but they work!

      Reply
  2. Shannon Gilchrist says

    June 19, 2020 at 2:57 pm

    I was hoping this would tell me how to get a Switch cheap, lol. My kids are dying to have one.

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      June 24, 2020 at 1:19 pm

      Yes, the (aff link) Switch and other consoles can be expensive. For the cheapest you will probably need to go used. Or, what we sometimes do is let the kids combine what you would spend for a birthday party and birthday/Christmas presents to buy one big thing. You’d be surprised at how often they chose this option.

      Reply
  3. Stephan Grant says

    June 23, 2020 at 3:23 pm

    Yes, I agree that renting the game is a good idea. Redbox and other places sometimes have the games kids want for rent. That gives both child and parent a chance to check out the game before putting down a lot of money.

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      June 24, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      Yes, it’s always great if you can test out a game first especially if your kids are young and don’t know what they like yet.

      Reply
  4. Deanna Straub says

    June 29, 2020 at 10:02 pm

    Thank you for the great tips. You have to pinch pennies to survive nowadays.

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      July 7, 2020 at 3:52 pm

      Yes, COVID makes saving money even more important

      Reply
  5. Dena Akbar says

    July 3, 2020 at 11:13 pm

    Video games online could be a great way for kids to pass the time, especially now, and free online games would be even better! These suggestion will be very helpful for so many parents! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      July 7, 2020 at 3:51 pm

      Yes, kids need distraction more than ever now with COVID, we just need to throw in outside time too with the gaming 🙂

      Reply
  6. Christina S says

    August 3, 2020 at 9:03 pm

    Thanks I needed this! My daughter is obsessed with video games, mainly Roblox and she spends way more money on it than I’d like too admit! It’s really hard especailly when we are living on such a tight budget.

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      August 5, 2020 at 12:45 pm

      My youngest is a Roblox fan too. We try to keep him from wasting his money on it. His older brother got scammed on it before.

      Reply
  7. Dana Rodriguez says

    August 21, 2020 at 11:12 pm

    We buy used games sometimes. It certainly saves money!

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      September 14, 2020 at 11:49 am

      Any little bit helps. What video games do your kids like?

      Reply
  8. Melissa Smith says

    August 29, 2020 at 11:57 am

    My kids have been all about the video games since Rona, so this article was VERY much appreciated!

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      September 14, 2020 at 11:48 am

      What are your kids’ favorite video games?

      Reply
  9. Tina Alexander says

    October 10, 2020 at 5:48 pm

    My kids are mostly Roblox fans! My daughter go in her room and play and my son go in his room. Yet they are playing together along with several cousins and friends. I usually have to make them get off the electronics.I only buy Robux every couple of months so it’s not expensive. They have a PS4 and Xbox also, when they play those systems, Minecraft and Just Dance are their favorite games to play.

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      October 27, 2020 at 1:41 pm

      How old are your kids?

      Reply
  10. tina alexander says

    October 11, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    My kids like Minecraft on PS4, Just Dance on Xbox when they want to work up a sweat, and they play Roblox nonstop.I only purchase Robux occasionally, so that’s not expensive. When I purchase video games I look for clearance first. I save my cashback for to use for Christmas, therefore I know I’m not going to have to put out as much money on video games etc.

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      October 27, 2020 at 1:40 pm

      My son is a huge Roblox fan but we try to avoid Robux if we can. Our older son got scammed on the game and lost his money.

      Reply
  11. megan allen says

    November 2, 2020 at 11:15 am

    I had no idea there were websites where I could trade video games! That is nuts! How did I not know that with 3 gamers in my house? Thank you so much for the tips!

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      November 17, 2020 at 1:52 pm

      Sadly, those sites will probably come to an end before long with most games going to digital

      Reply
  12. Lauryn R says

    May 2, 2021 at 3:49 pm

    These are great tips, thanks for sharing! I personally love buying used, depending on who you get it from. A lot of them will allow you to return it if something is wrong and it doesn’t play. I also like to look for free versions of games online, or even trial.

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      May 14, 2021 at 9:45 pm

      Very true – buying video games used can save you a lot of money

      Reply
  13. Sarah Pickering says

    January 10, 2022 at 5:37 pm

    My teen daughter likes digital copies sometimes but I try to get her to buy used games so that she can at least resell – digital copies can’t be resold.

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      January 11, 2022 at 7:21 am

      Totally feel you on that! I always want the physical copy of the game too if I can get it

      Reply
  14. Brittany Gilley says

    April 6, 2022 at 6:45 am

    I like the idea of trading- I bet we could start up our own trade group in my town

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      April 6, 2022 at 7:13 am

      Creating a video game trade group in a neighborhood is a great idea!

      Reply
  15. Beyond Comps says

    April 20, 2022 at 4:31 am

    I recommend using the Allkeyshop plugin on Firefox.
    It has saved me a lot of money.

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      May 6, 2022 at 7:48 am

      Thanks. Game comparison websites are always a great help!

      Reply
  16. Kate Parkin says

    April 29, 2022 at 10:07 am

    Thanks for the helpful tips!

    Reply
  17. JanD says

    December 7, 2022 at 2:45 pm

    Great tips. I’m more on the buy them used.

    Reply
    • Nerdy Dad RP says

      January 6, 2023 at 7:19 am

      Buying video games used is a great way to save on them!

      Reply

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