Top 5 Ways to Get Games Cheap

There are many places to buy games, but where can you get the games cheap? If there isn’t a lot of extra cash in your budget but you want to get a game or two, here are Father Geek’s top 5 ways to get games for cheap!

#5 – Enter Contests, Often

Game companies and game related web sites (including this one) offer contests where games are most often rewarded as prizes. Your odds of winning are as good as the next person, but what makes this approach of getting cheap games interesting is the “contest” portion. Usually, the participants are asked to do something creative as means of entering the contest as a participant. Win or loose, this can be a lot of fun…even if you don’t win.

#4 – The Discount Bin

Some game stores will have a discount shelf or a  “Dings and Dents” section where products that have slight cosmetic damage can be purchased. The box might be bent, crushed, or gauged, but the inside game is almost always in perfect order. The discount isn’t much, usually, but every little bit helps when you are on a budget.

You might also want to consider visiting the larger retail stores such as Target and Walmart. They usually carry a good number of game titles and are always looking to move their inventory off their shelves. Time it right and you can get some great games for sometimes half-off or more of the shown ticket price. Check out the end cap displays, as they often put the products they want to move the fastest there.

#3 – Thrift Stores & Garage Sales

Good Will and larger thrift stores like Savers are a great place to find just about anything cheap, including board games. You can also find some great game titles at garage sales. The biggest problem you will have is (1) availability and (2) game completeness. Note that I am not mentioning the product quality. Odds are that whatever you get is going to be either opened and never played or played a good deal and worn out. Still, when you do find a game you are interested in, you can’t help but feel you’ve just won the lottery. To help you get started, there is a guild of bargain bin divers on GeekDo.com who love to find and share what they have found and how they found it. Check out The Ancient and Loyal Order of Thrifters.

Father Geek Tip: Always open the game box before you buy it and inspect the bits and pieces for completeness!

#2 – Make Your Own

Yes, it is time consuming, but we are on a tight budget here. Making your own game can be time intensive but very rewarding. It doesn’t take much to come up with a game board idea, find some dice, and  wrap some rules around it.  BOOM! You’ve got yourself a game.

There are also a great number of free “Print-N-Play” games. Just about everything is provided for you and it is a great way to try out some super games. Check out GeekDo.com for an incredibly large list of available free games to print, cut, and play.

#1 – Borrow a Game

Father Geek’s number one choice for cheap games is friends and family. If they have a game or two, odds are they will be happy to lend it to you, or better yet, play it with you. This is a great way to try new and old games and determine if the game title is something you would like to save up for and purchase. You might also want to try your local library. Some libraries allow you to checkout board games like you would a book or a movie. Score!

What? Did we miss something?

Do you have any suggestions on where else you can get cheap games? If so, share! Leave a comment and let the other readers benefit from your wisdom!