Should You Preorder a Game or Wait for Reviews

A trailer drops, the store page lights up with a bonus skin and a "preorder now" button, and part of you wants to lock it in before you forget. The other part remembers the last launch that ran at 22 frames per second. Deciding whether to preorder a game used to make sense when physical copies sold out. In 2026, for most digital releases, it mostly means paying full price for something nobody has played yet.

That does not mean every preorder is a mistake. Here is how I decide, as someone who reviews games for a living and still preorders two or three a year.

What you actually get when you preorder a game

Strip away the store page graphics and a typical digital preorder offers some combination of:

A cosmetic bonus. An outfit, a weapon skin, a small item pack. Often these become purchasable or free a few months later.
Preloading. Downloading the game a day or two early so you can play the minute it goes live. Useful if your connection is slow and the game is 120 GB.
Early access. Some deluxe editions let you play three to five days early, usually for an extra 20 to 40 dollars.
Price protection. Most major digital storefronts charge the lowest price between preorder and release, so you rarely lose money on a launch discount.

What you almost never get is a lower price than you would pay a month after launch. Big releases commonly drop 15 to 30 percent within their first two or three months, and many hit 50 percent within a year.

The real cost of buying before reviews

The risk is not the money itself, since most stores now allow refunds. The risk is buying blind into one of three common launch problems.

Performance issues on your platform. A game can run well on one console and badly on PC, or the reverse. Reviews and technical breakdowns published at launch reveal this within 24 hours.
Content that does not match the marketing. Trailers show the best two minutes. Reviews tell you whether the other 30 hours hold up.
Missing or monetized features. Some launches cut modes that later arrive as paid add-ons, or lean heavily on an in-game shop. That only becomes clear once people play.

Notice how many games publish a review embargo that lifts on launch day or even after. Our breakdown of what review embargoes reveal before a launch covers why a late embargo is worth noticing.

Refund policies change the math, but not entirely

Refunds make preordering safer than it was ten years ago, but the rules vary by store and are stricter than many players think.

Store type	Typical digital refund rule	What it means for preorders
Steam	Within 14 days of purchase and under 2 hours played	Preorders can be refunded before release, and within 2 hours of play after
PlayStation Store	Preorders cancellable before release in many regions, little flexibility after download	Safe until launch, risky after
Nintendo eShop	Very limited refunds, often only for preorders up to 7 days before release	Cancel early or accept the purchase
Xbox Store	Case by case requests within 14 days	Possible, not guaranteed

Policies shift by region and over time, so check the current terms on your store before relying on them. Two hours is also less time than it sounds. Install, shader compilation and an unskippable 25 minute opening can eat half of it before you see real gameplay.

When preordering does make sense

I still preorder in a few situations, and they share a pattern: the uncertainty is low or the benefit is real.

Physical collector's editions. Limited runs with statues or art books genuinely sell out. If you want the box, preorder from a retailer that charges on shipping.
Studios with a consistent track record. If a developer's last four games launched in good shape, the risk is lower. Track record beats trailers.
Sequels to games you already played for 100 hours. You know the systems, and small improvements will still deliver what you want.
Multiplayer games where launch week matters. If your friend group is starting together on day one, preloading has practical value.

Physical preorders also deserve their own note. Many large retailers only charge your card when the item ships, so a physical preorder costs nothing until launch week and can be cancelled with a few clicks if early impressions turn sour. That makes it far less of a commitment than a digital preorder charged on the day you click.

Even then, a day one purchase at launch gives you most of the same benefits with a few hours of review coverage first.

The counter-take: preorder bonuses are not the reason to wait or buy

A lot of advice says simply "never preorder, it rewards publishers for bad launches." I think that framing is too blunt. Individual preorders have little effect on publisher behavior, and refusing a preorder for a game you are certain to love only costs you a preload.

The better rule is narrower: never let a bonus make the decision. A cosmetic hat is worth roughly nothing a month later. If you would not buy the game at full price without the bonus, the bonus should not tip you over. If you would, the bonus is just a small extra. Judge the game, not the incentive attached to it.

A simple checklist before you click preorder

Is there a physical limited item you want that could sell out? If not, there is little reason to buy early.
Has the studio shipped stable launches on your platform recently?
When does the review embargo lift? If it lifts after launch, wait.
Can you cancel or refund on your store before and after release?
Would you pay full price with no bonus? If the answer is no, wait for a sale.

After launch, the most useful signal is not the headline score. Our piece on the review score that matters more than Metacritic explains what to read instead, and how to tell if a game is worth sixty dollars helps decide whether full price is fair.

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to preorder a game or buy it at launch?

For most digital games, buying at launch is better because you can read reviews and performance reports first while still playing on day one. Preordering mainly helps with preloading large files and securing limited physical editions. The bonus content is rarely worth the added uncertainty.

Can you get a refund on a preordered game?

Usually yes before release, but the rules depend on the store and region. Steam allows refunds within 14 days and under 2 hours played, while some console stores are far stricter after the game downloads. Check your store's current policy before you buy.

Do preorder bonuses ever become available later?

Often they do. Many preorder cosmetics are sold separately or included in later editions within a few months of launch. A few remain exclusive, but they are almost always minor items that do not affect gameplay.