Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Why you shouldn’t buy games at launch

For the past week, Shadow of the Tomb Raider has been available on PC with a 34% discount on Steam, representing a colossal saving on the game’s PC version. While this discount is not available at the time of writing it highlights a common trend amongst AAA games, one which calls into question why PC gamers should buy games on launch day. 

Shadow of the Tomb Raider released on September 14th on all platforms, little more than a month ago. Making the game’s 34% discount seem a lot like an “early adopter tax”. Yes, it can be fun to be an early adopter, to be the person talking you your friends or your favourite online community about the latest and greatest games, but when it comes to value for money, even waiting for as little as a month can reward you with tremendous savings on PC.

On top of the financial reasons, it is also worth noting that post-launch patches can be transformative for games, addressing bugs while otherwise polishing the game for future players. PC gamers also have the benefits of frequent driver updates, which promise to increase game stability and performance over time, acting as yet another reason for PC gamers to play the waiting game.    

In this recent Shadow of the Tomb Raider promotion, PC gamers could save over £15 in the UK, which is more than enough to make the wait worth considering. Even those who missed this sale will only have to wait until next month’s Steam Autumn sale, which is sure to offer the same discount.