Starting your collection can be fairly easy. You go to a store in person, eye something you’re fond of, then pay up. For others, they do the same at an online storefront. The mere sight of the physical media pleases us. We begin to appreciate our hobby more, feeding it back into us, building a grand display. You’ll put your product on the shelf, or on your desk, making sure you’re always able to look at it. There’s a good chance you’ll get the recurring urge to pop it in and play it. It’s all music, it’s all delicious food for your senses. Then you’ll want more because you’re hungry, insatiable. If you are this way, or if this happens to you—then welcome to the party. You are truly a collector. It can be both a blessing and curse. I consider it a blessing.  But regardless, you’ll need to strategize to make it manageable, long-term. Let me give you some tips.

My collecting habits are focused mostly on modern video games. It is also important to note that this will be primarily based in the US. A lot of the information here will be related to those factors. However, maybe something here will help you, or something I say might be a good idea to keep in mind. The strategies of collecting tend to intersect for a lot of physical media. Hobbies are hobbies, so good luck with the finds if you’re looking for something else.

A Few Things to Consider

Chances are that if you bought a game, new, at a general franchise store, you’d already have paid too much. Only if the circumstances are dire, should you get it off the typical department store shelf. Part of collecting is the chase, the discovery of a good deal. There are tools to help you find some, and tools to help you keep track of the collection. The diligence is then upon you, of when to get a score, or how much to indulge in. To be honest, most of the collecting will probably be done online.

The reason is that most storefronts are available online, including secondhand marketplaces. In fact, the discount-tracking websites only notify you of these stores due to the databases having a digital footprint; how ironic. Other reasons for online shopping have to do with availability, exclusivity and imports being significant factors. It isn’t impossible to collect at in-person events, communities or stores, but it is plain more difficult and less practical.

Video game collecting can be fairly simple. In my experience, most of the process is about having a list, having a tracker, and then buying at the appropriate storefront when the price hits the sweet spot. The difference lies on whether the product is exclusive/limited, and if you’re okay with a used item. Here is a list of storefronts:

Buying at Retail

These are the most official or popular storefronts, meaning they have the greatest stock for what you might be looking for. If a limited item had been released years prior, you might already have to default to eBay and Mercari at their inflated prices. The best thing you can do here is hope for a reprint at that point. In not so dire circumstances, you would default to Amazon for ease of access and a nice return guarantee. eBay is supplemental to anything that Amazon has missed. The nice thing about these storefronts is that they tend to have the best average price, if you can’t wait for a discount.

Oftentimes for some publishers, these websites will have an already discounted price they practically treat as the new retail price. This is great for low effort, no pressure purchases for the first physical in your collection. The usual retail stores such as Walmart, Best Buy and GameStop can be useful for particular games but are best paired with price trackers. Unless there’s just one or two games that happen to have a good deal, you can ignore these until the discounts come in. Though when it comes to preorders, any reputable company is free to use. This becomes increasingly relevant when as a collector, you begin shelling out for limited editions at their expensive retail prices. All this should be kept in mind before purchasing, as it all depends on which storefront is chosen for the task.

Tracking Prices and Chasing Deals

Now about price trackers. Unless your collection is somehow up to date—which it never is because the hunt is never over—you will need to use one. For gaming, all any collector needs is Deku Deals. Dekudeals.com is the best website for game tracking because of its vast, up-to-date database and its wealth of information. Price history, wishlisting, collection tracking, screenshots, trailers, average play time, and review scores are all included. Even if there happens to be multiple limited editions of a physical, it will tend to have them logged as separate items. If you aren’t looking for a discount (that may never come), the tracker will tell you when a product releases.

This tool is crucial for the hunt. With Deku Deals alone, you can make your wishlist and you’re basically done, only waiting for the inevitable email about a discount. You can set the price tracker to notify when the price gets to its lowest if you’re patient enough. Given any situation when you need to buy digitally, Deku Deals has your back there too. Never again do you have to search for a discount yourself: just put it on the wishlist. There are pretty few situations where other methods are necessary.

Importing

When getting knee deep in collecting games, there are going to be times where availability isn’t a simple matter. This is the case when the item hasn’t, or won’t, be released in the US. If the product is still available in all languages but is physically released elsewhere, the go-to storefront is Playasia. The best prices and availability are located at Playasia because they are perhaps the only big importer in business. Other storefronts like VGP or eBay might have the product at either a higher price or decreased availability. Playasia takes imports from multiple regions, including Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia. If you don’t find an import available here, there’s a good chance you won’t find it anywhere else. Just make sure to do your research to see if your language is available on the physical game and if the console is region free.

Limited Print and Availability

Arguably, the worst part of collecting is getting “limited” products. The availability can be a problem, but it’s the price that tends to get out of reach. I’m not only talking about the preorder or the retail price, but when it goes aftermarket—the markups are egregious. This where a collector must be diligent and up-to-date with information. Missing the initial preorder essentially means it’s no longer available. This doesn’t only include special editions, but niche games such as indies or those getting a late physical release. When the preorders close, you’ll solely be able to find those products on eBay or Mercari, but at double the price or more. So, if you have any game that isn’t getting a retail release, make sure you check those off your list first otherwise you may never get them. Here are the relevant sites:

The most important sites in the list will be LRG and Fangamer. Most limited releases will come out through them, being the biggest distributors of limited games. Fangamer can be considered a retail storefront however, as they tend to keep printing games after release—for the most part. They can still be at fault for some special editions though. Smaller websites, like Lost in Cult and Red Art Games can also be relied on for a few exclusives. There are only a few relevant titles from them, yet some fans might still want them. Any stores like this are where you go for specifics.

Limited Run Games

LRG exclusively sells games in limited quantities and through limited preorder periods. The caveat tends to be their frequent delays, though they tend to follow through. That, and for those privy, LRG also has questionable leadership and business practices. Fortunately, if customers are able to catch the preorder, there tends to be no cap unless it is a special edition. Unfortunately, some pretty popular games are completely locked behind LRG; a sign of physical distribution dying out. LRG is the biggest limited distributor, like it or not.

Keeping Up

On another note, it is important to mention the intersections of these storefronts. A lot of limited products, and even some imports, are also sold through the general distributors like VGP and PNP Games. Both these stores are passionate about physical things, doing their best to match demand, much to the pleasure of collectors. Aside from the newest preorders and releases in North America, they include imports, merch, accessories and limited games. They will not have a wide variety of special products of course, but include items that can be found from Fangamer, Red Art Games, Playasia, LRG, SRG and iam8bit. On a few occasions, the original publisher of particular games will reprint for VGP, of either a limited or out-of-stock product. If you’re willing to wait, I’d recommend keeping in touch with communications from VGP. They are my strongest recommendation.

The best way to keep up with announcements of limited games is through social media. Instagram, Reddit, YouTube and otherwise will keep you up to date. Fans of physical media are very passionate in the “digital age,” so we tend to share information immediately after an announcement. My favorite is Reddit, as even the most obscure game will get some attention on there. The major publishers of games won’t always communicate well that they are doing a form of physical release, making the fan pipeline especially useful. Small announcements from even the smallest gaming events always circulate through the community, leaving the typical collector with no hassle to get their finds. The callouts don’t just include new releases either, sometimes there’ll be notifications of reprints or revisions of games. The community has your back on the first time around, and then all the times after that.

Retail Reputation

The community will also warn against particular companies. I’ve included Super Rare Games within the list, but it is the least reputable of the companies. They are known to have years long delays with lack of communication, essentially holding your money hostage from the preorder. The reason it is on this list at all is because some great games are locked behind them, tragically. Their releases are also the most limited, meaning secondary markets are hardly feasible for even the most dedicated or desperate collector. A game that had been perhaps $40 (USD) would now be $300 on Ebay, for example. Always be wary of these issues: listen to what fellow collectors have to say about certain companies. Even the best distributors might have one or two problematic policies. There are external factors to consider as well, like the recent tariffs from the US. These inevitably affect prices or availability, requiring that much more vigilance.

Merchandise

The last thing and perhaps the most exciting thing about game collecting is the merchandise. CDs of original soundtracks, t-shirts, posters, toys/figures, accessories, and other collectibles. Put stickers on your laptop or desk, get a nice desk mat, paste cool car decals: get creative with it. You don’t just have to get the game case and display it on the shelf—you can also get products related to that particular franchise. Shell out even more money for official merchandise that with the current economy has risen to arguably unreasonable prices. If this is at all relevant to you, you might also have to catch a few of the exclusive things on preorder before they too go to the aftermarket. The Signalis original soundtrack vinyl was around $30 on release but has now risen to over $200 average on eBay. Another “limited” item when it comes to collecting video games: as expected by now.

A few sites to recommend are Fangamer, eBay, Etsy, Mercari, Amazon and Playasia. A lot of stores mentioned earlier also have a small selection of goodies, but these tend to have more variety. Fangamer is a site known for their official merch so if you like a popular indie game, that’s your best bet. A lot of the general merchandise is always going to be available but if you want particulars, go to Playasia or the secondary markets such as eBay. The niche or low supply stuff will be found through them, with new preorders constantly going up on Playasia as they have products coming straight from Japan.

Homemade Goodies

The last option for fun stuff is the homemade options. The best of which is of course Etsy. The penny-pinching part of Etsy is that if you’re only looking for visual products like stickers and posters, shipping costs can be low because of the small size and weight. There’s also the cool custom aspect too, where several vendors will take requests so you can make your own designs. This is a double-edged sword as a collector since only your imagination is the limit. You might go overboard like I have and get a new idea by the minute for a new sticker, poster, card or a 3D-printed figure. Whatever you may think of, they got it. This is the part of “collecting” where passionate fans really get crazy.

A Growing Passion

One thing you’ll learn about collecting is that it makes you more appreciative, perhaps even obsessive. The community amplifies this feeling, emulating your own excitement online and in person. It’s the same effect of the old Black Friday sales where people huddled over the greatest deals and items fighting over each other for the stock. The difference here of course is that we’re all mesmerized by something we all love (though we’re still fighting for that limited stock). Through this hobby, a lot of people have been convinced to go to gaming conventions, or to visit niche stores in person and get wowed by gaming history and memorabilia. It feeds that passion back at you, as I mentioned in the beginning. Everyone needs to be reminded of this when the burnout comes—when the wallet runs dry or the process becomes too structured.

Engaging in collecting isn’t just buying stuff: talk about what you love with other people, make comments or videos, or simply do it more than you did before. One rule I have for myself is to always break the seal on the game, by unwrapping it or unboxing it. I never want to lose sight of the fact that I collect games to play, aside from displaying them. After all, the point of physical media really isn’t only to look at: it is to interact with it in all ways that you can.