Do you buy games as soon as they come out or wait a while?

I'm a sucker for triple A titles so I definitely pre-order those, anything below triple A I usually wait until I have lots of cash to spare.

The vast majority of my PC games were purchased about 10 years after their release. Most of my console games, however, are typically more recent.

Depends on the game. Usually, I wait a while (especially if it cost more than $20) with few exceptions.

Always waiting for the Steam Sale.

15+ years ago I was buying cheap (i.e. used retail copies) and I happily continue this practice with summer/winter steam sales! … (woo-hoo 75% off!!!)

Currently, I've still got two new games on my backlog list to complete (Batman AA and Just Cause 2), and at least 6 older games waiting for a 2nd replay.

Im mixture if im really looking forward to it ill get day 1 if not ill wait it out till steam sales. So far ive only bought 2 games day 1

If the pre-order bonus includes a free game i do not yet own, then I usually want to get into that deal :P

I prefer to pre-purchease those games which i'm interested in (e.g. SS3). But i prefer to waiting for an off or retail if i'm not a fan of a game (e.g. MW3)

I'll probably repeat somebody's post, but whatever. :P
I ussualy wait for sales, although if it comes to Skyrim, i will buy it "fresh from the shelf". Or valve... Or whatever...

I myself wait until they are $5 because living where I live, the cost of living is high and I cannot afford to pay $50 USD for a game :P

Hmm, I've recently spent more money on newer games, but the only one I paid full price for ($60) is Skyrim. I hope it doesn't disappoint. BF3 will be another I buy right away.

Other than that, I've gotten smokin' deals on games from GMG, so I picked up some newer games (activatable on Steam ofc) from there too. Got Deus ex for $26 bucks, and Dead Island for $35. I don't expect to see those prices on Steam for a while on these newer games, so I've been happy to buy from GMG when they got such low prices even before release.

I usually wait until they are 75% or more off. Considering my backlog of games will probably last me years as it is, this isn't an issue. It also lets me get the whole goty packs instead of buying all the DLC as it comes out. The last game I bought new was Dragon Age Origins, and before that just the WoW add-ons.

I rarely buy games anymore, since I already have so many which would last me forever. When I did, I bought games when they were on sale, like the cheapo I am :P.

Depends on the game. Sometimes I buy them the first day. I only pre-order Valve games and everything else I buy a few weeks or months later.

Depends, like, D3, BF3, stuff like that, I generally pre-order and get the midnight release.

Like a few other people have said, sales are my best friends. The best thing about Steam is that when they have sales, they're pretty much the best sales ever.

i wait till it goes on sale for 50-75% off on steam =P Thats how ive paid almost 300$ for probably 1200$ worth in games.

steam pre-purchase on huge games like Portal 2 and Deus Ex.

For small indie games that I would want I usually wait till they have a 50% off weekend or something.

I have a strange stance on this. I'm also a student, but if a game is good enough I would purchase it day 1. The problem is that most developers have strict deadlines set by publishers and thus games are released unfinished and very buggy and very poor.

Most of the time now, i've stuck to the rule of only purchasing titles that have the same publisher as the developer. I.E indie titles or like some have mentioned portal 2 etc. Companies that state games will be released 'when its finished' rather than giving specific dates also rate high on my purchase on day 1.

I could list a million titles that have had terrible issues on day 1 releases which have gotten better but i don't think I need to bother to make the point.

I am also a fan of the sales and have a backlog of something like 50+ games -.-

i wait anywhere from 2-5 years or more.
Unless its indie and on sale. (some small indies i wont wait for, Ala Dredmor.)

I pre-order if i can get an insane price (like 30%-40% off) :D Happened many time already xD

I try to pre order if I really am pumped for a game otherwise wait city nowadays. so many buggy games.

I think the last game I bought on release day was WoW: Cataclysm. Other than that, the Sims 3 and Wrath of the Lich King.

And I got my N64 / Mario 64 / Pilotwings 64 on release day. I think those are the only release day things I've ever bought, I usually wait months and months otherwise.

OH! I once pre-ordered Mortal Kombat II for the SNES.