Buying a game
What you actually get for the money — the disc, the license, the subscription, the pre-order, and the refund window behind each store.
Buying Guides
10 guides filed under this heading
- How to Tell a Game Is Worth Buying — Before You Buy It
Reviews, refunds and a bit of arithmetic. A way to decide whether a game deserves your money and your evenings, before the purchase instead of after.
4 min read updated October 5, 2026 - How to Get a Refund on Every Major Game Store — and Where You Can't
Steam made refunds normal, but the rules change completely one storefront over. The real windows, the PlayStation download trap, the eShop wall.
4 min read - Should You Pre-Order? What You Are Actually Paying For
A pre-order moves your decision from after the reviews to before them. When the trade is rational, what each store lets you undo, and how to decide.
3 min read - Is a Game Subscription Worth It? Price It Like a Rental
Library size is the number the marketing leads with and the one that decides nothing. How to price a game subscription as a rental, and when to cancel.
10 min read - Disc or Download? What You Actually Own When You Buy a Game
A disc you can lend, trade and resell. A download you cannot. The legal reason for the split is a single word in a contract, and it changes the price.
10 min read updated October 9, 2026 - Accessibility settings: what to check before you buy, and what the law actually covers
The features worth checking before you pay, the store filters that show them, and the one federal rule that reaches in-game chat but not the game itself.
10 min read updated October 10, 2026 - Two Controllers, One Screen: How to Tell If a Game Really Supports Local Co-op
The word "co-op" says who you play with, not where they sit. How to read a store listing for same-room play — and the constraint people check last.
6 min read - Console vs PC: Which Should You Actually Buy?
Not 'which is better' but 'which fits how you play': the tradeoffs between a console and a gaming PC — cost, game library, convenience, and the upgrade path.
5 min read - Cheap Keys from Gray-Market Resellers: What the Discount Actually Buys You
A key at a third of the price is a transfer of risk. Where reseller keys come from, what happens when one is revoked, and how to judge the trade.
8 min read updated November 1, 2026 - Do You Need More Console Storage? What Each Console Accepts, and What to Check First
Extra storage buys back re-download time, not backlog space. What PS5, Xbox and Switch 2 each accept, the figures that decide fit, and what to skip.
12 min read updated November 3, 2026
Understanding Games
2 guides filed under this heading
- Free-to-Play Isn't Free: How the Money Is Actually Made
Free games are designed to be played free and paid to continue. What battle passes, gacha and cosmetic economies are built to do and how to set your own price.
3 min read - Do You Own the Games You Buy? Digital Licenses, Explained
When you 'buy' a digital game, you usually get a revocable license, not ownership. Here's what that means for shutdowns, save data, and your library.
5 min read
Reference pages
Tables and lookups on the same filing, answered without reading around it
- Game subscription break-even, priced as a rental
Six plans, their annual cost, and how many games at the price you would really pay it takes to break even — with your numbers in the fields, not ours.
Other topics on Playtest
Every guide on this site is filed under one of these