Deluxe editions, pre-orders and re-releases

What you're actually buying

A higher-priced version of a game (bonus items, early access days, a bundled season pass), a reward for ordering before release, or a remastered or re-released version of an older game sold again. The core game is usually the same.

How it works

Publishers sell the same core game at several price points. A standard edition is the complete game. A deluxe edition adds items, extra days of early play or a bundled season pass. A pre-order asks you to pay before anyone can review the game, usually in exchange for a bonus. A re-release or remaster sells an existing game again, often with updated visuals. The common thread is committing money before, or on top of, the core purchase, and the risk is paying for a promise or a bundle before the game has been judged.

When it's fine

When the extras are things you'd want anyway, the standard edition is complete, and you can wait for reviews before buying.

Where it came from

Selling one game at several prices grew out of the used-game grievance of the disc era, when publishers looked for ways to earn from a game after the first sale: online passes, day-one DLC and season passes sold before release. Two launches show the risk of paying early. Cyberpunk 2077 launched on 10 December 2020 with 8 million pre-orders, was withdrawn from the PlayStation Store about a week later (with full refunds for PlayStation purchases) after a poor showing on older consoles, and later recovered. Warcraft III: Reforged (28 January 2020) launched to a 59/100 Metacritic critic score and heavy review-bombing (a flood of angry user reviews) over its terms, after which Blizzard offered full refunds regardless of play time. Re-releases can add value too: Zork I's later 'Grey Box' edition included the packaging extras ('feelies') that the original 1980 ziplock-bag release lacked.

Historical prices and revenues are in US dollars at the time unless marked A$.