After the debacle that was Destiny 2, which I pre-ordered for $100 (which was a lot back then), I swore off ever pre-ordering games ever again. However Starfield is out soon, and I have been dying to play it it’s the whole reason I bought my Series X. So, do I preorder it?
Pre-order ❎
Pirate before launch ✅
On a serious note, you usually gain nothing of value when you pre-order (and if you do, that’s a big red flag). It’s usually best to just wait until the review embargo, and the inevitable leaked cracks if the game is popular, to see the public verdict if the game is worth it. With modern broadband it’s rare for a game download to last a week like it used to back in the day, so you won’t be missing out on much if you just buy the game on launch day, or more likely, on the following weekend when you can actually play it.
Pre-ordering is usually just a corporate ploy to hike stock prices and hype, and that money often won’t even be used in the actual development of the game. Specially considering the lay-offs (and burned out developers leaving) that happen right after launch.