Have SA game prices gone up? 2010 – 2014 compared

Have game prices gone up in the last four years – that is the question this article seeks to answer.

Nominally, yes – you will pay more for a game (most of the time) than you would have for an equivalent title a few years ago. But have the prices gone up in real terms?

Having compiled the data, the conclusion is not as clear cut as a yes or no – it depends what you are buying and which platform you are buying it for.

Using MyGaming price round-up articles from years gone by we have put together game prices from 2010 to 2013, compared to prices in 2014.

Below is a table showing titles and how much they cost on the four main platforms for the time period.

Games prices from 2010 – 2014
2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Alan Wake – Xbox 360: R585	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – PC: R399	Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 – PC: R420	Far Cry 3 – PC: R345	Dark Souls 2 – PC: R509
God of War 3 – PS3: R590	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Xbox 360 and PS3: R559	Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 – Xbox 360 and PS3: R600	Far Cry 3 – Xbox 360 and PS3: R515	Dark Souls 2 – Xbox 360 and PS3: R679
Fallout: New Vegas – PC: R345	The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – PC: R328	Assassin’s Creed 3 – PC: R339	Call of Duty: Ghosts – PC: R449	Wolfenstein: The New Order – PC: R339
Fallout: New Vegas – Xbox 360 and PS3: R600	The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – Xbox 360 and PS3: R559	Assassin’s Creed 3 – Xbox 360 and PS3: R499	Call of Duty: Ghosts – Xbox 360 and PS3: R629	Wolfenstein: The New Order – Xbox 360 and PS3: R589
Call of Duty: Black Ops – PC: R420	Battlefield 3 – PC: R329	Need for Speed Most Wanted – PC: R339	Tomb Raider PC: R329	InFamous: Second Son – PS4: R759
Call of Duty: Black Ops – Xbox 360 and PS3: R590	Battlefield 3 – Xbox 360 and PS3: R495	Need for Speed Most Wanted – Xbox 360 and PS3: R499	Tomb Raider Xbox 360 and PS3: R605	Elder Scrolls Online – PC :R539

As you can see, big Xbox and PlayStation titles in 2010 such as Alan Wake and God of War 3 cost just under R600. A PlayStation 4 exclusive in 2014, such as InFamous: Second Son is just over R750. A price increase of 29% which works out to an annual increase of 7.1% – slightly above SA’s 5 – 6% inflation rate over the last couple years.

PC game prices have increased gradually over the period, with PC versions of Call of Duty ranging between R420 and R449. Some PC games are cheaper in 2014 than predecessors in their genre, such as Wolfenstein: The New Order which can be pre-ordered for R339.

Overall, prices have not drastically increased in the four and a bit years we covered, especially when it came to PC games, with console exclusive titles receiving the biggest hike.

What do you make of game prices over the years? Let us know in the comments and forum.