Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Guides

Amazon rolling out digital PC game preorders

Mike Flacy
By
assassins-creed-revelations
Image used with permission by copyright holder

According to a report from CNET today, Amazon will be offering digital preorders for upcoming PC games through the gaming section on Amazon. Amazon started competing in the digital download space in early 2009 with a barrage of 600 casual games. In 2010, Amazon began to aggressively hire software development engineers to build out the infrastructure necessary to offer a broader selection of high-profile releases and eventually expanded out into mainstream releases. Over the last year, Amazon has also adopted a competitive pricing strategy to go up against Valve’s Steam. Amazon is also competing with EA’s Origin, Gamestop, Gamersgate and Gamefly’s Direct2Drive. 

amazon-game-downloadUpcoming titles that will be available for preorder include Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Battlefield 3, Saints Row: The Third and Sims 3: Pets. Similar to preordering a Blu-ray or DVD, consumers won’t be charged for the preorder until the date that the game comes available for download. Consumers will most likely be notified by email when the game can be downloaded through Amazon. Amazon will also be in a position to offer significant discounts on titles that are preordered, possibly up to 30 percent according to representatives of the retailer. Identical to other services like Steam and Origin, bonuses will be offered to consumers that preorder a game in advance of the release date. These bonuses may include weapon or armor packs, additional levels or early access to the game.

Recommended Videos

Opposite from the approach of Valve, there is no separate client that’s required to play games downloaded through Amazon. After purchase, the consumer is directed to a page with a link for downloading the game as well as a unique key to unlock access. The link launches a small window that shows progress of the download, however users must have enough hard drive space to contain both the download and the installed game. Once the game is finished downloading, the user can install the game and deleted the download files. In the future, the game can be downloaded again through Amazon if needed.

Topics
Mike Flacy
Mike Flacy
Contributing Editor
By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…
How to start the Nuka-World DLC in Fallout 4
People standing outside Nuka World.

The first major DLC expansion for Fallout 4 lets players go to the abandoned amusement park called Nuka-World. While there's plenty of fun and excitement to be had here, don't expect it to come from the roller coasters or carnival games since this park is the battleground between rival raider gangs. This new zone adds a ton of new quests and side activities to the base experience, but it isn't as simple to get to as a real theme park. Don't worry if your Pip-Boy isn't helping you get to Nuka-World -- we'll show you how to start this DLC.

Read more
How to start the Automatron DLC in Fallout 4
A man and a robot walking in the wastelands in Fallout 4.

Each piece of Fallout 4 DLC adds something substantial to the base experience. In the case of the Automatron expansion, an entire new questline pitting you against a robot army led by a figure known as the Mechanist. Starting it isn't as difficult as starting other DLCs like the Nuka-World expansion, but it-s still a bit cryptic. Buying the DLC doesn't automatically make it apparent how to actually start this new adventure, but we'll give you specific directions to find it in the wasteland.

Read more
One of 2023’s best indie games is getting a movie starring LaKeith Stanfield
James descends on an elevator in El Paso, Elsewhere.

El Paso, Elsewhere, one of Digital Trends' favorite indie games of 2023, now has a film adaptation in the works.

Variety reports that LaKeith Stanfield -- an actor known for his work in films like Judas and the Black Messiah, Knives Out, and Haunted Mansion, as well as TV shows like Atlanta -- is going to star in and produce the film. The adaptation is in the works at Di Bonaventure Pictures, the production company behind the Transformers, G.I. Joe, and The Meg film franchises. Little else is known about the film at this time, although we'd presume it will be a fairly direct adaptation of this intense story-driven game.

Read more