Physical or Digital

[Armagon]

So yeah, the topic title says all. Do you prefer buying your games physically or digitally? There's advantages and disadvantages for both, and that's to be expected. I personally buy games physically more often, but it isn't a deal-breaker if a game can only be purchased digitally. At the end of the day for me, what matters is the game itself. The box, manual, etc is all a nice bonus and all, but the game itself is what's important. That's why, on my Switch for example, the only game i have that's physical is Breath of the Wild. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Splatoon 2 were both purchased digitally through the eShop.  Then there's Blaster Master Zero and Mighty Gunvolt Burst but both of those games are eShop exclusive. 

Edited August 7, 2017 by Armagon

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Both. I own a lot of previous gen games digitally, and of course my Steam library is pretty big. For new games I tend to lean for physical due to discounts with retailers as well as allowing friends to borrow my copy of the game once I'm done with it. I would only pay triple A price for a new game digitally if finding a physical copy of the game is impossible due to high demand, and that's a rare scenario thanks to being able to pre order.

[Ronnie]

Physical. There's way too many advantages to it. The majority of the time, getting a game brand new or used will be cheaper than on the digital store. Why pay $50 on PSN when you can pay $30 on eBay? And if you get tired of the game or find yourself not playing it anymore, you can sell it or trade in to get a discounted price on another cheap game. The only downside is if you're a collector and you end up in a vicious cycle of trying to find a physical game in solid condition since there's a lot of slobs posting their dirty cases online >_>

I only buy digital if it is digital-only in North America. I don't like importing games 'cause I'd rather have one account to manage.

Edited August 7, 2017 by Ronnie

[Junkhead]

Physical because I can actually hold it in my hands.

Why is it even a question.

[Azure Sen]

Digital, mostly for the sake of convenience. I live in a small place that isn't particularly conductive to having a ton of game cases around, I don't live near any game stores, and unless it's really bad I generally don't trade in games I buy anyway.

[Rapier]

Physical, but since they are much more expensive than digital copies where I live (because digital copies aren't taxed, while physical copies are), game shops are far and I mostly play on my PC, I've been buying digital copies only. I miss manuals and the cool box arts, but I'm fine with it.

[MediocreLee]

I do prefer physical because there's just something nice about owning something tangible versus digital, however I don't mind getting some games digitally due to convenience or if they have limited platforms they're on.

[The Baroness of Blainswal]

Both for me. Usually physical when it comes console games because I like having a sort of material collection (even if it isn't that big), though for PC I buy digitally because there isn't really any other viable option at this point.

[LucarioGamer812]

I immensely prefer physical, as I basically grew up knowing cartridges and discs, and feel more comfortable having a physical cartridge rather then a digital that oh gods could happen to. The only exception to this is digital exclusives or in rare cases for me, it's the only way to play a game with your current hardware (ie Zelda nes on the 3ds VC) or if it's on sale (That's how I got my digital version of Awakening for half price, loved it so much I even went out and bought a used physical copy for more saves, plus slight OCD about not having my favorite game's case on my 3ds case shelf)

[oh.glory]

I prefer physical, since it makes me feel like I own it and I can add it to my collection in my gaming cabinet. I only get digital if it's an eShop exclusive, retro, or it's cheaper. Something about digital stuff makes me paranoid about losing it at any moment. >.>

[SoulWeaver]

Depends - if the game plays, who cares how I got it? If there's an SD card issue that would stop me from using a digital copy, the same issue will screw over my save data on a physical copy just as badly because almost nothing is saved to the system memory.

[Lady Hortensia]

Physical unless it's a game I can only get digital like Shin Megami Tensei IV or it's much cheaper than a physical copy.

[Sentacotus]

On consoles to include handhelds I always go physical.  On PC I use Steam because of sales.

[Køkø]

Both for me. There is something special about physically owning a copy of a game you like, but Steam sales are too good to pass up.

[Darros]

For console type games I'm steam all the way. For my 3DS it's kind of a mix. I collect, I guess, so I like having physicals, but I'm not opposed to digital copies and certainly have my fair share. I'm also a fan of the virtual console titles and have quite a few of those titles on my 3DS and on the Wii too.

[Sire]

For PC, digital. Steam has spoiled me too much and many PC games are just plain digital. This is especially the case once one opens up to other PC gaming markets, such as GoG and HumbleBundle.

For home consoles, physical. I like having a library of game cases I can look at and show off. Besides, the games are going to be located near the console anyway.

For handheld consoles, a mix but favoring digital. Since I like to carry my handheld (3DS) around with me, I rather have everything just on the DS instead of also needing to carry around all of my game cartridges. The dilemma comes when a game I really like comes out and I want to "collect" the physical version, but I tend to just get the digital since it is easier... (I wish there was a "Get the Physical Version and download the Digital Version for free!" promotion, but I suppose such a system will be abused.)