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[yurqqa]

Daemon's Souls is around $68 in Russia.

But on the other hand the average salary is around $550/month.

Sorry. It was with a discount. Normal price is $75.

 

[Redlight]

Pretty sure this is more down to the policies of the Australian government than the publishers or retailers. The Aussie government has always prevented international retailers from being able to undercut Australian business. That’s why games, books, blu rays etc. are all more expensive. Higher taxes and higher charges. Also the reason why Amazon isn’t as big in Australia.

Receipts?

There's a universal sales tax of 10% in Australia, so that has to be taken into account. Also digital store prices are very different than retail prices, unlike the US.

In the US games tend to be $60, at retail or digital. In Australia games can often be picked up for around $80 (fair markup) or less at retail but are $100 on digital stores.

I buy on Xbox, so use Amazon codes from the US site to buy games at American prices (plus exchange rate fluctuations). It ends up being roughly equivalent to retail here.

I doubt that the Aussie government is leaning on MS or Sony to keep their digital prices high, it's more likely to be their retail partners.

 

[FunkMiller]

Receipts?

There's a universal sales tax of 10% in Australia, so that has to be taken into account. Also digital store prices are very different than retail prices, unlike the US.

In the US games tend to be $60, at retail or digital. In Australia games can often be picked up for around $80 (fair markup) or less at retail but are $100 on digital stores.

I buy on Xbox, so use Amazon codes from the US site to buy games at American prices (plus exchange rate fluctuations). It ends up being roughly equivalent to retail here.

I doubt that the Aussie government is leaning on MS or Sony to keep their digital prices high, it's more likely to be their retail partners.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Act is where the government’s influence comes in, I believe. Apologies, I don’t have time to delve into it, but it has a lot to do with geo blocking, import restrictions, business taxes etc. Heard it referred to as ‘The Australia Tax’ in the past. I don’t doubt you’re right about MS and Sony wanting to keep prices high on games, but on the broader topic of inflated prices in Australia, the government’s desire to protect Australian business (rightly in their eyes) has had its influence.

 

[RJMacready73]

thats what you get for being a nation of criminals, embrace Elizabeth again and she might sort it out for you cunts

 

[SullaFelix]

Ya. $90 + tax.

Unless you live in Alberta with low tax rates, every other province you add tax and you break $100.

Those parity currency years were great. I remember getting Fallout 3 for $60. And Best Buy had that $100 bundle deal for Gears 1 + COD3.

I've just been buying digital on the Sony store to avoid tax, but it's still too much :/

 

[Justin9mm]

Amazon. Not all, but some new games can be had for $78 AUD.

Yeah but just because Amazon, JB etc. have the cheaper prices doesn't make it right.

The fact that digital games for PS5 on the PS store are now I think between $119.95-$129.95 AUD is fucking ridiculous!

**Rant warning**
This is why I've been saying that the Digital Edition PS5 in Australia is an absolute rip off! Unless you are absolutely hard up for money and not able to afford that extra $150 for Disc which you would of paid for after like 3 or so digital games for a rip off price, but even then why are you buying a PS5 if you that broke in the first place.

And to someone who says but I only buy digital, then that's just poor decision making, the amount of additional money for disc vs the benefit is huge, even if you barely use the disc drive.

The convenience and laziness of digital does not outweigh the advantages of having the disc drive there. You can still buy digital but at least you got options.

 

[too much eslim]

Better go xbox with game pass

 

[Iced Arcade]

Yeah 79.99 Canadian (plus 15% provincial sales tax) sucks.

Increase in prices just makes me buy less and less unproven IP's and makes a service like Xbox gamepass absolutely amazing.

 

[DESTROYA]

Wait a couple of months until they go on sale.
Pobably not the answer you want to hear but that’s what I do in the States, Ive learned to never buy a game day 1 because a month or 2 later it will probably be half price or less.

 

[AJUMP23]

Can’t you use a VPN, change your reason to Alaska or something where there is no sales tax and buy your game digitally?

 

[Tschumi]

Too fucking right. Hell, everything was too expensive there. Good luck wanting decent Futsal shoes. Actually the main consequence of this is i buy way too much shit now i live overseas.

 

[begotten]

Games aren't expensive.

OP is probably on Centerlink and blows half their income on the pokies, meanwhile "This and that are too expensive!"

Typical Aussie.

 

[Justin9mm]

Games aren't expensive.

OP is probably on Centerlink and blows half their income on the pokies, meanwhile "This and that are too expensive!"

Typical Aussie.

You're looking at it the wrong way!

Affordability wise I have no issue paying $200 for every new release game that comes out but it's a matter of principal and fairness. It is not in line with the global price of games and we shouldn't have to put up with the high tax the government puts on goods and services which are also part of the problem.

Your the reason why Australia is becoming nanny country and going to shit.. You accept all the shit that's handed to us and thanks the government for it. Typical left wing labor supporter.

 

[bitbydeath]

Games aren't expensive.

OP is probably on Centerlink and blows half their income on the pokies, meanwhile "This and that are too expensive!"

Typical Aussie.

As Justin9mm stated it’s purely on principle. I got a second PS5 arriving today and have no issues spending money if I find value in it. Same reason I picked an 8K over 4K TV. The money offer was good.

 

[demonstr8]

Yeah, it's not about affording it, the wages here are high - we are second only to Switzerland when it comes to median adult wage the last time I checked - it's about the cost relative to the product itself and what if offers while taking into account the prices elsewhere.

Demon Soul's being $120 no matter where I looked to buy it just completely deflated my incentive to buy it so now I'm just going to buy it when it's around 60 bucks.

I'd rather out that money in stocks until then - not like PS5s are there to buy anyway.

 

[SirVoltus]

Those look like EB prices. Usually much cheaper options out there, ranging from $70 to $90. But yes, started to wonder if building a good PC is a cheaper long term plan.

Sure, but i don't think returnal will come to PC.

 

[WalterSobchak]

$124 Dollary-doos is an awful lot for a new game. I'd go used or just wait for sales if you get a console this gen.

 

[The Pleasure]

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Papa

 

[DansDans]

Yeah I noped out pretty quick too

Did you see the price for the Dark Souls (or whatever Souls game it is) deluxe digital edition?

$156

Someone is taking the fucking piss, surely

 

[Deaconstanjesusman]

Why are you complaining? You knew how it would be when you went digital. Those with discs will get games $68-90 from brick and mortar or Amazon. Nothing to see here. Move on

 

[Clarissa]

Is it the same with Xbox Series X games or just ps5??

On the bright side for you guys. Australian girls are the most beautiful on the planet Imho.

 

[mhirano]

[Laughs in Brazilian portuguese]

 

[UltimaKilo]

and yet, it keeps selling. If people voted with their wallets, prices would come down. Right now they’re testing the consumer’s willingness to pay these inflated prices and the consumer is willing.

I myself have opted out of this gen for this exact reason.

 

[jigglet]

It's expensive, but it's worth digging into this a little deeper I think.

$69.95USD is $92.50AUD based on today's exchange rate.

Add in GST (which people conveniently leave out) and that's $101.75.

Now given the AUD is known to fluctuate pretty wildly (we've seen it go from $1.10 to ~60c over the last 10 years) any rational importer would want to slap on at least a 10-20% buffer on top of that to account for it. I mean all you need is an unfavorable swing in the currency and you're fucked. Let's go with 15% then. It's not unreasonable to think we could see the AUD depreciate 15% or more in the next 7 years due to some seriously high levels of quantitative easing. That brings it to $117.

The RRP is $124.95. That's an $8 premium, assuming you pay RRP.

 

[sephiroth7x]

Sadly games are expensive everywhere but I always expect places like Australia to be additionally expensive.

Don't feel too sad though. In England, release games on PS5 are £69.99 which converts to $124.99 near as dammit.

On a wider issue, yes, games are way too expensive these days (yes I am fully aware of production costs etc). Suppose something is going to go pop at some point in the future.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Make a US PSN with a US address and postal code from a state which charges no digital tax on the PSN store (there's a few). Go to amazon.com and do the same or cdkeys/any other retailer that sells PSN cards. Buy US PSN codes with your cc/paypal, buy the games on the US PSN store with no tax or mark up, sometimes you can get the codes on sale as well. Hell, get someone you trust to game share with you on PSN for an extra 50% off.

Unethical? Maybe so, but so is charging $125 for a digital copy of a game (and being really anal about refunds).