Do Play-Asia prices drop after a game launches?

Rarely, in our data. Of 119 products we tracked with a price between August and November 2026, only 3 changed price at all, and 2 of those went up. In our Release Radar, 2 of 77 upcoming releases changed price over three weeks: one went up and one went down.

Is it cheaper to pre-order an import game?

Usually it costs the same. Pre-order prices in our data stayed flat until launch. The main benefit of pre-ordering is securing stock, which matters most for limited editions and figures.

How much does the exchange rate change the ringgit price?

Play-Asia prices in US dollars and converts to ringgit. Over our tracking period the conversion moved between about RM4.20 and RM4.27 per US dollar, a band of under 2%. On a USD 47.99 game that is roughly RM201 to RM205.

When should I buy a limited edition or figure?

Early. 12 of the 15 products that sold out while we were tracking them were figures, and they went out of stock between 18 and 43 days after we started tracking them.

Pre-Order or Wait for a Price Drop? What 3 Months of Play-Asia Price Tracking Shows

Data: ROCKSTARmedia stock tracker history from 4 August to 6 November 2026 (433 snapshots, 240 products), plus Release Radar snapshots of 12 October and 1 November 2026. Prices are Play-Asia’s prices at the time of each snapshot.

Every import buyer has asked it: should I pre-order now, or wait and hope the price drops? Local shops run sales, so it is natural to expect the same from imports.

We have been tracking Play-Asia prices and stock every hour or two since August 2026 for our deals and Release Radar pages. That gave us 433 snapshots of 240 products: 168 games and accessories and 72 figures and collectibles, 85 of them limited, collector’s or shop-exclusive editions. Here is what the data says about waiting.

1. List prices almost never dropped

Of the 240 products, 119 had a price at some point (the rest were out of stock or had pre-orders closed, so Play-Asia showed no price). Of those 119, only 3 changed price in three months:

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth [New Price Version] went up from USD 35.99 to USD 37.99 in August.
Eternal Anima [Limited Edition] was first priced at USD 79.99 and changed to USD 104.99 the same day, when it arrived in stock.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Game Cart moved between USD 68.99 and USD 81.99 in the two days after it came back into stock, then settled at USD 79.99, USD 2 below its first price.

None of these looks like a sale. Two were rises and the third was a small adjustment when stock arrived.

The upcoming games told the same story. 77 releases appeared in both our 12 October and 1 November Release Radar snapshots. Only 2 of the 77 changed price in those three weeks: RATATAN for Switch 2 went up from USD 41.99 to USD 47.99 when it reached Play-Asia’s warehouse, and The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother for PS5 came down from USD 69.99 to USD 59.99 while still on pre-order.

What this means: waiting for the same listing to get cheaper is usually a losing bet. Pre-ordering did not cost more than buying at launch in our data.

2. The ringgit moved prices more than Play-Asia did

Play-Asia sets prices in US dollars and converts them to ringgit. Across our snapshots, the conversion worked out at between RM4.198 and RM4.271 per US dollar (lowest on 30 August, highest on 18 September), a band of under 2%.

On a USD 47.99 game that is the difference between about RM201 and RM205. Noticeable, but small next to shipping. It is not worth delaying a purchase to time the exchange rate.

3. Stock was the real risk

112 products were in stock when we started tracking them. 15 of them went out of stock during the tracking period, between 18 and 54 days after we first saw them (median 35 days):

12 of the 15 were figures, mostly figma and scale figures, several of them Good Smile Company online-shop exclusives. They sold out between 18 and 43 days into our tracking.
3 were games: Holy Horror Mansion, Physint and Inazuma Eleven RE (Multi-Language).

Going the other way, 7 products arrived in stock after being unavailable, including Persona 4 Revival [Limited Box] (out of stock on 6 September, in stock on 11 October) and Eternal Anima [Limited Edition] (20 September to 7 October). Pre-orders do arrive, but you need to have ordered to get one.

What this means: for limited editions and figures, the cost of waiting is not a higher price, it is no price at all. If you want one, pre-order.

4. Where the real discounts are

If list prices rarely drop, how do you pay less?

Budget reprints. Japanese publishers re-release older games as “Best Price” or “New Price Version” editions, often far cheaper than the original. See our guide to Best Price and New Price Version reprints.
Choosing the edition. In our Release Radar, Japanese editions were often cheaper than Asian or Western ones. See Japanese, Asian or Western editions?
Comparing with local shops. Mainstream titles are sometimes cheaper in local sales. See Play-Asia vs local retailers.

A simple rule

Limited edition, figure or shop exclusive: pre-order as soon as you are sure.
Standard edition of a new game: pre-order or buy at launch; the price is unlikely to fall soon.
Older game you are not in a rush for: check whether a Best Price or New Price Version reprint exists before buying the original.

How we got these numbers

Our stock tracker checks a watch-list of Play-Asia products for the deals and tracker pages, and every update is saved. For this guide we read all 433 saved snapshots between 4 August and 6 November 2026 (a median of about 1.5 hours apart). A “price change” means Play-Asia’s US dollar price for the same product code changed between snapshots; a missing price (shown when an item is out of stock) is not counted as a change. The exchange rate is the ringgit price divided by the US dollar price, as Play-Asia quoted it. The watch-list is weighted towards new releases, limited editions and figures, so it is not a sample of Play-Asia’s whole catalogue.

We earn a commission when you buy through some Play-Asia links on this site. See our affiliate disclosure.