There are 452,000 members of the r/PatientGamer subreddit, an online hub for people that categorically refuse to play the latest and greatest games. Some people only have time in their lives to play the best of the best, while others pride themselves on their “alternative” tastes and refuse to follow trends. Still others just want to be as thrifty as possible, waiting for sales with historically low prices before they take the plunge into a new game. Whatever the reason, the r/PatientGamers subreddit is up over 100,000 subs since last year, and it’s really no wonder why. Between subscription services, next-gen upgrades, and the non-stop avalanche of remakes and remasters these days, it’s never been a better time to be a patient gamer.
I’m the opposite of a patient gamer - I am a hype monster. The best game of all time is the one that comes out next week, and if it came out last week, I’m already over it. That said, no one can play every game, and I often find myself free on weekends during the slower months when I have time to catch up on “retro” games, i.e., anything released before 2021. I’m truly astounded by the accessibility of older games these days, to the point where I’m almost jealous of Gamers Behind The Times, who allow their games to age and mature like fine wine. Let’s count the ways that patient gamers are winning these days.
First, there’s Game Pass, a treasure trove of modern and classic games for as little as $10/month. Game Pass has been an unbelievable service to patient gamers as the library has grown exponentially over the last year. One day, without any warning, 20 Bethesda games suddenly appeared in the Game Pass library. Have you been waiting to play Skyrim, Fallout 3, or Prey? Now you have them, no extra charge. Depending on how patient you are, Game Pass also offers all the Halos, Yakuzas, Age of Empires, Mass Effects, Dooms, Quakes - the list goes on and on. Game Pass isn’t the only subscription service of its kind, but it’s definitely the best.
The second biggest boon to patient gamers’ backlog is the prevalence of next-gen ports. It’s a bit of a paradox for Those Who Like To Wait, considering you first have to buy a next-gen console, which is a major hype monster move. But there’s just so many last-gen games already on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, it's a patient gamers dream. Every week, it seems there is a new-old game coming to PS5. I missed out on Death Stranding, Ghosts of Tsushima, Metro Exodus, Nioh 2, and Subnautica when they first came out, but I got to play them as if they were brand new games when they re-released on the PS5. I don’t remember next-gen ports being such a big thing during the transition from PS3 to PS4, but with the slow pace of true next-gen games this year, next-gen ports have been the next best thing.
Finally, it can’t be overstated just how buckwild the game industry has gotten with remakes and remasters over the last few years. Just this year we’ve already seen Nier, Mass Effect, Diablo 2, Skyward Sword, and Sonic Colors. Last year we had Demon’s Souls, Final Fantasy 7, Resident Evil 3, Kingdoms of Amalur, Tony Hawk, and Mafia. Soon we’ll have Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, Dead Space, Prince of Persia, Advance Wars, The Last of Us, Metroid Prime, and The Witcher 3. I’m probably missing some big ones, there’s too many to count, and all of them have sold incredibly well. If you missed out on any major franchises from the past, there’s a good bet you’ll get a second chance soon if you haven’t already. Remakes are a huge part of the market these days, and patient gamers are feasting.
Whether you’re frugal, short on time, or just vibe with the patient lifestyle, 2021 has been an incredible year for old games. Patient gamers rise up! Y’know, whenever you get around to it.