Starting a new game?

I was curious as to when folks start a new (either newly purchased or newly released) game? Only because I tend to buy a lot of games on release, then wait for at least a couple of months for patches etc. - but I feel compelled to buy them mostly on release to give the devs etc. their monies and release week sales numbers. The only time I tend not to do this is for competitive games (mostly fighting games). It also makes me feel like I've had 'more' value out of the game as I've had it longer. How do other people handle this? Not seeing the stutters etc. and the changes to the starting process in Elden Ring has been great, as it runs awesome on my machine now, but there are some parts (like the big hammer not dropping when you kill the boss in the Murkwater Catacombs) that have been tweaked too...

I never buy anything that I don't intend to start playing right away.

@efesell: I would second this with one caveat. I'll buy things I'm interested in if they're on limited time discount. Generally though, when I buy a game, I start it.

I try to start a game within a week of buying it, otherwise it gets lost in the stream of new games. Depends how busy my nights are the week of release, but it usually winds up being a weekend morning if it's not the day of.

My best way to start right away is to start the game as soon as it's installed, giving me at least a 50% better chance of not letting it fall to the side.

God, I own games for years before starting them. Usually get stuff on a steep discount, like $5 or less, and then add it to the backlog. Factor in all the free stuff from Epic and giveaways from Prime, and I will never actually play a large chunk of my collection.

I've honestly never thought about this. I decide what I'm playing next based on a lot of factors. I rarely buy a game to start playing it right away, but it has happened before. Usually I buy a game and make a mental note of when I'll play it i.e. what game I have to finish first before I can play the next one. I'm usually playing 3-4 games to completion at the same time (not concurrently, I'm not an octopus).

you don't owe these companies a damn thing. I buy a game when I want to play it. Often that is the day they come out, but if I'm not sure I want to play a game why would I buy it? Many games are half off during a sale within the first year these days, so buying just to have in a world without scarcity since everything is digital makes no sense.

@sahalarious: I should have specified that I feel that way about smaller indie teams that are making cool, interesting, fantastic games that may get lost in the shuffle of big releases. More a way to show those devs support and 'encourage' diversity in releases etc. in my own little way. While you're right, and that I don't owe them anything, I feel that some of those experiences may stop coming out if no-one buys or plays them. Games like HAAK, Freshly Frosted, Lumbearjack, Haiku The Robot, and Soda Crisis may stop existing if they don't get supported, so I like to do that.

I buy a game when the price is something I consider acceptable, and then throw it into my giant backlog. When the mood strikes me, I start playing it (assuming I remember I own it...).

I do use a spreadsheet to keep track of my games.

I buy whatever interests me and then play them whenever I feel like it.

I only buy a game if I want to play it right then. The only exception would be bundles (Humble Bundle etc.) with some extra games that I don't feel like trying out right then. However I sometimes find myself buying a game, playing it for an hour or less, and never touching it again.