Most "best time to buy gaming" advice is folklore. This one is data: every year of SimplyCodes verification data across the most-searched gaming retailers, grouped by calendar month — so "December" means every December on record, not one. The calendar below reads the share of each month's stores whose deepest code ran 25% off or deeper — refreshed as new data lands.
December is the best month to buy games and gaming gear with a promo code. Across every year SimplyCodes has tracked, 27.7% of games and gaming gear stores running a percentage-off code in December had one at 25% off or deeper — the highest share of any month, and 8.8 points above the weakest month (August, 18.9%). Figures cover 5,477 store-months across the gaming retailers SimplyCodes tracks — each store counted once for every month it ran a percentage-off code — as of September 11, 2026.
- December is the strongest month for games and gaming gear discounts — 27.7% of the games and gaming gear stores SimplyCodes tracked had a code 25% off or deeper that month, across 452 store-months measured.
- January is the runner-up at 24.1% — worth knowing if you miss December, and the reason this calendar is worth reading past its headline.
- August is the weakest month at 18.9% — a 8.8-point gap from December. Buying games and gaming gear in August means shopping the year's thinnest discount pool.
Browse every verified video game promo code on SimplyCodes — the full catalog behind this calendar.
Deep-discount share = the share of that month's games and gaming gear stores whose deepest percentage-off code was 25% off or more · bar = that share relative to the strongest month · store-months = the denominator behind each share, one per store per month it ran a percentage-off code · — = fewer than 3 retailers contributed that month, so no share publishes · free ship / free gift = at least one such offer verified in that month.
All years on record of games and gaming gear verification data across the gaming retailers SimplyCodes tracks, counted once per store per month and grouped by calendar month · snapshot as of September 11, 2026
Frequently asked questions
When is the best month to buy games with a promo code?
December is the best month to buy games and gaming gear with a promo code. Across every year SimplyCodes has tracked, 27.7% of games and gaming gear stores running a percentage-off code in December had one at 25% off or deeper — the highest share of any month, and 8.8 points above the weakest month (August, 18.9%). Figures cover 5,477 store-months across the gaming retailers SimplyCodes tracks — each store counted once for every month it ran a percentage-off code — as of September 11, 2026.
Which month has the deepest games and gaming gear discounts?
As of September 11, 2026, December is the deepest month on record for games and gaming gear, with 27.7% of its stores running a percentage-off code having one at 25% off or deeper. The calendar re-reads every month's record daily, so the peak moves when the data does.
Which month has the most stores running games and gaming gear promo codes?
September has the most stores running games and gaming gear promo codes on record, at 532 store-months — one per store per month it ran a percentage-off code. Volume and depth are different questions — the month with the most stores discounting is not always the month with the deepest codes.
How does SimplyCodes know when games and gaming gear discounts run deepest?
Every figure comes from SimplyCodes verification data: promo codes are tested at real checkout before they are listed, and the discount each one actually delivered is recorded with the month it ran. The games and gaming gear calendar reads those records back month by month, so it reports discounts that were measured, not discounts that were advertised. Checked September 11, 2026.
Methodology
How SimplyCodes verifies codes. Behind every figure in this live data study is the SimplyCodes verification system. Coupon codes are tested at real checkout before they are listed, through three independent layers: daily automated testing, where headless browsers run through real checkout flows and record whether a discount actually applies. A human verification network of 10,000+ verifiers submits screenshot-and-timestamp proof. And a real-time fleet signal, where live checkout outcomes feed back into the engine. The calendar below summarizes that verification history month by month.
How this calendar is built. we take every store among the gaming retailers SimplyCodes tracks and record, for each calendar month that store ran a percentage-off code, the deepest discount it offered that month — so "December" means every December on record, not one year's. For each month we report the share of those stores whose deepest code reached 25% off or more, alongside the number of store-months behind the share. This measures how many stores discount deeply in a given month, not how many individual codes did. Only percentage-off codes are counted, because fixed-amount offers are not comparable across price points. Percentage claims of 95% or more are excluded as implausible. And a month contributed by fewer than 3 retailers publishes no share at all
Cite this data
December is the best month to buy games and gaming gear with a promo code: 27.7% of games and gaming gear stores SimplyCodes tracks had a code 25% off or deeper in December, 8.8 points above the weakest month (August).
According to SimplyCodes verification data, December carries the deepest games and gaming gear discounts of any month — 27.7% of tracked games and gaming gear stores had a code 25% off or deeper, versus 18.9% in August.
