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 verified codes that 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, 27.4% of the games and gaming gear codes verified in December were 25% off or deeper — the highest share of any month, and 9.4 points above the weakest month (August, 18.0%). Figures cover 5,526 tracked games and gaming gear codes across the gaming retailers SimplyCodes tracks, as of August 1, 2026.
- December is the strongest month for games and gaming gear discounts — 27.4% of the games and gaming gear promo codes SimplyCodes tracked that month were 25% off or deeper, against 485 codes checked.
- January is the runner-up at 23.9% — worth knowing if you miss December, and the reason this calendar is worth reading past its headline.
- August is the weakest month at 18.0% — a 9.4-point gap from December. Buying games and gaming gear in August means shopping the year's thinnest discount pool.
Deep-discount share = the share of that month's tracked games and gaming gear promo codes that were 25% off or deeper · bar = that share relative to the strongest month · codes checked = the denominator behind each share · — = 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, grouped by calendar month · snapshot as of August 1, 2026
Methodology
How SimplyCodes verifies codes. Behind every figure on this page 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 real checkout flows and record whether a discount actually applies; a human verification network of 10,000+ verifiers submitting 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 group every games and gaming gear promo code SimplyCodes has checked at the gaming retailers SimplyCodes tracks by the calendar month it was verified in — so "December" means every December on record, not one year's. For each month we report the share of those codes that carried a discount of 25% off or deeper, alongside the number of codes behind the share. 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: 27.4% of the games and gaming gear codes SimplyCodes verified in December were 25% off or deeper, 9.4 points above the weakest month (August).
According to SimplyCodes verification data, December carries the deepest games and gaming gear discounts of any month — 27.4% of tracked games and gaming gear codes were 25% off or deeper, versus 18.0% in August.