The gap between a brand-new sealed game and a good pre-owned copy is often just a few quid and a bit of shelf wear. But not every listing means the same thing, so it helps to know what the words on the label actually promise.
When we say a game is pre-owned, it has been through our bench: the disc or cartridge is cleaned, the case checked, and the game booted to make sure it loads and saves. "Very Good" means light marks at most; "Good" means normal signs of a game that has been enjoyed. Nothing that stops it playing ever gets that grade.
New still wins in two cases. If you want the sealed collector's copy with the sticker intact, buy new. And for the newest releases, pre-owned stock simply has not had time to build up yet. For everything else — especially the back catalogue — pre-owned is where the value lives.
Our rule of thumb: if a pre-owned copy saves you a third or more and it is graded Very Good, it is almost always the smarter buy. Browse the shelves and the grade is listed on every product page.