What are the best online stores to purchase PC games cheaply?

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What are the best online stores to purchase PC games cheaply?

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Feb 19, 2023

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15 Games Considered

Best online stores to purchase PC games cheaply	Price	Last Updated
57 Steam	-	Feb 28, 2022
56 GOG	-	Apr 21, 2022
51 Humble Bundle	-	Feb 4, 2022
-- greenman gaming	-	Apr 16, 2022
-- Fanatical (formerly Bundle Stars)	-	May 5, 2022

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score 97 · Answer 1

Steam

Top Con

Lots of DRM

Many games are not only Steam DRM protected but by another DRM system. It just cries for something to go wrong. See More

Top Pro

Biggest digital distribution platform for games

Over 125 million users actively use Steam, with over 15,000 games to choose from. See More

Nico Tate Parker's Experience

Steam has an excellent selection of games. See More

Top Con

Little support for older titles

Many older titles (10-15 years or more) are no longer supported and thus require much manual tinkering to run properly on windows 10, requiring digging though forums and trying many things. Compare that to GoG where these titles often run out-of-the-box. See More

Top Pro

Steam sales

Steam has daily and weekend sales as well as publisher sales, though their biggest sales are their winter and summer sales. Steam is known for their deep discounts (discounts on games range from 10% to 95%) on games and has pushed many other stores to do the same seeing Amazon and other storefronts match their pricings when sales go up as well as hold their own seasonal sales. See More

PioneeringPasithea's Experience

Actively having migraines triggered by the steam client after the new library update. Support spent more than a month actively ignoring reports of medical harm being caused by the client before acknowledging the feedback. See More

Top Con

Lots of junky games and violated content

They never clean up their store and they post nudity content on their store. See More

Top Pro

Cloud save games

Sharing save games between Mac and Windows machine is pretty nice though the game has to be a Steamworks game in order to have this feature. See More

Yanis's Experience

(almost) all you need ! See More

Top Con

Company actively self-sabotaging

Valve have ripped off bad launcher design from competing stores instead of sticking with the better design they already had. Strong negative response including multiple customers suffering medical issues is being ignored instead of taken on board. See More

Top Pro

Support for cross-platform games

Most games that have a Mac and Linux version available can be found on Steam. See More

Top Con

Support is an epic fail

EA Help has more positive feedback regarding their support than Steam. See More

Top Pro

Wide selection

There are a variety of games from indie to AAA. There is a curated list and even classic games. See More

Top Con

Buggy client on Linux with little customer support

Linux support is generally overlooked. It is recommended to disable in-game overlay and to use a real browser to interact with steampowered's website. Basic library access works usually without a hitch. Also do not expect real tech support on Linux. Forum questions of bugs often go unattended and unanswered. See More

Top Pro

Gift games

Users can gift games to their friends, which is great for when there are sales as one friend can pick up games for the rest of his friends cheaply. There is often 4 packs of a single game that can be picked up to easily gift to 3 other friends as well. See More

Top Con

Pricey

AAA titles are very pricey, very often more expensive than at other online stores and sometimes brick & mortar ones. See More

Top Pro

Offers refunds for games that haven't been played for more than 2 hours

If you stop playing a game within the first 2 hours, you can ask for a refund. See More

Top Con

Games cost a fortune on the official Steam store

Buy keys from other shops, never on the official store. See More

Top Pro

Fast downloads

Steam has excellent servers and their download speeds tend to be the best out of any digital store online. See More

Top Con

Requires to log into Steam every 2 weeks

Steam forces you to periodically log into Steam Store every two weeks, or your games will stop working. They will force you to keep adding the API number, which is a pain. There is an Offline Mode, but you still have to log in at least once every two weeks. See More

Top Pro

Steam achievements

Most games on Steam have achievements. It's also nice that you can see how many people who own/play the game finished a particular achievement. See More

Top Pro

Steam Workshop

Steam Workshop makes it easy to create and/or find mods and extra content for games that support it. See More

Top Pro

Active community

The community frequently helps solve questions, review games, and make great content via Workshop. See More

Top Pro

Integrated VoIP client

Text based chat and VoIP chat are both included with your client. Of course this only works with people on the stream platform. See More

See All

score 98 · Answer 2

GOG

Top Pro

DRM free as a rule

GOG refuses digital rights management on principle. See More

Top Con

Linux games distributed as installation scripts

Installation scripts have a lot of bugs and dependencies. Packing games in archives would be better. Extracting archives from installation scripts is possible, but difficult. See More

WonderfulRugiewit's Experience

You can trust the people who work there See More

Top Pro

Seasonal sales

gog features summer and winter sales every year and offer quite a lot of games at lower than retail prices. See More

Top Con

Many games only for windows when they also have a native Linux version

The Linux library on Steam is far bigger than in GoG, many titles have its Linux version both in Steam and its respective web page, but GoG only lets buy the Windows version. See More

PioneeringPasithea's Experience

Good platform, consistent positive experience from support staff See More

Top Pro

Client is completely optional

You can either download games directly from the site or use their Steam-like client, GOG Galaxy. See More

Top Con

No Linux client (yet)

They say it's coming. And meanwhile you can still install Linux compatible games directly. See More

BlackJediKnight's Experience

GOG.COM is hands-down the undisputed KING. the simple fact is they have the philosophy that once you download a purchase a game...you own it. Period. If you are like me, and enjoy tinkering, or constantly building, or upgrading your PC - you will install your favorite games on them to play. I have like 5 laptops and three desktops that I have rebuilt. There is no DRM, and you don't have to connect to the Internet periodically like STEAM forces you to do, just to play your game. They give all the updates as they come out, and they are always adding something new. They love games (like me) and it's built FOR gamers, BY gamers. See More

Top Pro

Occasional free games

Every so often, GOG will have a game listed as free to add to your account. See More

Top Con

Limited, often dated, library selection

ThriftyAmaterasu's Experience

consumer friendly See More

Top Pro

Money back regional pricing

GOG may charge more in some regions as publishers request so. But in those cases they give the extra cash back as credits for buying another game. For example, the lowest price for the game is U$20 in US, but if in your region it costs U$30 they will give you U$10 back as credits for your next purchase. See More

Top Con

No compatible support with (Steam) achievements

Steam has achievements that many appreciate. Unfortunately, those same achievements are not available when you buy the GOG version of the same game. See More

Top Pro

Money-back guarantee

If GOG can't help you fix a game, you're free to refund it within a month of purchase. See More

Top Pro

Excellent support

Support is handled by an in-house team working for the company, and staff are knowledgable about their platform and games. See More

Top Pro

Good puzzle games

You can find puzzle games like Superliminal and the Myst Series on this website. See More

See All

score 49 · Answer 3

Humble Bundle

Top Pro

Bundles

Humble Bundle offers bundles of games for pay what you want pricing. These happen quite often with indie bundles, publisher bundles as well as weekly bundles. There are different tiers to the bundles that go higher in price depending on how many games one wants from the bundle. The higher tiers have a higher price floor but still offer considerable discounts on games. All bundles payments can be put towards a charity for that bundle as well as towards the developer or the HB themselves. See More

Top Con

The selection of games not going through Steam is lacking

There's no V-Katsu and Melody Escape without Steam. See More

Top Pro

Have a say where your money goes

Able to put all the money towards charity, the developer, or Humble Bundle. See More

Top Con

Limited time offers, and only select few games

The games rotate every few weeks for what is in the bundle. See More

Top Pro

Humble Monthly

For $12 a month users receive a selection of games every month. All games the user gets to keep even when the subscription ends. See More

Top Con

Normal store pricings are high in comparison to other stores

More often than not the regular pricing on the Humble Store is more expensive when compared to places like Steam. See More

Top Pro

Pay what you want

The way Humble Bundle works is that it is donation based in that you can pay what you want for the bundle, with the minimum being a dollar. There are separate packages in each bundle that also ask for a minimum price, which depends on the "beat the average" price which is what on average has been donated so far.. See More

Top Con

Mainly a Steam-Key re-seller

Top Pro

Offers the option to download DRM-free version of games

Top Con

No money back

Since it's a re-seller, you won't get your money back. See More

Top Pro

Support choice of charity

Users are not only giving to a charity and choosing the portion of the price they pay to a charity but they can also select from a list of charities to donate to. Thus giving some control to the consumer as to what kind of organizations they support. See More

Top Pro

Supporting the Devs

Just as a user can choose how much to give to a charity out of the price given, they can also choose how much to give to the devs. So if one does not feel like supporting a charity for a certain bundle they can choose to give all of the funds to the developers. See More

See All

score 16 · Answer 4

greenman gaming

Top Con

Steam games

Top Pro

Discounts per account based on previous purchases

ConfidentNehebkau's Experience

Been using GMG for some time now proly around 3 or 4 years, purchased dozens of game thru em. never had an issue. Support knowledgeable. See More

Top Con

No refunds on keys to other stores

GMG does not offer refunds on Steam, UPlay, Origin or MMO titles. Basically if you purchase a code to a different store GMG will not refund your money if there are issues which means one will have to deal with the keys origin store for help. See More

Top Pro

Discount codes on new releases or pre-release

GMG often offers discount codes on newly released games or pre-release games. For those looking to get a new release GMG is a good place to look as users can often find a discount of 15-20% off the game instead of purchasing at full price. See More

Top Pro

Connection and discounts with Playfire

GMG pushes an account with Playfire, which is a game tracking and community service. By signing up with Playfire GMG users can earn discounts on games sold through GMG. See More

See All

score 13 · Answer 5

Fanatical (formerly Bundle Stars)

Top Pro

Often have very low price bundles, including well-known games

Top Pro

Tons of great sales

They add new sales almost every day on top of great bundles with worthwhile indie games. See More

score 8 · Answer 6

itch.io

Top Pro

Indie games

Lots of undiscovered indie games. Some can be great fun. See More

Top Con

Indie games

There are no popular, AAA, games See More

Top Pro

Offer preorders

You can start selling your game before it's finished. See More

Top Pro

No accounts required for buyers

It allows linking an itch.io page where the customer can just click to buy. See More

Top Pro

Mostly self-service

Change prices or the design of your page at will. No need to give lead time if you want to offer a sale. See More

Top Pro

Everyone can release a game on itch.io

Everyone is free to use itch.io for the distrubution of their game, free or paid. See More

Top Pro

Allows sellers to set their own revenue share

Makes it one of the best places to support your favorite creators as there is no limit as to what you want to set for the platform fee since it can be set all the way down to 0% or set as high as 100%. It is up to the developer to pick what they would like. See More

Top Pro

Best discoverability out there

It's where unknown indies find and buy games from other unknown indies. See More

Top Pro

Pay-what-you-want model with optional enforced minimums

Users can pay any amount they want to for a game, down to a minimum specified by the uploader. The minimum can be zero. A user can go back and pay more later if they want. See More

See All

score 8 · Answer 7

Gaming Dragons

score 24 · Answer 8

AllKeyShop

Top Pro

Discount codes

They also offer you some discount prices that you cannot find in other websites, 'cause their partnerships See More

adriancog's Experience

I always use Allkeyshop before buying a game. It helps me save money See More

Top Pro

Very easy to find the best prices for your favorite games

It's very easy to find the best prices for the games you are looking for. Just type the game in the search bar and hope that the game will be there and see the price comparisons and pick the one of the online stores to go to the page and buy the game you wanted. See More

CourteousZirnitra's Experience

Comparsion of videogames prices makes you always find cheapest game, website also provides gaming news, recommended! See More

Top Pro

Save lot of money and compare all game prices

Buy a Key, activate it and have fun! By far the best game key comparison site. See More

RealisticAnuket's Experience

I saved over 20 euro on a game. Just amazing! See More

Top Pro

You can save lot of money,official steam prices are expensive compared to shops listed on this website

buy a key,activate on steam,save money.Just make sure that youre buying games on correct platform and region.Some random examples from today:Dark Souls 3 Steam 15 Euro with -75% discount-Allkeyshop 10 Euro.Farcry New Dawn 45 Euro steam-Allkeyshop 15 euro.Rage 2 60 Euro steam-Allkeyshop 22 Euro See More

ComposedApheleia's Experience

I saved a lot of money by checking prices on Allkeyshop before buying games, thoroughly recommended See More

Top Pro

Clear design, different platforms

-Simple design -Multiplatform -Price alert feature -Countdown in future releases -Dedicated tab for the highest discounted games See More

LovelyRugiewit's Experience

Awesome site where you can check all the prices for a game on the market and select the best store for it. See More

See All

score 20 · Answer 9

Instant Gaming

Top Con

Sketchy business model

EmpatheticAstraeus's Experience

tried it many time and trusted See More

score 3 · Answer 10

IndieGameStand

Top Pro

Pay-what-you-want model for a new game every four days

Every four days, a new game is selected at a pay-what-you-want model. This is called "Today's Deal". See More

Top Pro

Large free game catalog

Offers a large catalog of games that can be downloaded for free. See More

Top Pro

Supports Steam keys

Games that have a Steam version available can be redeemed on Steam. See More

Top Pro

Elite subscription

Get a number of games monthly, quarterly, or annualy at an inexpensive price. All games in the store are 20% off for subscribers. See More

Top Pro

Support for cross-platform games

Many games have a Mac and/or Linux version available. See More

See All

score 8 · Answer 11

Kinguin

Top Con

Sellers could possibly be shady

While keys are usually legitimate, there is often no way of telling how these keys were obtained. There are cases in the past where stolen credit card information was used to purchase a bunch of game keys and then those keys would be sold on platforms like this. So in that way it's similar to Ebay as well. However, it may be that it's blown somewhat out of proportion by gaming publishers who would earn more off gamers if they'd buy brand new keys. See More

Top Pro

One of the only ways to sell second hand game keys

If you have product keys for games that you don't need, you can sell them on Kinguin. It works similarly to Ebay, but it's a marketplace dedicated to keys. See More

Top Pro

You build up a little credit per purchase

You get a few cents of credit per purchase you make, if you have a Kinguin account. That can make some difference after a bit. See More

Top Pro

Usually doesn't get cheaper

Websites like Kinguin and G2A are usually the cheapest way to get game keys. There are tricks like using discount codes for -3%, -5% or even -7% discount. These keys can usually be easily found through a simple Google search or through a Twitch streamer who's partnered with Kinguin. Another trick is not to use the shield service. It's usually a waste of a dollar, given the fact that in reality issues with game keys are rare. See More

See All

score 12 · Answer 12

Epic Games Store

Top Pro

Free games

They give out free games sometimes. See More

Top Con

Windows only

Epic Games intentionally refuse to support other that Windows operating systems and make game developers drop existing support of other OS. See More

AmiableRyujin's Experience

Last minute change from Steam purchase to Epic. I wanted the Steam purchase but was forced to get the title on epic which in my opinion is a much worse platform. See More

Top Pro

Better revenue cut for publishers and developers

Epic gives a better revenue cut for publishers and developers than GOG and Steam other than a few specific games. Note: As of writing this pro it's 12%. See More

Top Con

New platform

It's a relatively new platform, so it is more likely to fail. See More

Top Pro

The only games some purchase on Epic are the free games they give away

Top Con

Sluggish

The Epic games store feels super slow compared to Steam or GOG, but a little better than the Microsoft Store. See More

Top Con

False advertising

Epic uses other platforms to sell a game, getting free advertisement and pre-orders then switching to epic exclusive, essentially engaging in false advertising. See More

See All

score 15 · Answer 13

G2A

Top Con

Risk of stolen keys

As G2A is a user-driven market place, not all keys sold may be legitimate. Anyone from anywhere can list a key for sale à la eBay and Amazon. However, like eBay and Amazon, G2A provides the seller's feedback rating and number of sales prior to purchase. See More

Top Pro

Typically significantly less expensive than competing services

As G2A is a user marketplace, keys may be purchased during sales and resold for significantly less than current market value. Because of this, keys tend to be very inexpensive in comparison to Steam, Origin, and Uplay. See More

HumbleUnut's Experience

Lost 15 pounds when I was trying to buy some premium currency in GW2. See More

Top Con

Opt-out service on checkout that is easy to miss, which charges and subscribes the purchaser to something they may not need or want

Many people have reported issue with the "Shield" subscription service, that seems to auto subscribe users when purchasing keys. It has also been reported that is is pretty difficult to get this subscription turned off, which can be frustrating for those that never wanted it in the first place. See More

Top Pro

Makes steam games affordable

See All

score 3 · Answer 14

OG4.COM

EnergeticTongoenabiagus's Experience

I was very happy with my purchase in OG4.COM store. There are lots of games in a affordable prices. See More

score 2 · Answer 15

Desura

Top Con

Parent company has filed for Bankruptcy

Top Pro

DRM-free (like GoG)

Top Con

Buggy client

Top Pro

Has an open source client (Desurium)

Top Con

Few AAA titles

Top Pro

Focuses on indie games (associated with Indie DB)

Top Con

Small Database (compared to others)

Top Pro

Support for many open source games

Top Pro

Maybe the first platform to support Linux

See All

score 11 · Answer 16

gamecamp.gg

score 1 · Answer 17

15 Games Considered

My Recommendation for Steam

My Recommendation for Steam

Lots of DRM

Biggest digital distribution platform for games

Little support for older titles

Steam sales

Lots of junky games and violated content

Cloud save games

Company actively self-sabotaging

Support for cross-platform games

Support is an epic fail

Wide selection

Buggy client on Linux with little customer support

Gift games

Pricey

Offers refunds for games that haven't been played for more than 2 hours

Games cost a fortune on the official Steam store

Fast downloads

Requires to log into Steam every 2 weeks

Steam achievements

Steam Workshop

Active community

Integrated VoIP client

My Recommendation for GOG

My Recommendation for GOG

DRM free as a rule

Linux games distributed as installation scripts

Seasonal sales

Many games only for windows when they also have a native Linux version

Client is completely optional

No Linux client (yet)

Occasional free games

Limited, often dated, library selection

Money back regional pricing

No compatible support with (Steam) achievements

Money-back guarantee

Excellent support

Good puzzle games

My Recommendation for Humble Bundle

My Recommendation for Humble Bundle

Bundles

The selection of games not going through Steam is lacking

Have a say where your money goes

Limited time offers, and only select few games

Humble Monthly

Normal store pricings are high in comparison to other stores

Pay what you want

Mainly a Steam-Key re-seller

Offers the option to download DRM-free version of games

No money back

Support choice of charity

Supporting the Devs

My Recommendation for greenman gaming

My Recommendation for greenman gaming

Steam games

Discounts per account based on previous purchases

No refunds on keys to other stores

Discount codes on new releases or pre-release

Connection and discounts with Playfire

My Recommendation for Fanatical (formerly Bundle Stars)

My Recommendation for Fanatical (formerly Bundle Stars)

Often have very low price bundles, including well-known games

Tons of great sales

My Recommendation for itch.io

My Recommendation for itch.io

Indie games

Indie games

Offer preorders

No accounts required for buyers

Mostly self-service

Everyone can release a game on itch.io

Allows sellers to set their own revenue share

Best discoverability out there

Pay-what-you-want model with optional enforced minimums

My Recommendation for Gaming Dragons

My Recommendation for Gaming Dragons

My Recommendation for AllKeyShop

My Recommendation for AllKeyShop

Discount codes