Steam is undoubtedly the most used platform for buying and downloading video games. It is reliable and well managed, and you can find almost any game you are looking for on this platform. However, there may be times when you want to spice things up and try some new platforms.
Whether your country has blocked access to Steam or you just don’t want to use it to download your games, you might not want to launch Steam for a variety of reasons. Steam also doesn’t typically offer discounts on many newer titles.
If so, there are different alternatives that will allow you to buy and download games even without having to access Steam.
Best Alternatives for Steam
Epic Games Store
Epic Games Store is probably the most popular online game store after Steam. It has games like Valorant and Fortnite, which are growing in popularity day by day, and it also offers several free games at regular intervals (one game per week). If for some reason you don’t want to use Steam or it’s blocked in your region, Epic Games might be the best choice for you.
Epic Games Store has a nice and clean user interface and has almost all popular games available on Steam except for some that are exclusive to Steam or other platforms. The price is also similar. And on top of that, it only takes a 12% reduction in publisher revenue. It also has a section for user reviews for each game, but developers have the option to disable it.
Epic Games Store is a good marketplace for developers and gamers. If you only play truly exclusive titles, the Epic Games Store might have a better alternative.
GOG.com
Officially known as “Good Old Gamers”, it’s owned by CD Projekt, the same company that brought you games like the Witcher franchise and Cyberpunk 2077. Their website isn’t fancy and it doesn’t have much games, especially new titles. However, they have a lot of retro games like Starcraft and Fallout. You will also find many discounts on games on this platform.
You can find video games and movies without digital rights management (DRM) here. In terms of privacy, GOG.com is better than Steam or any other digital marketplace because it doesn’t verify or authenticate the games you buy. You can simply pay for the game and download it through your browser. You also don’t need to install their client app to download the game.
Unlike Steam, you can store your games on external drives and even play offline. And since this platform is owned by CD Project, you can buy their games like Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 at very cheap prices. There are also game sales several times a week.
Ubisoft Login
Ubisoft Connect is a digital distribution and digital rights management (DRM) platform owned by Ubisoft. It was developed by Ubisoft with the aim of providing all of their games under one platform so that gamers can find and download their games without much hassle.
They use their own launcher to launch the games, and you can find all of their games here, such as Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry series. It also allows you to add your friends and follow each other’s progress and chat with each other. Ubisoft Connect offers video games exclusive to Ubisoft and not found on Steam, such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and other original titles.
It also has a feature called Ubisoft+, which is basically a subscription package that allows players to play all of their games on release day, as well as opt in to closed beta testing for upcoming games. It also allows you to import Ubisoft games that you have purchased from other platforms such as Steam or Epic Games Store.
The EA app
The EA app is Electronic Arts’ official digital store, where you can find all video games developed by EA Esports. If you are looking for a platform where you can find and buy EA games, there is no better platform than Origin.
It has its own launcher and features, which will allow you to chat with your game friends and join their games directly. It also has other features like cloud save, achievements and cross-platform services.
Users will also be able to subscribe to their subscription service, known as EA Play, so they can play their upcoming games sooner and participate in closed beta testing. EA Play also comes with a bunch of other premium features, like monthly rewards and game discounts, and upcoming game trials without purchase.
Battle.net
Battle.net is a digital platform developed by Blizzard Entertainment to provide easy access to its features and services to users. Here you can find all games and DLC developed by Blizzard Entertainment company. Blizzard’s most notable games are the World of Warcraft and Diablo series that you’ll be able to buy and download right away from a single platform.
It also offers other Battle.net exclusive games such as Overwatch, Starcraft franchise, Warcraft franchise, etc. You can also download and play Call of Duty: Warzone from this platform. It doesn’t have a large collection of games like Steam and its competitors, but the games on this platform are certainly popular and exclusive.
Like Steam, it provides its own social networking service and you can chat with your friends and join their games. It also has its own forum where you can ask different questions and get answers about them, and also get the latest news about your favorite games.
GamersGate
GamersGate is an online video game store where you can find and buy games from different developers and publishers. What sets GamersGate apart from its competitors is that it offers DRM-free games and also does not require a client application to download its games. You can directly download the games from their website after making a purchase.
GamersGate has a large collection of games from different publishers, and you can actually find games that aren’t listed on Steam. Of course, you can also add them later to their respective client’s library. GamersGate also offers game discounts from time to time. Even on games like Elden Ring, which has yet to receive a discount on Steam, you can usually find it for sale on GamersGate.
It has surprisingly clean and nice user interface with categories as well. There are separate categories for sales, top sellers as well as new games, so you won’t have to scour the entire site to find a game you’re looking for and end up buying a bunch of other games in the process.
green man game
This is another great website to buy games at a bargain price. It is also a web-based platform that offers DRM-free games, and you will be able to download them immediately after making a purchase. It offers games from multiple platforms such as PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, as well as various publishers.
It also offers different payment methods on games, so you don’t have to depend on Paypal or a credit card like on Steam. They have over 10,000 games on their websites, so you will be able to find almost every game available on Steam. Plus, every key they sell comes directly from the game’s publishers, so there’s a small chance you’ll get scammed.
Humble package
Humble Bundle is another digital storefront that offers a variety of games, software, and books to buy and download. It also uses web browsers as its main platform and does not require users to download their client application. You can directly buy games from their website and download them immediately after purchase.
It offers many games and software, including new AAA titles, on its store. They also sell games at a discount from time to time. Another notable thing about this website is that you can download different packs of the game and pay whatever price you want. They also work for the betterment of society by donating a portion of the sale to various charities.
G2A
G2A is a digital storefront that sells all kinds of electronics as well as video games. They also sell gift cards and software for all platforms. The best part of this website is that there are different sellers selling the same product at different prices, so you can choose the best price among them.
G2A’s products are also generally less expensive than those of its competitors. And everything is safe and legit as long as you buy from their official website, so there is a small chance of getting scammed as well. It is a good alternative to Steam, especially if you plan to buy different games and software on the same platform.
Fanatic
Fanatical is another web-based digital storefront that sells video games and bundles at a discount price to its users. It also allows you to buy these games using different payment options. Games are usually available at a discount on this website, which can be a good alternative to Steam, where you have to pay full price to download them.
It does not provide its own launcher to run the game. However, once you purchase the games, you can easily integrate them into your Steam account and launch them from there. You can also buy other things like software and books from them at cheaper prices.