Nowadays, with the slowing global economy, even a gamer has to save and look for bargains. That is why we write about how to save money buying cheap Steam games.
If you are an avid gamer, or just someone who loves a round or two, and you have left your cybercafe days behind, you might want to consider purchasing some games online. Unlike the days of old, where we had to drop by places like Low Yat, or some pirated game shops for affordable games, games are much more affordable now.
Read more on ways to purchase affordable Steam games after the break
Cheap Steam Games : The History
Mind you, original games that were sold about ten to fifteen years ago, were going for a hundred plus ringgit a pop, if you still remember. With majority of gamers, like us in schools and colleges then, it was much easier (and less painful to the wallet) to grab a pirated game. But the game industry has changed, and with it, came the prices of games.
Steam has become one of the industry standard for gaming, together with Apple’s Appstore, which pulled down the prices of games to 99 cents, back when the iPhone was launched. And the Apple Appstore made millionaires of many game developers. Valve (the creators of Steam), which heralded back from the old days as creators of Half-Life, which then launched the CounterStrike platform and was the one of the original games that popularised online gaming and Cyber Gaming as a lifestyle. 1
Steam has now matured and dominates online game purchases. So much so that it has become a disruptor in the field of games. Whereby back then, games can cost a hundred odd for a popular title, Steam has caused the price to drop and selling pricy and/or games as a livelihood in Malaysia has been affected.
After all, you can now get an expensive computer game title for as low as USD 1.99 each. And no, I’m not talking about those iPad ports, but rather real games for both your Windows and Apple computers. I just visited some of the online game shops in Malaysia, and the difference is huge. Civilization V, which was recently sold for as low as USD 7.49 online, was listed for RM 119.90, a huge difference of about RM 95. I believe we’ll find many more huge prices differences as we survey the prices of computer (and video) games in Malaysia.
Anyway, not to keep you waiting, we list the various sites and services you can use to grab that exclusive game on the cheap.
Save money with cheap Steam Games : Where to buy?
1) Steam
Steam is well-known for their sales during certain periods of the year. Like the 4th of July and Christmas among others, leading to a spike in sales for games that are sold heavily discounted on Steam’s platform. Many times they do a crazy bundle, where some top games like Batman Arkham Knight would go for USD 5, or the Civilization V bundle, where Civilization V and all it’s add ons go for only USD 20.
Steam is worth it, and should be the first place to go if you are looking for cheap Steam games, just because you want to save. Best would be to make a checklist of games you like, and then put them all on Steam’s in-built wait list.
2) Humble Bundle and Indie Galas
Both Humble Bundle and Indie Galas offers the “pay what you want” price model. And most of the time, you can get all the games if you pay more than the average. Plus, some games gets unlocked when you pay the price they recommend, which is usually around USD 10.
Check it out, games offered on both are usually worth more than if you were to get them individually on Steam, or any other online game stores. Even during their sale, as Humble Bundle and Indie Galas comes up with crazy offers. Fully recommended.
I even signed up for their newsletter, as they would email you on the latest bundle offerings. Not that I have time to play nowadays.
3) IsthereAnyDeal.com
I just found this recently. It’s amazing as they act as the AppShopper of computer games. Appshopper was banned from the Apple Appstore as Apple didn’t like that people were buying apps and games for free or at a huge discount due to the Appshopper app.
IsthereAnyDeal works in the same way. Just link your Steam account to IsthereAnyDeal.com and sync your wish list over. Next, choose the option of being notified only if the game on offer is on Steam.
Finally, set the price you are waiting for, while observing the lowest price points it has ever been. Usually certain games would go really cheap for a short period, as the game publisher works with the Game Shop to offer huge discount and promote the game. However, these only comes rarely, and you need to grab your chance!
As for myself, I found myself buying Shadowrun Returns for only USD 3.74, lower than its usual price of USD 19. At USD 3.74, it’s about the price of a movie ticket in our Malaysian cinemas, but what a huge saving!
Cheap Steam Games : Conclusion
IsthereAnyDeal works to reduce your stress in checking for price drops. Don’t wait any longer if you are an avid gamer looking to save money while buying cheap Stream games. Or if you are planning to give a game as a gift to your friends. Till then, see you on Steam!