How To Get Games Cheaper On Steam

How to Get Games Cheaper on Steam

Want to play awesome video games without emptying your piggy bank? Steam, the popular place to buy games online, often has deals and tricks that can help you save money. This guide will show you how to find those discounts and play more for less. Let’s dive in!

Understanding Steam Sales

Steam is well-known for its big sales events. These are times when lots of games have their prices lowered. Knowing when these sales happen is the first step to saving money.

Major Steam Sales

These are the biggest events, offering the deepest discounts. They happen several times a year:

• Steam Summer Sale: Usually in late June or early July. Expect a huge selection of games on sale.
• Steam Halloween Sale: Around Halloween time in late October, focusing on spooky games.
• Steam Autumn Sale: Happens in late November, usually around the time of Thanksgiving in the United States.
• Steam Winter Sale: Around Christmas and New Year’s, offering discounts to close out the year.

These sales typically last for about two weeks, giving you plenty of time to browse and choose your games. During these events, you will often see some flash sales or short duration sales for selected games. Keep your eyes on Steam during these times.

Other Steam Sales

Besides the major sales, Steam frequently has smaller sales throughout the year. These can include:

• Midweek Madness: Sales that run from Tuesday to Thursday with discounts on a variety of games.
• Weekend Deals: As the name suggests these are sales happening on weekends.
• Publisher Sales: Sales dedicated to games from a specific developer or publisher.
• Themed Sales: These focus on certain types of games (like indie games or strategy games).

Keep an eye on the Steam store page, or follow Steam on social media, for announcements about these smaller sales. They can be great ways to find hidden gems at low prices.

Wishlists and Notifications

Steam has a wishlist feature that you should absolutely use. When you see a game you like, add it to your wishlist. Steam will then send you an email notification if a game on your wishlist goes on sale.

To add a game to your wishlist:

1. Go to the game’s page on the Steam store.
2. Click on the “Add to your Wishlist” button.

Managing your wishlist is a good way to track games you want and keep an eye out for price drops. This way, you don’t miss out on a good deal just because you forgot about a game.

Using Third-Party Sites and Tools

While Steam is the main place for games, other websites and tools can help you find deals and save even more money.

Price Tracking Websites

These websites track the prices of games on Steam and other stores. They will show you the price history of a game and tell you if it’s currently at its lowest price. This can help you to decide when is the best time to buy.

Some of the well-known price tracking websites are:

• SteamDB: A great website to see price history, sales, and other information about Steam games.
• IsThereAnyDeal: Tracks prices across many different game stores, including Steam.
• GG.deals: Another good option for checking prices and seeing historical data.

Using these sites can give you a better sense of a game’s price patterns and assist you to buy at the most affordable time. If you are really looking to save every penny, then these tools are for you.

Bundles

Game bundles are another way to save money. Instead of buying each game separately, you can buy a package of several games together at a discounted price.

Some popular bundle websites include:

• Humble Bundle: Often has great bundles with some games and part of the purchase price goes to charity.
• Fanatical: Sells game bundles and individual game keys at discounted prices.

Bundles can be a good way to try out games you might not normally consider. You are likely to find a good value from these bundles. The games you get from bundles are often in form of keys, and you need to activate those keys on Steam to add games to your account.

Browser Extensions

Some browser extensions help you save money on Steam and other sites. These extensions can automatically find deals, apply coupons, or track prices for you.

Some extensions include:

• Honey: Automatically finds and applies coupon codes when you shop online.
• Augmented Steam: Adds many extra features to the Steam website, including price history and better game information.

Browser extensions can make finding deals even easier, saving you time and effort. Be sure to always check the reviews and security of any browser extensions before installing them.

Utilizing Steam Features

Steam itself has a few features that can help you save money or get games for free. Using them can improve your game collection without breaking the bank.

Steam Trading Cards

Playing some games on Steam allows you to earn trading cards. These cards can be sold on the Steam Community Market to make Steam Wallet money. You can use this money to purchase new games.

To earn Steam Trading Cards:

1. Play games which has trading cards available on Steam.
2. Keep an eye on your inventory for available cards.
3. Sell duplicate cards on the community market.

It might not earn you a lot, but it can give you extra cash for a small game or to put towards a big title.

Steam Community Market

The Steam Community Market is a place where you can buy and sell game items like cards, skins, and other virtual goodies. As mentioned earlier, selling your cards will allow you to gain funds in your Steam Wallet.

Be sure to check the prices of your items regularly. You can buy low and sell high, and profit, but you need a good sense of the market to do that.

Free Games

Steam sometimes offers free games. Keep an eye on the store page or Steam news section for announcements about free games or free weekends.

How to find free games on Steam:

• Check the Steam store page frequently.
• Look for promotional announcements by Steam on their social media channels.
• Follow game developers, some offer games for free to increase their player base.

Game Demos

Trying game demos before you buy can prevent you from buying games you might not like. Check if the game that you want is available as demo. This is not exactly a way to save money, but it can prevent you from wasting money on games you don’t enjoy.

To find Demos:

• Go to the game’s page on the Steam store.
• See if there is a download demo option available for game.

Other Smart Shopping Techniques

Here are a few more smart shopping tips to help you get games cheaper on Steam.

Waiting for Sales

Sometimes the best thing you can do is wait. If you can wait a little, that game you want may come down in price eventually. Games often get cheaper over time as they get older.

Be Patient : Games that release recently are usually costly, but they get cheaper over time. Consider waiting for a few months or even a year before you buy, if you are trying to save the most money.

Regional Pricing

The prices of games can vary depending on where you live. If you move or use a VPN, the prices can be different. Be careful while using this method, as Steam does not condone such methods. Doing so might get your account in trouble.

Be aware, that some games might not be available for purchase in some regions. If the prices are different, there might be a reason why they are.

Game Keys from Other Stores

Sometimes other websites sell game keys for Steam at lower prices than the Steam store itself. If you purchase the keys, and then activate them on Steam, you will get the game on your steam account.

Some websites where you might find Steam game keys:

• Green Man Gaming: A well-known seller of game keys, often with discounts.
• Indiegala: Offers a variety of game keys and bundles.

When buying keys from third party sources, it’s important to buy them from legitimate and reputable websites. Buying game keys from an unauthorized source can lead to issues with keys not working, or your Steam account getting into trouble.

Trading with Friends

If you and your friends have similar taste in games, then consider sharing or trading with each other. If you or a friend of yours has a game you want, and the friend does not play it often, then they could share it using family library sharing.

You should be aware, that you cannot play the same game at the same time. Family sharing is very much like lending a physical copy of a game to someone else. Also some games are not family sharing friendly.

Review and Refunds

When you purchase a game, you have some time to play it and see if you like it. If you play it less than two hours, you can get a refund. This is another way to not waste money on games you might not enjoy. This time limit is provided by Steam, for you to get to know if a game is good or not.

Be careful, to not take advantage of the refund system, as Steam reserves the right to change refund policies, if they feel like you are abusing the system.

Free-to-Play Games

Steam has a large number of games that are free to play. These games can be a great way to enjoy games without having to spend anything. Be aware that free-to-play games often feature in-app purchases. So if you get addicted to these games, you might end up spending as much or more money compared to purchasing games.

Some very popular free-to-play games on Steam are:

• Dota 2
• Counter Strike 2
• Apex Legends
• Warframe