Almost all global PC game sales now come from digital distribution services. Brick-and-mortar retailers now only shelve game cards and codes that can be used on platforms like Steam, Origin, and GamersGate. Some of these services even allow you to download old MS-DOS games.
Here are some of the best PC game download platforms currently available.
01
of 07
Steam
What We Like
Huge selection of titles.
Steam client works with non-Steam games.
What We Don't Like
Spotty customer service and technical support.
Steam is a PC game digital distribution service, social network, and gaming platform developed by the Valve Corporation. It was unveiled in 2002 and officially released in 2003. It has since become the de facto leader in PC gaming, providing a service to purchase and download games and also a thriving user community and gaming platform that hosts millions of users on different games at any given time.
Steam hosts thousands of titles, including most major releases, the exception being some EA titles that are exclusive to EA's completing platform Origin. Valve has also developed games that are exclusive to Steam, such as Dota 2, the Left 4 Dead series, and Counter-Strike.
Steam provides digital distribution for many independent developers and their games, some of which have become successful titles that would not have seen the light of day without such a platform.
In the early days, many gamers were resistant to Steam. Many didn't like the fact that some physical game copies still required the Steam client to play them. This complaint has dwindled as more and more companies embrace digital rights management and the always-online format.
02
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Green Man Gaming
What We Like
Cool contests and giveaways.
Prepurchase upcoming releases.
What We Don't Like
Limited selection of older games.
Bare bones search feature.
Green Man Gaming is a digital distribution service founded in 2009 with a catalog of more than 5,000 PC games to download. While Steam is the largest download service for PC games, Green Man Gaming quickly gained fans through its aggressive pricing and discounts. Many games can be found with discounts of up to 75 percent off.
Like many brick-and-mortar retailers, Green Man Gaming offers a rewards program that provides incentives for frequent customers. Gamers can earn rewards through new purchases or trade-ins of digital purchases. Green Man Gaming also offers credit towards future purchases through friend referrals and user reviews of games.
Finally, through their social media platform Playfire, Green Man Gaming offers an additional rewards program that allows players to earn credits towards purchases by linking their Steam account to Playfire.
Through their rewards programs, competitive pricing, and its third-party referral program, Green Man Gaming has become a trusted service for serious PC gamers and a formidable competitor for Steam.
03
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GamersGate
What We Like
Responsive customer service.
Lots of older games no found elsewhere.
What We Don't Like
Manual review process required for each purchase.
GamersGate is a Swedish-based digital distributor of PC games launched in 2006. It was originally operated by Paradox Interactive as a way to distribute games that were hard to find in traditional retail outlets. The GamersGate service has since been separated from Paradox, offering more than 5,000 PC games from major publishers and developers.
GamersGate provides many of the same games found on Steam and Green Man Gaming. Unlike those services, GamersGate does not require the use of a client to download and play. Instead, it uses a small program that opens a download client to download the game files to your local PC. Once the download is complete, the micro download program can be deleted and the game installed as if you had purchased a physical copy of the game. If a game uses Steam DRM, however, there may be a requirement to install Steam.
Much like Green Man Gaming, GamersGate provides discounts and incentives for purchasing games, including Blue Coins, a virtual currency that serves as a rewards program. Blue coins are earned through purchases, reviews, pre-orders, and user-created game guides.
GamersGate also offers what they call unlimited DRM, where they provide you with unlimited activation codes or serial keys.
04
of 07
GOG.com
What We Like
Classic titles configured to run on modern machines.
Fair pricing and refund policies.
What We Don't Like
Limited selection of new releases.
GOG.com, formerly known as Good Old Games, is a Polish-based digital distributor owned and operated by CD Projekt RED. Started in 2008, it began as a DRM-free platform for updating and delivering classic PC games for modern systems. The service has since branched out to include more recent releases, such as CD Projekt RED's own Witcher series, as well as other titles like Assassin's Creed, Divinity: Original Sin, and others.
GOG.com has released its own client known as GOG Galaxy, which serves as a storefront and download manager. All games on the platform retain their DRM-free status.
In addition to DRM-free games, GOG.com offers a money-back guarantee that allows customers to return games within the first 30 days. GOG.com has also expanded its service to include Mac and Linux games.
The service provides extra downloadable content for games, such as wallpapers and manuals. GOG.com has a dedicated fan base and is the go-to service for those looking to play classic games.
05
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Origin
What We Like
Early access to new releases.
Exclusive content for new EA games.
What We Don't Like
Shoddy technical support.
Slow download speed.
Origin rounds out the list of PC game digital distributors. It was launched by Electronic Arts in 2011 as a competitor to Valve's Steam. Origin has fewer games than other services, but being one of if not the world's largest video game publishers has advantages. Some popular EA game titles are available exclusively through Origin.
Origin contains some third-party games and a large catalog of older EA titles. It also allows users to register or add non-digital retail copies of EA games released after 2009.
06
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Amazon Prime Gaming
What We Like
Great deals for Amazon Prime members.
Thorough customer reviews.
What We Don't Like
Limited to newer titles.
Digital downloads aren't available outside of the U.S.
Amazon is a bit of a wild card in terms of the digital distribution of PC games. It offers virtually every new release in its library, which allows gamers to purchase online digital codes for games that are usable in Steam—often at deeper discounts than Steam. That makes it a great alternative option for purchasing the latest and greatest titles.
Where Amazon is lacking compared to other digital distributors is with older titles. There is a large gap when it comes to re-released classics, as well as titles that are two to three years old but only available in physical format.
07
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Blizzard Entertainment
What We Like
Exclusive content for Overwatch and other Blizzard titles.
Small selection of free games.
What We Don't Like
Blizzard Battle.net app required to play most games.
No classic Blizzard titles like the original Diablo or StarCraft.
Blizzard Entertainment first launched in 1994 with the release of a title called Blackthorne. For PC, the same year they released Warcraft: Orcs vs. Humans. While other distribution platforms have thousands of games, Blizzard's offeringis made up of only those games that are part of the Blizzard franchises of World of WarCraft, StarCraft, Diablo, and Overwatch. (Overwatch is Blizzard's first new game franchise since the original StarCraft was released in 1998.)
Blizzard also offers Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone games, as well as older legacy titles like Diablo II, WarCraft III, and StarCraft. While it sports one of the smallest libraries of games, it is one of the most used digital gaming platforms due to the immense popularity of these franchises.
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FAQs
Which sites are safe to download games for PC? ›
- Origin.
- Steam.
- G2A.
- Mega Games.
- Battle.net.
- Epic Games Store.
- Acid Play.
- AllGamesAtoZ.
Steam is the largest digital distribution platform for PC gaming, with over 150 million active users. It is available in 26 languages and supports over 50 different currencies. Steam is a direct competitor of other digital distribution platforms such as GOG.com, Green Man Gaming, and Origin.
How can I download games for PC? ›- Install a Games Launcher. You need to find a reputable store from which to buy games. ...
- Create an Account. ...
- Select a Game to Download in the Store. ...
- Install the Game From Your Library. ...
- Get playing your downloaded games!
- Large Free PC Games. If you are looking to download the best PC games, then Large PC games can be the best option for you. ...
- Compressed PC games. ...
- GameTop. ...
- My Real Games. ...
- Apps For PC. ...
- Download Full PC action Games.
There are more than 50 alternatives to Steam for a variety of platforms, including Online / Web-based, Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. The best alternative is GOG.com, which is free. Other great apps like Steam are itch.io, Humble Bundle, Epic Games Store and Lutris.
What is the best alternative to Steam? ›- GOG Galaxy. GOG (Good Old Games) is a popular game distribution platform. ...
- Itch.io. On the Itch.io marketplace, you'll find relatively cheap games. ...
- Humble Bundle. ...
- Epic Games. ...
- Playnite. ...
- Ubisoft Connect. ...
- Game Jolt. ...
- Battle.net.
emulator games. Steam big picture mode has sounds and UI, plus it's got the overlay where you can surf the web and talk to friends, do screenshots and other community related things. but playnite is simple, open source, free and is much easier to organise all your games... you can change everything about it.
Which app is best for downloading games? ›Google Play, also called Play Store, is the official app store of Android, Google's mobile platform. With Play Store, you can search and download a wide...
Is Gamejolt safe to download from? ›We've never actually had a game reported by a user for being a virus. We have had games reported that were a bit spammy, or would install toolbars and such. We take them down as soon as we get complaints, so if you ever find a game that you are uncomfortable with, be sure to send an email over to contact@gamejolt.com !
How are PC games distributed? ›Today's digital distribution strategies allow gamers to buy, download, and play games virtually anytime and anywhere. Digital storefronts are now provided by all console manufacturers, major mobile-related companies (e.g., Google Play Store), and for PCs through companies like Steam.
How are digital games distributed? ›
Game distributes in 2 ways – digital copies and physical copies. Digital copies only exist digitally and can be bought through online platforms such as Steam or PSN, while Physical copies come with the game disc and can be bought from the retailer stores.
What is a digital game platform? ›These platforms, such as Steam, Origin, and Xbox Live Marketplace, provide centralized services to purchase and download digital content for either specific video game consoles or PCs. Some platforms may also serve as digital rights management systems, limiting the use of purchased items to one account.
Which is the No 1 PC game in world? ›Top Games on PC in August 2022
In August 2022, the top PC games in the world by monthly active users were Minecraft, the Sims 4, and Fortnite.
While many users pay a fee to download games on the platform, you can still download PC games for free when you scroll down the homepage and find the “browse by genre” option.
How can I download Games without Google Play? ›- Go to the Settings in your app menu.
- Find and select the Apps & notifications menu.
- Tap Advanced.
- Select Special app access.
- Tap Install unknown apps.
- Choose the internet browser that you will use for the third-party stores.
- Turn on Allow from this source.
Most games that you download will be compressed using advanced archive processes that aren't built-in to Windows. In order to extract the files for these games after downloading them, you'll need a special extraction program. Two of the most popular include 7-Zip ( 7-zip.org ) and WinRAR ( rarlab.com ).
Where can I download paid PC games for free? ›- Epic Store (paid PC games for free) Epic Store is one of the most popular websites to download paid games for free in 2021. ...
- My Abandonware. ...
- IGN Beta Giveaway. ...
- FreeGamesFindings subreddit. ...
- GOG. ...
- Steamgifts. ...
- Green Man Gaming. ...
- Humble Bundle.
It's honestly a good website to download games. Most of the games are safe but some of them may also contains virus. But just to remind that every game that are crack the antivirus will always mark it as a threat or virus. So try to disable antivirus first before download (Unless you downloading from untrusted site.)
Does Steam have a competitor? ›Steam's competitors and similar companies include Epic Games, Pragma, Stardoll and End Game Interactive. Steam is a digital distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation, which offers digital rights management, multiplayer gaming, video streaming and social networking services.
Is Steam still the best? ›The Bottom Line
Loaded with titles and user-friendly features, Steam continues its reign as the best PC game store on desktop, laptop, or Steam Deck. PCMag editors select and review products independently.
Which game Launcher is the best? ›
- Game Booster – One Tap Launcher.
- Games Launcher.
- Game Launcher – Booster Cleaner.
- Nova Launcher.
- Gaming Mode – Game Booster PRO.
- Game Booster 4x Faster Pro.
The Game Store Options You Can Expect
This story looks at eight online game stores: Epic Games Store, GameFly, GOG, Green Man Gaming, Humble Bundle (owned by PCMag's parent company, Ziff Davis), itch.io, Steam, and the Xbox PC app (now directly built into Windows 11).
As of 2021, there have been nine console generations, with the current leading manufactures being Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo; past console manufacturers have included Atari, Fairchild, Intellivision Entertainment, Coleco, Sega, NEC, 3DO, and SNK.
What is the latest version of Game Launcher? ›The latest version, 4.0.
How do game launchers work? ›Game Launcher gathers your downloaded games from Google Play and Galaxy Apps into one place for easy access. You can set to game mode to play your game more easily.
Is Steam a game launcher? ›Many launchers have been released for PC, at least brand-exclusive for company games, but none have been able to match Steam. Most of the launchers only provide self-published games. Steam has been every PC player's go-to game buying and management platform for years.
Which is the No 1 game in Play Store? ›1. GTA V (Grand Theft Auto V) Grand Theft Auto V is the world no. 1 mobile game and reimagines the open-world game in a number of ways.
What is Aptoide used for? ›Aptoide client allows one to search, browse and install applications in the Android phone. Aptoide is available in 17 languages. To install Aptoide, the user has to retrieve the APK (installable file) from the official site.
Is Game Jolt a trusted site? ›A Unique Game Store Front
Very trustworthy and hosts some great games.
Game Jolt told users on Twitter that their decision to remove adult content resulted from their user demographic, which consists mainly of users around 13-16 years old, asking them to “clean up” their site.
Is itch IO safe? ›
Itch.io is a safe site as long as you are cautious about what you download. Always scan your download to make sure there isn't any malware. There are no complaints about any problems with payment on the site. In fact, Itch.io has a very good return policy.
What is the most popular gaming website? ›twitch.tv is the most visited Games website in the world in September 2022, attracting nearly 1.6B monthly visits.
Which is the best online games website? ›- Kongregate.com.
- Cartoon Network.
- Agame.com.
- Miniclip.com.
- BoredGames.com.
- Pogo.com.
- Y8.com.
- A10.com.
- Twitch.Tv. Unique Visitors | 87,200,000. ...
- Op.Gg. Unique Visitors | 78,300,000. ...
- Steampowered.Com. Unique Visitors | 36,200,000. ...
- Roblox.Com. Unique Visitors | 25,700,000. ...
- Gamepedia.Com. Unique Visitors | 24,500,000. ...
- Ign.Com. Unique Visitors | 23,700,000. ...
- Steamcommunity.Com. ...
- Gamefaqs.Com.
- Epic Store (paid PC games for free) Epic Store is one of the most popular websites to download paid games for free in 2021. ...
- My Abandonware. ...
- IGN Beta Giveaway. ...
- FreeGamesFindings subreddit. ...
- GOG. ...
- Steamgifts. ...
- Green Man Gaming. ...
- Humble Bundle.
GOG.com is extremely safe and legit, which makes it reliable for any gamer who wishes to purchase a game. Furthermore, GOG.com has a full refund policy to ensure the comfort of the gamers. For every first purchase you make, you will benefit from a full refund policy within the first 30 days of your purchase.
Is Oceanofgames website safe? ›It's honestly a good website to download games. Most of the games are safe but some of them may also contains virus. But just to remind that every game that are crack the antivirus will always mark it as a threat or virus. So try to disable antivirus first before download (Unless you downloading from untrusted site.)
Is it illegal to download games for free? ›Just like illegally downloading music and movies, stealing video games via piracy is a federal crime in the United States. Punishment can range from paying back the copyright holder to spending time in jail. Of course, many people pirate software and video games, so it would be impossible for the FBI to catch them all.
How do I download premium games for free? ›Aptoide App Store
One of the more popular third-party app stores is Aptoide, which is a direct competitor of the Google Play Store. All you need to do is download Aptoide and you will have access to hundreds of apps that you would typically have to pay for, all at zero cost.
Yes, G2A is completely legal and reliable. G2A is an online marketplace where you can purchase Steam keys and other store keys for various video games. Since its inception in 2010 G2A has been building partnerships with other companies, and now works with some of the biggest brands, like Microsoft and Google.
Who is your daddy? ›
Who's your daddy? is a slang expression used to show dominance over someone else in an aggressive, playful, or sexual way. Daddy goes way back. Records from the early 17th century show daddy being used for any controlling and older figure, regardless of biology.
Which online game is most popular? ›- PUBG. There is a huge fan following of PUBG in the world. ...
- Minecraft. ...
- Apex Legends. ...
- Fortnite. ...
- Call of Duty Mobile. ...
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. ...
- League of Legends (LOL)
"With Google Play Instant, you can just tap and try a game without having to download it first - whether you're looking to storm a castle on Clash Royale or become a wordmaster with Words with Friends 2.
Which is better Steam or GOG? ›The primary difference between games on Steam and games on GOG is that GOG is entirely DRM-free. If you purchase a game on the platform, it's yours to own — period. Steam games perform a check to ensure you're connected to Steam. In theory, it's possible to lose your Steam library if Steam ever vanishes.
What does GOG stand for? ›GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films.
Is GOG cheaper than Steam? ›I have never had a problem with GOG, just as I have never had a problem with Steam, but I must admit, I have bought many games from GOG, simply because they are cheaper than Steam, and also because GOG optimizes older games for modern systems a lot better.
Is Steamunlocked safe? ›Is Steam unlocked safe and legit? Yes! To sum up, all Steamunlocked games are entirely virus-free and inspected before being uploaded. However, you are at risk while downloading free copyright content, so using a VPN is best.
Which ocean of games site is real? ›Yes, Ocean of Games is real. It is the safest site I ever found that allows you to download games. But the only thing is that it's an ILLEGAL site. What is Minecraft?
Is Softonic safe? ›There were several scans through Google Safety, Kaspersky, and Norton security, which indicates that Softonic is a Safe Website. You can download trusted apps from the platform and no harm will be done to your computer.