Most popular game titles release on Steam. It is a platform that makes it easy for game developers to distribute games. For gamers, it’s a one-stop shop for both popular and obscure titles. Steam also offers regular sales, options for a no-play resale game, and a simple refund policy as well as a powerful user review review system that allows gamers to find great titles .
If there’s a game you want to play, it looks like it’s on Steam.
Steam
To purchase, download and play a game from Steam, you need to download the official Steam client. The client will
- Are you logged in with your user account?
- Manage purchases made from your account
- Download games,
- Manage your library, achievements and wish list
- Update and launch game
- Let you find friends and other players for online games
- Confirm purchase of a game made from your account
The Steam client is available for Windows and macOS.
Download Steam
To download Steam;
- Visit the Steam official website.
- Click the Install Steam button (your OS will be automatically detected).
- On Windows 10 (or older), run the downloaded EXE.
- On macOS, open the downloaded DMG file.
- On macOS, move the Steam app to the Applications folder to complete the installation.
Use Steam
Once you have downloaded and installed Steam;
- Open the Steam app on your PC or Mac.
- Sign in with your account or create one from within the client.
- Once you have signed up, find a game you want to play.
- Click Download or Buy next to the game and complete the purchase process.
- Please wait to download the game.
- Once the game is downloaded, go to Library and select the game in the left column.
- Click the Play button on the right to launch the game.
Steam games and platforms
Steam is a circulating platform. It is not a frame and does not come with an emulator of any kind. This means that while you can buy any game you want on Steam, it may not run on your system.
Before you buy a game;
- Check which Mac or Windows platform, or both, is available. If a game is not available on a Mac (for example Among Us), you can purchase and download it but DO NOT run on a Mac. You must use an emulator to play it.
- Check the minimum hardware requirements for a game. Every single game on Steam must list its minimum hardware requirements. In addition to this, it also lists the best hardware requirements that will give you the best gaming experience for a game. These requirements are different for each game so be sure to read them before you buy a game.
- Some games are free, and some are not. Steam is not running like Apple is running iTunes ie, Steam is not forcing developers to set the same price for all titles. You’ll find titles for as low as $ 0.99 and titles that cost more than $ 50 or even $ 100. Older games tend to be cheaper while newer ones are more expensive.
- Many popular games are sold in the summer and winter. You can wait for a sale before buying a game. Some titles eg PUBG are rarely sold because of their popularity.
- Upcoming titles are also listed on Steam. You can add them to your wishlist to find out when they were officially released. Upcoming game titles will tell you the minimum hardware requirements for the game.
Benefits of using Steam
Steam offers the following benefits to players;
- New and popular titles are readily available
- The games are authentic and virus free. You will never have to worry about downloading infected, locked, or corrupt game files.
- You can return a game within the return time
- You can resell games that you no longer play
- You can buy games ‘second hand’
- You can connect with other communities and players who play the same games as you do
- You can build your gamer profile, log the hours you play, and display all your playing achievements
- Steam manages game downloads, installations, and updates for you.
Disadvantages of using Steam
Steam also has some disadvantages;
- If a game gets a bad update, its reviews can quickly change to reflect that. You may be missing out on a good game due to a bad upgrade
- Steam offers Early Access to titles and these titles do not come with any promises to players. Many players end up buying and lamenting the Early Access title so be careful.
- Games are usually developed for Windows so Mac users are usually left out.
Steam account security
Your Steam account is the key to your purchase. Without it, you cannot confirm a purchase ie, if you cannot log into your Steam account in Steam messenger, you will not be able to play the games.
Make sure you confirm your Steam account. Set up two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized login without stealing your username and password. Make sure that you have set recovery mode to recover the password.
Other play platforms
Steam is not the only gaming platform where you can buy games. There are plenty of other game platforms and publishers that sell games outside of Steam eg GOG, Origin, Microsoft Store, Xbox Libe Marketplace etc.
Steam is easily the most popular platform for game distribution as far as PC games go. If you purchase a game from a different platform eg GOG, your purchase cannot be transferred to Steam. Similarly, Steam purchases cannot be transferred to other distribution platforms.
Some game titles are not available on Steam at all eg Minecraft. If you’re buying a game that isn’t available on Steam, make sure you’re buying from the game’s developer or a certified distribution platform.
Conclusion
You can purchase games from Steam through your browser but to install and play them, you need to have the Steam desktop messenger installed on your system. There is no way around this. Steam also lets you give a game ie you can buy a game for someone else and send it to them. Titles on Steam are mostly developed for Windows but you will find that some popular titles are available for Mac as well. If you play games on a Mac, double-check the platform for a Steam game before you buy it.
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