How to Buy Games on Steam Profitably: 7 Effective Ways
Steam is a well-known platform for gamers, offering games of various genres with regular discounts. This article will discuss 7 ways to save on purchases in Steam.
1. Don’t Miss Out on Sale Times
To effectively use discounts, it’s important to know when sales usually take place. Here are the main periods:
- Lunar New Year: Late January - early February. The dates are announced before the event, but often fall in this period.
- Spring Sale: March. Held from mid-March to the end of the month.
- Golden Week: Early May. Coincides with Japanese holidays at the beginning of the month. Includes Japanese games, anime, and other content related to Japanese culture.
- Summer Sale: June-July. Starts at the end of June and lasts about two weeks.
- Halloween Sale: Late October. Starts about a week before Halloween.
- Autumn Sale: Late November. Associated with Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
- Winter Sale: December - early January. Starts a week before Christmas and continues until early January.
This is a tentative schedule based on previous years. Exact dates may be announced by Valve a few weeks before the sales start.
2. Don’t Forget to Turn On Notifications
To avoid missing out on a profitable deal:
- Subscribe to notifications on Steam – to do this, add the game you are interested in to your wishlist. As soon as it goes on sale, you will receive a notification.
- Set up email notifications – in profile settings, you can choose to receive emails about discounts.
- Use third-party services and websites – resources like IsThereAnyDeal and SteamDB offer information about promotions and historical price data for games, which allows you to see how good the offer is.
3. Register New Accounts and Get a Newcomer Bonus
For new users, Steam may offer various types of bonuses and promotions:
- Special discounts on the first purchase. This could be a fixed amount or a percentage off any games on Steam.
- Sometimes Steam offers temporarily free games for new users. If you add them to your account during the promotion, they will stay in your library forever.
- New users can receive exclusive in-game items such as profile themes, skins, avatars, emojis, and other attributes.
Additionally, game currency packs, unique achievements and badges, etc.
Purchased games are tied to your account and cannot be transferred to another. However, there are a couple of ways that can help, for example:
- Gift upon purchase. Buy a game as a gift and send it to another account of yours.
- Shared library access. Steam allows you to share games with friends and family through the Steam Family Sharing feature.
4. Compare Prices and Monitor Special Offers in Different Countries
Prices can vary depending on the region. Steam pricing considers factors such as economic conditions, income levels, inflation, and market demand. Therefore, the price for the same product can differ significantly in different countries.
"Cyberpunk 2077"
- Russia ≈ 19.99 USD
- Turkey ≈ 17.21 USD
- Argentina ≈ 8.10 USD
"Red Dead Redemption 2"
- Russia ≈ 24.99 USD
- Turkey ≈ 18.96 USD
- Argentina ≈ 9.72 USD
To create a new account, you will need the phone number of the chosen country. You can purchase a virtual number for Steam on our REG-SMS website. It’s quick and reliable. When creating an account, select phone confirmation and use the virtual number to receive the confirmation code. Don’t forget to use the service to change the region. If you have any questions, our support team is always ready to provide detailed instructions and assist you in creating an account.
5. Follow Reviews and Streams of Your Favorite Games
Developers often give out promo codes or announce temporary discounts for their subscribers. For instance, in early 2024, Capcom held a promotion, offering discounts of up to 50% on popular games such as "Monster Hunter World" and "Resident Evil 2". In February 2024, Ubisoft provided promo codes for a 20% discount on purchases in the Capcom store, which could be used on Steam.
6. Save on Purchases by Buying Bundles and Packs
Buying a bundle always requires careful analysis of the content and conditions of the offer; however, in most cases, it is a successful investment for players seeking to get more content for less money.
Here are examples of some successful recent bundles on Steam (as of 2024)
- Ubisoft Classics Bundle (March 2024): Games in the bundle: "Assassin's Creed II", "Far Cry 3", "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", and other classic Ubisoft games. Benefit: The bundle included up to 10 classic games with discounts of up to 90%, making it ideal for those wanting to add iconic games to their collection.
- Indie Gems Bundle (April 2024): Games in the bundle: "Hades", "Celeste", "Hollow Knight", and other popular indie games. Benefit: The cost of the bundle is significantly lower than the total cost of the included games, offering a wide selection of award-winning indie projects.
7. Top Up Your Balance by Selling Unnecessary Items and Games
Selling unnecessary items on Steam is a convenient way to get in-game currency and save real money. You can set the price yourself or choose the average market one suggested by Steam. If the price is reasonable, items usually sell quickly.
Some games give rare items to active players. Selling such items can bring additional income and make the game even more interesting.
Conclusion
Getting the most out of Steam discounts requires some preparation and knowledge. Using notifications, price analysis tools, and creating additional accounts using virtual numbers can significantly increase your chances of saving. It's important to remember that each method has its risks and limitations, so act reasonably and cautiously. Happy shopping and exciting games!