Review of Steam

Steam continues to rule as the best PC gaming store on desktop, laptop, or Steam Deck, thanks to a wealth of titles and user-friendly features.

STEAM SPECS

The video game distribution equivalent of Adobe Photoshop is Steam. Both apps are market leaders in their respective industries, have the enormous size and reach, and can be scary to new users. Steam, on the other hand, is far more enjoyable to explore. For your desktop, laptop, or Steam Deck, Valve’s PC gaming client includes a store, cloud saves, remote downloads, video streaming, and many other gamer-friendly features. Despite lacking integrated video recording features and a mechanism for customers to contact a customer support representative in the event of an issue, the Steam app remains our Editors’ Choice for PC gaming markets.

The Steam Library is a collection of Steam games

Steam mostly sells Windows games, with a few macOS titles thrown in for good measure. Although Steam Machines haven’t taken off, Linux titles are available, which is ideal for Steam Deck owners who don’t want to rely on the Proton combability layer for Windows games (more on that in a bit). The Steam app, which is available for free, is a fantastic method to purchase new releases and preorder upcoming ones. If a significant new PC game is released, Steam will almost certainly include it—assuming the game’s publisher isn’t selling it exclusively through another store. Overwatch, for example, is exclusively available on Battle.net, and Fortnite is only available on the Epic Games Store.

Despite this, Steam now has thousands of games, ranging from simple arcade games (Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+) to simulations (Football Manager) to AAA behemoths (Monster Hunter World). Of course, because Steam is a Valve product, it has exclusive titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Half-Life: Alyx, and Portal that you won’t find in other PC game retailers. Valve also makes one of the best VR headsets on the market, thus there are a lot of VR games on Steam. It features a wide range of products that none of its competitors can match. Even companies like EA and Microsoft, which have their own digital game storefronts, now offer titles on Steam.

Steam’s collection spans several decades and contains great classics like Half-Life and Psychonauts. However, the store does not provide a complete collection of classic games (for a wider selection of older games, try GOG.com). Steam, like itch.io, features a large selection of independent games. In truth, when you buy games through itch.io, you’re actually purchasing Steam activation keys.

Purchasing Games on Steam

Most big titles cost $49.99 or $59.99 in newer games, which are priced similarly to retail releases. Indie and older games might range in price from $5 to $19.99, depending on their popularity and release date. Crusader Kings II and Ring of Elysium are two examples of free-to-play games. The legendary, thematic Steam seasonal sales feature incredibly deep discounts on individual games, publishers’ entire libraries, or bundles of their top games, but Valve’s legendary, thematic Steam seasonal sales feature incredibly deep discounts on individual games, publishers’ entire libraries, or bundles of their top games. Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death, the platform’s top bargain-bin title, was available for 99 cents during Steam’s Winter Sale.

On Steam, you’ll find a lot of good offers, but the really economical gamer should be aware of all their possibilities. Buying titles through Humble Bundle (which is owned by the parent company, Ziff Davis) can save you money, help a good cause, and still get you a Steam key. The Epic Games Store aspires to be Steam’s main competitor, and while its collection isn’t as extensive as Steam’s, the store frequently gives away the games it does have for free. Check out our guide to the top free games to claim for more information.

Another, riskier option to purchase Steam titles is through Early Access. This section serves as a petri dish for the development of video games. Because Early Access games are still in development, they may contain more issues and fewer features than final, polished games. Fire Pro Wrestling World began as an Early Access title, but after a series of upgrades, it was upgraded to a fully developed game and released on the main market.

Getting to Know the Steam Catalog

Valve’s recommendation engine thinks you would like based on your wish list, prior purchases, and recent gaming sessions, so Steam’s homepage emphasizes not only big-name titles but also ones Valve’s recommendation system thinks you might like. After we logged into Steam, the application suggested we check out One Finger Death Punch (since we had just spent a lot of time playing fighting games) and Color Symphony (because we had just spent a lot of time playing fighting games) (due to us playing other games listed with the Action, Indie, and Singleplayer tags).

Check out the Trending Among Friends section (which lists your friends’ favorite games based on their hours spent), Special Offers (game bargains), and Recently Updated sections for even more choices (games that have received new patches or content).

Steam Curators is one of our favorite recommendation tools. This allows you to get insights from a high-profile video game personality (such as Jim Sterling), a brand, or a community (NeoGAF). Aside from the unfortunate name, we love the /r/pcmasterrace subreddit, which has a crew that exclusively suggests “the most worthwhile PC Games.” We’ve found a lot of great games thanks to Steam Creators.

If you want an at-a-glance aggregated review score from professional gaming outlets, you may check a game’s Metacritic rating on its shop page.

By visiting a title’s store page and reading user reviews, you can prevent the pain of purchasing a broken game. Positive or Overwhelmingly Positive are given to games that have garnered positive reviews, while Mixed is given to games that have received mixed reviews. The Negative and Overwhelmingly Negative games are the gum stuck to the bottom of Steam’s seat. Those categories are usually saved for the most broken of broken games, according to what we’ve read in user reviews and the Steam community forums.

The extensive collection of community features available on Steam is a significant plus. In comparison, the Epic Games Store appears unfinished. Unfortunately, all of this helpful data results in a rather cluttered UI. By visiting the Preferences menu and selecting the product kinds and platforms that interest you, you may reduce the amount of clutter on the screen. You can also use Steam to filter content by title or genre. If you’re not a fan of RPGs, you won’t see Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster or Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim in your newsfeed any longer.

With the release of the Stream Deck, Steam has made it simple to determine which games work best on the powerful handheld gaming computer. The Deck Verified software assigns a score to games depending on how effectively they run on SteamOS. Expect no problems with Disco Elysium and God of War, as they have received a green check. In a game like F1 2021 or Shadow of the Tomb Raider, a yellow check indicates that the game is playable but may occasionally be quirky or require difficult control remapping. Some games do not run on Deck at all, maybe due to anti-cheat software, while many others are still being evaluated (they may work despite not yet receiving a green or yellow check).

Customer service that is not up to par

Thankfully, Steam allows you to acquire self-service refunds for recently purchased games that you don’t want, which is something that all digital download platforms should provide. You have two weeks to submit a request, and your playtime must be under two hours. Additionally, Steam now allows customers to delete titles from their accounts that they no longer want. Previously, deleting games required contacting customer care. The customer support representatives aren’t harsh or nasty; you just can’t get anyone on the phone, and it can take days for Valve to fix a ticketed issue.

Another example of Valve’s vexing customer service may be found here. We submitted a help case after purchasing a game that did not download despite being listed in our account. Valve took three days to fix the problem. That’s a long time to go without hearing from a firm about a billing problem. The valve must address this issue as soon as feasible.

The Steam-Powered Engine

Steam manages game downloads and installations automatically, storing local game files in its SteamApps folder and organizing them in the background. Large games might take an hour or two to download on fast connections, so if you plan to download the 80GB Death Stranding, keep your computers turned on.

Steam allows you to install games on several computers, but only one account may be used at a time. You may lend your games to others if you set up Steam Family Share, a notion that Microsoft had planned for the Xbox One before console players’ anti-digital-rights-management (DRM) outrage led the Redmond-based business to abandon it.

Because you must log in to Steam to establish a licensing check, Steam uses DRM as well. Offline Mode, on the other hand, allows you to play any installed game. Steam’s DRM strategy is without a doubt one of the least obnoxious. GOG.com and itch.io, on the other hand, don’t use DRM to protect their games, so you can install them on as many PCs as you want without worrying about log-in restrictions. However, there will be fewer high-profile new releases there. Humble Bundle allows you to narrow down your search results based on DRM alternatives. Although the Epic Games Store does not include DRM by default, this does not prevent publishers from adding DRM to individual titles. When it comes to installing games, Steam’s mobile app allows you to do it remotely, which is similar to what the PlayStation app allows you to do with PS4 games.

Beyond the five user-account limits, there aren’t any notable limits with Steam Family Share; borrowers also get their own achievements and cloud saves. They just cannot leave the game while it is being played by the owner. If you’re tired of pals borrowing your games, you can also gift them titles or purchase digital or physical Steam gift cards. This tool also works with Steam’s parental control feature, which restricts which users are allowed to play certain titles.

Steam provides matching within games as well as social networking services outside of games, with a Friends list, text and voice chat, and Clan support (groups of players). Friends can join each other’s games, and Clans can organize group activities by setting up calendars and posting server IP addresses.

You earn badges as you play games, which you may keep, sell for Steam Store dollars, or swap for other badges. When you complete a badge set, you’ll be rewarded with great items like user profile wallpapers and unique showcase badges. This isn’t necessary for the gaming experience, but it’s a lovely touch that gives accomplishment hunters something more to look for.

Steam allows you to snap a screenshot by pressing the F12 key on your keyboard (far easier than on the Epic Games Store), but it does not record video. You’ll need to install a third-party program. The Xbox app‘s built-in Game DVR capability, on the other hand, allows you to collect stills and up to four hours of video footage.

Modes of Relaxation

Big Picture mode was established by Valve in response to players’ desire to play games in their living rooms. Big Picture is a lean-back gaming experience for folks who wish to play PC games the same way they play console games. The panel-driven UI differs from the conventional Steam interface in that it is easier to use on a large-screen television. Remote Play Together also allows you to play local co-op games with pals via the internet. It’s a great method to add internet capability to games like River City Girls that don’t have it. Even better, you can play with a friend without having to own the game!

Valve’s living room game isn’t over yet. Steam now offers a music player (Stellar Dreams’ “Dimensions” is excellent writing music) and a slowly-growing streaming movie library. Yes, films. Although the selection is limited, you may buy John Wick for $13.99 or rent it for $3.99. However, not every film may be rented. Mad Max: Fury Road may only be purchased for $14.99. Unlike Netflix, Steam does not offer a monthly subscription. You have 48 hours to watch the movie you rented.

To test the service, we rented Darren Aronofsky’s Pi. The 1080p stream played nicely over a high-speed home office connection because it was opened in its own window. The experience was enjoyable, but we wouldn’t advocate renting movies via Steam until more titles are added to the collection. There are a slew of other, better video streaming services to choose from.

GOG.com features movies as well, but the majority of its selection is devoted to nerdy subjects. GOG.com’s film selections are aptly summed up by Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony and Indie Game: The Movie. Camtasia Studio and GeoVox are two examples of productivity tools available on Steam. In its rotating series of charity packages, Humble Bundle includes non-gaming entertainment and software, ranging from video editing tools to manga sketching tutorial books.

You can watch friends’ playthroughs or let others watch your sessions with Steam Broadcasting. To watch a friend’s stream, go to your Friends List, choose a friend, and then select Watch Game from the menu. A game’s community hub contains public streams. You can also broadcast games from your gaming desktop or laptop to Android or Raspberry Pi devices by downloading the Steam Link Anywhere mobile app. Naturally, the video stream quality varies depending on the PC that is streaming the feed; we’ve seen both fantastic and terrible feeds. Dedicated video game lives streaming services, such as Twitch or Facebook Gaming, should be used by serious streamers.

There’s Steam on Deck

Steam isn’t a choice on Steam Deck; it’s a need. You’ll need a Steam account to use the SteamOS interface, which Steam Deck is clearly geared towards unless you plan on using the handheld entirely as a homebrew Linux system. Fortunately, nearly all of our favorite features of Steam are carried over to the sleek mobile app.

Home, Library, Store, Friends and Chat, Media, Downloads, and Settings are all accessible via the Steam button. You can browse community content and earn achievements in the same way you can on Steam. Set up numerous profiles, enable Family Sharing, and use Remote Play. Deck Verified games are highlighted in the Steam Deck store.

But, most crucially, SteamOS underpins Steam Deck’s entire pitch of carrying your existing PC games with you wherever you go. Once you’ve logged in, you’ll be able to download any (supported) Steam purchases and sync your cloud saves. Steam aims to be the hub of your gaming universe, and the program succeeds in making Steam Deck a wonderful extension of that ecosystem, free of the desktop.

Bennett, let out some steam

For any PC player, Valve’s Steam program is a must-have. It is one of the first applications to install on any gaming PC due to its extensive selection, recommendation functions, and special offers. It’s critical on Steam Deck. Steam isn’t flawless, especially when it comes to customer service, but it’s the best all-around PC game distribution service available. Steam is a Choice for video game markets on PC because of this.

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Aimee Lyons

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Niam Patel

Writer at KEWIKI

Niam Patel, a writer who is always seeking to learn and grow, both as a storyteller and as a person. I believe that writing is not just about expressing oneself, but about constantly challenging oneself and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. I strive to create work that is both original and thought-provoking, that pushes the limits of what's possible with the written word. I believe that writing has the power to change the world, and I am honored to be a part of that tradition.

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