These video game stores let you pick up new and classic titles without leaving the house.
Do you hate stepping into a crusty, old GameStop to buy the newest video games, because there aren’t brick-and-mortar alternatives? Well, let us tell you about this hot new thing called the internet. Online connections are speedier than ever, which means you can download enormous titles in just a few minutes. So, with COVID-19 providing more reasons than ever to stay at home, it’s a wonderful time to start buying or renting games from the comfort of your own computer by visiting an online video game marketplace. Just as Whole Foods and 7-Eleven satisfy different food needs, not every video game store offers the same types of games. Our guide outlines everything you need to know to start shopping. What Are Your Options? 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. These stores primarily offer computer games (Windows, macOS, and Linux) to digitally download. Occasionally, you’ll find books, movies, software, and other kinds of entertainment, but those are not the focus. That’s not to say you can’t download console or mobile games; Xbox’s PC app sells Microsoft Flight Simulator, while Humble Bundle just added Nintendo Switch codes to its library. To most players’ chagrin, some third-party publishers force you to download games directly from their own online stores, such as Blizzard’s Battle.net, EA’s Origin, Rockstar’s Games Launcher, and Ubisoft’s Uplay. Even places you wouldn’t expect, like Discord or Twitch, may try to sell you individual games or include free games as part of a subscription. Between Apple Arcade and Xbox Game Pass (available on console and PC), platform holders want subscription services to be the next way they sell games on their devices. As for GameFly and Green Man Gaming, those stores have removed major features since we last looked at them. Green Man Gaming’s gimmick is selling discounted keys to other game stores, a legitimate, but sometimes controversial practice that Direct2Drive and the much sketchier G2A also employ. Meanwhile, despite being one of the last bastions for game rentals, GameFly’s delivery was painfully slow even before a global pandemic decimated the post office. Green Man Gaming also shut down its Playfire social network, while GameFly shut down its game streaming service (an ambitious feature even Google is struggling to get right with Stadia). Library and Features The biggest thing you should pay attention to when choosing an online game store is the library. Don’t waste your time browsing a store that doesn’t have the games you’re want. The stores we’ve covered have surprisingly diverse libraries. Editors’ Choice Steam offers pretty much every PC game under the sun, new or old, indie or AAA, awash with post-release content or still in the development stage. While they all have limitations, the Epic Games Store, Humble, Bundle, and Xbox also aim for similar mass appeal. Other stores target more niche markets. GOG.com specializes in older, classic PC games, while itch.io highlights more independent, artistic work. Other factors may also influence your shopping experience, such as digital-rights-management (DRM), customer service, refund policies, and development tools for aspiring game creators.
