A few specific places mostly have the monopoly on PC game distribution these days, but that doesn't mean you can't get a good deal elsewhere. Steam, for example, might be the official place to actually get a game, but you can often find cheaper prices on its games outside of its store. You just have to know where to look.
Here are a few of the best places to look to save money on PC games.
Green Man Gaming
UK-based Green Man Gaming (GMG) is a popular, well-stocked reseller of PC games from various different online services. It offers frequent deals, and for folks who sign up to be a VIP, exclusive additional discount codes are frequent.
GMG also offers loot boxes sometimes, a lucky dip of game codes for a very low price. You don't know what you'll get but it's nice to be surprised sometimes.
CDKeys
CDKeys is an excellent source of game codes. It's not only for PCs, but its largest offering is for just that. In its wide catalog of codes, you'll usually find some solid discounts on popular and current titles, as well as for preorders for upcoming games.
CDKeys is a respectable store used by gamers all over the world. When you use it, you're still buying keys directly from official stores, just at a (usually) lower price.
Humble Store and Humble Monthly
You've probably heard of the Humble Bundle and how its charity-supporting game bundles can net you some top titles for a low price. Beyond these one-time only offers, Humble also has a full store and a monthly subscription service that will always give you some hot PC games for $12 every month.
Recent monthly bundles have included titles such as Total War: Warhammer and The Witness, which on their own are worth more than $12. The Humble Store also has frequent sales with big discounts, and if you sign up for it you get a newsletter letting you know when the deals are going down.
Amazon
Amazon isn't just for physical goods, and you can buy digital game codes there, as well. As is often the case with Amazon, you'll find great deals from time to time.
They are a little more difficult to highlight, with Amazon being a huge store for much more than PC games, but if you know what you're looking for you can usually find yourself a saving. We suggest taking your time on Amazon and kicking around to compare prices.
G2A
G2A has had a reputation for being a little, well ... shady in the past. But there's no denying it's a great place to get PC games. Part of the beauty is that you can often buy vastly discounted codes from G2A vendors.
When you're buying from someone other than the actual site you're on, you want to use caution. G2A Shield is worth implementing, and it's only a couple of bucks a month if you're going to be shopping there regularly. Essentially it protects you and your money in the event of a purchase going wrong.
You can also now use PayPal as a form of payment, alongside G2A's payment service and a number of other methods. PayPal always gets our vote, though.
Razer Game Store
Razer's new storefront for PC games is an evolution of the company's Cortex deal service where you'd be served up the best deals on games from across the web. Now, Razer is selling games to you directly and naturally, buying from there will get you Razer flavored rewards.
It's still very new, but there are curated deals (which look pretty strong) on some of the latest titles and you'll earn rewards including zSilver, discount vouchers for the Razer Game Store and discount vouchers for the Razer hardware store.
It also covers multiple services, including Steam and uPlay, and while it's still technically a beta, it could already save you a good bit on buying your new PC games.
Xbox Play Anywhere
Strictly speaking this isn't a way of saving money on games, at least not if you only play on PC. But, if you like to dabble in both Xbox and PC, then buying digital copies of some games from the Microsoft Store will give you the game on both platforms for one purchase.
Games like Forza 7 and Gears of War 4, Halo Wars 2, and Cuphead are all Xbox Play Anywhere. The list grows every month. It's not for everyone, but if you are in the position to game on both Xbox and PC, it's definitely worth a look.
Complete Xbox Play Anywhere games list
Your tips
These are some of the places we get discounts on our PC games, but what about you? Drop your suggestions in the comments and share the savings.
Updated April 9, 2018: The new Razer Game Store gets a mention for its great deals on new titles.
