How to get PC games cheap, legally, in the UK

Published 14 October 2026. Prices and policies checked against official store pages on that date.

PC gaming has a reputation for being expensive because of the hardware, but the games themselves can be some of the cheapest anywhere, provided you know where to look and you're willing to wait a little. Here's how we'd approach it as a UK player, sticking to legitimate sellers only.

1. Use the big seasonal sales

Steam runs several major sales every year, typically a Spring Sale, a Summer Sale in late June to early July, an Autumn Sale around late November and a Winter Sale over Christmas and New Year, plus themed "Next Fest" and genre festivals in between. Valve publishes the dates in advance on its Steamworks events page. GOG, Epic, Humble and Fanatical run their own sales around the same periods. If a game you want isn't urgent, adding it to your Steam wishlist means Steam emails you when it goes on sale.

2. Compare stores before buying

Many PC games are sold through several authorised stores at once, and the same game can be noticeably cheaper on one of them. Most give you a Steam key, so you end up with exactly the same game in the same library. Price-comparison sites such as CheapShark and IsThereAnyDeal track prices across stores and keep price history, which tells you whether today's "deal" is actually good. Our daily deals list is built from CheapShark data.

3. Stick to authorised key sellers

Authorised stores buy keys directly from publishers. Well-known UK-accessible examples include Humble Store, Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, GOG and Gamesplanet UK. "Key marketplaces" where individuals resell keys are different: keys can be bought with stolen card details or come from regions where they're cheaper, and they can be revoked by the publisher later, leaving you with nothing. If a price looks far below every authorised store, that's the warning sign.

4. Claim the freebies

The Epic Games Store gives away games on a weekly rotation and they're yours to keep once claimed (see what's free right now). Amazon Prime members also get free PC games through Prime Gaming, and GOG and Steam occasionally run time-limited giveaways. Claiming a few a month builds a surprisingly large library at no cost.

5. Bundles

Humble Bundle and Fanatical sell themed bundles where you get several games for a single price, often well under the cost of one of them on its own. Humble's bundles also let you send part of the price to charity. The catch is that you're usually paying for one or two games you want plus several you don't, so check the line-up first.

6. Consider a subscription, carefully

PC Game Pass costs £10.99 a month in the UK at the time of writing (official Xbox store price), and gives you access to a rotating library of several hundred PC games. If you play lots of different games it can be cheaper than buying, but games leave the library and you lose access when you cancel. We compare the options in Game Pass vs buying games: a UK guide.

7. Look at free-to-play

Some of the most-played PC games cost nothing up front. They earn money from optional cosmetics or passes, so set yourself a budget. We've picked some with a tech or problem-solving angle in best free-to-play games for AI and tech fans.

8. Know your rights as a UK buyer

Digital games count as "digital content" under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which means they must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. If a game is faulty you're entitled to a repair or replacement, and if that isn't possible, a price reduction or refund. Your 14-day right to cancel an online purchase usually ends once the download starts, provided you agreed to that at checkout, which most stores ask you to do. Steam's own policy is more generous: refunds within 14 days of purchase if you've played for less than two hours. See Citizens Advice for the details.

9. Avoid the obvious traps

The short version

Wishlist what you want, wait for a sale, compare authorised stores, claim every freebie and only subscribe if you'll actually use it. Do that and the average price you pay per game drops a long way. If you want the deals delivered, the free PixelSteals daily email does the checking for you.