How do you acquire your PC games? (If you play them)

[random_soldier]

I'm trying to have an in depth look and compare and contrast the various ways someone could get their PC games since it isn't always possible to get PC games physically and nowadays even if you do there are some caveats due to increasing sizes of games. At the same time I'm a bit of an old timer and there is something special about getting it physically.

Anyway, I'd like some input on the various platforms that I could use to get the most bang for my buck with the least hassle, short term or long. Few questions and observations to start with:

1. Which platforms are the safest should you choose to buy online?

2. Which platforms offer the best deals and at what times? Are they worth any of the problems that might be faced in the future?

3. Which platforms have the best refund/exchange/etc. policy?

4. Which platforms offer the most bug free/ compatible and complete (i.e. all dlcs or expansion packs as they used to be) releases? I know GOG is often quoted as actually making PC games from the early 2000s work better on modern hardware but I'd like input from others.

5. Which platforms are least likely to destroy your library for a liability/malfunction on their own part? What with games getting as big as they are now and me having only so much hard drive space I can't keep an entire library installed but I also saw one modder on the nexus boycotting steam because of a supposed malfunction on their part for which they blamed him and took away his entire library.

6. What are the ways that are still good to buy physical copies?

7. Are there any benefits? I know that some of them give you a disk but you will have to download massive amounts of data to play the game anyway. I do get the feeling that having your library trashed would be more a problem on your end in this case however.

Thanks.

 

[Borek]

I am using Steam, GOG and EGS. I consider GOG a safest option, as it allows to download game so that you can install and play it whenever you want, even if their servers go down. If Steam ever goes out of business my collection is dead, at least once I was not able to play just because I had no connection; not sure about EGS details, but their solution is much closer to Steam than to GOG.

GOG offers older games that nobody else does, and they do work nicely - mostly. I had some problems with Land of Lore 2 or 3, can't remember right now which one precisely.

I don't remember seeing a physical copy in the last five years or so. But then I am just a PC guy, on consoles it looks a bit different.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Stream is very good and GOG has a lot of older classic titles. Physical titles are a waste of space and some laptops don't even have a DVD drive any more.