Steam is the most popular online store for computer games in the world. It allows you to purchase licensed games from the comfort of your home. It clearly displays what’s currently most popular among players and what games are coming soon. It serves as a hub for communication among millions of players.
Steam is owned by Valve. Initially, Steam sold only Valve games—Half-Life 2, Team Fortress, and Counter-Strike. However, the creators later expanded their service to include third-party games.
How to install
To get your own Steam account, you need to download the free Steam client from the official website:
store.steampowered.com
All available Steam games can be viewed on the website itself, but only after installing the desktop app can you purchase and download purchased games to your profile. The app’s design and content completely mirror the website’s.
Possibilities
You don’t have to pay to play games on Steam. You can play the most popular online games absolutely free: Days of the Ancients 2 (Dota 2) and many others.
The most popular paid Steam games are Counter-Strike (CS 1.6), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Team Fortress 2, and Civilization V. Hundreds of thousands of players play them, and you can always find a suitable group for multiplayer.
Most games allow you to earn achievements, compete against other players, and develop your profile by collecting game cards. All of this makes Steam a hypergame or metagame, consisting of many separate, independent games.
Steam’s core function—the sales system—has gradually expanded to include a multitude of additional features. Steam is now a kind of social network for gamers. Among the services it offers are:
– communication “Steam Community”,
– auctions between players on the Steam Market,
– the ability to create your own thematic groups,
– game ratings from regular users, recommendations from curators,
– a platform for adding your own games to the store – “Steam Greenlight”,
– a section of walkthroughs, guides and manuals – “Steam Community Tips”,
– the ability to publish your screenshots and videos directly from games,
– streaming (live broadcast) of games.
A closer look at Steam reveals how it’s gradually absorbing the entire gaming industry ( the industry’s structure can be explored in a separate article). Each layer of the industry is represented in one way or another on Steam.
| Platforms | Programs | Developers | Publishers | media | Players |
| – Steam OS | – Sale of programs, game engines | – Workshop – Greenlight – Steam API |
– Game Sales – Sales Statistics |
– Curators – Ratings – Ratings |
– Buying games – Discussion – Groups – Walkthroughs |
All this makes Steam not just a simple store, but a global project that could soon become the only major player in the market. But for now, it’s far from a monopoly.
Steam Game Festivals
The Steam Store frequently hosts themed sales (festivals). These temporarily highlight games in a specific category, offer discounts, and are advertised on the store’s main page. During these major sales, you can earn unique cards, badges, and other rewards.
Some festivals are timed to coincide with popular holidays: New Year’s Sale, Chinese New Year, Spring and Summer Sales, and Halloween. Other similar events promote specific genres or settings: Deck Building Festival, Shooter Festival, Survival and Crafting Festival, and “Games to Be” (demos).
There are festivals dedicated to games from specific countries and regions. Steam already held two Slavic-themed events, “Maslenitsa Week” (Pancake Week), in 2021 and 2022.
And now, from May 1st to 9th, 2024, the Games From Russia festival 2024 (GFR 2024) begins. Generally speaking, this will be the third event dedicated to Russian games. However, the theme is more specific, making it truly the first festival dedicated to Russian games. The festival features over 70 games created by Russian developers. Get yours now at discounted prices! Festival link:
store.steampowered.com/developer/blackbalancegames/sale/gamesfromrussia2024
Partner stores
Steam itself is very popular, but it also leverages partnerships with numerous smaller stores to further distribute games. Steam now serves as the core platform around which numerous other online stores and other supporting servers have gathered.
Partner stores are essentially just wholesale resellers. They don’t support downloading and launching games; you can only buy the same Steam keys there.
It might seem pointless to add this extra link in the sales chain—Steam key stores. But there is a benefit. Stores’ contracts with Steam stipulate lower game prices. Steam management knowingly loses some profit, but as a result, sees increased sales. Stores, having purchased keys at 70% of the price, earn 30% on each game, or can lower game prices at their own discretion, implementing their own discount and bonus systems.
Thus, players can find cheaper copies of Steam games in other stores, cheaper than on Steam itself. It’s a paradox. However, discounts are inconsistent, so you need to check all stores frequently to get the game you want at a reduced price.
List of the most popular Steam partner stores:
| Logo | Title. Description | Popularity (Alexa rank) place in Russia, in the world |
| SteamBuy.com has been on the market since 2011. The most popular partner store in Russia. They sometimes offer very big discounts. |
1,564 27,581 |
|
| Since 2003. There are physical stores throughout the country. A large online store. | 2,056 40,793 |
|
| SteamPay.com 2012 |
3,181 46,242 |
|
| Shop.Buka.ru , 1996. The oldest online store for computer games in Russia. Sold digital copies of games before it became mainstream. |
6,575 102,661 |
|
| Playo.ru 2008. Cumulative discounts |
7,866 92,781 |
|
| GamaZavr.ru 2010. A young but already quite popular store. You can see its ads on many gaming websites. |
9,977 99,370 |
|
| GameRay.ru 2011 |
11,387 742,363 |
|
| Gama-Gama.ru Gaming services partner. Since 2009. |
17,039 75,740 |
|
| IgroMagaz.ru Gaming services partner. Since 2008. |
20,225 270,312 |
|
| Roxen.ru 2011 |
42,673 514,700 |
|
| IgroShop.com 2003 |
79,043 742,363 |
Game bundles
Indie games, which make up the majority of Steam’s selection, offer another way to buy keys cheaply. Indie games are sold as complete collections, with several different games in a single package. This type of packaging is called a “bundle.” While you’ll get not only the game you want but also a number of additional bonuses, even all of these combined are often cheaper than a single game on Steam. For example, a bundle of “World of Goo” was sold at a price determined by the player, ranging from 1 cent to infinity.
| Logo | Title. Description | Popularity (Alexa rank) place in Russia, place in the world |
| WeLoveBundles.ru | 13,071 176,245 |
Now you know where to buy cheap keys for Steam and other game stores.
Other services
Random services
Warning! Not all Steam-related online services can be trusted. For example, avoid random stores that offer Steam keys for random games rather than specific games. They’re similar to casinos: you’re not buying anything specific, you’re just buying a chance to get an expensive game.
They lure buyers with the idea that, for example, by paying 100-300 rubles, you can get a key for a game worth 3,000 rubles. However, the chance of getting such a key is close to zero; in most cases, you’ll get a key for an indie game in the cheapest category, for 10-50 rubles. Moreover, the keys you get can be for games you already own, or ones you’ve already received from the same store, and even DLC, for which you’ll have to purchase the original games yourself to play them.
As a result, after purchasing from such a random store, you may end up with DLC on your account that cannot be launched on their own, and dozens of identical keys, of which you can only use one; the rest you will have to either give away to friends for free or try to sell below their value.
It makes sense to use it if you don’t have any paid games on your account and need to add something, no matter the quality. Otherwise, it’s a waste of money.
Such random services are completely legal. Visitors agree to purchase an ephemeral chance with real money. The services provide this chance and are not responsible for its outcome. However, there are also completely illegal websites offering to buy in-game items and other people’s accounts filled to the brim with games.
Buying other people’s accounts
Purchasing accounts is illegal under Steam rules. These are typically sold by hackers who have compromised the accounts of ordinary players. A player caught purchasing a Steam account can easily be banned and have their profile returned to its rightful owner upon request.
Purchasing in-game currency
Purchasing currency in online games is also illegal. Only the game creators have the right to sell it. Any third-party store, service, or individual player offering in-game currency at a price significantly lower than its actual value is a scam.
Role in gaming culture
Pirated versions of games are free, but they’re boring to play alone and only worth discussing on forums. Licensed copies of games, on the other hand, offer a wealth of additional features that were previously sorely lacking.
Want to join the gaming culture? The easiest and most effective way is to create a Steam account. This way, you’ll always be up-to-date on the latest developments, make a ton of friends with similar interests, and know what they’re playing, what they’re planning to buy, and what they think of the products they’ve purchased.
