Best PC Gaming Deals for May 2022
Regardless of your level of expertise in the world of PC gaming, one thing we can all agree on is that no one should have to pay full price for a game if it can possibly be avoided. To prevent paying more for a PC game than you should, it is vital to be aware of how to take advantage of sales, game returns, fiscal holidays, and much more. If you want never to pay full price for a PC game again, this guide will help ensure that your gaming budget is stretched for all its worth.
Physical vs Digital Gaming Purchases
The last decade or so has seen the rise of fully digital games available for purchase along with discs and other forms of physical media. While this development has made such games available to a much wider audience, it has also had significant ramifications on the ability to obtain physical copies of games. There are several advantages and disadvantages to owning either a physical or digital version of a PC game, not least of which is ownership.
If you buy a physical copy of the game, it is yours to use for as long as the disc remains in readable condition and does not become corrupted. Digital games offer the thrill of Day 1 purchasing and not quite instant gratification, but the question of ownership becomes much murkier. Without an actual disc containing most of your game of preference, you are in effect renting access to your game long term with the possibility of access being suddenly and irrevocably removed. The price of your game will not change very much whether it is physical or digital but depends on other factors like how long it has been since the date of release, the popularity of the game, the presence of any retail holidays, and other mitigating factors.
Although the heyday of physical gaming stores has long since passed, you might be lucky enough to have a GameStop in proximity or a big box store like Walmart within a reasonable distance of travel. If you want physical games these days, it’s likely that you are purchasing them through your favorite online retailer. Digital games are available from a wide array of both retailers and purely online game stores as well as dedicated game streaming platforms.
Platforms and Operating Systems
There are several digital gaming platforms which exist solely for users to build gaming libraries and stream content in one convenient location. Such platforms include Xbox Game Pass, Steam, Humble Bundle, NVIDIA GeForce Now, and many others. One notable convenience is that by using a gaming platform to purchase digital versions of your games, you will have access to the entire library of your purchases if you can access the streaming service on an appropriate equipped PC.
While the debate over who makes the best gaming computer continues to rage, one thing that cannot be ignored is your operating system of choice and how that might impact your choice of gaming options. There are well over 20,000 games available for purchase on Steam which are compatible with Windows 10 as opposed to a mere 7,000 or so for MacOS.
Hollow Knight + Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon ($5 on Steam)
Arguable one of the best games ever made, be sure to snag yourself a copy of the original before the highly anticipated sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong eventually releases. Compared favorably to genre-defining classics like Dark Souls, Hollow Knight follows a proud tradition of Souls-like games by throwing the player into a grim-dark world full of secrets and mysteries for them to uncover themselves. This title will also appeal to fans of classic platformers and anyone who enjoy a Metroid-Vania type gaming experience and $5 is just about a steal.
12-Games Humble Bundle (PCDD): The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, We Happy Few
In addition to popular titles like The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and We Happy Few, this incredible assortment of games from Humble Bundle includes twelve entire games for as little as $1 per game. The entire bundle would be worth at least $276 for contexts, making this packing one you can’t afford to pass up on. The entire list is as follows with something to appeal to almost every flavor of gamer:
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
- We Happy Few
- Sam & Max Save the World
- Super Meat Boy
- Super Meat Boy Forever
- Observation
- Pine
- Bartlow's Dread Machine
- Gauntlet Slayer Edition
- Stories Untold
- RAD
- Saturday Morning RPG
Google Stadia’s Golden Week Sale
To celebrate the holiday of Golden Week, Google Stadia is offering an impressive collection of games from Japan to celebrate. Whether you are interested in complex, tactical RPGs, some of the best horror games in recent years, or arcade classics, you are sure to find something to love:
- DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 $7.49
- DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT $17.99
- DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age $25.99
- FINAL FANTASY XV $19.99
- Katamari Damacy REROLL $14.99 ($9.89 for Pro members)
- Kemono Heroes $8.99
- MotoGP 21 $9.99
- OCTOPATH TRAVELER $29.99
- ONE PIECE World Seeker Premium Edition $22.49
- Resident Evil 7 biohazard Gold Edition $21.99 ($19.99 for Pro members)
- Resident Evil Village $32.99 ($29.99 for Pro members)
- Resident Evil Village Deluxe Edition $45.49 ($41.99 for Pro members)
- SAMURAI SHODOWN (Standard Ver.) $23.99
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III $29.99
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV $41.99
- Ys IX: Monstrum Nox $47.99
- Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA $23.99
- Dead by Daylight $9.99
