7 Ways to Buy Steam Games for Less

Just because a game on your wishlist shows up at 50% off doesn't mean it's actually a good price. Sometimes the list price is inflated so the discount only looks big, and plenty of times the same game drops even lower if you just wait a couple of months. There are really only a handful of reliable tricks to consistently pay less than everyone else on Steam. Learn the seven below and you'll cut way down on the money you lose to impulse buys.

1. Look at the all-time low, not the discount percentage

The first habit to build is to judge a game by the lowest price it has ever fallen to, the all-time low, rather than the discount percentage (a number like -70%). The discount is based on the list price that Steam displays, which can be inflated, but the all-time low is a record that the game actually sold at that price, which makes it a far more honest yardstick.

For example, say a game with a list price of 66,000 won is now 70% off at 19,800 won. The number alone looks cheap enough, but if this game's all-time low was 16,500 won, then right now it's actually 3,300 won more expensive than that. Lowstamp shows each game's all-time low along with the date it was last set, and sums up how close the current price is to that low with a "Should you buy now?" verdict, so checking that one line speeds up your decision.

2. Add it to your wishlist and wait for the alert

Even if you're not buying right away, add any game you're interested in to your Steam wishlist. When a wishlisted game goes on sale, Steam lets you know by email and app notification. In other words, instead of checking the price every day, you set up a system that pings you on its own the moment a discount starts.

On Lowstamp, too, saving the games you like lets you compare current prices and all-time lows for that list at a glance. The most efficient approach is to use both together: get the "sale started" alert from Steam, then check on Lowstamp whether the discount is actually worth it compared to the all-time low.

3. Time your purchases around the big sales

Steam runs storewide mega-sales a few times a year. The biggest ones are usually in summer and winter, with seasonal sales in spring and fall as well. The exact dates are set by Valve each year and shift a little, so treat the timing below as nothing more than a rough, approximate yearly guide.

During the big sales, many games get deeper discounts than usual, and all-time lows often get set fresh at these times. For a game you're not in a hurry to get, simply waiting for the next seasonal sale is often enough to buy the same game for less.

Heads-up: a big sale doesn't mean every game gets cheaper. Popular titles often have the same fixed discount whether it's a seasonal sale or a regular weekly deal. Rather than assuming "it's a sale, so it must be cheap," the key is to keep comparing against the all-time low even then.

4. Check bundles and package deals

If the game you want is part of a series or has a lot of DLC, check the bundles before buying the base game on its own. Steam often has complete packages like "base game + expansions" or "the whole series collection," and the bundle is frequently cheaper than buying the pieces individually.

Steam bundles also sometimes support "Complete the Set" pricing, which deducts the value of items you already own and only charges you for the rest, so buying just the base game first and filling in the remainder as a bundle later doesn't cost you much. Simply comparing the standalone page and the bundle page for the same game before you buy can reveal a surprisingly big difference.

5. Understand regional pricing (Korean won)

Steam applies different currencies and prices by country, and for Korea everything is shown in won. Exchange rates and policies can make the same game feel differently priced from region to region, but we don't recommend workarounds (changing your region, using proxy payments, etc.) just because another region looks cheaper. It violates Steam's terms of service and risks getting your account banned, which could cost you your entire library.

Instead, it's far safer and more practical to know how low this game has ever dropped in won. Lowstamp tracks the won prices on Steam's Korea store directly, so you can immediately see where the current won price sits relative to the all-time low.

6. Filter out the fake discounts

A big discount percentage doesn't always mean a good price. Knowing a few common traps keeps you from getting fooled.

  1. Inflated list price: the list price itself is set high so the discount only looks big. Compare it to the all-time low and it's exposed right away.
  2. The same old discount: even when it's labeled a "special offer," the price is often identical to the last sale. Look at the price history and you'll know whether it's a new low.
  3. A new release's first discount: the first discount right after launch is usually small. If you're not in a hurry, it's worth waiting through a deeper discount or two.

The fastest way to filter out all three is, in the end, the price history graph. The price-trend graph on Lowstamp's detail view lets you see with your own eyes whether this sale price is truly the bottom compared to the past, or whether it's always been around that level.

7. Use the refund policy as a safety net

Steam has a system that refunds a game if certain conditions are met. According to the official policy, you can request a refund within 14 days of purchase as long as you've played less than 2 hours (this is per Steam's official policy and the exact conditions may change). Using it as a safety net gives you the option of "buy it, give it a quick try, and refund if it's not for me."

This is especially handy when buying a game whose recommended specs are borderline or whose language support is uncertain. That said, a refund is strictly an exceptional safeguard, not a way to demo games for free, so keep in mind that repeatedly abusing it can get you restricted. To be safe, always check the latest exact conditions on Steam's official refund page.

Wrapping up

To sum up, the core idea is to not get swayed by the discount percentage and to judge by the all-time low instead. Add the games you care about to your wishlist and wait for the alerts, time your purchases around the big sales, check bundles and price history, steer clear of risky paths like region workarounds, and keep the refund policy as a safety net. Just building these habits will noticeably cut down on overpaying through impulse buys. Make it your final check to glance at the all-time low and the "Should you buy now?" verdict on Lowstamp right before you buy.

The secret to buying cheap isn't a bigger discount percentage. It's knowing whether this price is really the bottom.