Steam has been regarded as the best gaming client for a while now, touting repeated sales, excellent free-to-play options, and an extensive gaming library. However, its monopoly over gaming distribution does not necessarily benefit the gaming community.

But if you're looking for worthy alternatives to Steam, we have just the list for you. Today, we're going through some gaming distribution platforms that provide a similar experience for AAA gaming titles, have an extensive indie library, and give reward opportunities. Let's dive in!

How to Pick the Right Gaming Client

There are a few reasons why Steam is as popular as it is. For a gaming distribution platform to excel and thrive in a community of gamers, it needs to maintain a good balance among the following factors:

  • Quality and Quantity: Steam might have some of the biggest libraries of early-access games, but it also has a fleet of high-quality titles. Thus, a formula that considers both the quality and quantity of games is essential for a game distribution platform.
  • Good Discounts: Holiday and seasonal sales can decrease AAA titles' prices for even more people to enjoy the games.
  • Digital Rights Management: Certain distribution clients limit your ability to play and share games with friends or family. On the other hand, few clients might have DRM-free titles that aren't bound by the one-game per-person rule.
  • Customer Service: A good gaming client can answer user queries, process refunds in legitimate scenarios, and provide game-related support.
  • Features: An excellent in-game overlay and voice calling functionality are examples of features that make the experience tenfold better. Some games even have a free trial on Steam for users to enjoy before they cash in and buy the entire game.

1. Epic Games Store

Epic Games App with a few game recommendations

A game distribution platform that has won the most hearts in the gaming community is the Epic Games Store, and the reason behind it is pretty simple—you can get free games on the Epic Store every couple of weeks.

Beyond the generosity, the Epic Games Store has an impressive catalog of high-quality games, even though it doesn't come anywhere near the library size of Steam. Despite sporting a modern interface, the app isn't known for being the most responsive client. Nevertheless, you get frequent game updates, and the app works on most hardware with little to no compatibility issues.

The Epic Games app lacks any kind of in-game overlay or voice calling. Most multiplayer games come with their own voice comms, though, and games published by Epic, like Fortnite, have excellent team chat options.

2. Blizzard

Blizzard games catalog

Blizzard develops and publishes popular titles, including World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo. While its game library is limited to only the game it publishes and distributes, most MMORPG gamers will find Blizzard reasonably sufficient.

Blizzard uses the Battle.net desktop app to manage its game library. Apart from the popular titles mentioned above, first-person shooter addicts will appreciate the entire library of Call of Duty games at hand.

3. Ubisoft Store

Ubisoft Store with a few games on sale

If you've played games from Ubisoft, you're probably familiar with Uplay. Now rebranded as simply the Ubisoft Store, you can find some exclusive titles such as Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and the Rainbow Six franchise of games.

The store also has a host of free games that you can play, alongside frequent discounts for Ubisoft's AAA titles. Ubisoft Store also has a rewards program that you can use to avail further discounts on your future purchases.

Other nice-to-have features include a 14-day refund policy if you do not like a game. Like most other video game distribution services, Ubisoft Store has its own wallet where you can add money to purchase games or in-game currency.

4. EA App

EA Store with a few original titles

Formerly known as Origin, the EA App has been a long-time contender in gaming distribution. It touts a heavy AAA rating library such as Battlefield 2042, FIFA 23, and F1 22. When it comes to seasonal sales, the EA App often rivals the many ways you can get the best deals on Steam games on select titles.

The gaming client also lists some Electronic Arts Original games, including Unravel Two, It Takes Two, and A Way Out. The EA App has its own membership program called PlayPro that unlocks exclusive rewards and an even more extensive library of games.

5. GOG (Good Old Games)

Good Old Games homepage with a catalog of games on discount

When it comes to sheer library size, GOG is a strong contender on this list. Although it lacks some popular titles, it more than makes up for it with its extensive catalog of other entertaining games.

You'd also be hard-pressed to find discounts this good on any other game distribution platform. It's not unusual to find popular games with discounts of up to 90% on GOG.

Another thing that Good Old Games is good at is a dedicated community section. It's similar to Steam's Community, where you can discuss just about anything related to gaming with other players on the forums.

6. Xbox App

Xbox App for Windows

A not-so-obvious alternative to Steam comes pre-installed on most gaming laptops—the Xbox App. The Xbox App for Windows has an extensive library of video games available for both PC and Xbox consoles.

You can also unlock some titles or even Xbox's entire library if you get Game Pass, depending on your subscription tier, making it one of the reasons you should get a Game Pass subscription.

Another underrated feature of most modern Windows laptops and PCs is the ability to add widgets to the Xbox Game Bar and use the Game Capture module to record gameplay, which can be used seamlessly while playing any game, not limited to just games from the Xbox App.

7. Itch.io

Itch.io homepage with a lot of Indie games

Itch.io is another one of those once-in-a-lifetime, DRM-free gaming clients which provide an excellent and vast library of games.

This platform is a favorite among many indie gamers, especially with its massive collection of great indie titles. Most of these games are also often under $15 and provide hours of enjoyable content.

The Itch desktop application is a simple extension of the website. It doesn't provide much extra functionality, but it does provide a neat place to store and access games bought through the itch.io website.

Enjoy an Expansive Library of Games to Play

When you begin to explore, you'll realize there are worthy alternatives to Steam for finding great games. With these options, you can download and enjoy an even greater game library on your PC.

Be it AAA titles or lesser-known indie games; most video game distribution clients have something in store for everybody. In fact, the options are so many that organizing your game library becomes a nice problem.