Steam vs. Local Retail – Prices Compared

When Valve launched Steam 7 years ago, few would have predicted the profound effect it would have on the video game industry. From its humble beginnings as a relatively small digital PC game seller, to its current position as a market dominator, Steam has come a long way. The idea of being able to buy games without even having to step out of your house definitely has a certain appeal, a fact to which 25-odd million Steam subscribers can attest .

Apart from running regular sales and specials, as well as pre-order bonuses and other value added incentives, Steam also circumvents retails stock issues, and allows gamers to pre-download a game before release, and unlock it a minute into its release date. The appeal is obvious, yet South Africans have until now been kept out of the loop thanks to exorbitant bandwidth prices.

Our local broadband landscape has changed significantly however over the past 10 days. The likes of MWEB, Vox and Afrihost are all now offering very reasonably priced uncapped internet access, which means that high bandwidth costs are largely a thing of the past, and most heavy internet users would be well advised to migrate to one of the various new offerings.

A knock on effect of this is that gamers can now access Steam without worrying about large game downloads. For those that don’t go uncapped, WebAfrica is busy putting the finishing touches on its local Freezone Steam mirror which basically provides uncapped access to Steam.

It seems that right now, all roads lead to Steam, so to speak. This just leaves on question: is Steam cheaper than our local retailers?
In South Africa we traditionally have very well priced PC games, a fact which may be the saving grace of brick and mortar PC game resellers. We decided to have a look at some of the pricing offered by local industry favourites compared to Steam.

Our findings show a mixed bag. BTGames was a bit let down by their online cataloguing system, and their R49 delivery fee seems a bit steep. In store prices will also be higher than their online prices, making them not a great option for PC gamers.

Zaps generally has the most competitive prices, although Take 2 and Kalahari are also well priced. Also bear in mind that MyGaming forum users can buy games from Zaps’ storefront at the listed online prices.

Overall Steam represents good value, although results were varied. In some cases, such as with Empire: Total War, Steam is now the cheapest and arguably fastest way to buy a game without leaving the house thanks to there being no delivery fee.

However, anomalies like Assassin’s Creed 2, which is significantly more expensive on Steam, mean that it is still best to shop around before making a purchase in SA.

It is great to see local retailers maintaining a competitive edge, although there is no denying that with recent local broadband developments, Steam will become a valuable option for gamers, thanks to its pre-release downloads, incredible weekly specials, and unlimited supply of stock.

Discuss Steam pricing in the forums