{"id":109699,"date":"2016-11-02T18:19:16","date_gmt":"2016-11-02T16:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=109699"},"modified":"2016-11-02T18:19:53","modified_gmt":"2016-11-02T16:19:53","slug":"steam-vs-origin-vs-gog-vs-windows-store-south-african-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/pc\/109699-steam-vs-origin-vs-gog-vs-windows-store-south-african-comparison","title":{"rendered":"Steam vs Origin vs GOG vs Windows Store – South African comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s surprising how many avid gamers there are in South Africa given the large amount of obstacles we face compared to international gamers.<\/p>\n

We’ve become used to downloading new games over a couple of days thanks to slow internet speeds, and playing most multiplayer games with latency that would give professional gamers nightmares.<\/p>\n

We’ve also had to deal with various pricing fluctuations for both digital and retail games, making it difficult to keep up with international release schedules.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the prevalence of digital sales and bundles however, we still manage to maintain a healthy library of games, with some gamers refusing to spend over R1,000 on a triple-A game at release and instead opting to wait until it is discounted.<\/p>\n

However, each digital store has its own advantages and shortfalls. Let’s take a look at four of the biggest digital stores for PC gamers and how they compare across various categories.<\/p>\n

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Pricing<\/h3>\n

Steam<\/strong><\/p>\n

Steam games prices are listed in Rand values, and are generally cheaper than direct conversions from ther listed USD value, although this can vary by game and publisher.<\/p>\n

Steam also offers regular sales and daily discounted games, allowing gamers to pick up great games for under R100 if they wait for it to go on sale.<\/p>\n

Origin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Origin also has South African prices for its games, and the few games it has that are also on Steam are priced fairly, sometimes being cheaper than buying from Steam.<\/p>\n

The store offers gamers a collection of games via Origin Access for just under R50 per month, which also gives a 10% discount on purchases.<\/p>\n

GOG<\/strong><\/p>\n

GOG is not priced in South African Rand and instead requires gamers to buy in dollars.<\/p>\n

Prices are relatively cheap, although USD pricing does mean it is less stable than the other stores.<\/p>\n

Windows Store<\/strong><\/p>\n

The few games on the Windows Store that are also available on Steam or other platforms are priced similarly, but its the exclusive triple-A releases that are more expensive.<\/p>\n

Games such as Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon are over R1,100 and are available exclusively on the Windows Store.<\/p>\n

Quantum Break also cost over R1,000 at release, although its price has dropped below R500 following its release on other store platforms.<\/p>\n

\"Pricing\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Refund Policy<\/h3>\n

Steam<\/strong><\/p>\n

Valve will issue a refund<\/b> for any reason, if the request is made within fourteen days of purchase and the title has been played for less than two hours.<\/p>\n

Origin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gamers can return EA full game downloads (PC or Mac) and participating third party titles purchased on Origin for a full refund.<\/p>\n

You may send refund requests within the following timeframes:<\/p>\n