I havea massive Steam library , and like most PC gamers I have it away , I ’m always looking to contribute to it . Will I actually play the game ? Maybe . Will I dispatch all of them ? Certainly not . But I ’m entrance in a negative feedback grommet of pick up newfangled games constantly for pennies on the dollar bill , and Steam is feeding my habituation more than ever before .

How ? With Steam bundles . Steam bundles are n’t anything new , but I ’ve seen a stark uptick in them over the last several months . They mostly roll around similarly title indie titles , offering a small deduction of around 10 % if you buy two or three games in bulk . That ’s not why I ’ve taken advantage of Steam bundle so often over the preceding several month , though .

The hack

Here ’s what ’s great about Steam bundles — you do n’t need to corrupt every game in the bundle . Or , at the very least , you do n’t ask to re - buy every secret plan . Steam takes into account games you already own when you look at a pile , and you ’ll get a brush off priceon topof the game you already own .

Let me give you an illustration . Last night , I picked up theCastlevania Dominus Collectionfor a routine of vampire castle - crawling on an upcoming slip I ’m taking . The secret plan is on sales event at the time of writing for 20 % off , knocking the $ 25 listing price down to $ 20 . I pick up the collection for $ 18 , however .   TheDominus x Dead Cell bundleincludesDead cell , theReturn to CastlevaniaDLCfor the biz , and theDominus Collection . I already ownedDead Cellsand its DLC , so I got a straight deduction on theDominus Collection .

It ’s only $ 2 here , but wait , it gets serious . You ’ll often find biz that are a part of several different bundles , allowing you to double dip on discounts . A great object lesson of that isSelaco . If you ’re unfamiliar , Selacois a first - person hired gun in former admittance that ’s built on the originalDoomengine . No , it does n’t play likeDoom , but it has that undeniable retro find that I ’ve yet to see perfectly replicated in the deluge of “ boomer shooters ” available on Steam .

This one game is in three different big money . you’re able to beak it upbundled withEcho Point Nova , Mullet Madjack , and therecentFallen Aces . I picked up one biz , and short , I was able to get bank discount on a handful of other related game . You do n’t involve to purchase the game through Steam , either . As long as the plot is in your depository library , you ’ll get the bank discount . Combine that with third - party primal trafficker and a revolving door of deals on games , and you may save promptly a bit of money .

An odd recommendation engine

The bundles on Steam have turn me onto new game , too . I never would ’ve found out aboutEcho Point Novahad it not been for theSelacobundle , and I would ’ve totally omit one of the most inventive first - person shooter I ’ve fiddle in the past decade . Maybe I would ’ve discovered the game on my own , and I might ’ve even bought it . But being pushed to consider a fresh plot and get a solid discount on top of it ? That seal the deal quickly .

I ’ve found bundles more consistently with indie game , but some expectant championship get bundled up , as well . For instance , there ’s a package withMetaphor : ReFantazioandPersona 5 Royal , which you could , again , get on a bank discount when you own either game . Both of these game are on sale at the time of writing , too , which is factor in into the overall deduction you get . That ’s an inexpensive fashion to clean up one of thebest games of 2024 .

The main downside is that there is n’t an easy agency to see what bundles are uncommitted on Steam . Sometimes they ’re listed alongside a game included in a particular bundle , but other times they are n’t . For instance , you may bump theMullet MadjackandFallen Acesbundle withSelaco , but not theEcho Point Novaone . you may just research “ package ” on Steam , but that riposte thousands of irrelevant outcome . I would n’t recommend it .

If you need to keep an eye on bundles , here ’s what ’s work best for me . I liberally add game to my Steam wishlist , even if I ’m only remotely concerned in playing some of them . The wishlist on Steam evince you the gloomy price useable for a special game , so if that game is part of a bundle when you could get a discount based on your current Steam program library , you ’ll see that lower price . That ’s how I receive out about the discount on theCastlevania Dominus Collectionin the first place .

sheaf for PC game are n’t anything new , and Steam itself has been doing them for years . However , there ’s been a clear uptick in bundles for high - quality games , particularly focused on similar publisher and developer . For instance , developer Motion Twin has a bundle where you’re able to cull upits newWindblowngameat a discount if you already ownDead Cells(the developer ’s first game ) . These odds and ends add up promptly , and they ’ve build up my Steam library massively in the preceding few calendar month .