Why I’m still all-in on Steam for PC — and not Game Pass

Steam is still the best day-to-day experience (for me)

Game Pass is, for me, a sad place to be. When comparing Steam vs Game Pass, I find that I’m used to Steam. Credit where it’s due: as a PC platform, Steam still gives me the best overall experience. Nothing else, in my experience, comes close. I could write a book on the differences. If you’re a gamer, you probably know; if not, you’ll find out quickly. And yes—after giving Valve/Steam some harsh feedback lately, it’s still my go-to.

For a deeper look at how Steam stacks up against Epic for indies, see Steam vs. Epic Games Store: the best platform for indie games?.

As a full-time gamer, Frank says:

“I stick with Steam because the whole setup feels stable. My saves, settings, mods, and history all live in one place. Moreover, the community is a big deal. Having reviews, guides, and discussions makes the platform even more dependable. I’ve tried other platforms and it feels severely lacking when the features I mentioned were missing.”

Guest reviewer, The Movie Hero, says:

“Epic’s argument that Steam is a monopoly is unfounded. Steam does some things I’m not happy with, like preemptively censoring games/removing them from the store (a clear bias against anime-style games in this regard), but people use them for their consumer-friendly stances like refunds, and for making a great store for consumers to browse, chat from, and share games on. Epic, years on, is still missing basic features like good chat, group chat, discussion forums for games, and a community tab.”

From discs to “licenses”: why details matter

I’ve been on Steam since (almost) day one. It’s not that Steam is perfect; it’s that most alternatives aren’t good enough, so Steam ends up on top. It shouldn’t be like that, but for now, it is. We’ve moved from cartridges and discs to CDs/DVDs and now to licensed, online storefronts—where the quality-of-life details matter. I even explored a thought experiment—imagine a world without Steam.

Epic vs. Steam: I re-bought Hitman World of Assassination

Steam versus the rest is a no-brainer. When I get a “free” game on the Epic Games Store, I’ll still pick it up on sale to keep it in my Steam library. Example: Hitman. After hundreds of hours on Epic with all my progress and unlocks, I saw a 30% off sale on Steam, bought it, started from zero, and I’m happily rebuilding. Say no more.

Subscriptions feel like renting

Football Manager 2026 is on Xbox Game Pass, but I want the Steam version, and I’ll wait for it. On PC, you’ve basically got Steam, Epic, and a couple of others; true competition is thin. Often it feels driven by money and market power rather than by serving players—and the developers doing the hard work.

Cloud streaming & cost: not a win

So what’s your setup—do you build your backlog on Steam or Epic, or do you prefer PC Game Pass? To me, Game Pass often feels like renting a rotating handful of AAA games—Call of Duty, Football Manager 2026, Prey, State of Decay—sometimes there, sometimes not. Feels random. Game Pass Ultimate lets you stream games from the cloud in 1080p, but the monthly total adds up fast. Is it worth it? As a gamer: no. As a reviewer: also no.

What would make me switch?

For now, I’m sticking with Steam. If a real challenger shows up with better ownership clarity, smoother libraries, fewer launchers/overlays, and stronger quality-of-life, I’m listening.

Related reading: Steam store pages just got wider—what game developers should tweak today