Free Steam Alternatives
The best free alternative to Steam is GOG.com. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Steam and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Steam are itch.io, Epic Games Store, Lutris and EA App.
Steam alternatives are mainly Game Stores but may also be Game Library Managers or App Stores. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Steam.- Free • Proprietary
- Game Store
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- Windows Phone
- iPad
- SteamOS
- Flathub
GOG.com
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Proprietary
- Game Store
54 alternatives to GOG.com- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
GOG.com (Good Old Games) sells classic PC games through their download service at a low price, without DRM, and updated to run on the latest versions of Windows and other systems.
GOG.com Features
GOG.com vs Steam opinions
cd projekt red. Good consumer practices, no drm, ethical threatment of developers
2you own your games for real and there is better quality control.
14DL300Better than Steam in every way except player counts. If you aren't going to be playing multiplayer, GoG is objectively superior in every way.
0s20The curated content means that there's significantly less absolute crap than you'll find on Steam. DRM free means no DRM treating you like a pirate when you're just trying to play the game you bought. I love GoG Galaxy 2.0 as a launcher, since it can also add in games from other services, although I am sad that there's no native Linux client yet. Overall, just great stuff.
0GOG is a store where you actually buy game, while Steam is a store where you rent game, most people sadly don't know that and think they own their Steam game.
GOG cares about game, Steam cares about copyright and money.
3itch.io
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Game Store
41 alternatives to itch.io- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- Android Tablet
- Epic Games Store
itch.io gives you the ability to design a page where people can download games you have uploaded. You can optionally put a minimum price on your game (which can be 0), giving people the opportunity to pay you what they think you deserve. All files and images are hosted on itch.
itch.io Features
itch.io vs Steam opinions
Quite possibly the best place available to lose an afternoon digging through both free and paid indie games ever since Desura kicked the bucket.
14bonepyramidLive life, breathe air. I know somehow we're gonna get there, and it'll be so wonderful.
0thebenmix11In my experience, it's one of the few that are both user-friendly and developer-friendly at the same time.
0somegirlfromitA bunch of unvetted shovelware titles, many of which have only minutes of gameplay if that
-8Lots of free and paid games and most don't require installers so you don't need admin.
4Epic Games Store
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Proprietary
- Game Store
30 alternatives to Epic Games Store- Mac
- Windows
- Online
The Epic Games store is now open, featuring games from other developers. Epic's goal is to bring you great games, and to give game developers a better deal: they receive 88% of the money you spend, versus only 70% elsewhere.
Epic Games Store Features
Epic Games Store vs Steam opinions
Anipedifferent games and encourages competition in the industry, its good
0s20While it has a ways to go UI and UX-wise, the Epic store has a good game selection, is significantly more picky than Steam's We'll Take Anything attitude that leads to boatloads of crapware, and does a better job of supporting developers. Sure, it's a front for aa huge corporation, but it's not like Steam is much better.
0alanmaccormakWhatever you said Steam is just more easy to use and more widespread than Epic Games, but EGS itself is quite good
-1pasha88pasGood bye Steam Hello EGS!
0brakyEpic Games forces games (not all) who were announced to release on other distribution platforms to release exclusively on their storefront.
8Lutris
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Game Library Manager
- Game Store
- Compatibility Layer Tool
43 alternatives to Lutris- Linux
- Online
- FLATHUB
Lutris is an open source gaming platform for GNU/Linux. It allows you to gather and manage (install, configure and launch) all your games acquired from any source, in a single interface.
Lutris Features
Lutris vs Steam opinions
cvieiraLutris isn't exactly a store, the way Steam is, but it's great for managing large game libraries, and even supports seamless emulation.
2ab1Many Installers are broken and users are welcomed to guess which and how... Mix of minefield and junkyard in practice. Just save your time.
0EA App
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Proprietary
- Game Store
- Game Library Manager
44 alternatives to EA App- Mac
- Windows
- Online
The EA App, formerly known as Origin, is the built-from-scratch PC platform for EA players, games, and content. It brings you a faster experience, fewer clicks to jump back into your favorite games, and powerful Playtime Controls to help you keep tabs on how much time you and...
EA App Features
EA App vs Steam opinions
bonepyramidAwful. I made an effort a while back to delete the application as soon as possible even if that meant not being able to play a legal copy of The Sims 4. It just wasn't worth that for me. So much unnecessary bloat for reasons I'm still trying to figure out.
0IGotNoExpit costs very little (£20) for a year pass on origin, the year pass gives you a lot of EA games and 10% off any purchases in-game. It also has very clean UI. Overall a great service.
0DL300The original spyware-disguised-as-a-launcher
0somegirlfromitEven years later, Origin just isn't a good software manager, with installations often breaking and needing to be reinstalled from a known good state, occasionally destroying folders unrelated to Origin, frequent remote code exploits, and credit card leaks.
0shelehovchaninSmall library of games. Uncomfortable chat. Extra launcher, which is only needed for EA, not to pay third-party companies for promotion.
7Playnite
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo24 alternatives to Playnite- Free • Open Source
- Game Library Manager
- Windows
Video game library manager and launcher with support for 3rd party libraries like Steam, GOG, Origin and Uplay, providing one unified interface for your games.
Playnite Features
Playnite vs Steam opinions
DL300Way, way better than Steam in every single way. Even has exotic console features like quick-resume. Steam is an absolute first-year-coder joke compared to this. Playnite's devs work hard and are talented.
0Google Play Store
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Proprietary
- App Store
93 alternatives to Google Play Store- Online
- Android
- Chrome OS
- Android Tablet
Google Play (formerly the Android Market) is an online store by Google for Android devices. Browse and search for apps, books, and movie rentals from your web browser or Android device.
Google Play Store Features
Google Play Store vs Steam opinions
ab1Very decent and no need to install it for most phones
2AnipeOnly for mobile and isnt game orianted, also lacks everything besides buying apps
0lupuleasaiOnly for mobile games. Steam is only for PC games (until Steam Deck becomes available)
0Ubisoft Connect
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Proprietary
- Game Store
- Game Library Manager
23 alternatives to Ubisoft Connect- Windows
Ubisoft Connect (before Uplay) is Ubisoft's PC games portal, where you can find all your games on PC
Ubisoft Connect Features
Ubisoft Connect vs Steam opinions
DL300Garbage. Constant nagging, terrible UI, awful prices, very buggy and slow. Literally not one single positive. Also rammed down your throat on Steam so double DRM, also for no reason.
0somegirlfromitAlmost purely used for the Ubisoft catalog (Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, etc.) but a much tighter offering than it was when it launched in 2009.
1Game Jolt
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Game Store
18 alternatives to Game Jolt- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
Game Jolt, where all the best free Indie Games are at! Browse through thousands of free Indie Games ready for you to play. This is Indie.
Game Jolt Features
Game Jolt vs Steam opinions
sparkydevMost of indie titles are born here before going to steam
-2Battle.net
Do you think this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Proprietary
- Game Store
- Game Library Manager
14 alternatives to Battle.net- Mac
- Windows
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
Battle.net is an Internet-based online game, social networking service, digital distribution, and digital rights management platform developed by Blizzard Entertainment.
Battle.net Features
Battle.net vs Steam opinions