Honest question, where do you find your games to play?

[u/Caegrim]

As the title says. I'm genuinely curious.
Is it from YouTube/Streamers, Reddit, Steam, etc?

For me, most are from YouTubers (Let's Players) and the algorithm for recommended trailers. I no longer follow the mainstream press sites.

[u/Rasty_lv]

I rarely buy brand new games for full price. Its not worth it most of the time. I usually wait for some price drops. When that happens, I already know from word of mouth on reddit/youtube if game is worth my time and/or money.

Another good demo test - PS+. I had few times where i tried game on PS+extra and i loved it and bought it on pc/ps5 to keep it (ps+ extra removes games after some time).

[u/LiamEgil]

Steam by scrolling through. Or i ask on discord if i should play a series i heard of 10 years ago (recently played metro 2033, last light and exodus)

[u/TryToBeModern]

steam store using genre filters lol

[u/Caegrim → u/TryToBeModern]

Are you looking for niche games?

[u/Lucky-Lifeguard-7406]

i find the best stuff by following specific indie publishers like Devolver Digital or Hooded Horse on Steam. mainstream reviews are useless now, but trustworthy publishers rarely miss.

[u/Caegrim → u/Lucky-Lifeguard-7406]

Do you ever find games outside of publishers?

[u/Kaldaien2]

No idea, I just hear about them and search Google to find out what store sells them.

[u/LordBaconXXXXX]

Steam, Google, communities (Reddit), cultural osmosis

[u/MrHolyRoller89]

Um, the old fashioned way? If I hear about a game that might interest me I check it out, maybe read a spoiler free review or two and then make a decision whether to purchase said game. All of this Lets Play and streamer nonsense just ruins the whole experience. A new game is supposed to be a brand new experience and I really don’t want to know to much about it heading into it. If I’m disappointed or don’t like it I suck it up like it used to be 15-20 years ago and just move on.

[u/Caegrim → u/MrHolyRoller89]

I respect that.

[u/Docccc]

steam and gaming subreddits

[u/Sajgoniarz]

TBH I can't say how any releases that I'm interested in are coming to me.

[u/Matt561-]

Gaming podcasts like Geekenders, there are so many releases now it's nice to have some kind of filter.

[u/LibrarianAccurate829]

One of my friends got a couple thousands games on steam and other platforms.

I just ask him "Yo i really wanna play this kinda games but cant find one that i seem to like" and he just always have the perfect game to recommend. 10/10

[u/Satellite_bk → u/LibrarianAccurate829]

same. except that friend added me to their steam family. they have over 5k games… it was a game just going through them all and favoriting ones i want to play when he added me to his account.

[u/Caegrim → u/Satellite_bk]

That’s a kind friend! Although going through that library must be a nightmare with that many options. I guess your friend likes HumbleBundles.

[u/Satellite_bk → u/Caegrim]

yes. him and his wife both have been getting them for as long as i can remember.

i’ve managed to pull out just my favorites (games i have or want to play) which is around 500 or so. but they’re also getting new games every month with their bundles plus anything that they particularly want. so once every few months i get to go through recently added and pick out anything that sticks out.

it’s really neat when i see a random indie game on youtube or IG and go to check it out on steam to find out it’s already in my library.

at the same time you’re right even narrowing it down to 500 or so still makes it rough scrolling through. it’s basically a game in and of itself at this point.

i’m incredibly lucky.

[u/Caegrim → u/LibrarianAccurate829]

Great to have a friend as your filter. I wonder how your friend finds them, lol.

[u/GamingGenius777]

I just stick to what I have currently since it's more than enough content to keep me busy. Especially because I have a lot to do IRL too, I don't want to spread myself thin over a million games.

I generally just play Planet Crafter and BeamNG.drive. I also used to play American Truck Simulator and X-Plane 11, but I haven't played them in a while.

I found BeamNG.drive through WhyBeAre, and I found Planet Crafter (Prologue) when I was just randomly searching Steam for a new game to play in 2022. Stumbled upon it by pure luck, and I really enjoyed it from the start

[u/TelperionST]

YouTube content creators, but I also follow a handful of publishers on Steam.

[u/Arad84]

YouTube and Reddit, mostly big AAA story games. Remasters are how I catch the good ones I missed, like Witcher 3.

[u/king_kongFan]

Steam

[u/Ho3n3r]

Probably from streamers, mostly. Some are talked about on forums/Discord channels I'm part of.

[u/trio3224]

Almost all YouTube for me. I follow gaming news, new trailers, lots of gaming review YouTubers big and small covering Indie and AAA, and I watch pretty much all the big shows like Summer games Fest, PlayStation State of Play, and the Game Awards. I currently have a backlog of 100+ and a wishlist of 300+ lol

[u/AsugaNoir]

Typically from my friends on discord

[u/XsNR]

Youtubers, reddit (rarely), and the steam algorithm, primarily the release calendar these days where it used to be the various fests demos .

[u/MiksuMike01]

Steam store recomended, tiktok/ig algorithm, friends.
I've probably never followed press sites.

[u/Caegrim → u/MiksuMike01]

I never use TikTok, but is it more visually pleasing games?

[u/MiksuMike01 → u/Caegrim]

Algorithm on there seems to show me co-op couch games to play with the missus, car games, indie friendslop games.

I've thought it well :D

[u/AL-SHEDFI]

Gaming accounts on Twitter/X

[u/BigDickBiggms]

Let's plays on YouTube

[u/Wils82]

Pick an option Find content creator who's gaming preferences align with yours

Wait until there is community census on if a game is great

Or do both. I only ever buy games that I already know are bangers. Avoid all games journalists or websites

[u/Jedeyesniv]

Mostly podcasts. The NoClip2 pod is great for finding really niche indie games, and generally most shows will talk about new stuff so I can keep current

[u/Elmis66]

I like watching game shows and wishlisting the ones that look interesting. I try to follow socials from studios I really like to know when they announce something new. And some games I know of from watching a bit of a let's play and deciding "nah, I'd rather play it myself" or from friends recommendations

[u/Legitimate_Use7140]

I scroll through GoG, then wishlist until they're discounted enough. If it's steam only, I wait a year or two for a port.

[u/honorable_raegdan]

Word of mouth from friends. I’ve got one buddy who I’ll buy any game he recommends.

YouTube for upcoming games.

And lately ChatGPT. I’ll give it a prompt for something I’m in the mood for. Lately I was looking for a good 3rd person game, on Steam Sale, that had good exploration and didn’t hold your hand and NOT a FromSoft title. Hell Is Us is what it gave me - wasn’t disappointed and probably something I would have skipped if I just went off trailers and gameplay videos.

[u/Caegrim → u/honorable_raegdan]

Nice method, and find!

[u/honorable_raegdan → u/Caegrim]

I did it for my mom yesterday. She got hooked on animal crossing last winter. When I was a baby she was really into castlevania and Zelda. I plugged those in with her movie and book tastes.

She’s gonna get pikman 4 for Christmas from me and went and bought Zelda: Echos of Wisdom.

[u/Caegrim → u/honorable_raegdan]

That’s a spot on gift and good games. Your mom are in for a treat! I also grew up on Zelda and Castlevania. Symphony of the Night is my favourite game of all time. And loved each on GBA and DS.

[u/honorable_raegdan → u/Caegrim]

Hell Is Us is/was slept on.

Brutal story. Beautiful art direction.

[u/MasterArCtiK]

I find mine of game pass and steam

[u/Infinite-Disaster-87]

Youtube and pirated sites to test the games if it's good. Then I buy it on sale.

[u/Caegrim → u/Infinite-Disaster-87]

I used to do the same when I was young and had no money. But instead of YouTube I scoured GameTrailers.com and LAN parties back then. I later became a video game dev myself and bought every good pirated game on sale to clean my conscience. 

[u/Infinite-Disaster-87 → u/Caegrim]

I also have Google/Google news. I always click on videogames and tech related stuff so that's wht it feeds me everyday now.

[u/Infinite-Disaster-87 → u/Caegrim]

That's great! What game making program/software do you use? For me I experienced being a content creator so I also buy and support games that I like now.

[u/Chance-Pay1487]

Idk I just know like every game in the top 500 or something for some reason and randomly I'll think about playing them

[u/Dummy_Kruger]

I see trailers on YouTube

[u/IndependentNo8520]

If I like the cover I click and check the trailer and pictures, if it looks decently entertain with good reviews I add to my wishlist and then wait for a sale to buy it
If I’m not convince I look up on YouTube only 1 video about it

[u/proper_jazz]

Hydra launcher

[u/Caegrim → u/proper_jazz]

Never heard/seen that before. Looks like a cool way to find good classics. I grew up on playing ton of emulators.

[u/Far_Cold7385]

For new games - Steam > Hover over "Store" > Personal Calendar. I disable owned games and early access games, and set the amount listed to 100 or 250.

For older games - Steam > Store > Search a theme (e.g Vampires or Fantasy) > Scroll down to the list view > Top Sellers or Top Rated, and then use the left side bar for more granular control (sub genres).