I prefer digital for convenience, I never liked the idea of a game not being playable unless there’s some physical media inserted in my device (be it CD, cartridge, or whatever). I only buy physical when getting collector’s editions.

Physical and Perpetual Digital only for me. No to anything else. Even Perpetual is no longer a safe choice if they don’t allow the full file to be stored elsewhere, as I see that more and more often now. So, I think I’m gonna start resorting to “the other option” for games that only have the digital option available. It makes me sad because if it’s a game that I really like, it burdens me for not supporting the creatives behind it, but this is about a larger issue than those people alone.

I won’t buy what I can’t own and neither should anyone. It’s a violation of consumer rights and of individual sovereignty.

I apply this logic to any form of media or anything else really. And “Programmed Obsolescence” should be criminalised.

90% of the games I play are bought on Steam or GOG, 9% are free Epic giveaways and the last 1% is Alan Wake 2 which I had to buy on Epic because it’s not available anywhere else and I wanted to support Remedy.

I know the discussion about digital only, and I think game preservation is a great cause. There is definitely a danger with digital only. However, for me as a user having a digital library is just unbeatably convenient. My whole library is easily browsable and sortable and with modern high speed fiber internet any game I feel like playing or re-playing is just a click and a few minutes away.

I don’t really have any desire to go back to having to constantly fuck around with discs when I want to play something.

I don‘t even have a disk drive anymore. I prefer digital nowadays since I like to swap around games and don‘t wanna have to swap the media every time as well. It kinda bothers me with my Switch, but I still prefer physical there so I can resell.

In an ideal world I‘d like a physical copy of a complete game on my shelf where I don‘t have to use the physical medium to play it but can fall back to that in case a platform‘s failing or I want to resell it… However all that would work.

In the current reality it‘s just Steam all the way for convenience‘s sake. Gabe was right, it‘s all about service quality. If Steam ever pulls the rug from under my feet, I’ll basically have no games anymore though lol

Any format that ensures I can play it today or in 10 years. Most games I buy on Steam and when the GOG or pirated verson gets released - even if it’s years later - I get a backup.

Recently Last Epoch, which currently has a full offline mode, might not stay that way for long with the acquisition from whatstheyface, so I still play the Steam version but have a fit girl I know provided me with a nice fallback if I ever need it…

You guys are buying games?

Yo ho (60%) > Steam (35%) > any other digital platform if its exclusive (1%) > Other (4%)

I’m with you on most of your priority list, but would swap perpetual digital with physical.
I would also point out that physical need to be fully on disc, otherwise they’re at best as good as game key cards (doesitplay.org is very useful there).

I think PC gaming is unfortunately the only “sustainable” option nowadays to allow for both native games and emulation to run today or in a decade. With how console manufacturers, especially Microsoft, have been aggressively pushing digital, there’s little hope of having any physical backcompat in consoles moving forward.

Steam, but that is because of my approach to games and I do understand it is leasing/renting, not literally buying.

While I do enjoy going back and playing some games, most tend to lose my interest due to newer and improved versions of similar games. Nostalgia only goes so far when janky controls get in the way.

I also like a wide variety of games, but they are hit and miss on personal enjoyment. So what I prefer to do is buy several on a sale and then as long as one works out I came out ahead! This generally means I can check out games that are 5 to 10 or more years old at a heavy discounts due to being patient. I don’t even bother refunding the ones that don’t work out because most are a few bucks and if a few bucks let’s me check something out then I’m fine with that.

For that cheap pricing I get all the benefits of digitally distributed games that are reliably updated to run on new hardware, can re-download them at any time with no limits, get the other hit and miss benefits like friends and forums and other stuff. They don’t take up physical space, have regular updates, and addressed all the issues I had with gaming back in the 90s/early 2000s when still buying physical games.

I see it like a rental with no return date. I would probably quit gaming if steam goes under or changes enough to make it less convenient. Still hope that physical distribution sticks around for those that prefer it, and that other distribution sources like GoG stick around and are successful for both completion and for those who have different priorities for gaming.

Steam Deck:

• Steam for most games because of ease of use on the Deck and what they provide to the Linux world
• GOG for old games with no achievments (I’d buy more from them if they were more Linux oriented, but I also understand they can’t do everything)

Playstation 5:

• physical except for a few exceptions as I want to be able to resell games I don’t like. I buy new physical games when I know I’m gonna love a game and used when I ain’t sure

Physical these days is mostly dead, so long-term I’ve been going for DRM-free digital. GOG, 7digital or ripping via Foobar2000 for music, ebooks.com plus Calibre, and MakeMKV for DVDs. Steam’s DRM, when not paired with other DRM, is lenient enough where I’m okay with using that when no other options are available.

I do still like physical for some things. I prefer physical for PS3 games versus digital because most games read straight from the disc, and install sizes a significantly smaller if you go that route. That generation of gaming really respected your hard drive. I don’t like buying a disc and then still having to install 100 GB to my hard drive – at that point, why bother?

And I like getting consoles and flashcarts physical, but not the games themselves. There’s nothing as cozy and nostalgic as playing 3DS games on the original hardware, but I don’t need all the cartriges. Everdrive with the Genesis Model 1 is also my preferred way of playing that console so I can experience the original music through the built-in headphone jack.

The exception to that is I’m a sucker for physical game media that has connectivity with other media. So I have a physical copy of Pokemon HeartGold with the Poke Walker, and too many DDR dance pads. I really want that GBA game Kojima made where the cart has a solar panel and you build up energy to defeat vampires by going outside.

• Preferred: DRM-free download (e.g. GOG, JAST)
• Will consider: Steam (if not encumbered with evil crap like Denuvo, Enigma, Ubisoft/EA shitware, …) – rarely preferred in some cases (e.g. the game is stupidly big)

That’s it. Those are the only ways I buy games in practice in 2025. (The last time I bought a physical copy of a game was pre-COVID…)

I have a Steam Deck and an ancient (offline-only) Win7 computer that is surprisingly still usable. If I can’t run a game on one of those, it might as well not exist as far as I’m concerned.

Digital everything. Books, games, movies, TV. I don’t want a bunch of physical stuff cluttering my space.

I do prefer things I can archive to my NAS whenever possible though. I make exceptions for gaming with Steam, but all my books, video, and music are locally stored, I don’t like streaming services as an indefinite solution.

1. Native Linux (digital only because physical basically doesn’t exist)
2. Physical Switch
3. Digital Switch

—will not buy—

4. Game Key Card
5. Code in a box

I always buy discounted pc game, and the choice is virtually 0 these day, so purchase directly from steam is my preferred way.

Digital for the last 20 years.