If you’re a new Steam Deck owner, then congratulations! After questioning whether the Steam Deck would be worth it for hours and hours, you took the plunge, and you now own one of the most powerful and versatile handheld gaming devices. Nice work!
But if you’re new to PC gaming, or at the very least new to Steam, there is something that you shouldn’t rush out to do now that you have your Steam Deck.
Don’t Buy Too Many Games
If you’ve just got a Steam Deck, you’ll be desperate to play some new games on it. It’s why you got your Steam Deck in the first place, right?
Oh, and look: Valve has a Steam sale on. Amazing games on sale. Cheap games. Cheap games that you actually want to play. And cheap games that you’ve already played but would love to revisit someday. Result!
Stop.
You only need to do a quick Google search to hear about impossible gaming backlogs that gamers end up with, especially those on PC. The cheap Steam sales coupled with CD key resellers selling games for a fraction of their retail price can be too tempting.
It Is an Easy Mistake To Make
When I got my first gaming PC, I was blown away by the price of games in the Steam Sales. The games were so cheap! I ended up buying 20 games for less than the price of a few on my old console.
I specifically remember picking up Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas with all of their DLC for £3.74 each. One heck of a deal! I’d already played them both, but not the DLC, so I picked them up.
I haven’t played either, and probably never will. What seemed like a good deal was actually just money wasted.
I tried chipping away at the games I had just purchased, but before I knew it, another Steam sale was upon me with even more deals. Deals on more recent games that I couldn’t afford before. So, I bought a few more. They’re only a few dollars. I’d get around to them eventually. At least, that’s what I told myself.
If you’ve just got a Steam Deck, don’t fall into the trap of being blinded by the incredible deals on offer in Steam sales.
Steam Has Sales Regularly
There is no need to snap up deals in Steam sales when they are on unless you have the time to play those games either immediately, or soon. There are large Steam Sales every quarter. In between the large sales, there are sales targeting specific gaming niches and franchises.
From the moment one Steam sale finishes, you don’t have long to wait until the next one. Many of the deals in the larger Steam sales repeat in the Steam sales that follow, sometimes with even bigger discounts on newer gamers.
Steam sales are a fantastic deal. With the countdown timers and low prices, they are also designed to convince you to part with your money immediately for games that you may never play. Don’t fall into this trap.
Only Buy the Games You’re REALLY Going To Play
I’m not saying not to buy games. That would be ridiculous – of course you want to play games on your Steam Deck. I’m also not saying to avoid Steam sales.
Be realistic and decide how many games you feel you will be able to play over the next 3 months, 6 months maximum. There is no reason to hoard more games than that, as there will be several more Steam sales before you get through them all.
If you want to replay some classics, great, buy them.
If you want to play a new AAA title, great, get it.
But be mindful of the amount of game time that you have and how many games you’re realistically going to be able to play, and buy only those. If you find that you’ve got through all of the games quicker than you thought, you can either wait for the next Steam sale or check out a third-party site for great deals all year around. You’ll never have nothing to play, but it is so easy to end up with more games than you could ever play.
Enjoy Your Steam Deck
I know that some new Steam Deck owners won’t necessarily need this article. For some people, this may seem like common sense and this article will seem like a waste of time. If you’re in that camp then, well, good. But I hope that it helps a few eager new owners from making the same mistake made by me and countless other PC gamers.
I’ve wasted more money than I care to admit amassing a ridiculous backlog that I’ve actually had to “hide” on Steam so I can focus on the games I will really be able to play – and I am not alone.
Reddit and Twitter are filled with fellow gamers who have been suckered into FOMO and snapped up far more games than they could ever play. I also see new Steam Deck owners on the Steam Deck subreddit showing off their new game purchases. I am incredibly happy for them enjoying their new purchases, but I do worry that some of them are heading down the same path that I did.
I love my Steam Deck and I am sure you will love yours too. It is a fantastic machine and you’re going to have so many amazing experiences enjoying the games that you’ve added to your collection. Have fun!
