Boot Up Epic Games Store or GOG
Even though Steam is down, the fun doesn’t have to stop. Epic Games Store and GOG both have games that are definitely worth sinking your teeth into to pass the downtime. Have a game or 50 of Hearthstone, which is free to play, or give Fortnite or Fall Guys a play on Epic Games Store. They’re both free-to-play, so it won’t cost you a thing either!
If you’re not a Fortnite/ Fall Guys fan, or don’t have time to install another game, you can always rely on GOG for your DRM-free gaming goodness. Simply sit back, load up a GOG game, and get playing. No signing into an account, no need to constantly be online. Or, if you haven’t bought a game there yet, GOG has a pretty good sale on at the moment that you can check out here.
Head on Over to Origin or Ubisoft Connect
If neither Blizzard or GOG’s selection of games takes your fancy, there is another option. EA and Ubisoft’s Origin and Connect services can get you right back into the action, even if most people aren’t a fan of these specialized gaming platforms.
With the likes of Battlefield 1, Watch Dogs 2, Far Cry Primal, and FIFA 17 all released this year, it’s unlikely that you’ll have any trouble finding something to pass the time. These services might not feel quite as polished as Steam, but at least you’ll be able to log in and get some gaming done while you wait for it to come back online.
Perhaps Some Console Gaming
Though this isn’t an option for everyone, it’s possibly the best way to get some gaming done if pretty much all of your PC gaming library is stuck in Steam. Whether you’ve got an Xbox Series X|S, PS5 or even the previous generation of consoles, there are plenty of exclusive titles that didn’t come to Steam which are well worth spending some time with.
Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite are the most obvious picks on the Xbox One side of things, and if you purchase these games digitally either on your PC or Xbox One, you’ll be able to digitally download it on the other thanks to Play Anywhere.
PS5 owners, on the other hand, have the likes of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Deathloop to enjoy. If you’ve got a Game Pass or PlayStation Plus subscription, you’ll have access to libraries of hundreds of free games ready for you to download, too!
Check Out Potential Purchases in the Steam Sale/ Additions to Your Wishlist
Let’s be honest, we all have a simply ridiculous amount of games in our backlog that, regardless of how much we claim “we’ll get to them eventually,” we’ll just ignore with reckless abandon and buy another 10.
Sound like you? Then why not further fuel your ravenous consumeristic appetite by looking through little indie games you might have missed, or blockbusters you decided to pass on until they were heftily discounted before you pulled the trigger and add them to your wishlist? With so many Steam Sales happening, it’s well worth adding them to your wishlist at the very least so you get notifications when they do go on sale.
Give Your PC a Spring Clean
If you can’t game on your PC, then it’s a good idea to make sure that it’s all clean, optimized, and ready to roll. Ensuring that all of your vents are clear of dust will ensure your PC can maintain a cool temperature and perform at its very best. You can also do some cable management if it’s beginning to look like Spaghetti Junction inside your rig.
Cleaning your PC shouldn’t just be a physical process, though. You’ll want to ensure that your drives are clean and tidy, too. You can use the free program CCleaner to ensure that your registry is in check and to clear up any unwanted files on your hard drive. It might not be quite as fun as playing games, but hey, it’s gotta be done at some point. Hopefully, the downtime won’t last for too long, anyway.
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