1. Purchases Support Charities
The one thing that differentiates Humble Store from all other major game retailers is this:a portion of every purchase goes to charity.
Yup, every single purchase. Doesn’t matter if it’s a bundle, a single game, an ebook, software, or whatever else—some of that money is going to charity.
And most of the time, you can designatehow muchof your purchase goes to charity (some items even let you apportion theentire purchase amount).
Which means every game you buy is a contribution to the betterment of our world in some way, large or small. If you want to start making an impact on lives and communities beyond your own, this can be a great step forward.
Humble has contributed over $190 million to charities since its inception in 2010. The featured charity changes every month, but past charities have includedMake-A-Wish,Save the Children,American Red Cross,GamesAid, and more.
As of this writing, the featured Humble charity isGlobalGiving.
2. DRM-Free Games
DRM stands forDigital Rights Management. A game with DRM has some sort of built-in system that verifies that you actually own the game—and if the DRM check fails, you can’t play it.
While this may sound fine on paper, DRM can cause all kinds of issues and frustrations:
Which is why Humble strives to provide DRM-free copies of games whenever possible.
DRM-free games are truly yours—you can download and play them on any compatible device, you can install and re-install as many times as you want, and you don’t need to be online for DRM verification checks.
3. Frequent Sales and Deals
As of this writing, the Humble Store has 9,000+ games for purchase—and 750+ of those games are on sale. This isn’t a once-in-a-while occurence.
The Humble Store is constantly cycling through its catalog and putting games on sale, and you can grab some amazing deals if you’re watchful.
And we’re talking potential forseriousdiscounts. Right now, I see that:Civilization VI Platinum Editionis 67% off (a savings of $79.88);Bioshock: The Collectionis 80% off (a savings of $48);Total War: Warhammer IIis 66% off (a savings of $39.60).
And I didn’t even have to hunt hard for these deals. They’re right there on the Sales page, which you can sort by “Top Discounts” or “Bestselling” for convenience.
Related:How to Find the Best Video Game Deals and Sales: The Best Sites to Bookmark
4. Pay-What-You-Want Bundles
Humble offers multipleHumble Bundlesevery month. These Humble Bundles are limited-time pay-what-you-want deals (minimum price of $1) where every item in the bundle shares an overarching theme.
That said, certain items in a Humble Bundle are only included if you pay at least a certain amount.
For example, paying $1 might get you three games, paying $5 might get you seven games, and paying $11 might get you twelve games. You can see everything in the bundle beforehand, along with how much you need to pay to unlock stuff.
Humble Bundles usually have $100+ worth of goodies so you’re always getting a fantastic value.
And Humble Bundles aren’t limited to just games! You’ll find ebook bundles, comics bundles, software bundles, and other types of bundles mixed in. There’s a lot of cool stuff you can acquire for cheap.
5. Humble Choice Is a Superb Value
Humble also offers a subscription plan calledHumble Choice, which provides you with 8 to 11 curated games every month thatyou get to keep forever. Even if you end your membership in the future, all the games you’ve gotten remain yours to keep.
Humble Choice also grants access to the Humble Games Collection, which is a growing library of 90+ DRM-free games that you can download and play whenever you want. While subscribed, you also get an extra discount on any purchases made in the Humble Store.
As of this writing, Humble Choice costs $11.99 per month.There used to be several different tiers, but they were eventually simplified into a single membership plan that keeps everything simple. You can skip months whenever you want, in case you need to pause.
Learn more about Humble Choice:
All in all, Humble Choice is really good for anyone who adheres to the “patient gaming” lifestyle, since one low monthly price grants access to tons of games you may have never played before, and you can catch up without spending much. Very cost-effective.
Related:What is “patient gaming”? Explained
Humble Store Is a Win-Win
Using the Humble Store as your first source for digital games is a win-win for everyone.
The only downside is that Humble Store isn’t as all-encompassing as Steam, Amazon, or Walmart… but it’s getting there! Every year, the size of the Humble Store catalog gets bigger and bigger.
In addition to shopping on the Humble Store, the other thing that’s had a positive effect on my gaming experience is using a VPN while gaming.
If you don’t know what a VPN is, or why a VPN is useful for gaming, check out our article that explains everything:
