The Steam Winter Sale 2019 is finally live. Lots of discounts are sure to bring the holiday cheer all around. In last year’s Steam Winter Sale, I ended up spending less than $100 on several games. I followed up by spending $50 during the Summer Sale. I may have accidentally purchased Assassin’s Creed games during Thanksgiving, forgetting that I already had them on Uplay, but that’s a story for another time.
As is tradition, it’s time for another Steam Winter Sale spending spree. My wallet becomes a little thinner, but the Noche Buena, Media Noche, and every get-together with family and friends make me plumper. What’s not to love?
Note: Just to be clear here, I’m from the Philippines. The Steam store currency is in Philippine pesos and games are cheaper thanks to regional pricing. The current exchange rate is $1 = ₱50.75, and I plan on spending around $100 (roughly ₱5,000).
Steam Winter Sale 2019 – Awesome discounts and deals
The above is a screengrab from Steam’s store page before logging on. As such, you’ll see some deals for games that I already owned. X-COM 2 and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire are just under $10. Middle Earth: Shadow of War is under $6 and the definitive edition is $7.88. As for Warhammer: Vermintide 2, it’s just a little over $3.
There were also other amazing deals such as the enhanced editions for The Witcher and The Witcher II: Assassins of Kings. Due to regional pricing, these titles were just around $1 to $1.50. The entire trilogy bundled together would set a Filipino gamer back by around $7.23. If you want The Witcher 3‘s season pass, it costs less than $5. Alternatively, you could just opt to grab The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition for around $10.
So, why am I making note of these? Well, that’s because The Witcher series is now available on Netflix. If you’re more of a dark fantasy fan but you haven’t tried out some of the games yet, then now would be a good time to purchase them at a discount (or at least gift them, if possible, to a friend).
Speaking of video game franchises with Hollywood adaptations, Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition almost confused me. The bundle shows multiple content that’s included. It seems that it applies to the base game plus DLC. This is even though the definitive edition (which has all the DLC) already replaced the base game. Long story short, just purchase the definitive edition since it has everything. Don’t mind the bundle.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is only $10 via Steam’s Philippine store, though I already grabbed it beforehand via Humble Choice for December 2019.
Holiday Sales: Steam versus Epic
Moving on, I also took a look at a couple of games I wanted to buy: Red Dead Redemption 2 and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Steven Wong quite liked the remastered Rockstar title set in the wild west. Tim McDonald, meanwhile, found more flaws in Fallen Order.
The question, though, was whether I’d get these offerings on Steam or Epic. Both launchers have them, and even Epic has its own Holiday Sale. Of course, I would much prefer all my games to be in one library just to make everything more manageable. For now, though, I just compared the prices:
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order = $50.70 on Steam; $19.91 on Epic. (That’s quite a disparity.)
- Red Dead Redemption 2 = $36.26 on Steam; $35.99 on Epic.
Epic already has regional pricing for the Philippines, although Steam has infinitely more games in its storefront. In a head-to-head bout assuming both stores have the same games, I’d make my purchases on Steam. But, there’s one additional hook for Epic’s Holiday Sale: the $10 coupon.
You can redeem your first $10 coupon from the get-go. Purchasing any game that costs above $15 nets you another coupon. You can keep doing this over and over. If I use the initial coupon, Red Dead Redemption 2 would cost a decent $25.99. The coupon I’d receive after making that purchase, meanwhile, would make Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order cost a measly $9.91.
The final haul
I digress since Fallen Order and Red Dead Redemption 2 are purchases outside of Steam’s storefront. Going back to Steam’s Winter Sale 2019, I had to make do with just a ₱5,000 budget. I could spend more, sure, but I’d prefer a bit of caution.
I still need to buy lots of gifts for Christmas, and I don’t think my friends and relatives would appreciate random digital goods. Who am I kidding? I’d probably log back in a couple of days to purchase more titles that’d cram my backlog.
Anyway, this is my (current) haul for the Steam Winter Sale 2019:
Pathfinder: Kingmaker Explorer Edition ($6.55) – I genuinely don’t remember anyone playing Pathfinder tabletop games in hobby shops in Manila. That being said, I ended up getting the tabletop rulebooks via Humble Bundle months ago, and I’m keen on playing this CRPG. If I enjoy the base game, I’ll probably take a look at the DLCs during the Steam Spring Sale.
Far Cry 5 Gold Edition + Far Cry New Dawn Deluxe Edition bundle ($26) – The bundle contains two of the latest Far Cry titles and all the DLCs.
Europa Universalis IV: Empire Bundle ($3.99) – This is solely for the Dharma expansion, the only one I didn’t have yet. Separately, Dharma would cost $4.43, but I’m feeling thrifty so I’d like to save on a few cents.
Disco Elysium ($13.08) – Tim McDonald died to a ceiling fan within three minutes. It’s one helluva quirky and dark game, so I’m grabbing it.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night ($11.45) – Andrew Farrell liked Koji Igarashi’s “Metroidvania” offering, and we also have a guides and features hub for it.
Doom and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus bundle ($14.57) – As heretical as it sounds (coming from someone who plays shooters often), I haven’t played these games outside of short trials. In the case of Doom (2016), I was even waiting for a significant price drop.
Dark Souls III: Deluxe Edition ($17.24) – I enjoy playing FromSoft’s “Soulsborne” games. Oftentimes, I already have them on a PlayStation, only grabbing PC versions once they go on sale. Dark Souls III is the only exception since it’s the only Souls game that I skipped.
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster ($7.49) – This is probably the only purchase that made me think twice. Although I’ve played both games when they originally released for the PS2, I never quite enjoyed them (not as much as their PS1 counterparts or FFXII). But, hey, the games should scratch that early-2000s JRPG itch.
All in all, that’s a grand total of ₱5,093.92 or $100.37. For the festivity tokens’ $5 discount coupon, I ended up using it to purchase GRIS for free. Not bad. Thanks, Valve!
That’s my quick spending spree in Steam’s Winter Sale 2019. Anyway, head over to Valve’s storefront now to check out thousands of other deals.
