Introduction

PC video gaming has been around almost as long as the existence of PCs. While earlier games were smaller in size, the graphical and computational advances have increased their size and complexity vastly. Initially, games were distributed on floppy disks. With the popularity of CD-ROMs, CDs became the preferred mode of game distribution.

However, with the increasing game sizes, DVDs overtook CDs as the preferred mode. As the games started crossing 50 and even 100 gigabytes in size, even DVDs proved to be small. Hence, game studios started providing the option to download the games directly to the gaming system. Downloading games has become a very easy task nowadays, thanks to the intuitive user interfaces and the availability of cheaper high-speed internet.

In this article, we will be discussing the common modes of downloading games onto a laptop.

Table Of Contents

Microsoft Store

With the introduction of the Microsoft Store with Windows 10, downloading software and games has become very easy for the average user. The Microsoft Store is home to millions of software and games, with more being added frequently. There are both paid and free games on this store and you can check the minimum specifications to verify whether it will run on your system.

Following are the steps to download any game from the Microsoft Store:

1. Open Microsoft Store and search for your favourite game.

2. Select your game from the search results.

3. If it is a paid game, you will have to make the payment by clicking on the ‘Buy’ button. The game will take you through the payment process and once it is complete, you can start downloading it.

4. On the other hand, if it is a free game, then you can click on the ‘Get’ button. The game will start downloading right away.

5. Once the game has finished downloading, it will install on its own and the same ‘Get’ or ‘Buy’ button will change to ‘Play’, which can be clicked to start the game.

Game Launcher

If the game is unavailable on the Microsoft Store, the next best option is to download the game via the game publisher’s game launcher application. While Steam is the most famous game launcher, there are other popular launchers available, such as Epic Launcher, Origin, GOG, etc., which makes it easier for gamers to download and install games.

Following are the general steps to download and install games from game launchers.

1. Search the game that you wish to download on Google and check from which publisher is launching it online, and whether it is available on any launcher.

2. Visit the launcher’s website and download the launcher from it.

3. Install the launcher on your laptop by following the setup process.

4. Open the launcher and ‘Sign Up’ for the free account. You may have to verify your email ID while signing up, to enable you to buy and download games using the game launcher.

5. Once the sign-up and email verification are complete, open the launcher, sign in, and search for the game in the launcher itself.

6. Once you find the game, open the game’s store page, and click on the ‘Buy’ or ‘Download’ button. If it is a free game, it will start downloading, else, it will redirect to the payment page. Once you finish the payment, the game will be downloaded to your laptop.

7. The game will download and install itself without any input from your side.

8. Once it is installed, go to your ‘Library’ section and click on the ‘Play’ button to start playing the game.

Game Publisher’s Website

There are some games even now, which are available only on the game publisher’s website. Alternatively, you can also find some games which are available both via game launchers and via their official website. Many game publishers such as EA, Ubisoft, Square Enix, etc. provide their games to directly download from their websites. While downloading games this way may not be as easy as using the Windows Store or launcher, it is surely secure and a legitimate way of downloading games.

To securely download games from the publisher’s website, you can follow the steps below:

1. Search for your favourite game online and visit the game publisher’s website.

2. You will find the link to sign up or create an account on the website’s home page.

3. Search for your game on the website and visit the game’s download page.

4. Click on the ‘Buy Now’ button and you will be asked to choose the game version and enter your payment details into the website.

5. Once the details are entered, the publisher will deduct the game’s price from your account and the download link will be available for you. Some publishers send the download link directly to the email ID linked with your account.

6. Simply click on the download link and the game’s setup file will be downloaded to your system.

7. Open the setup file and follow the prompts to select the game installation destination and your game will be installed in the specified directory.

Conclusion

To conclude, downloading a game nowadays is a simplified process. Depending on the availability of the game at either the publisher’s website, game launcher or the Microsoft Store, downloading games has become child’s play. Hence, you can simply select the game that you wish to play, check online on which platform it is available, which is usually visible on the game publisher’s website, and visit the same platform to download and start playing it in no time.