Fanatical - are its cheap Steam keys legit?

While Steam dominates the games marketplace for PC, there's no shortage of other online-only retailers that provide keys for Valve's storefront, like Epic Games, GOG, and more. Fanatical is one of these retailers, and with discounts that are typically lower than Steam, it's easy to see why some customers are suspicious. Fortunately, we're here to tell you everything about the retailer, and whether you can trust buying from it (spoiler: it's legit).

If you're looking to find the best PC games at cheaper prices, chances are that Fanatical has popped up in your search results. Well, the United Kingdom-based retailer offers plenty of Steam titles at great prices worldwide, and here's what you need to know before you buy those keys from them.

Is it safe to buy games from Fanatical?

Yes, it's completely safe to buy games from Fanatical. In fact, unlike many marketplaces that use third-party sellers, Fanatical is completely reliable, much like Steam or Humble Bundle. You simply buy a game from the Fanatical store, get your code, and then redeem it - there are no hidden fees or the risk of having a broken key.

Fanatical works with a huge variety of publishers and developers in order to sell keys on its storefront, and not only does it sell those upcoming PC games you're looking to buy, but it also sells bundles of books. I've personally bought games from Fanatical for the past four years, and use it to buy titles more than any other retailer, Steam included.

Are Fanatical bundles worth it?

Fanatical's bundles are well worth the price, as in almost all cases, they make individual games cheaper than Steam's lowest ever price for each title. These bundles vary in price, and Fanatical's Build Your Own Bundles let you pick which games you want from each pack, meaning you don't have to worry about paying for games you either already have or aren't interested in. There's a threshold you'll need to pass if you want to get the largest discount, but you still get a reasonable saving even if you only get one or two games.

Alternatively, the retailer regularly sells 'Mystery Bundles', random Steam keys at cheap prices that usually give you the chance to get prizes or triple-A games at a fraction of the cost. For instance, the Mystery Box Bundle typically gives you one key per $1, ranging up to 25 keys for $15.99, and you have a chance to get Steam Deck consoles or boxes full of games worth over $1,000.

How to save money and get cheap games with Fanatical

Any time there's a Steam sale, there's a decent chance that Fanatical is going to do one too, and while each game differs depending on publishers and developers, most are cheaper than buying directly through Valve's storefront. As such, keeping an eye on Fanatical can net you savings on your wanted titles. There's even a handy Chrome extension that tells you if you're looking at a game on Steam that is cheaper on Fanatical.

Alternatively, you can always wait for their coveted Star Deals to get access to huge savings. These are time and key-limited sales that see some games drop to way below their usual price, often with discounts of 60% or more. You can even get $19.99 games for just 10% of the price, simply by checking every day for the latest Star Deal.

By connecting your Steam account to your Fanatical account, you can also keep track of which games are already in your library, so you don't need to worry about accidentally buying a game you already own. Hey, it's happened to all of us, I promise.

How does Fanatical undercut Steam's prices?

The simple answer is that Fanatical takes a smaller profit, but this allows them to position at an under-Steam price, which benefits publishers, Fanatical, and you. Fanatical buys keys from publishers at a lower than retail rate, and sells them directly to you, while Steam has to pay for servers, consistent updates to its software, and more.

How to redeem your Fanatical keys on Steam

Once you've bought your game or bundle, the process is fairly straightforward, allowing you to add your Fanatical purchases to your Steam library with ease.

• Go to your Fanatical orders page
• Find your purchase and press activate
• Redeem the key on your Steam account

After that, it's the simple process of downloading your new games to your PC (or Steam Deck). It's no different from buying your games on the Steam store once you've redeemed them, and you can get achievements, play with friends, and more, as you typically would.

So, overall, there's no need to worry about Fanatical - it's a completely legitimate retailer that's proving you and countless other players the games you want at great discounts. What's not to love?