When it comes to acquiring free games, Steamunlocked may seem like an untapped treasure trove, but turning to piracy has significant consequences. As an avid gamer and industry expert, I strongly recommend sticking to legitimate options that are safer, provide more value, and ethically support developers. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explore superior alternatives and provide insider tips to score great game deals.
Why You Should Avoid Steamunlocked
With a library of over 80,000 cracked games, Steamunlocked is undoubtedly tempting for folks seeking the latest titles without spending a dime. But using this site or any that traffic in pirated software is illegal and hazardous.
Steamunlocked attracts over 27 million visits per month – even more than authorized digital stores like Origin or Uplay. But at what cost? [1]
Downloading from Steamunlocked risks infecting your computer with viruses, ransomware, cryptojackers, and other malware. One study found that 1 in 10 pirated game installers contains malicious code. [2]
Besides the clear legal risks, using pirated games deprives developers of hard-earned revenue. Why should teams invest years crafting innovative interactive experiences if they‘re never compensated for their creativity and effort?
As gamers, I believe we have an obligation to support this art form we love so much by paying developers to allow them to keep creating. It‘s the ethical choice.
The Hidden Costs of "Free" Pirated Games
Sure, you can download any Steamunlocked game instantly without charge. But this free lunch comes with steep hidden costs, including:
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No guarantees: Cracked games often suffer bugs, crashes, missing content, or won‘t even launch. And there‘s no customer support to help troubleshoot or fix issues.
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No updates: Forget about getting patches, expansions, DLC or any enhancements released after launch. Pirated copies remain stuck in time unable to evolve.
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No multi-player: Cracked games strictly limit you to solo single-player, cutting out a major social component.
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No ownership: Piracy offers mere temporary access, not true ownership. Your games could disappear at any time if sites get taken down.
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No achievements/tracking: Pirates miss out on collecting achievements, compiling play stats, and other platform features tied to licensed copies.
Steamunlocked may promise the world, but in reality it delivers a severely compromised and unreliable user experience compared to owning legal versions.
Safer and More Ethical Alternatives
Thankfully, it‘s totally unnecessary to take risky shortcuts when there are numerous legitimate options to acquire great games at little or no cost:
Wait for Steam Sales
Steam‘s seasonal sales have become legendary for offering jaw-dropping discounts up to 90% off popular titles. By adding desired games to your wishlist and waiting for promotions, you can build an epic library on the cheap.
Claim Epic Games Store Freebies
One of the best deals in gaming – Epic gives away premium full games for FREE every single week, no strings attached. With a little patience, you can score some real gems here.
Explore Game Pass for $10/month
For the cost of a couple lattes per month, Xbox Game Pass provides unlimited access to over 200 downloadable games. And they add brand new titles on launch day!
Take Advantage of Giveaways
Many studios generously give away older games to promote sequels or cultivate fan goodwill. Follow developers on social media for announcements about free game promotions.
Enjoy F2P Titles
Some of the most popular online games like Fortnite and Genshin Impact offer tons of enjoyment without any upfront payment. F2P games are perfectly playable free of charge.
This is just a sample of the many safe, cheap or free options available with a little effort and patience. Never feel tempted to turn to shady pirate sites!
How Steamunlocked and Other Piracy Sites Operate
To understand why legal alternatives are vastly preferable, it helps to look under the hood at how sites like Steamunlocked work and profit using unfair means:
- They host and distribute cracked/pirated game files uploaded anonymously by "scene" release groups. This breaks copyright and facilitates theft.
- The games require bypassing and dismantling anti-piracy protections added by developers to verify ownership.
- Mass distributing pirated media for free denies developers rightful earnings from their work and intellectual property.
- To profit from piracy, the sites plaster pages with affiliate marketing links and ads, and sometimes bundle malware installers.
- Users‘ computers often end up conscripted into cryptojacking botnets that mine cryptocurrency coins using background processing power.
- Sites rely on abusing brand recognition of legit platforms like Steam to misleadingly appear associated or authorized.
Make no mistake – these sites operate via unethical means while parasitically leeching value from the industry.
Why We Should Rethink Game Piracy
Between the availability of cheap games and free-to-play models, there‘s no need to turn to piracy anymore. We should support developers so they can cover costs, earn fair wages, and keep investing in future projects.
Consider the human impact. A single pirated sale represents an artist not getting their rightfully earned compensation for creativity that uplifted you. Small teams suffer the most from lost royalties.
We all love games. Let‘s show it by rewarding developers for their passion projects that bring us joy and entertainment. Paying a fair price ensures we keep getting amazing interactive experiences for years to come.
Closing Thoughts
With so many legitimate and ethical options available, Steamunlocked and piracy simply aren‘t worth the trouble. Protect yourself and support creators by purchasing games when possible, claiming free offers, and leveraging sales and deals.
I hope these insights help explain why legal alternatives provide a vastly better user experience and allow us to participate in a flourishing gaming industry. Game on safely!
Sources
[1] https://www.similarweb.com/website/steamunlocked.net[2] https://www.malwarebytes.com/resources/files/2021-State-of-Malware-Report.pdf
