Including some timed exclusives
The well-liked chat program Discord has really taken off in recent years, and it’s hoping to leverage those good vibes as it expands into selling video games. After a limited test run, the Discord Store has launched in a beta capacity with 90-day timed-exclusive titles like Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption.
The company is pitching the store as “a curated experience for gamers akin to a local bookstore.”
For those of us with extensive game libraries on Steam, GOG, and other platforms, it’s worth highlighting the Universal Library feature. It’s essentially a convenient way to scan your computer for games and then start them right from the Discord app even if they require a separate launcher.
Discord has also altered its Nitro service. Subscriptions cost $10 per month and grant access to “over 60 curated games” with fresh additions arriving “at a regular cadence.” Titles will rotate in and out due to contracts, but if they end up leaving Nitro, you’ll still have your cloud saves with Discord.
There’s also a $5-per-month Nitro Classic with “animated avatars, ability to choose your tag (the #0000 next to your username), higher quality screen share, custom emoji anywhere, animated emoji, larger file upload limit (50mb from 8mb), and a badge to show how long you’ve been supporting us.”
So far, the Discord Store is mostly made up of indies and games sold under the THQ Nordic banner. Dead Cells, Hollow Knight, Subnautica, Frostpunk, Battle Chasers: Nightwar — that sorta stuff. As for the Nitro lineup, you can browse the current list here. It’s more of the same with classics sprinkled in.
I like Discord for voice communication and Steam and its ilk for buying games. Barring the occasional too-enticing-to-pass-up exclusives on the Discord Store, I don’t see me swapping anytime soon.
Discord Store Global Beta Is Live! [Discord]
