In a move to make it easier to buy games you love watching play, it’s now possible to actually buy games on Twitch. The social video platform now offers viewers the chance to buy PC games and related in-game content directly.
Developers will be able to make valuable offers directly to those fans watching their games being played on Switch, and any partnered streamers may even earn up to 5% from a sale made via their channel pages.
Twitch is sweetening the deal by offering anyone who buys a game or in-game item valued at $4.99/£4.99 or more via the service a free Twitch Crate, which will get you a randomised drop of customised swag. That could include exclusive emotes, chat badges and Bits for Cheering.
Twitch is running a Twitch Creates Gear Giveaway promotion too, where anyone who gets a Twitch Crate will be automatically entered into a competition to win gaming and streaming gear. There are four weekly drawings, plus a final grand prize.
To start off with, there are around 50 titles and related in-game content available to buy on Twitch. They include titles such as For Honor, Minecraft: Story Mode, Firewatch, Warframe, SMITE and Paladins.
Any games you buy can be downloaded and played via the Twitch desktop app or through existing developer or publisher-operated services like Uplay or Origin.
If gamers are able to play games using Twitch’s own desktop software, it could be that the streaming service is vying to compete with Steam on day, or other such services including GOG.com. And, to be fair, Twitch already has the user count to rival Steam. On its about page, Twitch claims it has 9.7 million daily active users, while the current daily concurrent users on Steam hovers around the 8 million mark.
To buy games from Twitch, head to the associated channel and the game detail pages now.