Steam is almost everyone's go-to site when looking for new games to try out, but if you're the type of person who's itching to check out games not readily available in the mainstream market, then you should definitely check out Itch.io. You might just find something to your liking for less the amount you usually shell out.
What's good about this site is that you not only get to try out new games from "unknown" developers - who may be just as skilled as the big developers but not as well-funded - if you like the developer's game, you may donate however much you want to support it.
That's right, it's a Pay What You Want system with the developer given the option to set a minimum price. If you have just developed your first game or are experimenting on the concept of one, you can still upload portions of it to the site even when you're not yet finished with it. Developers are even given full autonomy on their game's page so they can change prices, details or even the design at any time.
An even bigger bonus for beginner developers, aside from the fact that accounts are free, is that Itch.io does not currently charge a fee from the developers. It will charge at some point - there's no definite date yet - but when it does, it will only take 10 percent of the revenue so that developers can really make the most out of their games.
As for prospective buyers, membership to Itch.io is not required with any purchase and, while many of the games come with a small price, there are still a lot which are offered for free. The downside is that you'll have to manually do the work when it comes to installation and updating because it has no automated installation system yet. But hey, if you find a gem that's worth playing for the price of a dollar, wouldn't the extra work be worth it?
Itch.io currently has an online and desktop platform.
Say hello to the itch.io app: itch https://t.co/PXC5lTnq4o #gamedev #indiegames pic.twitter.com/fQQCllKvY9
— itch.io (@itchio) December 14, 2015
