In this article, we will try to answer the question “Is Humble Bundle legit?”. If there is one thing gamers love, it’s a bargain. Well, The Humble Bundle is the epitome of value in gaming. In short, the Humble Bundle is a series of games that have been packaged together and are available at different price ranges. Usually, for as little as a $1 donation, you will get your hands on two or three rather prestigious games. Then there will be a mid-tier, offering some more games if you clear a certain donation threshold. And then there is a premium range that offers the most valuable package provided you donate enough to qualify.
The Humble Bundle is a philanthropic business model that offers games to gamers and a portion of the proceeds raised going to a selected charity each month. This platform has also morphed into a digital storefront akin to that of Steam or the Epic Games Store in recent years thanks to the success of this bundle format. This service is also a publishing house and sells e-books and other software alongside video games.
Is Humble Bundle Legit?
Yes, Humble Bundle is absolutely legit. They have been fully transparent since their launch in 2010, beginning life as a simple fortnightly bundle full of indie games. However, in the last decade, they have become a respected retailer, Publishing house, have managed to become official partners with such companies as Capcom, 2K, Sega, Gearbox, and THQ Nordic, they have accumulated a customer base of over 12 million and donated just shy of $200 million to a multitude of charities around the globe. So, in short, this is a company that you can trust.
Why Should I Use Humble Bundle?
While many other retailers may be able to offer more variety than Humble Bundle, there is one thing that Humble Bundle tends to provide trumping other retailers time and time again. That is superior value for the customer. This retailer offers deals on top-tier games that simply cannot be rivaled by many other outlets. They offer flexible subscriptions that allow you to choose exactly what you get and when it comes to procuring games for their bundles, HB are experts in analyzing trends within the gaming industry and picking titles that fans will love.
For example, with the recent boom that Roguelike games have had in recent months, it was a no-brainer that HB would offer a roguelike bundle and so they did. Additionally, thanks to the larger stature of the company in 2021, the service now offers multiple bundles at once, meaning that there will always be something that tickles your fancy.
How do the Donations To Charities Work at Humble Bundle?
You may be wondering how the donation system works within Humble Bundle. Well, in terms of paying for the games on offer, it is rather simple. If you clear the different tiers, you will be given the various games on offer at those price ranges. However, if you want to donate more, you absolutely can. You have complete freedom to adjust where your money goes and you can control this through the various sliders shown in the payment options.
By default, the cash will be split with 60% going to the developers of the game, 15% will go to the charity listed, 15% will go to Humble Partners (an affiliate program) and 15% will go to the Humble Tip. However, you can chop and change this as you see fit with no penalty for doing so.
We will point out that some bundles will vary and there is a minimum that each slider will have to be set at to ensure that all parties receive at least a portion of the proceeds. So if you simply want to donate to a charity, this is not the way to go about it. However, if you want to support a wide variety of different entities linked to Humble Bundle, then this is absolutely the best way to do so. Also, one of the best ways to make sure maximum proceeds go to the developers of your favorite games.
How Can Humble Bundle Offer Such Great Offers?
Humble Bundle have spent a long time cultivating a wide list of contacts that support and endorse their format. This began in 2010 when this company would reach out to indie developers asking them to sell codes at a lower price with the promise of potential for fans to pay over the odds and the caveat of supporting charity. However, since then, the company had been subject to exponential growth. This has allowed them to affiliate themselves with some of the largest companies in the industry like the aforementioned 2K or Capcom to name a few.
These companies can afford to package these games in the game of charity and as a result, Humble Bundle can deliver some of the best prices within the gaming industry thanks to this. It’s also worth noting that the publisher can draw attention to an older title, meaning they can get old IPs back into the spotlight and make them relevant again. Plus, they can mark off the charitable donation which is a bonus for the publisher. In short, everyone wins from this arrangement, including the customer.
What Offers Are Available At Humble Bundle?
We could go into great detail about every single bundle and game available on this online storefront. Unfortunately we haven’t got the time. So in the spirit of being succinct, we will break it down into three categories. Here are the three main services that Humble Bundle provide:
The Humble Bundle:
The Humble Bundle is the flagship product that HB offers. This allows players to buy well-respected games within the industry at cut-throat prices and donate to charity in the process. The player will be able to choose from one of three tiers. Each of them will award the player progressively more lucrative bundles depending on what they are willing to donate. However, even if you are scraped for cash, don’t worry! The lowest tier tends to be nothing more than $1.
At the time of writing Humble Bundle are offering five different game bundles. Plus, these bundles include books and software, of which there are eight and three bundles, respectively. It’s also worth noting that these bundles are only available for a limited period of time. When they are gone, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever see them again. So be sure to act fast and claim any bundle you like the look of.
The Humble Choice:
Next, you have the Humble Choice. That is the Humble Bundle’s very own subscription service that allows the player to claim games to keep, play games in a library for as long as they renew the subscription, and gain access to several perks that make buying games even cheaper. Humble Bundle curate up to twelve games for you every month. You will own them forever even after you cancel or pause your subscription. Plus, you gain access to the Humble Trove, a library of games that are available for as long as you keep the subscription running. Then lastly, the customer gains up to a 20% discount on all items listed in the Humble Store.
Price range and different levels of this subscription
Premium: (£8.69) – This is a limited-time offer that is live at the time of writing. While the usual price is £15.99, the cost is significantly lower right now and the deal is much tastier. Instead of nine games, the player gets an extra three a month, taking the total to 12 games a month. Plus, the player gets 20% off in the Humble Store and full access to the Humble Trove.
Basic: (£12) – You would be a fool to take this offer right now, this is usually the slightly more affordable package. Players will receive perks like access to the Humble Trove and a slightly lesser discount in the Humble Store of 10%. Then with regards to the curated games, customers will get three games per month through this package. Not that appealing considering the current price of premium. But it can be the better option for those that are pickier about the games they play. You will have the choice of 12 games but will only get three.
Lite: Then lastly, you have lite which costs £3.99 a month. This package allows you to play any game within the Humble Trove for the duration of your subscription, plus you get a 10% discount on all Humble Store purchases.
It is also worth noting that there is a secret fourth option called Humble Classic. It consistently offers 10 games per month. However, this service is only available for those who were signed up for Humble Monthly, a similar service that then transitioned to become Humble choice as we know it today. We guess it pays to be a loyal customer from the get-go.
The Humble Store:
Then last on the list of products we have the Humble Store. This is the traditional digital storefront where players can purchase games, often at lower prices than other retailers such as Steam, CD Keys, and the like. You will often see deals that are up to 90% off the usual retail price. If you are subscribed to Humble Choice you can knock the price down even further. This store has its limitations and codes for the newest and popular games won’t always be available. However, in terms of value, this store is hard to beat.
What Alternatives to Humble Bundle are There?
As we mentioned above, the Humble Bundle is a service that is cheaper than most. But also limited in scope due to the parameters of its format. If you are looking for a direct alternative to the Humble Store, we would say that Steam, The Epic Game Store, CDKeys, GOG, and G2A are your best options.
Alternatively, if you are looking for a game subscription service to rival Humble Choice, Xbox Game Pass is currently the champion of this field. Then you have the likes of Stadia, Battle.Net, EA Play, and PlayStation Now. They offer admittedly lesser but still viable options.
Then if you want to find somewhere that offers a bundle that will rival HB, we are sad to inform you that you probably won’t find many. However, some companies try to compete with HB in this field. Companies such as Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, Indie Gala, and GamerGate offer respectable bundles. But in all truth, none can match the quality and scope of Humble Bundle.
Stay Humble
In conclusion, Humble Bundle is a legit service that allows you to support your favorite developers. Allows you to donate hefty chunks of change to deserving charities. It is a gaming service that provides a variety of different ways to purchase and consume content, with the flexibility to suit all types of gamers. Plus, in terms of sheer value for money, arguably no other gaming retailer can compete with Humble Bundle.
Ten years ago, Humble Bundle revolutionized the PC gaming market, standing up for the little man, making gaming accessible for all gamers regardless of economic background, and gave indie titles a platform to grown and thrive. Ten years on, that hasn’t changed. We expect Humble Bundle to be a shimmering light in a sea of capitalist greed within the industry. If you stay humble, you don’t have to get humble.
So that is our guide giving you all the information you could ever need on the Humble Bundle? What did you make of this guide? Did you use Humble Bundle back in the day? Do you think that this is the most value-for-money service within the context of PC gaming? What do you think the future holds for HB? Let us know in the comments section below and as always, thank you for reading.
I am currently working as a Gaming journalist. I have published a number of successful articles that have amassed upwards of 250,000 views collectively.
I have also been able to carry out a number of interviews with various big industry names, work on maintaining databases, wrote scripts, carried out voiceovers and have been blessed with being able to work and produce content for some of the biggest creators on various platforms.