Choosing an online PC game in the UK, one sensible question at a time
Proxima Hub is a practical guide for adults in the United Kingdom who are weighing up an online game for a Windows or Mac computer. It deals with what comes before the download button: what an age rating actually tells you, how the game makes its money, whether it will run on the machine you own, and how to protect the account you are about to create. Most of what follows applies to any online PC game. One game, World of Warships, has its own page, and links to it are paid affiliate links. The box below sets out exactly what that means.
Six guides, and the question each one answers
Each guide stands alone. If you are starting from scratch, read them in this order.
- How to choose an online PC gameWhat should I compare before I commit any time or money to a new online game?
- Age ratings and parental controlsWhat does a PEGI label mean, and what does it leave out?
- In-game purchases explainedHow do virtual currencies, premium time and randomised items work, and how do I keep spending in check?
- Securing your game accountHow do I stop someone else taking over an account I have spent hours, or money, on?
- Will it run? Windows, Mac and LinuxIs my computer compatible, and how do I download a game installer safely?
- World of Warships: what to check firstWhat does the description we work from say about this game, and what does it leave unsaid?
Five questions to answer before you download anything
Online games are easy to start and surprisingly hard to leave. Five checks made at the start save most of the regret that comes later.
Is it rated for the person who will play it?
In the UK, video games are age-rated under the PEGI system, and the Video Standards Council Rating Board applies those ratings here. A rating covers content, not chat with strangers or pressure to spend. Look the game up on the PEGI website and read the content descriptors as well as the number. Our age ratings guide covers this properly.
How is it paid for?
Some games cost money up front. Others cost nothing to download and earn their money through optional purchases, a subscription or a premium tier. With a single price you know what you will pay. With extras sold inside the game, the total depends on your own habits. Work out which kind you are looking at before you start, not after.
Will it run on this computer?
Desktop games are written for particular operating systems. A game offered for Windows and Mac may not exist for Linux at all, and a recent game may need more graphics power than an older laptop has. The vendor's own site lists the requirements, and your computer's system information tells you what you have. Comparing the two takes five minutes. Our compatibility guide shows you where to find each figure.
Where am I getting the installer from?
Download games only from the developer's own site or from a well-known store you already trust. Unofficial mirrors and installers sent in chat are a long-standing way of spreading malicious software, and the habit that avoids them is simple: go to the source.
What am I handing over when I sign up?
Creating an account usually means giving an email address and choosing a password, and sometimes confirming the account through a link. Use a password you have not used anywhere else, and switch on two-step verification if the game offers it.
The game we link to, described plainly
World of Warships is a desktop game for Windows and Mac computers. The affiliate programme we take part in applies to new players only. The steps it counts are downloading the game, then creating and activating an account. The programme does not cover Linux, so we do not suggest it to Linux users, and we do not suggest any workaround for running it there. The description we work from does not cover price, system requirements or age rating, so we do not state them. Check them on the vendor's own site and on PEGI's before you start.
Our World of Warships page lists what is known, what is not, and the checks worth making first.
Visit the World of Warships website
Paid link. THEUMI LTD receives a commission from an affiliate network if you download the game and create and activate a new account through this link. It costs you nothing extra.
Payment models at a glance
This table describes the general ways online PC games are paid for, not any one game.
| Model | Paid before playing | Possible later spending | Worth checking |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-off purchase | The full price | Expansions, sometimes cosmetic items | Whether online features depend on servers that may be switched off |
| Subscription | The first period | Renewals until you cancel | How cancellation works and when renewal charges fall |
| No charge to download, purchases inside | Nothing | Virtual currency, items, premium time | Whether any purchases have random contents, and what spending limits your platform offers |
| Premium tier on top of a basic game | Nothing for the basic tier | Time-limited premium access | Exactly what premium adds, and whether it renews automatically |
Our in-game purchases guide goes through each model, including what UK consumer law says about digital content you pay for.
Warning signs worth knowing about
- "Free currency" or "code generator" sites. No outside website can add premium currency to a game account. These pages exist to collect logins or push downloads.
- Messages asking you to "verify" your account. If an email or in-game message links you to a login page, close it. Go to the game's site yourself and sign in from there.
- Buying, selling or sharing accounts. This usually breaks a game's terms. It can lose you the account and leaves you with no recourse if the other person takes it back.
- Installers from anywhere but the source. A file sent by another player or found on a mirror site is not the same as one from the developer, even when it has the same name.
The account security guide explains each of these and what to do if one has already caught you out.
If something goes wrong: where to turn in the UK
Problems with the game itself, such as billing, bans or lost items, go to the game's own support team first. Beyond that, these public bodies can help:
- Citizens Advice gives free guidance on consumer rights, including faulty digital content and disputed charges.
- Action Fraud is the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, fraud is reported to Police Scotland.
- The National Cyber Security Centre publishes plain guidance on passwords and phishing, and runs a service for reporting suspicious emails, which you can forward to report@phishing.gov.uk.
- The Information Commissioner's Office handles complaints about how organisations use personal data.
- Ask About Games explains age ratings and parental controls for families.
How we decide what to cover
We are open about our scope. The general guides cover questions that apply to almost any online PC game, and none of them depends on a commercial relationship. The one game we cover by name is the one game we earn a commission from, and we say so wherever it appears. We do not rank games, award scores or claim to have tested anything. When a page states a rule or a regulator's role, it links to the source so you can check it. The full method is on our about page.