If rising hardware prices and $80 software weren’t enough proof that gaming’s getting pricier, the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Mario Kart World price tags should seal it.
But you don’t need a high-end console or premium release to have a good time. Dig into the indie scene, and you’ll find a stack of great games that cost next to nothing.
Every title here costs $20 or less, and many drop even lower during sales. Better yet, they run on just about anything; some barely need a GPU at all, and those that do only ask for hardware from nearly a decade ago.
Editor’s note: All of the games on this list are traditional “Web2” games without crypto or blockchain integrations. But you might enjoy ’em anyway!
Ball x Pit
($15 on Steam, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox)
Ball x Pit is a peanut-butter-in-my-chocolate type of situation, combining two flavors we never would have guessed could work so well together: Vampire Survivors and Arkanoid.
In this game, you select one of a number of characters—there are quite a few—to venture down into the titular pit to gather resources and defeat bosses.
Your character takes the place of the paddle that would typically bounce back balls and instead launches those balls at the wall of enemies.
There are a number of different enchantments to score, and you can fuse two enchantments into something bigger, or evolve them into some pretty wild final forms.
You’ll then take the resources back to your town at the top of the pit and add new buildings to give you buffs and unlock new characters.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
($20 on Steam, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox)
Hollow Knight doesn’t require much introduction. Silksong hit in September and immediately started gathering game-of-the-year buzz—despite a long seven-year wait that can often leave impatient fans looking elsewhere for their kicks.
Silksong is, at its most basic, more Hollow Knight. As Hornet, you’ll be traversing caverns, unlocking abilities, and beating bosses.
But you’ll be doing it with top-tier background and character art, excellent music, and great level and boss design.
Despelote
($15 on Steam, PS5, PS4, Xbox)
Where the first two games on this list are addictive timesinks, Despelote wants just a few hours of your time to tell you a memorable story.
In 2001, Ecuador had qualified for the World Cup for the first time, and football (or soccer, if you prefer) took the nation by storm.
In Despelote, you’re Julian, an eight-year-old boy, kicking his ball around and exploring your town through his young perspective through a semi-autobiographical story from the game’s developer.
Luto
($20 on Steam, PS5, Xbox)
In this psychological horror game, you’re stuck in your own home, and the more you explore it, the less it looks like your home.
Luto picks up the reins from Hideo Kojima’s P.T. demo and does its own thing with it, exploring themes of loss and depression through strange, beautiful, and frightening environments.
Megabonk
($10 on Steam)
Megabonk is a survival-like game, but the conceit here is that it’s fully 3D—literally adding a new dimension to gameplay.
Visually, the aesthetic feels like a late 90s MMO. It’s a Survivors game, complete with self-firing weapons, but height comes into play constantly, both in terms of guns and buffs.
It’s a new approach to this nascent genre, and it’s worth checking out, especially at this price point.
No, I’m Not a Human
($15 on Steam)
In a post-apocalyptic world where going outside while the sun is up will burn you to a crisp, the only answer is to stay inside. You’re surviving. But as a survivor, people come to your home, asking for help, asking to be let in.
Some of them are really other survivors; others are Visitors. No, I’m Not a Human is a horror-themed take on the mechanics of Papers, Please—keep your eyes open for details before deciding to let someone in.
Letting the wrong one in can be fatal. The paranoia of this constant vigilance, along with the game’s incredible, unsettling art, makes this a horror game worth checking out.
Nubby’s Number Factory
($5 on Steam)
One look at Nubby’s Number Factory, and you’ll be able to tell immediately whether it’s for you or not.
It reminds me of the mini-game packs you could buy for Windows 95 and 98 back in the day—the look is bright and straightforward, and it’s all on a grid.
You and Nubby are working at the number factory, and you have to meet your quotas, or the sun will blow up.
To meet your quota, you’ll fire gray balls at a grid of numbers, and those numbers will explode and combine to make bigger and bigger numbers. It’s fun, and there’s a demo.
Peak
($5 on Steam)
Who knew the best climbing game yet would be in the form of a goofy, janky game like Peak?
Nothing about Peak is realistic—you’re a bunch of colorful, round little guys in increasingly silly costumes trying to climb a mountain made of nonsensically-connected biomes, to make it to the peak so that you can be rescued.
You start on the beach, but you might go to a jungle or an old-growth forest, and then to a desert or a frigid cliff face.
Along the way, you’ll avoid exploding spores that will send you off the mountain, fungus zombies, tornadoes, and many other obstacles. And yet, it’s the most realistic climbing game at capturing the unpredictability of the whole venture.
Climbing is dangerous, and a good climb can turn deadly with a gust of wind or a sudden storm. Peak recreates all of that without sacrificing the humor of getting thrown off the mountain by a geyser or the excitement of reaching the peak after a harrowing journey.
The Séance of Blake Manor
($20 on Steam)
It’s been a few good years for investigation games with titles like Case of the Golden Idol and The Roottrees are Dead, giving us plenty of ways to unfold mysteries.
The latest is The Séance of Blake Manor. Set in Ireland in 1897, you play as a detective investigating the disappearance of a woman just days before the titular séance is to be held.
You’ll explore the manor while keeping an eye on the ticking clock, trying to catch people at the right time and in the right place to get the information you need, and solving other mysteries along the way.
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