The Most Affordable Video Games To Buy Right Now

The worst kept secret of gaming is how expensive this addicting hobby is. With everything so expensive these days, it feels like a guilty pleasure to purchase a new game when there are bills to pay and other more important financial responsibilities to attend to. 

I have good news! Not every great game has to be $69.99. And you also don’t have to buy a $499.99 Nintendo Switch 2 to spend a night relaxing and experiencing a fantastic platformer or a daring adventure. These are the best titles that are required for anyone who claims to be a gamer, and you won’t even have to take out a second credit card to add them to your library.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Price: $19.99

One of the most anticipated sequels of all time, Hollow Knight: Silksong lived up to every ounce of hype after its eight-year wait. The game is one of the definitive Metroidvania experiences you can have on any console, from Switch to Steam and everything in between. The controls are fluid, the maps are more diverse than in the first game, and Team Cherry maintained the same melancholy of Hollow Knight to boot. The first game is only $14.99, so you can actually buy both in the franchise for a measly $35.00!

Stardew Valley 

Price: $14.99

The simulation game genre can be a dangerously addictive one, and Stardew Valley is one of the defining examples of it. This mighty classic sees you take on the role of a rural farmer who can do anything from fishing to raising a family. If you love The Sims or Animal Crossing and haven’t played it yet … well, I’d be pretty shocked. 

Is This Seat Taken?

Price: $9.99

One of the newest games on this list, Is This Seat Taken? takes what should be a dull concept and makes it relaxing, mentally stimulating, and thoroughly satisfying. This puzzler tasks players with creating a seating chart for a group of needy patrons in restaurants, buses, weddings, movie theaters, and more. 

Axiom Verge

Price: $19.99

Another Metroidvania that is actually overshadowed in the field of legendary genre classics, Axiom Verge doesn’t play around when paying tribute to its inspirations. The game is 99% Super Metroid, plain and simple. Retro graphics and awesome weapon power ups give it an exquisite mix of past and present styles. 

Cuphead

Price: $19.99

Cuphead is the ultimate masochistic gaming experience. With graphics that emulate early 20th century cartoons and even a level that draws comparisons to a famous cat and mouse cartoon show from our childhoods, the game tries to distract you from its immense difficulty with some of the best artistic expression in the last decade. 

Chicory: A Colorful Tale

Price: $19.99

Chicory: A Colorful Tale is indie gaming at its purest. The game plays like a 2D Zelda but with a paint brush and coloring book aesthetic that differentiates it from Nintendo’s legendary adventure franchise. A poignant story and well-written characters round out this gem. 

Untitled Goose Game

Price: $19.99

Untitled Goose Game is the rare video game that will make you laugh. Controlling a rebellious goose in a village full of annoyed citizens, the viral hit is also replete with solid gameplay and controls as you make life a living hell for poor, innocent townsfolk. It’s great to finally see what makes being a goose so great! The only issue with realism is the lack of a button that lets you take a dump in the middle of a walkway. 

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo

Price: $19.99

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a mashup of several different top-down adventure themes, but you’ll once again find the most similarities to The Legend of Zelda. The graphics and weaponry slant more towards The Minish Cap or the original Link’s Awakening, so Millenials who loved their Game Boys will appreciate this. 

Celeste 

Price: $19.99

Celeste’s platforming prowess has been written about ad nauseum, but its themes and characterization are what deserve to be praised even more, especially for an indie game at this price point. The main character is hinted to be transgender and her journey to the top of the game’s mountain is a literal and symbolic climb that signifies just how arduous, yet rewarding it can be to accept yourself regardless of society’s detractors. 

Pizza Tower 

Price: $19.99

Is Pizza Tower really as much like Wario Land as people say it is? Not really, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still one of the best action platform games you can buy. A much faster, less puzzle-heavy take on its inspiration makes it stand out from the crowd. If you really want an indie game much more like Wario’s series, try Antonblast also for $19.99.

Cocoon

Price: $24.99

Made by the development team that created Inside, Cocoon is a science-fiction-adjacent puzzle adventure that warps your sense of environment while exploring. Space and time are used in unique ways as one world’s exit might just be another’s entrance. It’s not as difficult to understand as I’m making it sound, but it’s truly a rare type of genre-blending that you can only find on the indie scene. 

BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! 

Price: $9.99

Every game in the BoxBoy series is relaxing puzzling, but the most recent one has co-op and lots of extras to incentivize playing it first. An environmental puzzle platformer at heart, BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! provides cutesy characters and requires lots of brainpower to overcome its hundreds of levels. 

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