Best Games Under 20 Dollars Right Now
Balatro
(2024)91WHY IT'S HERE
Has never been expensive and drops lower still during sales. Hundreds of hours of play for the price of a sandwich, which makes it the easiest recommendation here.
Stardew Valley
(2016)91WHY IT'S HERE
A decade of free content updates on top of a permanently low price. Almost certainly the best value-per-hour purchase in the medium.
Hollow Knight
(2017)91WHY IT'S HERE
Regularly cited as the best value in its genre, and the price has barely moved since launch. Includes all four expansion packs at no extra cost.
Vampire Survivors
(2022)91WHY IT'S HERE
Priced lower than most coffees and routinely delivers more hours than games costing ten times as much. Comes with substantial free updates.
Slay the Spire
(2019)93WHY IT'S HERE
A permanent budget-tier fixture with effectively unlimited replay value. Runs on any machine, which removes the hidden cost of an upgrade.
Dead Cells
(2018)90WHY IT'S HERE
Standard price sits comfortably in this bracket and several expansions are cheap individually. One of the best action games at any price point.
Inside
(2016)92WHY IT'S HERE
Short, so the price per hour looks worse on paper. Included anyway because it is one of the few games where every single minute is essential.
Return of the Obra Dinn
(2018)95WHY IT'S HERE
Consistently affordable and completely unlike anything else. A single playthrough of eight hours, but one you will describe to people for years.
Methodology & FAQ
Selected for consistently low standard pricing rather than current discounts, since sale prices expire and regional pricing varies. Verify the live price in your own store.
Q: Are these prices guaranteed?
No, and no page can guarantee that. These games sit in the budget tier permanently rather than being on sale today, but always check your own store before buying.
Q: Why not just list whatever is on sale?
Because a sale list is out of date within days. Recommending games that are always affordable is more useful than recommending a discount you will miss.
Q: Do prices differ by region?
Considerably. Many of these are priced far lower in some regions than others, so the dollar figure in the title is a guide rather than a promise.
