First of all, let’s talk about definitions. The “cheap” game itself means almost nothing. The modern gambling and gaming industry has a lot of surprises here. You can find some free slots no download — but will they be cheap? You can spend a ton of money on every slot without any guarantee of winning. Reel machines are games of chance. They never sell pure entertainment.
When talking about big and so-called AAA titles – there can not be something for a discount price. Development budgets are rocketing to the sky. The last God of War title cost its creators more than $300 million. It is heavier than almost any superheroic hit on the big screen. But why can’t a copy of a big game cost a fistful of dollars, like in the movie theater? Because Marvel’s blockbuster has 3 hours of content, and the newest Call of Duty game has a single campaign with a length of at least about 6-8 hours. In the Western world, this means a price of %60 and more.
But can we find some cheap titles on a PC? Well, yes. Even big ones. Steam regularly makes huge season sales. You can buy a lot of beloved titles for the price of a hot dog. Though, these attractions of generosity are not for daily gamer activity. But a lot of game lovers desperately wait for it every season of holidays.
Let’s see how to play a lot without big cash. The chart is not about the distinct titles only. Sometimes it will be about different behavior on the market. Some of the games can never reach this chart. Among them there are:
- all the games with valuable booster packs, like FIFA. To have a legendary football team, you need to spend hundreds of dollars;
- so-called looter-shooters with premium content. The idem mechanics are going there: elite guns, specific skins, etc;
- Japanese gacha games. A pure lottery, when one can never win a prize during the entire life;
- any variant of commercial and unbalanced MMORPG.
And now we have to talk about cheap games for fun.
Destiny and Destiny 2
Technically, it still is a “triple-A” online shooter with donations and a lot of additional content. Bungie Studio sells its creation at a complex price. But there is some trick. The latest versions for hardcore gamers are, of course, expensive. At the same time, there is a model where you will pay significantly less. The very first seasons are free.
Also, Destiny is almost perfectly balanced. With free seasons players, of course, will have a small part of the content. But these parts have tens of hours of content and require the same set of skills. Every old and new planet, base, or arena has a truly gorgeous design. The franchise is highly recommended. When you obtain first bounties – the next step would be to purchase more relevant episodes.
FIFA Online 4
It is the new version of online football tournaments. But wait! Can we play in this game without enormous payments? Yes! It is not a classic FIFA-making for moneymakers. The registration is completely free, and you can compete with all the professional sports gamblers without a doubt.
Of course, the donation system here is the same. The drastic difference is an absence of start payments. There are no additional “premium” editions or some luxury packs that are necessary to play. You can buy a virtual copy of Maradona for big money – and still can have him just accidentally, via the gambling process.
Magic the Gathering: Arena
It is a cult classic with significant updates. In the real world, a proper elite MTG deck for champions will cost you thousands of dollars. Or… the rookie can polish skills absolutely free, without any sign of obstruction or additional paywalls. You can win The strongest cards in the Arena freely. The easiest way is still donations.
Why is MTG: Arena cheap? Because it’s like chess. Your skills are your success. A big streak of victories here is about the strategy, not money. Cards are not playing automatically – people run all the mind games.
Humble Bundle
Technically, this is not a game but a way to obtain it. The Humble Bundle event is a good initiative. It is a massive charity auction where people decide what price to pay for a dedicated title. A small part of the cash is for the developers, and the rest will go for the needed fellow men around the world.
Yearly, dozens of exciting games present themselves via Humble Bundle. They are too cheap and usually have big souls. If you want to support indie developers – the next annual event is waiting for you.
World of Tanks
A session action MMO game that makes skills important. There is grind and farming here, but they are not necessities. An average battle is only about 5-7 minutes, so the player can’t be extremely tired of the sessions.
The other side of the WOT franchise is the global map, clone wars, etc. For these activities, the clans recruit experienced tank guys. Donations and pre-paid premium machines are welcome. But the main branches are free and will always be.
Terraria and other Roguelikes
For a couple of dollars, you can obtain a whole new world. Most of the roguelike games and dungeon crawlers have a price, but the number of new features is enormous. An average randomized game has hundreds of gameplay hours, thousands of items. Terraria is very well balanced and made for months of fun.
This class of games is the best when the player calculates the length of the game per one dollar. The graphics are, though, pretty modest. But these titles are often very stylish.