Take a look at some of the best cheap games to buy right now that will lead to a lot of gaming fun at below $20.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Not a lot of games explore the distant future like how Horizon Zero Dawn did. Guerilla Games’ latest Sony first-party title is set in an Earth that’s been overrun by dinosaur-like machines, with much of humanity now living in separate tribes, afraid of the very same technology that it once wielded like it was nothing. In Zero Dawn, players get to play as Aloy. An outcast from her very birth due to her strange connection with the robots Aloy sets out to explore the incredible lush but dangerous alternate Earth to understand who she really is and what her role is in all of it. However, as amazing as the story of Zero Dawn is, it sometimes takes a backseat to the gameplay. As Aloy, you’ll have to traverse a world that’s full of creatures and unkind humans who will stop at nothing to put your head on the proverbial pike. Along the way, you’ll find unlikely allies. You’ll also be able to tame and even ride some of the said creatures. Either way, to survive, you’ll have to make use of every weapon at your disposal. At $20 ($19.99, to be exact), there’s a lot of value to be had from Zero Dawn, especially since it often goes on sale for way, way less. If you have a PlayStation and you’ve been loving Sony’s AAA titles, Zero Dawn should be in your library if it already isn’t. If nothing else, playing the first game should help prepare you to follow the story of its sequel, Forbidden West, better.
Knockout City
Knockout City is Velan Studios’ high-octane version of everybody’s favorite childhood game, dodgeball. In this team-based multiplayer title, you partake in what is essentially a souped-up dodgeball game. However, unlike your standard middle-school gymnastic sport, Knockout City makes dodgeball more fun because of its mix of simple controls and deceptive gameplay depth born out of the numerous strategies, as well as tactics, that you can employ all in the hopes of being able to successfully throw a ball at your opponents. The fresh and well-executed multiplayer delivers on all levels, giving it the sort of potential to be turned into the next esport title if Velan Studios and EA play their cards right. As a bonus, Knockout City comes free with EA Play Pro.
Cuphead
Cuphead lets you take control of either Cuphead and/or Mugman as you hunt down those who are indebted to the Devil, just like yourself. The entire premise of Cuphead might sound dark, and it is. However, you wouldn’t think much of it unless you really delve deeper. Cuphead cleverly hides its macabre story with the aesthetics of a 1930s cartoon that makes it one of the more unique games out there on the market. Just don’t get fooled by the cute hand-drawn graphics. You’ll find yourself having to throw your controller at your wall more often than not as you restart each level just as you’re about to defeat a boss, because, well, that’s just the kind of game that Cuphead is. If it’s any consolation, Cuphead will run well on a $500 gaming PC and is often quite cheap, leaving you a lot of money to buy an extra controller (or two).
Bloodborne
Bloodborne is one of the best Sony first-party titles ever released. It’s also one of the more affordable ones. Even though your $20 is enough only for the base game, there’s still a lot of value to Bloodborne without its expansion. Besides, don’t even think about buying the DLC if you’re having trouble finishing the fantasy-horror action-adventure title from the makers of Dark Souls. What makes Bloodborne so unique is that you essentially shape your own story and character. Your states and in-game decisions make an impact on how the game turns out. Regardless of what you do, you’ll find yourself always having to contend with a grotesque abomination that’s so indescribable that you’re better off just slicing it in half. Dark secrets and mysterious pasts await you as you explore the cursed streets of Yharnam. Just be careful, an enemy is lurking in every corner. To make matters worse, each one is just as difficult as another and death means saying goodbye to all your hard-earned currency. This makes nearly every encounter a test of your wits and reflexes. If you find yourself bored or too good for the single-player campaign, Bloodborne lets you invade or be invaded by other players online. You can also try your hands on the Chalice Dungeons, which mixes old and new enemies.
Batman: Arkham City
All Arkham games are available for under $20 and the trilogy compilation also often sells for just as much if not less. Either way, all the Arkham games by Rocksteady Studios are well worth buying at their respective price points and are widely considered as strong contenders for the best superhero games ever made, so you’re getting a steal. With that said, of the three Arkham games, Arkham City is the easiest sell. Picture this: you’re Batman and you’re basically in charge of wrangling up all the crazy inmates that escaped from the Arkham Asylum. With an environment that’s a lot larger than that of Arkham Asylum and smaller but more detailed than that of Arkham Knight, Arkham City is where Rocksteady’s Arkham games peaked and, boy, was it fun to play. What makes Arkham City such a fun game is that it really makes you feel like you are Batman. It makes the stealth aspect challenging and rewarding, which is something that a lot of open-world games seem to fail miserably at. Yet, at the same time, it stays true to its open-world setting, allowing you to play however you want to.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom is the last Metal Gear game (no, Metal Gear Survive was a failed effort to piggyback on the series’ popularity) and it’s also the first Metal Gear game ever. This makes it a pretty interesting game in a series that’s full of fascinating games with gripping storylines. But, even though The Phantom Pain’s story was arguably its weakest point, its gameplay and graphics were probably the best in the franchise. As the first open-world Metal Gear title, The Phantom Pain gave players tons of liberty in how they wanted to tackle every mission at hand. Do you want to stealthily work your way through a base full of soldiers? Sure. Do you want to bring a tank to a knife fight? Why not. Do you want to go the other way around and use a literal knife to bring down tanks? Well, technically, you can’t, but the game does give you a lot of creative ways to handle tanks. Despite the cut content, The Phantom Pain was a masterclass in stealth and action gameplay. It’s just a bonus that it can be had for less than $20.
Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition
The problem with a game that spawns an entire genre is that it births several copycats that just don’t measure up. Hollow Knight is a good example of a copycat. Yet, if it were to have been released before the original Super Metroid and Castlevania games, one could make a case that we’d be calling them Hollow-likes instead. One of the best Kickstarter games ever released, Hollow Knight was an ambitious title that managed to exceed its loftiest goals. Although the $14.99 price tag has been a constant for Hollow Knight since Team Cherry released it, the studio has expanded on the game over the years, adding dozens of hours worth of content for free just because they could. Right now, Hollow Knight is oozing with content, giving you far more things to do than you’d expect and endless replay value, both because of its multiple endings and also because it’s just such a good game to play. With Silksong expected to come soon, now is as good of a time to try out Hollow Knight.
Hades
While Hades is admittedly a bit more expensive than $20, it’s a slight premium well worth paying for as you play as Zagreus, the son of Hades and prince of the underworld, who wants to try and escape his father’s domain to find out more about who he is and where his mother is. Hades might sound like a game you’ve played before because it’s a roguelike dungeon crawler, but it does just enough to switch up the formula. Case in point, dying doesn’t necessarily let you start from a checkpoint. You literally start from the very beginning. However, you’re not starting over from scratch, you’ll be carrying all of your character upgrades and weapons with you, so every death is another chance to go even further. It also doesn’t hurt that Supergiant Games cleverly made use of the entirety of the Greek pantheon to tell a gripping story of family drama sprinkled with a couple of laughs.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
Sony might not be a huge fan of backwards compatibility, but it has done its fair share of remasters. Its best yet has to be Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. Composed of the first three Uncharted titles, The Nathan Drake Collection lets diehard fans relive the fun of the older Uncharted games and introduces it to a brand new audience. Although not everything about the Uncharted games in the past has aged well, The Nathan Drake Collection still is a terrific trilogy with stellar action set pieces, agreeable characters, and level designs that are even better than most modern titles.
Minecraft Dungeons
Minecraft isn’t exactly right up everyone’s alley. Some people think that there’s too much freedom in Minecraft that it ends up with just you running around and building stuff. Sure, that’s the basic premise of Minecraft, but others simply just don’t have the time to get creative and make their own fun. Speaking of fun, if your definition of an enjoyable time is hunting treasures and slaying monsters, then you might want to give Minecraft Dungeons a try. Minecraft Dungeons is basically the demon lovechild of Diablo and Minecraft, giving players familiar enemies to battle, a ton of weapons and upgrades to loot, as well as abilities to use to fight off monsters, all the while giving them an option to play with three other players in some surprisingly fun four-player co-op gameplay. If nothing else, Minecraft Dungeons is a great family-friendly way to introduce dungeon crawlers to your kids.
