It’s Christmas time and whether you’re the type to set up lights outside the front of your house or you’re more the ‘bah humbug’ kind, you’ll still be counting the pennies. Needless to say, it is an expensive time of the year, but you are likely to find a lot of time needing to be killed. So you’re probably going to want a game and you’ll need it to be cheap because the mulled wine does not pay for itself, even if the payment really ought to be in the form of the inevitable sigh as you realise it doesn’t taste that great. Here are our top cheap PC games to enjoy on a budget.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Game of the Year Edition)
UK Price: £11.40, via Amazon
US Price: $24.75, via Amazon
What is there to say about The Witcher 3 that hasn’t already been said? Nothing, literally nothing. A fantastic adventure that won the hearts and minds of everyone and even did the difficult task of making a game transfer well into the realm of TV. If you’re one of the few people who haven’t played this game, then this will quite comfortably last you into Spring. If you’re going for the base game, then Steam has it at a measly £6.24, which is just begging for you to buy it before never playing it and completely forgetting that you even own it.
2. Outriders
UK Price: £22.36, via Amazon
US Price: $TBC, via Amazon
It would be somewhat odd to leave out the game that served this exact purpose for this writer last year. Outriders is a really solid title, it has great gunplay, an interesting enough story and a game that works well for a co-op experience with other people. Yes, it isn’t a title that will last in the hearts and minds of gamers for all eternity, but it is a solid and fun title to play over Christmas. It is worth a shot, especially if you have a friend that also has time to kill.
3. Deathloop
UK Price: £19.11, via Amazon
US Price: $24.37, via Amazon
Around this time of year, it is impossible to ignore online stores, as much as you may miss the high street shop, the discounts available are often staggering. This current offer is no slouch with a huge discount on a game that, alongside Returnal, set critics into a frenzy, quickly earning an 88 on Metacritic. Widely praised for its storytelling in a time loop scenario this is a cheap way to see if you agree with writers about a critically beloved game. Around this time of year, it is impossible – sorry this writer couldn’t resist.
4. Monster Hunter Rise
UK Price:£32.98, via Amazon
US Price: $39.99, via Amazon
If downloads cannot be ignored then it seems outright naive to leave out the king of stores that have weirdly great discounts. With the announcement of Monster Hunter Wilds at The Game Awards, this is a fine price to catch up on the latest mainline entry. This series has earned its place in the upper echelon of gaming now and it fought hard for that spot. It is easy to recommend and frankly, at this price, this is a genuine – we’re not being paid to include these games by anyone but we’re open to offers – steal and one of the best cheap PC games available now.
Speaking of The Game Awards and Monster Hunter, you should check out our list of six great and four not-so-shocking reveals from the recent presentation.