While many of the most popular games this year demand spaceship-level tech or are out of reach due to costs, you don’t need a GeForce RTX 4090 to play a handful of this year’s memorable experiences via the Steam store.
For once, we’re not suggesting you throw your wallet into a fire as a sacrifice to the Mighty Retail Lords.
In fact, you could get every title on this list for the cost of a little more than two full-price retail games. Let’s look at the best games of 2024 under $25.
Editor’s note: All of the games on this list are traditional “Web2” games without crypto or blockchain integrations. But you might enjoy ’em anyway!
Echo Point Nova ($25)
Platform: PC
Echo Point Nova is simultaneously the highest-priced game on this list and the least memorable name. However, that’s where the negatives end.
Tasked with fighting a powerful mercenary force taking over the planet you’ve landed on, the world ahead of you is enormous. Luckily, you’re blessed with some incredible traversal options.
Before long, you’ll be leaping, surfing, and grappling all over this sci-fi world, taking down massive ships and overwhelming enemy forces. Echo Point Nova feels like a PC game from a different time—it’s simple, straightforward, and a whole lot of fun.
Rise of the Golden Idol ($20)
Platforms: Android, iOS, PC, Mac, Switch, PlayStation 5/4, Xbox Series X/S + One
Something happened here. You have all of the clues right in front of you. You just have to make sense of the situation and put them together to find the right answer.
That’s the basic premise of the Golden Idol games. We’d generally recommend that you play Case of the Golden Idol (currently $18 on Steam) first, but it’s not necessary to enjoy solving the brain-teasing mysteries in The Rise of the Golden Idol.
Each level presents you with some kind of chaotic situation or its aftermath. As you click around, you’ll pick up different words, which you can then use in your handy-dandy notebook to fill in the blanks.
These games feature unique graphics and compelling mysteries that can keep any wannabe Sherlock Holmes hooked.
Tactical Breach Wizards ($20)
Platform: PC
We’re going to invent a new genre for this one: The Breach-like.
In this turn-based tactics game, you control a team of renegade tactical wizards. You’ll uncover a conspiracy using their various abilities, alone or in combination.
The gameplay reminds us of Into the Breach while still doing its own thing, and it might just be the best-written game of the year.
Dread Delusion ($20)
Platform: PC
You don’t need photoreal graphics to make a killer open-world RPG, and Dread Delusion is proof.
Borrowing a page or two from games like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Dark Souls, Dread Delusion sets you off exploring a strange, new world with a 15-30 hour campaign and a truly special sense of discovery.
If you long for the good ol’ days of PC gaming or want to get a feel for what it might’ve been like to play a game like Morrowind when it was new, Dread Delusion is a great place to start.
1000xResist ($15)
Platforms: PC, Switch
1000xRESIST is a narrative-heavy game with a heavy narrative.
You play as Watcher, whose job it is to walk her sisters through the distant memories of the Allmother. As she explores those memories, she begins to see the state of the alien-occupied world they live in differently.
The game has sharp writing, and the graphics are minimalist but visually striking. It combines light platforming and time travel with dialogue to tell a thoughtful and compelling story.
Fields of Mistria ($14)
So you’ve played 400 hours of Stardew Valley and want something new. Fields of Mistria is in early access, but it already offers lots to do and is garnering strong word of mouth from both critics and fans.
This farm-life-sim game gives you a plot of land to tend, a town to restore, and 12 potential characters to romance.
The pace of development on this early access title has us convinced that the planned features will see the light of day in good time.
Balatro ($15)
Platforms: Android, iOS, Mac, Switch, PS5/PS4, Xbox Series X/S + One
If you’re reading an article like this, then there’s a fair chance you already have Balatro. This roguelike deck-building poker-solitaire hybrid is the belle of the indie ball this year.
You start with a deck of 52 cards and work from there, adding joker cards that modify your deck.
A joker might give you $1 in spending money after each round, or provide a 5x multiplier once you’ve discarded enough cards. Many of the jokers are weird, but can become game-changers under the right circumstances.
This is the perfect example of a “just one more round, please” game, and you might accidentally lose sleep.
Mouthwashing ($13)
Platform: PC
Mouthwashing might sound like a weird dental hygiene simulator, but it is, in fact, a short and intense psychological horror game… much like a visit to the dentist.
We don’t usually just grab the official description for a game, but we don’t want to spoil this one either.
“The five crew members of the Tulpar are stranded in the empty reaches of space, shrouded in perpetual sunset. God is not watching.”
At $13 and just a few hours of gameplay, this one is enough to fill up an evening of creepy gameplay without overstaying its welcome or dinging your wallet.
Cabin Factory ($3)
Platform: PC
Set your expectations properly: This is a $3 game when it’s not on sale.
Cabin Factory has you employed by an unknown company that manufactures haunted cabins for use in places like theme parks.
Your job is to inspect each one for anomalies, like a twitching body or getting locked in a basement with a mirror that shows you as a little girl.
It has some rad vibes and good scares, and looks surprisingly good for the price. It’s a great game if you stream or you’re after a spooky evening with your friends on Discord.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
