It’s no secret that video games are likely going to cost more in 2026. It’s already been confirmed that some AAA games, like The Outer Worlds 2, will be priced at $80 when they come out. It’s ironic that a game that satirizes corporate greed should be the first official title with a higher price, but here we are.
However, another trend has quietly emerged over the past few months: Many great AA games are being released for $50 or less. A lot of these titles are currently on sale, too, so you can pick them up even cheaper right now.
As an avid gamer, I’ve found a lot more affordable titles that are well worth your consideration. One is even the top contender for Game of the Year. And who knows, maybe one of them will end up being your new favorite game.
The best games for $50 or less right now
- Claire Obscur: Expedition 33
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
- Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
- FBC Firebreak
- Elden Ring Nightreign
- Helldivers 2
- Alan Wake II
The best games for $50 or less
It’s hard to express just how good this game is. Sandfall Interactive’s Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 feels as impactful and genre-defining as ground-breaking Japanese-style roleplaying games before it, like Final Fantasy.
It mixes classic turn-based combat with real-time action gameplay, giving the combat a new yet familiar feel. The story pulls you in right from the start with its melancholy tone and gorgeous French setting, and the cast of characters will no doubt be forever etched into video game history, like the members of FF7’s Avalanche.
From the storytelling to the music to the acting, it’s a near-perfect game and shouldn’t be missed. It’s no wonder many expect it to win game of the year. There’s even a story-mode setting, so if you’re not a gamer, you don’t need to miss out. Sandfall Interactive proves you don’t need to be a massive studio to create a fantastic game. And best of all, Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 is only $50.
Genre: JRPG
Number of players: Single player
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was the first game I sank over 200 hours into. It’s what ignited my love of roleplaying games. And though I have only a measly 100 hours in the remake (so far), I can still confirm it’s well worth the $50 price tag.
The Shivering Isles DLC still holds the No. 1 spot on my list of favorite downloadable content, and both the Shivering Isles and Tamriel look and feel even better now that they’ve been rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5. In other words: Cheese, for everyone!
Genre: RPG
Number of players: Single player
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
A newcomer to “scrolls-like” games, Tainted Grail has all the right ingredients. It takes place in Arthurian legend. The fabled King Arthur has already died, long ago, but not before he established a new capital for humankind on the island of Avalon. However, a Wyrdness has since settled on the island, and it’s your job to sort it out, with some unexpected help.
Though it’s a little rough around the edges — my time with the game has included a number of bugs and crashes — it has really solid bones, and the team behind it is actively working on patching things.
The magic system, itemization and world building are all good. You can really tell Questline has a love for games like Oblivion. I happily paid the $45 to support the studio, and I’m excited to see how it continues to iterate and improve on the game as development continues.
Genre: RPG, first- or third-person
Number of players: Single player
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
In FBC Fire Break, you play as a member of an elite special unit tasked with ending a paranormal takeover of the Bureau of Control’s headquarters, a location that might be familiar to some players. You and several others have to go in and clear out the Hist using specialized tools and weapons.
It’s a new shooter from Remedy Entertainment, the developer behind Control, Quantum Break and the Alan Wake series. The game currently has “mixed” reviews on Steam, but it’s fun to play with friends, CNET Senior Reporter David Lumb wrote in his review of the game. And the X-Files, Twilight Zone vibe of Remedy’s connected universe is worth experiencing, especially for $40.
Genre: First-person shooter
Number of players: 1-3 players
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: Elden Ring is one of the best games ever made. And though this iteration of the classic Souls game may not be my own personal cup of tea, by most accounts it’s another great entry by FromSoftware.
It’s really a blending of three genres: battle royale, roguelike and soulslike. You drop into a reimagined Limgrave as one of eight playable characters, solo or with two others, and you scavenge items to create your build. And at the end of each night, you take on a boss from across FromSoft’s storied menagerie. At the end of the third and final night, you’ll have to test your mettle against the Nightlord to claim victory.
Genre: Battle royale, roguelike and soulslike
Number of players: 1 or 3 players
Platform: PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
The next instalment in Hangar 13’s Mafia series isn’t out yet, but it’s looking promising. This time, Hangar 13 is turning back the clock to 1900s Sicily, where you’ll be put in the shoes of Enzo Favara as he rises through the ranks of the Torrisi crime family.
I’ve played all the other Mafia games, and whereas Mafia 3 stumbled with its open-world format, Mafia: The Old Country brings the series back to its more linear, story-driven roots. Pick this one up when it hits stores on Aug. 8, 2025, for $50.
Genre: Third-person action
Number of players: Single player
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
I can’t write a list of great inexpensive games without including Helldivers 2. It’s one of my favorites, especially to play with friends. When you’re seconds away from extracting off an alien planet, surrounded on all sides by thousands of bugs, with fire, lasers and missiles raining from the sky and your friends in your ear cheering you on or yelling at you for inadvertently blowing them to bits, it’s a rush, to say the least.
As a Helldiver, it’s your job to spread “managed democracy” across the universe, ending the threat posed by giant bugs, the voteless zombie Illuminate, and cold, terminator-like robots.
You’re just fodder in Super Earth’s endless wars, but until your inevitable demise, you’ll have all its weaponry — including massive, orbital lasers; automated turrets; and destructive napalm strikes — at your disposal to obliterate its enemies.
Genre: Third-person shooter
Number of players: 1-4 players
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S (starting 8/26/25), PC
Although this game is typically more expensive, I think it’s worth mentioning for two reasons: one, it’s still less than $80, and two, it’s really cool. It’s also on sale right now across all platforms for $24, down from its standard $60 price.
Alan Wake II continues the story of (wait for it) Alan Wake, (spoiler warning for anyone who hasn’t finished the first game), a horror writer who we last saw trapped in an alternate reality called the Dark Place. It looks great, the story is interesting, and it really nails a weird, Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks vibe. I’ll be playing through this one again once Halloween rolls around.
Genre: Third-person horror
Number of players: Single player
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
