Best Video Games Under $20 Worth Buying in 2026
Five games from $10-$20 across PS5, Xbox, and Switch that deliver full-length experiences without a full-price tag.
* We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. Learn more.
Full-price releases at $70 have made it easy to overlook how many genuinely excellent games are available for $20 or less, either because they’ve aged into a lower price point, launched at a lower price to begin with, or regularly go on deep sale. This guide covers five picks from about $10 to $20, chosen for hours of content relative to price rather than being the newest release.
Physical versus digital pricing can differ meaningfully at this budget tier, so it’s worth checking both before buying. Physical copies of older titles often drop faster at retail than their digital storefront price, since stores need to clear shelf space, while digital versions are more likely to hit their lowest price during platform-specific sale events rather than gradually over time.
Cross-platform availability also affects price. A game available on PS5, Xbox, and Switch tends to have more competitive pricing across retailers than a platform exclusive, since retailers compete on the same title across multiple SKUs. Check whether your target game is multi-platform before assuming the listed price is the best available.
1. Hades — best roguelike value
Hades combines fast, satisfying combat with a genuinely great story that unfolds across dozens of runs, and its price has settled well below full retail on every platform it’s available on. It’s routinely cited as one of the best value-per-hour games of the last several years. Street price runs $15–$20.
2. Stardew Valley — best for dozens of hours of content
Stardew Valley remains one of the best examples of a small-team game that has been continuously updated with free content for years after release, delivering easily 40+ hours for a fraction of a full-price game’s cost. It’s available across every major platform. Expect $10–$15.
3. It Takes Two — best co-op value
It Takes Two is a purpose-built two-player co-op adventure with constantly changing gameplay mechanics across its roughly 10-12 hour campaign, and it frequently drops to this price bracket during platform sale events despite winning major game-of-the-year awards at launch. Budget $15–$20.
4. Celeste — best tight, focused platformer
Celeste is a precision platformer with a genuinely well-told story about anxiety and self-doubt layered into its level design, and its relatively short but replayable campaign makes it a strong pick for buyers who want quality over sheer hour count. Look for $10–$15.
5. A Plague Tale: Innocence — best story-driven value pick
The original A Plague Tale delivers a full narrative adventure with strong production values, and as an older entry in a now-established series it has settled into a reliable budget price point while its sequel gets the current full-price attention. Expect $12–$20.
How to get the best price
- Set a price-tracking alert on digital storefronts, since platform-specific sale events (seasonal sales, anniversary sales) are when these titles hit their true lowest price.
- Check physical retail clearance bins at Best Buy, Target, and Walmart, where older physical copies often get marked down faster than the digital price on the same platform’s storefront.
- Compare the same game’s price across PS5, Xbox, and Switch storefronts if you own more than one platform, since sale timing and depth can differ between them.
- Consider bundle listings, since retailers occasionally pair two or three older titles from the same publisher at a combined price below buying them individually.
None of these five games need a graphics-card upgrade or a day-one purchase to be worth playing — patience and a sale-tracking alert will get any of them into the $10-$20 range, often for less than a single movie ticket per game.