Best Games Under $20: More Game Per Dollar Than Anything at Full Price

The best value in gaming is indie games priced at $5-20. These studios price their games fairly because they don't have $100 million marketing budgets to recoup. As an indie studio ourselves, we know firsthand that price doesn't correlate with quality — some of gaming's greatest achievements cost less than a meal.

Under $5

Vampire Survivors ($5) — the game that created the bullet heaven genre. 100+ hours of content for the price of a coffee. The vampire survivors best builds post has more.

Balatro ($15 at launch, often on sale under $5) — poker roguelike that sold millions. One of 2024's best games.

Brotato ($5) — arena survivors with deep build variety. 50+ hours easily.

Papers, Please ($5 on sale) — immigration inspector simulation. Moral complexity through bureaucracy.

$5-10

Hollow Knight ($15, frequently $7.50 on sale) — 40-60 hours of metroidvania perfection for less than a movie ticket. The single best value proposition in gaming. The games like Hollow Knight post has more.

Celeste ($10 on sale) — precision platformer with one of gaming's best stories. The games like Celeste post has more.

Undertale ($10) — three completely different routes in a game that remembers your choices across playthroughs. The games like Undertale post has more.

Hades ($10 on sale) — Game of the Year winner for the price of a sandwich. The hades best builds post has more.

Terraria ($10) — 500+ weapons, 15+ bosses, 15 years of free updates. Hundreds of hours for $10. The terraria tips post has more.

Enter the Gungeon ($7.50 on sale) — bullet-hell roguelike with hundreds of guns.

Stardew Valley ($15, often $10 on sale) — the farming sim with 100+ hours of content made by one person. The stardew valley tips post has more.

$10-15

Dead Cells ($12.50 on sale) — roguelike metroidvania with the best pixel animation in gaming. The games like Dead Cells post has more.

Slay the Spire ($12.50 on sale) — the deckbuilder roguelike that defined the genre. The slay the spire best cards post has more.

Outer Wilds ($12.50 on sale) — space exploration mystery. Unrepeatable experience.

Portal + Portal 2 Bundle (under $5 on sale) — two of the best games ever made for the price of a latte.

Katana ZERO ($10 on sale) — samurai action with time manipulation.

$15-20

Disco Elysium ($20, often $10 on sale) — the best-written game ever made.

Cuphead ($15 on sale) — hand-drawn boss-rush perfection.

Return of the Obra Dinn ($15 on sale) — deduction masterpiece.

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove ($20) — four complete campaigns in one package.

Inscryption ($10 on sale) — horror card game that goes places you don't expect.

What we make at Choost

Granny's Rampage and Granny's Gambit are indie-priced because we believe great games don't need to cost $70. Our games join the tradition of indie studios delivering disproportionate value. For more value-focused recommendations, the best short games, best free games steam, and most replayable games posts have more.

The shortest version

Best $5 ever spent: Vampire Survivors or Terraria. Best $10 ever spent: Hollow Knight or Hades. Best $15 ever spent: Disco Elysium or Outer Wilds. Best bundle: Portal 1+2 for under $5. Every game on this list delivers more quality per dollar than any AAA release at full price.