Seeing how the prices of the most recent AAA games go up, sometimes reaching over $60, depending on where you live, you may want to start looking for some more affordable alternatives.

Thankfully, the gaming industry is not only about high-budget titles from the major development studios; we’ve got countless smaller independent developers who’ll charge you only a fraction of what you’d pay for a new AAA game, and this price may go even lower if you manage to find it at a discount.

You can find on G2A.COM: Cheap Indie Games

It’s important to realize that indie games are not really inferior to bigger titles.

Sure, you’ll probably see some corner cutting here and there, the visual style may be simpler (you will see pixel art and low-poly 3D more often), and so on, but these games can still be incredibly fun and addictive and may offer a one-of-a-kind experience you wouldn’t want to miss.

So, here’s a short list of some amazing indie games for cheap you may be interested in checking out.

Prices are accurate at the time of writing but may change due to promotions, regional differences, or exchange rate fluctuations
GameReleaseGenresPriceVideo
Celeste 2018-01-25 Adventure $3.75
Super Meat Boy 2010-11-30 Indie $4.99
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator 2019-04-01 Indie $4.48
SUPERHOT 2016-02-25 Action & Shooter $3.99
Terraria 2011-05-16 Adventure $3.38
Forager 2019-04-18 Adventure
GRIS 2018-12-13 Adventure $3.07
Viscera Cleanup Detail 2015-10-23 Indie $2.88
Hotline Miami 2012-10-23 Adventure $2.87
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number 2015-03-10 Action & Shooter $2.69
Hello Neighbor 2017-12-08 Adventure $1.95
Broforce 2015-10-15 Adventure $2.98
Drug Dealer Simulator 2020-04-16 Simulation $3.26
FTL - Faster Than Light 2012-09-14 Adventure $4.09
Children of Morta 2019-09-01 Adventure $2.26

Celeste

Release date:2018-01-25
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Extremely OK Games

A beautiful, touching story about a young Madeline’s inner struggles and the difficulties of life.

Celeste is a pixel art platform game where you’ll be playing as Madeline, a young woman who decides to climb the titular Celeste Mountain in hopes of overcoming her anxiety and depression. As her journey continues, she must deal with her inner demons that will try to discourage her from achieving success and it’s up to you to help her reach the summit.

As a platformer, Celeste offers a satisfying experience that stands out due to its pretty pixel art style and smooth controls that were considered by some the best in the genre.

Key features
  • A highly polished platformer with vivid colors
  • Challenging boss fights
  • Smooth and responsive controls
  • Adorable pixel art visuals

Shovel Knight

Release date:2014-06-26
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Yacht Club Games

Another great, low-spec platformer that will run on virtually anything.

Shovel Knight is a platform game that brings old NES console games to mind, thanks to its retro visuals as well as music and sounds. The development team did an outstanding job trying to capture the spirit and atmosphere of classic games we used to play over three decades ago – you could easily mistake it for a genuine retro game from the NES era.

As a platform game, Shovel Knight will put your reflex to the test. The fluid movement and responsive controls help with maintaining accuracy – your character will land exactly where you want it to be, which will come in handy when trying to jump over certain obstacles or reach a thin, far-away platform.

Key features
  • Challenging but fair difficulty level
  • Unpredictable boss encounters
  • Interesting upgrades that may affect how you play the game
  • Retro pixel art style

Papers, Please

Release date:2013-08-08
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Lucas Pope

Who would’ve thought that becoming a border-crossing immigration officer could be so fun?

Papers, Please is an incredibly simple puzzle game at its core, yet it was made in such a way that it’s difficult to stop once you start playing. Your primary job is to either allow or deny people access to the glorious country of Arstotzka based on the documents they’ll show you. You will have to carefully check if their papers are valid and meet all the specific requirements – only then they be allowed to enter.

As the game progresses, new rules will be introduced, making your job increasingly more difficult, as you will have to pay attention to more details. It’s an excellent example of a “spot the difference” game and it has extremely low system requirements, making it an especially great choice for notebooks with low-end hardware or other low-end systems in general.

Key features
  • Simple but surprisingly fun gameplay based on observation skills
  • Moral choices and a multitude of endings to discover
  • Unique atmosphere influenced by the 1982 Eastern Bloc
  • Can be easily played in short sessions

Conclusion

You don’t need to spend a fortune to have a great time playing video games. There are plenty of amazing indie titles from independent developers to choose from, available for an affordable price.

Give them a try and you may end up realizing that the gaming industry is not necessarily about big AAA games from major studios and there are countless smaller jewels to appreciate.