Almost Free: The 20 Best Steam Games You Can Get For $1 (Or Less)

There are tons of quality games on Steam that are almost free! For less than $1 players can pick up all of these puzzle, platformer and shooter games.

Cheap games are often associated with poor quality, but Steam is a place where low prices can actually get players some entertaining titles. Some of the games are super cheap too, going as far as under a dollar. Their quality is more than most expect for just about three quarters.

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Games are known for being expensive, especially on consoles. However, PC gamers can spot these little gems. They may not have the best graphics or narrative, but they are entertaining nonetheless for their mechanics, puzzles, and gameplay.

Updated December 29, 2021, by Allison Stalberg:Part of what makes cheap games so popular is that there is a lack of risk for the buyer. Buying a game for a couple of cents and disliking it is far less painful than buying a 60 dollar game and ending up hating it. A game costing as much as a stick of gum is a great deal, even if the game turns out to not be a winner. These games are cheap mostly due to their simplicity, and gamers can be entertained for a few hours for just a couple of quarters. Cheap games can turn out to be a great investment.

Mountain

Released in 2014, Mountain boasts itself as a game where nothing matters. It has overwhelmingly positive reviews, and a lot of players have called this more of an “experience” than a game. It is a title that helps de-stress and self-reflect. For those wanting something action-packed, they should look elsewhere. The few negative reviews call Mountain more of an interactive screensaver than an actual game. It’s not for everyone, but it is definitely a hidden gem for just under a dollar.

A Trip To Yugoslavia: Director’s Cut

This game is unusual in its visual design, as it plays out like an old VHS tape that the player can rewind, pause, and fast-forward. The protagonist is Dimitri, an amateur photographer in the outskirts of a town in Yugoslavia during a mysterious conflict.

A Trip to Yugoslavia has QuickTime events, point-and-click sections, and RPG elements. The game is quite interesting and stemmed from a school project. Reviews note that the acting is poor, but the purchase is still worth it considering the low price.

Pinkman

This minimalist action platformer was met with widely positive reviews for its fast-pace, responsive controls, and solid difficulty curve. The only cons players have mentioned are the mechanics are nothing new and the game can be beaten in just two hours.

The game has 100 levels filled with deadly traps that the player has to navigate through. There are no enemies to defeat. The game is all about reflexes. On top of that, the protagonist has fart powers that he can use to traverse through the levels.

Reveal The Deep

This game comes from 2015 and takes the player to the wreck of a 19th-century steamship. It’s an exploration story where you figure out the story of the ship and its passengers as you navigate the various levels. It’s not a horror game, but the deep-sea setting is a little chilling (especially if you play with your lights out). For such a cheap game, this title has great atmosphere, sound design, and puzzles.

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The cons listed by players include a somewhat dissatisfying ending and the game can be beaten in an hour and a half. Even with those cons though, the price makes it quite the bargain.

Toadled

Toadled is about a toad that grows more and more with every little thing he eats. The player takes on the role of this toad and eats as much as they can, with 40 different kinds of enemies to consume.

The game is short, but has positive reviews for its entertainment value. Toadled can also serve as an easy 100 percent achievement title. Players also commend the game for its silly yet lovable art style.

ORION: Prelude

For the dinosaur fan, this indie sci-fi shooter is a co-op game where players take on missions and combat against dinosaur hordes. The game was released back in 2013, so there are not exactly a bunch of online strangers willing to play this game together. However, if the buyer has have a group of friends willing to play, the ORION: Prelude is quite fun.

The game has been known to have a number of bugs and clunky movements, but players tend to love the title for its chaos.

Frequent Flyer

This retro game is a shoot-em-up where the player controls a plane while surviving enemy waves. While dodging, the plane can pick up ammo and health. There are 10 unlockable planes, 10 enemies, 10 weapon bonuses, four game modes, and 20 missions the player can complete.

Reviews have called the cheap game addictive, easy to understand, and fun. While the game is mindless, it is still entertaining, allowing players to get a lot out of just 99 cents.

Zenge

This one is for the puzzle-lovers who need a relaxing game. It has gorgeous art and music, with no points to gain, tutorials, or in-game shops. It is simply just you and the puzzles. There are also over 70 puzzles to solve! That makes each puzzle basically cost one cent.

Apparently, there is a story, but it’s mostly left up to the players’ interpretation. Players take the role as someone named Eon, who is stuck between the worlds of space and time.

Planes, Bullets, And Vodka

Released in 2016, this game is the sort where players constantly try to make it to the top of leaderboards. Some players just like to play it to kill time too. It is what is known as a “Bullet Hell” game or a “Manic Shooter.” It is a shooter subgenre where you shoot as many enemies as possible while avoiding their bullets as well. Like this title, many of them take place on aircrafts.

The game can be addictive for its upgrades, coin collecting, and easy to get achievements.

CropDuster Supreme

CropDuster Supreme is a game about Buster, a man who ate Burrito Hut burritos and farts through nine areas. As silly and ridiculous as it may look, it has won the hearts of Steam players for its humor and story. The game is short, but fun, especially for the cheap price tag.

The areas the player gets to fart in include a restaurant, parking lot, gas station, airport, plane, hotel, elevator, gym — and, last but not least, a wedding.

Timberman

Addictive and cute, this game has different characters to choose from and unlockables ranging from Santa Claus to a bear. It is easy to play, but a challenge to master if you want to make it to the leaderboards. There are also a variety of environments to chop trees in. The gameplay is quite like an arcade game, as players simply chop wood and avoid branches.

For those that love button-mashing, this title definitely offers an outlet for rapidly hitting buttons.

Alpacapaca Dash

Not to be confused for Alpacapaca Double Dash, which is five dollars, Alpacapaca Dash is just 99 cents. It is a basic shooter game, where the player is an alpaca that runs, jumps, dodges, and shoots for a high score. Coins can also be collected to unlock 11 different alpacas and upgrades.

Players have enjoyed the game for its unlockables, smooth controls, and of course, the cute alpacas. For 99 cents, many buyers have gotten at least two hours’ worth of entertainment.

Hook

Another minimalist game, HOOK is a title for puzzle lovers that was released in 2015. The game is short and relaxing, and its cheap price makes sense due to its simplicity. The game does start out easy and gets progressively difficult. So if it may seem too easy in the beginning, but that won’t last. Players have mentioned the last puzzles can be pretty hard.

Like many of the other cheap games, this one is short and takes typically just one hour to beat. The games’ goal is to unhook hooks from a tangle.

Bit Blaster XL

This game is a bit of a throwback for anyone who was hanging out in arcades in the 80s. Basically, it is a retro-style space shooter.

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Like Timberman, this is an addictive game. The mechanics are simple and the goal is to replace your previous best score. Players who left positive reviews noted hoping that this game gets a sequel. They have even mentioned that despite getting all the achievements, they still play this title just for the enjoyment of it. Even expensive games don’t always have that kind of loyalty from its players.

Oik

Oik is for those that love physics puzzles.

Released in 2017, this game has over 60 levels, more than 200 achievements to hunt, and gives the player some relaxing music to accompany their gameplay experience. For those that ever played the game Zup!, Oik appears to take a lot of inspiration from that game.

Blood And Bacon

This multiplayer game has been made popular by Youtube game streamer stars like Jacksepticeye, Pewdiepie, and Markiplier. It is a shooter multiplayer where up to six (heavily armed) players fight their way through undead livestock. It can be quite bloody and gross, but that’s what happens when fighting zombie-pigs.

The game has a lot of personality too, for example, there is a boss named “Princess Blubbergut.”

Orbt XL

This simple game is another addictive title. A lot of players actually use this game as something to play while they wait for a match in a multiplayer game to queue up.

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Like others on this list, this is quite like a score-chasing arcade game. Some find Orbt XL to be too easy, but it’s still quite entertaining for its price.

The Streets of Rage And Two Of Its Sequels

Developed and published by SEGA, Streets of Rage can be a bit of a nostalgic trip for some. It was originally released in 1991 in Arcades and for the Sega Genesis. The first three games are just under a dollar on Steam. However, the fourth game was released in 2020 and is over 20 dollars.

The first three games were quite popular at their time, inspiring comics, a book, and even a movie and T.V. show. The games are beat-em-up sidescrollers. The player takes the role of ex-cop vigilantes in a fictional American city. Crime has corrupted the local government, so it’s up to the vigilantes to deal out justice.

Ubermosh

This game has a nice cyberpunk aesthetic, but the real fun is in the gameplay as players cut bullets with a sword. It’s the sort of game that gives players a shot of adrenaline within a couple of minutes. Each time it’s played, a new level is created and players need to beat their best score in 90 seconds. The background music is great, and the gameplay, while simple, can be challenging.

Bad Rats: The Rats’ Revenge

This physics puzzle game is a story where rats get revenge on cats. It is filled with bloody cartoon violence and has 44 different maps.

Many players have mentioned getting this game, thinking it will be terrible, but actually got addicted to it. However, upon reading the reviews, it is a little hard to tell who is serious and who is just joking about loving the game.

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