10 Best Cheap Games to Play on Steam Deck

While Steam offers discounts often, sometimes those can be unpredictable and easy to miss. And if you want to stuff your Steam Deck with verified, enjoyable games, you may need to cash out a bit more. Or do you? 

I browsed the Steam store and found ten amazing, fun, verified games that you can get for $15 or less. Some of them offer hours of gameplay, while some offer only a few. Some are older titles, some new. But whichever games you pick, you’re guaranteed to have tons of fun at a low price. 

1. Minami Lane

Minami Lane is a short, sweet game that you can get for only 4,99€ on your Steam Deck. It has only about 4 hours of gameplay but it’s perfect for when you need something brief and relaxing. 

There are two modes — mission and sandbox. In the mission mode, you get missions you need to complete and sets of goals to reach. In the sandbox mode, you can play to your heart’s content, with or without limitations. 

The point of the game is to build a street and shops on the street that will make both young and old people happy. This means you have to adjust the prices and offerings.

Minami Lane is inspired by the Japanese kawaii aesthetic and all of the shops you can build are wholesome and cute. Check out my full review here. 

2. Stardew Valley

If you want a game that will keep you entertained for days (maybe months?), Stardew Valley is the perfect choice. It’s perpetually affordable at only 13.99€ and will give you more than 164 hours of gameplay. 

Stardew Valley is a farm and life sim that allows you to build your own farm, sell your crops, date NPCs (and even marry them) and more. It has a community of very loyal players who create fun mods all the time (for example, there’s a mod that allows you to add Baldur’s Gate 3 characters as date-able NPCs). 

It’s definitely great value for money and it’s one of those games you can play on and off for years without getting bored. 

3. Terraria

Terraria is a 2D indie game that costs only 9,75€ but will give you so many hours of gameplay. It’s fun and exciting, fantastic for people who love survival games. The worlds inside are randomly generated and require you to build and explore while simultaneously surviving dangerous feats.

I’ve seen many people with more than 400 hours in the game and it’s lauded as one of the best titles in the genre. So, give Terraria a try and enjoy!

4. Phasmophobia

If you’re on the hunt for a cheap game you can play with your friends online, this is the best choice. Phasmophobia costs only 11,59€ and allows you to play with up to four friends. It’s psychological horror, so it’s a great choice for groups (who doesn’t love getting scared with friends?). 

Your team plays as a group of paranormal investigators that explore haunted houses and buildings. You need to gather evidence and use your ghost-hunting tools to prove paranormal beings are real. 

5. Hollow Knight

If you’re looking for something challenging, I recommend playing Hollow Knight. It’s a beautifully designed game with a well-thought-out world and a soundtrack to keep you going through all the boss fights (where you’ll eventually lose). 

For more details, check out our full review here. 

6. Vampire Survivors

Vampire Survivors is a casual, 2D (very retro) time-survival game. You are meant to fight and survive until eventually, something kills you — but in the meantime, you can collect gems and resources to help you stay alive longer the next time. 

It’s a fun, interesting game with a surprising amount of lore too. See my full review here. 

7. Portal 2

This is the sequel to Portal (which you can get at the same price), and it comes with tons of new areas to explore. It also brings a fun new cast of characters and a co-op mode with its own story and challenges. 

While this game is a bit older, it’s still well-worth playing so give it a try. 

8. PayDay 2

This is another slightly older title that works on Steam Deck and has a low price. You can rob banks, work with shady politicians and dangerous drug lords and just overall enjoy a good (fictional) crime spree. 

Plus, you can play with up to four friends which makes the whole thing even more entertaining. 

9. Gris

If you’re looking for an artistic, beautifully done game, Gris is your best bet. Yes, it cuts it really close to $15 but it offers frequent discounts and so I would recommend waiting for those. But it’s well worth it even at its regular price, especially if you like atmospheric, story-rich games. 

10. Dishonored

If you’re on the hunt for an immersive single-player, first-person experience (at a low price), you won’t get better than Dishonored 2. Hunt your enemies under the cover of darkness, use creative weapons and gadgets to get them, enjoy your supernatural abilities, and more. Have fun playing!