In case you missed it, the Steam Summer Sale is well underway. We’ve seen a massive amount of discounts running as per usual, including a chunky discount on The Witcher Trilogy, and a large number of games for your Steam Deck. Another thing that Steam brings to the table is many discounts that slash prices way down to just $5.

In the ‘less than $5’ category we can find some real gems – generally older hits that you may have never gotten the chance to play, but there’s the odd newer game in there too. So, we’ve crawled the Summer sales and picked out our favorite five under five dollars if you fancy a bargain, but don’t want to go too crazy.

Our top 5 games under $5 in the Steam Summer Sale

With much to choose from, it wasn’t as easy as we initially thought to condense this list down to just five titles. Either way, here’s what we’ve settled on. We’ll also throw in some honorable mentions afterward. Also, keep in mind that the Summer Sale ends on July 11th, so don’t miss out.

Watch Dogs 2

An open-world experience that builds on the success of the original Watch Dogs, this action-adventure game puts you in the shoes of Marcus Holloway, a young hacker with a ton of tools and gadgets at his disposal. You could compare it to something like GTA in terms of genre, and the 90% discount makes it a must-buy in our opinion.

Sunset Overdrive

Sunset Overdrive on Steam – $4.99

Sunset Overdrive came to Steam back in 2018 and offers a unique take on the open-world zombie survival genre. It takes place in Sunset City and offers a colorful post-apocalyptic world that combines free-flowing movement (zipping, grinding, wall running) with combat through the single-player campaign. Almost like Tony Hawk with guns and explosions.

Mortal Kombat 11

Mortal Kombat 11 on Steam – $4.99

Despite not being the very latest Mortal Kombat title, the 11th edition does actually attract more players than the newer Mortal Kombat 1 (confusing, we know), according to Steam Charts. If you’re a fan of fighting games or the MK series specifically, this is an easy choice in our eyes. Just as gory as ever and a lot of fun with friends or online.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition

Return to classic RTS with a remastered edition of Age of Empires. While we’d love to include the ever-popular AoE2 here, it doesn’t currently fall under $5 but is still worth grabbing for $9.99 if you prefer, especially as it houses a much larger player base than the original. Either way, tons of fun whether you’re a Real Time Strategy veteran or hopeful newbie.

Heavy Rain

First a PlayStation 3 exclusive back in 2010, this compelling story-telling title finally made its way to Steam in 2020. There’s even a demo available on the store if you want to try before you buy. Heavy Rain is defined as a “psychological thriller filled with innumerable twists and turns” with an interactive story that you shape as you play, with multiple endings.

Honorable mentions

With so many games dropping under the $5 mark during the Summer Sale this year, we also wanted to make some honorable mentions of those that didn’t quite make the cut:

• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• BioShock Remastered
• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
• Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty
• Lego Builder’s Journey
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Sonic Mania
• Guacamelee! 2
• Mirror’s Edge Catalyst
• Catherine Classic
• Kingdom Two Crowns
• The Escapists 2
• Halo Wars: Definitive Edition
• Mortal Kombat X
• Terraria
• Rayman Origins

I’ve only got $5 to spend, which game should I pick?

We think that all of these games are well worth it for less than five dollars. Watch Dogs 2 and Sunset Overdrive offer excellent value for money as far as content goes if you’re looking for a single-player experience, but the same could be applied to our other choices as well. Heavy Rain offers a narrative-driven experience if that’s what you’re into, while titles such as Age of Empires and Mortal Kombat 11 have replayability value, especially with multiplayer.

We’ve tried to include a diverse range of genres to choose from. Are you a fan of fighting games? MK11 is the easy choice. Want to check out old-school RTS? Then AoE is a no-brainer. Whether you go with one of our top five picks or an honorable mention, you should walk away with $5 well spent.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.