I’ve got mates who bounced off most full price games this year, not because they are bad, but because they ask for too much too soon. Time, patience, and a premium that assumes blind trust. My lists are the opposite of that. Below are the games that make sense now. They’ve (mostly) been patched, balanced, and priced into something honest. You know what they are, they know what they are, and the deal is finally fair on both sides. The only real maybe here is Alone in the Dark (but, hey, it’s cheap).

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This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I’m using a firebrand sword’s blazing jab to light 14 candles on a cake baked for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a promising action RPG that went the way of dodos and discos. It was a money thing. Combat had snap, spells landed with weight, and the Destiny system let you reshuffle builds without punishment. It felt flexible at a time when RPGs were still weirdly precious about commitment.

Reckoning reviewed well and found an audience, but not a big enough one to repay the ambitious EA Games loan behind it, and that reality shut down 38 Studios before sequels could turn promise into a proper series. That still stings. The recent remaster does not rewrite history, but it does preserve a game that deserved more time, more trust, and frankly, another swing.

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

– Stacking (PS3,X360) 2011.

– Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (PC,PS3,X360) 2012. Redux

– Firewatch (PC,PS4) 2016. Get

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows NS2 (-28%) – A$64.90 Stealth first Assassin’s Creed with a dual lead structure that actually matters. Still a bit bloated, but the historical detail and tighter sneaking finally feel earned at this price.
• FC 26 (-50%) – A$44.70 Annual update energy, but the on pitch tweaks are noticeable this year. Career mode still creaks, yet local multiplayer value alone justifies the discount.
• Civilization VII (-55%) – A$49.90 The rare sequel that meaningfully rethinks systems. Diplomacy is smarter, late game drags less, and yes, it will still steal your weekend.
• Red Dead Redemption (-57%) – A$29 Rockstar’s bleak western still hits, even portable. Gunplay shows its age, but the writing remains sharp enough to cut.
• Lego Jurassic World (-50%) – A$29.90 Familiar Lego comfort food with dinosaurs doing the heavy lifting. Best enjoyed co op, and best purchased when cheap.

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

• Monster Hunter Wilds (-66%) – A$39 Capcom made onboarding gentler without killing the depth. Still punishing, still brilliant, and dangerously easy to sink 100 hours into.
• Battlefield 6 (-55%) – A$49 The return to large scale chaos mostly works. Maps are better, specialists are calmer, but server roulette remains part of the experience.
• Hogwarts Legacy (-60%) – A$43.90 A theme park RPG that knows exactly what fans want. Combat surprises, side content sprawls, and the main story politely overstays.
• Metaphor ReFantazio (-48%) – A$60 Persona DNA with sharper politics and stranger systems. Dense, stylish, and not in a hurry to explain itself.
• Cyberpunk 2077 Ult. Ed. (-39%) – A$73.30 Finally feels like the game promised years ago. Still messy, but the expansion and patches make Night City worth revisiting.

Xbox One

• Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (-69%) – A$31.30 Borderlands silliness dialled up, loot grind intact. Jokes are hit and miss, shooting remains the draw.
• Dishonored 2 (-77%) – A$9.10 Still one of the best immersive sims ever made. Level design rewards patience, curiosity, and restraint.
• Persona 3 Reload (-30%) – A$69 Faithful remake energy with modern comforts. Story remains heavy, pacing remains deliberate, and the soundtrack still rules.

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

• Battlefield 6 (-55%) – A$49 Same strengths and weaknesses as my Series X write up above. Looks great, plays loud, still occasionally trips over itself.
• The Witcher 3 Comp. Ed. (-41%) – A$45.90 Writing carries this harder than ever. Combat improvements help, but it is the characters that keep it relevant.
• NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Ed. (-69%) – A$37 Strong on court, exhausting off it. MyCareer monetisation still grates, but pickup games shine.
• Star Wars Jedi Survivor (-85%) – A$16.40 Excellent traversal and confident sequel design. Performance issues linger, but the adventure lands.
• Alone in the Dark (-48%) – A$28.80 Old school survival horror vibes with modern stiffness. Atmosphere carries more than mechanics.

PS4

• Red Dead Redemption 2 (-68%) – A$29 Slow, deliberate, and emotionally exhausting in the best way. Still unmatched in world detail.
• Kingdom Hearts Melody Of Memory (-53%) – A$42.10 Rhythm spin off that exists for fans only. Story recap is odd, soundtrack is the real hook.
• It Takes Two (-80%) – A$11.90 Co op design at its most generous. Requires a willing partner, rewards you both constantly.

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

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Purchase Cheap for PC

• ASUS ROG Xbox Ally (-22%) – A$783 Expensive, powerful, and still niche. Fantastic for tinkerers, less so for plug and play types.
• Marvel’s Midnight Suns (-85%) – A$13.40 Tactical card combat done right. Social hub stuff drags, battles absolutely sing.
• OlliOlli World (-75%) – A$7.40 Pure flow state platforming. Hard, joyful, and endlessly replayable.
• XCOM 2 Col. (-78%) – A$13.40 Still the gold standard for turn based tension. Mods keep it alive, losses still hurt.
• The Typing Of The Dead Overkill (-66%) – A$8.10 Absurd, loud, and secretly great typing practice. Not subtle, not for everyone.

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

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Adam Mathew is a passionate connoisseur, a lifelong game critic, and an Aussie deals wrangler who genuinely wants to hook you up with stuff that’s worth playing (but also cheap). He plays practically everything, sometimes on YouTube.