The Best PS4 Games You Can Get For Less Than $5
The PlayStation 4 is known best for its critically acclaimed exclusives. Whether you're catching up on ports from last generation such as The Last of Us or taking in new properties like Horizon: Zero Dawn, you'll find plenty to play on your PS4 that you can't find anywhere else. And along with those exclusives, you can also dive into major third-party titles such as Grand Theft Auto V, Overwatch, the Call of Duty series, and much more.
Unfortunately, these games can be expensive. High production budgets mean most big-name games retail at $60, and if you've already dropped $300 or $400 on a PlayStation system, spending even more money for games to play might seem outrageous.
And you don't have to! We've assembled a list of the best PlayStation 4 games you can buy for less than $5. Skip the Starbucks for a day and you'll have all the money you need for a brand new PS4 game. Or buy the coffee, download one of the free-to-play games on our list, and start gaming on your new PS4 at no cost. Whether you're a fan of shooters, puzzlers, or arcade classics, you're bound to find something you like in the collection below.
Fortnite: Battle Royale (free)
It would be an absolute sin to leave Fortnite: Battle Royale off our list. This stream-friendly darling has taken the world by storm, capturing the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere — and probably aggravating some teachers, to boot. And if you've recently ripped the shrink wrap off of a new PlayStation 4, it won't cost you a cent to download.
What can you look forward to in Fortnite: BR? Some hectic third-person shooting fun with a last-man-standing twist. It's essentially a more comical take on the formula that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds made famous with the addition of some crafting and fort-building mechanics. Players can run solo or squad up with teammates, and the PlayStation 4 version currently supports cross-play with PC, Mac, and iOS.
While the game is totally playable for free, we do feel obligated to mention the game's microtransactions, which include emotes, player skins, and other cosmetic items. These can add up, so if you're the type who needs to own every single dance move, it's something to keep in mind.
Smite (free)
If you've ever been intrigued by games like League of Legends or Heroes of the Storm, you'll be happy to learn that a few console MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas) exist, too. One such title is Smite, a third-person take on the genre that puts all the Gods of mythology under your control. Whether you're dropping the hammer with Thor or dispensing literal shock and awe with Zeus and his lightning bolts, Smite promises a powerfully good time. And it's totally free.
MOBAs offer a unique blend of action and strategy, and Smite, along with its above-mentioned brethren, are highly competitive eSports titles. If that's your scene, you'll quickly find a home with this title, which lets you progress and tweak your character builds to best fit your play style. If you want to skip all the tweaking, though, Smite does offer an auto-build option to streamline the process.
And for the sake of thoroughness — there are microtransactions in this title, as well. However, they're limited to skins and Gods, the latter of which can still be earned in-game for free.
Warframe (free)
If you're a Destiny player who feels the game has left some stones unturned, you might discover that Warframe scratches many of the same itches while offering a lot more customization. Warframe, like Destiny, is a shared-world shooter with both co-op and player-versus-player aspects. Both games take place in a sci-fi setting, and both put the chase for loot at the forefront of the experience. One major difference between the two titles: Destiny's major releases retail for $60. Warframe, however, costs zero dollars to download on your PlayStation 4.
Warframe also puts Destiny's main draw — getting cool, unique stuff for your character — on steroids. In Warframe, your hub is not a Tower shared with other players. It's your own personal spaceship, and inside it, you can craft new weapons and armor. Throw in monthly content updates and procedurally generated missions and raids, and Warframe could at the least be a nice filler game for when you're out of things to do in Destiny – but you may find that it becomes your new go-to shared-world shooter.
There are some microtransactions available inside Warframe that can help speed up the grind for cosmetics. But everything can eventually be obtained in-game at no cost.
Pac-Man 256 ($4.99)
Here's a fun fact: in the original Pac-Man, a glitch on Level 256 effectively prevented players from continuing the game. Players called it the "Kill Screen," and its random jumble of letters and numbers kept many from seeing just how far they could get in the game. It was an accidental finale to that original title, but in Pac-Man 256, the Level 256 glitch is an intentionally included enemy you must avoid while gobbling up dots and avoiding ghosts. And that's just one of the twists in this Pac-Man adventure.
Tons of new power-ups have also made their way into this game. Not only that, but you'll be able to play alongside three other friends in Pac-Man 256's co-op mode, ensuring you have a few extra sets of chompers to nab dots and fruit, all while staying ahead of "the glitch" that is chasing you throughout each and every level.
At just a penny under $5, this fun spin on the Pac-Man formula is worth a look.
Arcade Series: Dig Dug ($3.99)
It's quite possible you weren't even alive when Dig Dug first released in 1982, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy this arcade classic on your PlayStation 4. This port comes with support for 1080p televisions, as well as the ability to change between the older, more pixelated version and the higher-resolution version. And it only costs four bucks. How can you go wrong?
Dig Dug's premise is simple: you have to eliminate all of the enemies you see on the screen. There are a few ways you can do this. You can use your trusty harpoon to take them out face to face. You can also dig under a rock and let it fall on top of them. And if you're real clever, you can dig a tunnel and coax enemies into following you, only to drop a huge rock on several of them at a time. You can approach each level as you wish — just don't get caught.
For a retro experience that won't hurt your wallet, Dig Dug is where it's at.
Arcade Series: Galaga ($3.99)
Dig Dug isn't the only arcade title that Bandai Namco ported over to the PlayStation 4. You'll also find 1981's Galaga, an outer-space-shooter that offers the same visual upgrades as Dig Dug while still retaining the game's classic arcade feel. And unlike most of the newer games on the market, this retro treasure won't cost you an arm and a leg. It can be purchased and downloaded for four crisp dollar bills.
In Galaga, you're tasked with eliminating all of the enemy ships on the screen. The tactics of your enemies change depending on the type of ship they're flying, with some being more dangerous than others. Want to even the odds? Rescue a friendly pilot and combine your ships to double your firepower, helping you mow down more enemies more quickly. The fast-paced action in the PS4's version of Dig Dug will definitely take you back to the good old days when you played the game on an arcade cabinet. Unless you weren't born yet. Then it'll serve more as a time machine to a place you've never been before.
If you appreciate 2D shooters like Ikaruga, go back and enjoy a likely inspiration in Galaga.
Tiles ($3.99)
Looking for a puzzle game that could, quite conceivably, never run out of puzzles? Enter Tiles, a game that sounds easy but might wind up more challenging than you think. It's only $3.99 on the PlayStation Store, and if you equate a game's value to the time you spend playing it, you're bound to get a lot out of this one.
Tiles has a fairly easy to understand objective: you want to move the green tile on the board over to the red tile, all the while clearing out the blue tiles in the way. Stepping on dark blue tile clears it, so every move you make matters, and if you don't think the process through, you could find yourself starting all over. It's the type of puzzle challenge that GamePitt called "pretty frustrating and annoying (in a good way!)," so if you like your puzzles difficult, you'll be right at home with Tiles.
And should you knock out all the puzzles the base game has to offer, fear not: there's an included level editor and an entire community full of puzzle builders online. You can build your own puzzles as well as download new ones assembled by others, which means you'll always have something to do in Tiles. Just don't let the hard puzzles get to you.
North ($2.99)
One of the more visually interesting budget games in the PlayStation Store is North, a title that describes itself as part-exploration and part-puzzle-solving. You're placed into the role of a nameless man who seeks asylum in a bizarre new place. The story — and the actions you're supposed to take — are spelled out through letters you send to your sister. Reading and knowing the content of these letters will help you progress through the campaign.
GamePitt took a good hard look at this game and noted the game's "unusual aesthetic and horrifying visuals," and spoke highly of both the game's story and its writing. It's not a game that you're going to get a lot of replayability out of, and in fact, the game itself notes that it's designed to be completed in about an hour, and in one sitting. But if you have a spare $3 and you want to experience an eerie and original world, North looks capable of delivering what you're after.
Spiral Splatter ($4.99)
Spiral Splatter certainly has a fun-sounding title, doesn't it? Well, there's good news: if you enjoy wacky arcade puzzlers and the stress of a ticking clock, you might find the game itself fun, too.
In each level of Spiral Splatter, it's your job to move the ball from the start of the puzzle to its finish. Along the way, however, you'll encounter obstacles, moving terrain, and a ghost who is apparently on the hunt for your particular ball. The levels get progressively more difficult over time, and with over 100 levels ready and waiting, you could be facing quite the challenge ahead. All of the game's combined virtues — the quality of its puzzles, the amount of content, and the $5 price tag — land this game on our list. And we're not the only fans. The Loot Gaming had high praise for Spiral Splatter, with the reviewer calling it "one of the best arcade/puzzle games I've played this generation."
And again, it's only $5. If you find an extra fiver in your pocket, this game is well worth spending it on.
Minutes ($3.99)
Here's a game that keeps on giving long after you've plunked down the $4 fee for admission. Minutes is what some might call a "bullet hell shooter," which means it's your mission to dodge a borderline ridiculous amount of enemy fire and obstacles in every level. And in Minutes, you'll dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge through 60 levels before you can finally say you've defeated the game.
But even then, you're not done. Minutes also serves up a daily random level for you to take on, extending the life of this game far past the included campaign. It's a nice added bonus for those who can't get enough bullet hell, and a reminder that not every game is out to squeeze you for more money.
The team at US Gamer put Minutes through the grinder and wound up loving it, calling the game "a clever, abstract take on a bullet hell shooter that breaks the action up into very short bursts." They also said it was "challenging, fun to play and very addictive." If that isn't worth four singles, we don't know what is.
One Eyed Kutkh ($4.99)
What in the world is a Kutkh, you ask? We had the same exact question. A bit of research taught us that it's a Raven spirit, and that seems to play into what One Eyed Kutkh explains is the basis for its story — "a mix of fiction and fairy tales of the Far North." One Eyed Kutkh is itself an adventure-slash-puzzle game about a space-faring traveler who winds up marooned on a strange planet. Only by making his way through the world — and solving puzzles along the way — can the traveler make his way back home again.
Why should you pick up One Eyed Kutkh? The folks at End World Gaming reviewed the title for the PlayStation 4 and praised its story, artwork, and soundtrack, though they did wish it had lasted a bit longer than the half hour it took for a completion. Still, for $4.99, One Eyed Kutkh looks to be a unique experience worth having.