While we all love a good deal, cheap doesn’t always mean cheerful. Sometimes it leads you to regret it and to wish you had bought a couple of Freddo’s with your pennies. But there is also the possibility that you will find a real treasure. That’s why we decided to raid the end of the offer container of the nintendo switch Shop online for the 10 cheapest games we could find to see if low-cost titles are worth taking a chance on.
We ranked them from worst to best and weeded out the best free games (that’s another minefield entirely) and anything on sale because it seemed like cheating – the kind of games that won’t stay cheap forever! We also focused on only picking a title if it was part of a series, and our goal was to try as many different genres as possible. There are plenty of games out there that cost 89p, but are any of them worth it? The games here are the cheapest you can buy on your Switch right now.
10. Puzzle Masterpieces – Be the Cube – 89p
This is the only game on this list where I feel like I’ve been ripped off. It is a very simple puzzle game; move the pieces one by one on a canvas to form the image. That part is surprisingly satisfying, as the pieces come together to form a complete photo. However, there are only a few visuals available in this version of the game – to get a decent number of puzzles to play with, you have to pay more than you did for the base game. He feels really stingy and petty for what amounts to a set of stock photos of animals.
9. Super Meatball – Wowwow Technology – 75p
This party game is essentially what would happen if you tried to play Rocket League at the dinner table. You choose a cute car and then try to slam a meatball into the mouth of a giant shark at either end of a table. This would be a nice take on the genre if it worked and maybe had more of a dining room set up to play. Single player is just a ‘practice’ mode that has you driving with your tod, and multiplayer is no fun when the meatball gets stuck in your kart and no one can score a goal. I wish I would have spent the money on a Dairy Milk instead, I would be so much more satisfied.
8. Words with Freds – Mokuzai Studio – 89p
No, it’s not a typo, although sadly there are no Freds in this word game either, it’s just a complete copy of Wordle. Guess a five-letter word and it will tell you if you’ve guessed a correct letter, then keep guessing within six turns to find out. The only thing about this is that you are not limited to one puzzle per day, but there are no extra twists or anything of interest. If you want to pay for an infinite clone of Wordle then this is for you, but why would you when there are so many better and free versions to find online?
7. Fun Truck – Random Spin Games – 89p
Adding a laugh track and fart noises does nothing to hide the lack of hilarity in this little vehicle playground. You drive a red truck around a small arena filled with ramps and springboards while people spill out of the back and move all over the floor. This is very much a game for five-year-olds, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. A simple space with fun noises and bouncing motion with no end goal is perfect for a toddler, but if your preschool years are behind you, it’s a complete waste of your money. Save room for a Gregg’s sausage roll instead.
6. Escape Game & Card Search Game R01M – AlignmentSharp – 80p
Have you ever been stuck outside an AirBnB trying to figure out how to get your keys out of the lock box? This is so but backwards; you are trapped inside a small apartment (with questionable taste in decor) trying to get out. There are lots of little puzzles to solve that you can find the solutions by rummaging through the bookshelves and looking through the windows. Unfortunately, a lot of them are really obtuse and it doesn’t feel like you’re really figuring anything out, and while the price seems right for the experience, it’s not fun. Save up for something like The Room instead.
5. Toree 3D – Diplodocus Games – 89p
This ’90s-inspired platformer is a throwback to the days when all the animal protagonists wore sunglasses and the world was more angular. You play as a girl who jumps across rooftops collecting stars as she chases after a being that has stolen her ice cream. It starts off cute, with pink skies and smiling faces, but things turn strangely sinister as you progress and you start to be haunted by wailing distorted stars. There are nine main levels with some hidden remixes and the weight of Toree’s jump takes a bit of getting used to, but once you get started the flow and design of each level is really satisfying. It’s not Mario, but the platform could happily go toe-to-toe with other pricier games in the genre.
4. WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros – Konami – 79p
There is no way this game is that cheap. For less than the cost of a bag of chips, this cheesy but surprisingly complex baseball sim is a steal. Okay, so you need to know a bit about the sport to get the most out of it, but with a surprisingly active community and plenty of pitching, hitting, and fielding options to experiment with, there’s plenty here to immerse yourself in. A word of warning though, you’re going to be absolutely beaten up in online matches – the existing player base is tough.
3. The Rusty Sword: Vanguard Island – Plow Games – 89p
A short zelda-inspired action-adventure game where you land on a small island in search of treasure. With retro sprites and lovely art, The Rusty Sword is surprisingly well polished for such a small game. With just one dungeon to explore, and just a few simple items, like wall-breaking bombs and a sword to attack, there’s not much here – I completed everything in 30 minutes – but what’s here gets it right. . The enemies provide a decent amount of challenge, as do the puzzles. It may be small, but it feels right for the price.
2. Nicky the Golf Ball Home Alone – QuByte Interactive – 89p
A nice find from the Nintendo eShop bargain bin, this is essentially a miniature golf game, but instead of windmills and water features, you have to leave a house and cross town to get to the boy’s golf club. big. It’s more than just navigating through platforms – there are puzzles to solve along the way and it can be quite challenging. Nicky, your weirdly anthropomorphized golf ball hero, can’t walk (despite having legs). Instead, you have to choose the right angle and the force of the blow to knock him down on flower pots and the like, or on rolling soccer balls to clear obstacles and reach your goal. It’s a really simple mechanic, but it works well and is a satisfying distraction for the afternoon.
Republique: Anniversary Edition -Camouflaj – 82p
The price of this has to be a mistake. They must have missed an extra zero, because this star-studded stealth game shouldn’t be that cheap. David Hayter and Jennifer Hale lend their voices to this story of a young woman who is captured by a totalitarian regime and tries to escape. You play by jumping between security cameras and computers, guiding her through a facility while avoiding detection. It’s definitely not the best stealth game out there, the camera angles can be frustrating and the story lacks any sort of subtlety, but for 82p you’re getting between 6-10 hours of completely decent gameplay.
