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CHEAP

Cheap PS5 & PS4 games that are actually good

PlayStation ages expensively at launch and cheaply forever after. These are the PS5 and PS4 games worth buying once they are cheap — ranked by value, with an honest skip pick.

By Stephen V.Deal hunter & value analystPublished July 21, 2026How we pick

#ad— Penny & Pixel is reader-funded. We earn a commission when you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes a pick or a verdict. Full disclosure.

PlayStation DualSense controller — cheap PS5 and PS4 games that are actually good

PlayStation is the platform where patience pays the most. A tentpole game launches at sixty or seventy dollars, sells through, and within a year or two lands in the budget range at a fraction of that — the same game, minus the launch-week tax. Buy on that end of the curve and PlayStation becomes one of the cheapest ways to play the biggest games there are.

Everything here is a genuine blockbuster or acclaimed classic that reliably sells cheap on PS4 and PS5, ranked by value-per-dollar with live prices. Two things make it cheaper still: the PS5 plays PS4 games, so a bargain-bin PS4 disc is not a dead end; and most of these include a free upgrade to the enhanced PS5 version. Several picks are physical discs on purpose — older PlayStation games are frequently cheapest that way, and a disc can be resold. As always, there is a pick to skip at the end.

The short answer

Quick picks

#GameBest forValuePrice
01
God of War (2018)
God of War (2018)

PS4 / PS5

A landmark single-player action epic that now sells in the budget PlayStation Hits range. Twenty-hours-plus of top-tier AAA for under twenty dollars.

Best cinematic action game cheap
9.1/10
Value
$19.50Amazon
02
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition

PS4 / PS5

One of the greatest RPGs ever made, with both huge expansions, for around fifteen dollars. The best value-per-dollar big game money can buy.

Best big RPG for the money
9.6/10
Value
$15.99Amazon
03
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

PS4 / PS5

The best web-swinging in games in a tight, complete package that regularly drops under twenty dollars. A perfect weekend blockbuster.

Best superhero game cheap
8.8/10
Value
$18.45Amazon
04
Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Edition
Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Edition

PS4 / PS5

A decade on, still one of the biggest single-player worlds around, and it bundles GTA Online. Perennially cheap and perennially worth it.

Best open-world under $20
8.9/10
Value
$19.00Amazon
05
Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition
Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition

PS4 / PS5

A gorgeous open-world with a killer hook — robot dinosaurs — plus its expansion, for around sixteen dollars. Huge value for a modern AAA game.

Best open-world value
8.9/10
Value
$16.58Amazon
06
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2

PS4 / PS5

A staggering open-world western that launched at full price and now sells for a fraction of it. One of the best-looking, most detailed games ever, cheap.

Best AAA epic on a budget
9.3/10
Value
$14.24Amazon
07
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2

PS4 / PS5

A remake so good it became the template for the series. Tense, replayable survival horror that now sells for around twenty dollars.

Best horror on a budget
8.7/10
Value
$23.49Amazon

#ad · Live prices from the Amazon Product API, as of Jul 22, 2026. Where we have no verified live price, we show none — we would rather leave a gap than print a number that has rotted.

In detail

The picks, in full

01
God of War (2018)

Best cinematic action game cheap

God of War (2018)

PS4 / PS5 · Physical

Action-adventure20–30 hrs1 playerPhysical
9.1/10
Value

A landmark single-player action epic that now sells in the budget PlayStation Hits range. Twenty-hours-plus of top-tier AAA for under twenty dollars.

Pros

  • Superb combat and story
  • One long, seamless camera shot
  • Budget-priced now

Cons

  • Fairly linear
  • A slow first couple of hours

Don't buy this if…

…you only like open-world sandboxes — this is a focused, guided adventure.

$19.50View on Amazon

Price as of Jul 22, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to God of War (2018)

02
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition

Best big RPG for the money

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition

PS4 / PS5 · Physical

Open-world RPG100+ hrs1 playerPhysical
9.6/10
Value

One of the greatest RPGs ever made, with both huge expansions, for around fifteen dollars. The best value-per-dollar big game money can buy.

Pros

  • 150+ hours with the expansions
  • Best-in-class side quests
  • Free PS5 upgrade

Cons

  • Combat is merely okay
  • Slow, dense opening hours

Don't buy this if…

…you have little time — this is a genuine hundred-hour-plus commitment.

$15.99View on Amazon

Price as of Jul 22, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition

03
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Best superhero game cheap

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

PS4 / PS5 · Physical

Action-adventure8–12 hrs1 playerPhysical
8.8/10
Value

The best web-swinging in games in a tight, complete package that regularly drops under twenty dollars. A perfect weekend blockbuster.

Pros

  • Sensational traversal
  • Focused, satisfying length
  • Free PS5 upgrade

Cons

  • Shorter than the first Spider-Man
  • Combat repeats late on

Don't buy this if…

…you want a giant 40-hour game — this is a tight, high-quality blockbuster, not an epic.

$18.45View on Amazon

Price as of Jul 22, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

04
Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Edition

Best open-world under $20

Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Edition

PS4 / PS5 · Physical

Open-world30+ hrs story1 player + onlinePhysical
8.9/10
Value

A decade on, still one of the biggest single-player worlds around, and it bundles GTA Online. Perennially cheap and perennially worth it.

Pros

  • Enormous, dense world
  • Story plus the whole of GTA Online
  • Almost always cheap

Cons

  • Online can be grindy/monetized
  • Story is over a decade old

Don't buy this if…

…mature content or chaotic online lobbies aren't your thing — GTA is both, loudly.

$19.00View on Amazon

Price as of Jul 22, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Edition

05
Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition

Best open-world value

Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition

PS4 / PS5 · Physical

Open-world RPG30–40 hrs1 playerPhysical
8.9/10
Value

A gorgeous open-world with a killer hook — robot dinosaurs — plus its expansion, for around sixteen dollars. Huge value for a modern AAA game.

Pros

  • Striking world and combat
  • Includes the Frozen Wilds expansion
  • Very cheap now

Cons

  • Stiff facial animation in cutscenes
  • Climbing is on-rails

Don't buy this if…

…open-world checklists bore you — Horizon has plenty of map icons to clear.

$16.58View on Amazon

Price as of Jul 22, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition

06
Red Dead Redemption 2

Best AAA epic on a budget

Red Dead Redemption 2

PS4 / PS5 · Physical

Open-world60+ hrs1 playerPhysical
9.3/10
Value

A staggering open-world western that launched at full price and now sells for a fraction of it. One of the best-looking, most detailed games ever, cheap.

Pros

  • Extraordinary detail and story
  • Enormous world
  • Sells far below launch price now

Cons

  • Deliberately slow, heavy controls
  • Big install size

Don't buy this if…

…you want a snappy, fast game — RDR2 is a slow burn that asks for patience.

$14.24View on Amazon

Price as of Jul 22, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Red Dead Redemption 2

07
Resident Evil 2

Best horror on a budget

Resident Evil 2

PS4 / PS5 · Physical

Survival horror8–10 hrs ×21 playerPhysical
8.7/10
Value

A remake so good it became the template for the series. Tense, replayable survival horror that now sells for around twenty dollars.

Pros

  • Superb tension and pacing
  • Two campaigns for replay value
  • Runs and looks great

Cons

  • Genuinely scary
  • Combat is deliberately scarce

Don't buy this if…

…horror stresses you out — RE2 is built to keep you on edge the whole time.

$23.49View on Amazon

Price as of Jul 22, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Resident Evil 2

The honest part

What to skip

Skip · The 'Deluxe' or 'Gold' edition upsell

When an older PlayStation game is cheap, the store will often steer you toward a pricier "Deluxe," "Gold" or "Digital Deluxe" edition instead. Read what that premium actually buys and it is usually a handful of cosmetic skins, an in-game currency pack, and an early-access weapon — padding, not more game. You can pay half again for it and barely notice the difference in play.

The editions worth the extra are the "Complete," "Game of the Year" and "Definitive" ones that fold in the real expansions — that is more game, not cosmetics. When in doubt, favor an edition that folds in the expansions — like The Witcher 3 Complete Edition — over a Deluxe one that only folds in cosmetics.

Buy instead: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition.

Why the biggest PlayStation games get cheap fastest

A game does not get worse as it ages; it just moves down the price ladder. PlayStation's own studios put out enormous single-player games — God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn and Spider-Man: Miles Morales— then re-release them in the budget-priced PlayStation Hits line once the launch rush is over. That is the sweet spot: a former full-price flagship, unchanged and often patched to run better, for the price of a couple of coffees.

One console, two generations of cheap games

Because the PS5 is backward-compatible with nearly the entire PS4 library, a cheap PS4 game is a cheap PS5 game. That doubles the size of the bargain shelf you can shop from and means you never have to pay a premium for a "current-gen" label. Most first-party discs here also carry a free upgrade to the native PS5 version, so you can buy the cheap PS4 edition and still play the enhanced one for nothing.

Disc or download — and when each is cheaper

On older PlayStation games a physical disc regularly undercuts the PlayStation Store's digital price, and you can lend or resell it afterward. Digital pulls ahead during PlayStation Store sales and is the only option on a discless console. We flag the format on every pick; the full comparison is in physical vs digital games. To time a purchase, see when games go on sale and what is cheap now on PlayStation deals.

How we picked

We don't test games in a lab

Most "best cheap games" lists just re-rank the same store page. We don't, and we won't pretend to run a test lab we don't have. What we do: compile the real current and historical-low prices, the actual playtime and replay data, and the sale cycle — then do the value math and tell you what to skip. The full method is on how we pick. Everything here is checkable.

Questions

Frequently asked

01What are the best cheap PS5 games?
God of War (2018), Spider-Man: Miles Morales and The Witcher 3are the standouts — all play on PS5, all sell cheap, and all include a free upgrade to the enhanced PS5 version.
02Will these PS4 games run on a PS5?
Yes. The PS5 is backward-compatible with the PS4 catalog, so every disc and download here works on it, and most of the first-party picks add a free upgrade to the native PS5 version on top.
03Physical disc or digital for cheap PlayStation games?
For older AAA games a physical disc is often the cheaper buy and can be resold; digital wins during PlayStation Store sales or on a discless PS5. We note the format on each pick and go deeper in physical vs digital games.
04Is PlayStation Plus a cheaper way to play these?
Sometimes — the higher PS Plus tiers include a rotating catalog, and a game you want may already be in it. But titles cycle in and out, so if there is a specific game you know you want to keep, buying it cheap outright is usually the safer value.

Keep reading

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Sources

Where this comes from