As my ongoing series highlighting five new games on Steam each week makes clear, there are a helluva lot of good games that most people don't even know exist. But what I didn't expect is how many of those cool-looking games are dirt cheap.
I consistently see interesting and unique games on Steam for only $1, so I decided to comb through as many $1 games as I could find and highlight ten that stand above the rest, even at their low price. You could buy a can of soda out of a vending machine, drink it in five minutes and be left with a piece of tin, or you could grab one of the games on this list for the same price, own it forever, and save yourself the recycling.
Handsome Mr. Frog
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Steam page — itch.io page
Released: August 8, 2016
Developer: Cowboy Color
Publisher: Cowboy Color
Handsome Mr. Frog is a modern take on an old-school arcade game, similar to something like the original Mario Bros. I first found Handsome Mr. Frog in our weekly post, and I think it's just great. The art is lively and nostalgic, and it evokes Mario's challenge as enemies fall from the ceiling. Mr. Frog has even updated with new content since its initial release a few months ago.
Timberman
Steam page
Released: September 18, 2015
Developer: Digital Melody
Publisher: Forever Entertainment
Timberman is a game about chopping down trees as fast as you can and not getting hit by branches as they come tumbling down on you. Originally a wildly popular mobile game, the Steam version of Timberman added head-to-head multiplayer against friends or random players online. Not a bad addition for its PC launch.
Mountain
Steam page
Released: July 1, 2014
Developer: David O'Reilly
Publisher: Double Fine Presents
Mountain might be a contentious pick for this list, as it's mostly an ambient game without much interaction by you as a player. When it first launched two years ago, it caused such a stir that Tyler wrote a whole piece about why critics loved it but Steam reviewers didn't. It seems public opinion shifted since then, however, as it now has over 7,400 reviews, 86% of which are positive.
ROD: Revolt of Defense
Steam page
Released: August 12, 2016
Developer: Hostel Games
Publisher: Hostel Games
ROD: Revolt of Defense is a interesting mix of a whole bunch of different ideas. You explore a procedurally generated galaxy similar to FTL's system movement, improving and building on your tower defense-like platform of weapons as you go. It's essentially a strategy game with a unique angle and art style to set it apart.
Hook
Steam page
Released: January 25, 2015
Developer: Maciej Targoni, Wojciech Wasiak
Publisher: Maciej Targoni
Hook is a minimal puzzle game which will probably most appeal to people who see untieing knots as a challenge rather than a chore (aka, me). Honestly, I love pretty much anything Maciej Targoni and Wojciech Wasiak make. They have two other $1 games that almost made this list and are still worth highlighting here. Klocki is another minimalist puzzle game, while oO is a more fast-paced action game in the vein of Super Hexagon. These guys make simple but great games and don't ever charge more than a dollar.
Cats are Liquid
Steam page — itch.io page
Released: December 7, 2015
Developer: LastQuarter Studios
Publisher: LastQuarter Studios
Cats are Liquid is a 2D physics platformer about what appears to be a very squishy cat. While it looks a little rough around the edges, the game has a charming art style and a lot of positive feedback. Unexpectedly, one of the more praised aspects of Cats are Liquid in its reviews is the story, so there may be more here than just jumping.
Feesh
Steam page
Released: February 1, 2016
Developer: Terrifying Jellyfish
Publisher: Terrifying Jellyfish
Ever wish there was a game entirely made up of the first section of Spore? If so, Feesh has got you covered. You swim around a microbial world eating things smaller than you and avoiding things bigger than you. What's cool, though, is Feesh has 2-4 local multiplayer so you can compete (and inevitably eat) your friends.
Bit Blaster XL
Steam page
Released: January 22, 2016
Developer: Nickervision Studios
Publisher: Nickervision Studios
Bit Blaster XL is a low-fi arcade shoot-em-up that looks a little bit like Asteroids had a child with a bullet-hell game. You shoot enemies, dodge their fire, pick up power-ups, and try to get as high a score as you can. It looks simple, but Bit Blaster XL has over 1,800 Steam reviews and remarkably maintains a 98% positive rating.
Neon Space 2
Steam page
Released: July 26, 2016
Developer: Just1337 Studio
Publisher: KupiKey
Neon Space 2 is a game about guiding a small ship through a series of levels full of moving parts, teleporters, enemies, and more. It's sort of an action puzzler as you have to figure out the correct way through each stage, but also have to be dexterous enough to actually execute each move correctly.
Gun Done
Steam page
Released: June 13, 2016
Developer: Azamat Xageu
Publisher: AZAMATIKA
Gun Done is a reaction speed arcade game about western gunfights. You try to out draw and out gun either the AI or a friend in local multiplayer. Gun Done got a "Color Parade" update in August that made the game look significantly nicer, and added loads of recognizable characters (like Overwatch's McCree, One Punch Man's Saitama, Marvel's Deadpool, etc.) to choose from—though we'll see if that eventually draws the ire of the companies who own the rights to those characters.
