When it comes to cheap video games, you’ll usually be dealing with a great game that’s been heavily discounted, an under-appreciated gem or absolute garbage that isn’t worth any amount of money. With the latter two, it can be a bit of a gamble sometimes picking up an unfamiliar title and there are few feelings worse than knowing you paid money for something awful.
However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, nothing beats knowing you picked up something fantastic for dirt cheap.
Nintendo’s eShop frequently drops some great sales, but I specifically wanted to look at what’s good in terms of cheap physical Switch games. What constitutes “cheap” is a relative concept, but I’m using $30 as my baseline to scour the Nintendo Switch games currently available on Amazon to see what might be worth buying.
One thing I want to flag from the top, however, is that a fair few of these games come from the US branch of Amazon. Thankfully, the Nintendo Switch isn’t region locked so you can play every title listed here, you’ll have to wait a couple of weeks for the games to actually arrive.
This article has been updated from its original publication.
Katamari Damacy Reroll ($27.82)
Katamari Damacy Reroll is a fantastic remaster of one of the weirdest games to ever exist. You play as the Prince of Cosmos, a small green character with a football-shaped head, who is tasked to recreate stars by rolling up everything in sight with a super-sticky katamari ball.
This game is incredibly goofy and while you can probably knock it over in a weekend, it’s still a great time.
Starting rolling with Katamari Damacy Reroll here.
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI ($24.70)
Civilisation VI is a turn-based strategy game where you slowly create and develop a civilisation over a span of millennia, until you achieve some form of global domination (military, technological superiority or cultural).
Considering the amount of time you can easily sink into playing Civilisation VI, being able to pick it up for under $25 is a pretty fantastic deal. Throw in the Nintendo Switch’s portability and this cheap game is worth every discounted dollar as you can build your empire anytime, anywhere.
Start building your empire in Civilisation VI here.
Monopoly ($24)
This Switch game is exactly what it sounds like. If you thought ruining friendships while playing Monopoly was fun before, you haven’t tried it on the Switch. You’re able to play at home with up to six players, or you can ruin the lives of others while on the go.
Starting bulking up your property report in Monopoly here.
Borderlands Legendary Collection ($29.28)
This bundle include the Game of the Year edition of the original Borderlands, Borderlands 2 and also Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel – all of which are excellent first-person shooters. Any one of these games are worth your time, but managing to get three of them for under $30 is a fantastic deal.
You can pick up Borderlands Legendary Collection here.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle ($29)
I really don’t like the Rabbids much, because they’re that kind of “forced” funny also found in pie fights and the worst sitcoms. Hans Moleman pretty much scored the definitive gag of this type with just a football, and it’s all been downhill from there.
Shooting the Rabbids as Mario, though? That never gets old. Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a title that’s pretty frequently on special, and it’s not the newest Switch title of course, but it’s still a fine game.
You can go to war for the Mushroom Kingdom in Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle here.
Rayman Legends Definitive Edition ($24)
Another oldie-but-definitely a goodie, Rayman Legends at $24 is well worth your while. It’s definitely one of those Switch games that hovers around that lower price point, but unlike a lot of shovel ware, it’s a quality title.
Experience the legend that is Rayman Legends here.
SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy ($29)
Here’s an oddity. A game that saw light of day on PS4 and Switch, but only the Switch had a regular physical retail release. As you can probably tell from the box art and title, it’s a traditional 1v1 fighter with plenty of fanservice on the side, and while it’s the recipient of some fairly mediocre Metacritic scores, there could be some fun here for under $30.
Bring the pain in SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy here.
Legendary Fishing ($24)
I’m not into fishing, but it seems like if you are an aspiring Rex Hunt, this is about your only pure option for a fishing game on the Switch. Folks who seem to like fishing games think this is fun, and who am I to judge them?
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