7 best RPGs on Steam you can buy under $5 (2024)
Steam features some of the best RPGs to delve into, and many of them are available at a pocket-friendly price. With AAA games costing around $70 and gaming becoming more expensive as time passes, many titles aim to deliver a fun experience without giving a major wallop to your wallet.
Here are the seven of the best RPGs available on Steam that cost under $5.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions
Exploring 7 best RPGs on Steam that can be purchased under $5
1) Vampire Survivors
Price: $4.99
Developer: poncle
Let's start with the game that started the "survivor-like" genre. Vampire Survivors is a bullet hell roguelike RPG but with a more casual approach. In this game, the player character automatically attacks nearby enemies, gaining experience and strength. Your only input is to choose one of the three/four weapons and passive power-ups.
While the restricted amount of control will initially raise concerns for player engagement in the game, it somehow makes it work. Vampire Survivors is one of the best RPGs to deliver that feeling of power fantasy, as you slowly rise in the ranks and destroy the numerous hordes surrounding you.
2) The Binding of Isaac
Price: $4.99
Developer: Edmund McMillen, Florian Himsl
Roguelikes and RPGs usually go hand in hand. The caveat of restarting the entire game over gives the moments of choosing buffs or weapons that much more impetus. Sometimes, roguelikes randomly generate equipment, adding an element of luck to the game, and The Binding of Isaac is one of them.
This dungeon crawler RPG is played from a top-down perspective with an animated art style. It is loosely inspired by the Binding of Isaac from the Book of Genesis. Players control Isaac, proceeding through procedurally generated dungeons, fighting enemies, and defeating bosses. This is one of the best RPGs that give the old-school Zelda feeling.
3) 20 Minutes till Dawn
Price: $4.99
Developer: flanne
20 Minutes Till Dawn is developer flanne's take on the Vampire Survivors formula. The game follows one of seven characters as they face an onslaught of monsters, and have to survive till dawn. The element that separates this entry from other survivor-likes is its art style, using chiaroscuro fundamentals to create striking imagery.
You can use one of the many swords, bows, and guns to fight the Lovecraftian monsters. A rune system is also implemented in the game, which can carry some progression across all runs. All these aspects make 20 Minutes Till Dawn one of the best RPGs to buy under $5.
4) Gunlocked
Price: $4.99
Developer: FromLefcourt
Gunlocked is a retro shoot 'em up roguelike bullet hell RPG that debuted on December 6, 2022. While the game has very little in terms of story, it makes up for it with gameplay and visuals. The spaceship shooter features diverse build options, with numerous pilots, augments, upgrades, and power-ups to collect. The game's retro art style provides an old-school feel mixed with the futuristic nature of the sci-fi genre.
If you like titles inspired by sci-fi retro twin-stick space shooters, Gunlocked is one of the best RPGs to provide that feeling.
5) Mechanibot
Price: $2.99
Developer: Jon Nielsen
Mechanibot is a tactical rogue-like auto-battler in which you assemble a team of four robots and manage them until they reach their goal. The robots have different classes and abilities that collaborate with others. As such, you can acquire set bonuses, level up the robots, and discover items and upgrades.
If you're looking for an auto-battler with strategy elements, Mechanibot is one of the best RPGs to buy under $5.
6) Brotato
Price: $4.99
Developer: Blobfish
Brotato is a top-down shoot 'em up roguelike RPG that's centered on a sentient potato trying to survive after his ship crash lands into an alien planet. The game takes inspiration from Vampire Survivors, with the characters auto-firing their weapons, but you can also manually fire them. The title implemented Local Co-op in their latest update.
Brotato is one of the best RPGs on Steam to play with your friends.
7) Nerd Survivors
Price: $4.99
Developer: Heartbit Interactive
Vampire Survivors has seen many interpretations, each with its own intricacies. However, Nerd Survivors isn't looking to reinvent the wheel for the Survivors genre and is a humorous meta-take on the Survivors genre. The game follows an Isekai framing device, where players wield pizza frag grenades and enchanted fidget spinners to survive. If that isn't enough, they also customize their weapon of mass destruction.
Nerd Survivors is one of the best RPGs if you want a casual gaming experience with some wacky humor.