As we finish consuming copious amounts of food over the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s time to consume lots of cheap games in Steam Autumn Sale! (That you’ll actually play, right?)
As with previous Steam sales, I’d like to take a moment to offer 15 recommendations. There is no theme or reasoning behind these recommendations, just that they are games I like and are currently cheap during the sale.
Valve is also holding nominations for their yearly Steam Awards during the sale, with the final nominations being what people will get a chance to vote for during the Winter Sale next month.
Here is a list of 15 game recommendations from the Steam Autumn Sale 2020 :
Doom Eternal
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
$19.79 USD (67% off)
The 2016 reboot of Doom was an excellent example of a classic shooter brought to the modern era, and its sequel is pretty great as well.
It builds upon its predecessor with some awesome new gadgets and mechanics, though your mileage may vary when it comes to all the character upgrades and RPG elements thrown in. The current 67% discount is the cheapest I’ve seen the game so far, and it’s just in time for the game’s first DLC pack. You can check out our full review of Doom Eternal here (we recommend it!)
Desperados III
Developer: Mimimi Games
Publisher: THQ Nordic
$29.99 USD (40% off)
Desperados III is the most expensive game on today’s list, but I wanted to include it since its one of my favorite games of 2020.
It’s an excellent new installment in a previously dead franchise, and strikes the perfect balance between modern streamlining, and still staying true to the essence of the originals. If you are looking for a great character-driven stealth game, then you owe it to yourself to check out Desperados III. You can find our full review here (we highly recommend it!)
Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale
Developer: EasyGameStation
Publisher: Carpe Fulgur
$3.99 USD (80% off)
Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale is about a decade old at this point, so chances are if this game interests you, then you’ve probably already picked it up.
If you somehow don’t know what it is by now, Recettear is a unique blend of an item shop management game, and dungeon crawler. It has spawned numerous imitators over the years, but few have managed to capture the charm and addictive gameplay loop of Recettear.
Unholy Heights
Developer: Petit Depotto
Publisher: Playism
$2.39 USD (40% off)
Another adorable little Japanese indie gem that is nearing a decade old is Unholy Heights. You play as the Devil, who has spent his life savings to retire and buy a rundown old apartment complex for monsters.
Unholy Heights is a fairly simple management game where you care for the needs of your monster tenants, and use them to defend your treasure stash from greedy “heroes.” It’s not a game that will hold your attention for lengthy multi-hour sessions, but its fun to dip into every now and then.
Age of Wonders: Planetfall
Developer: Triumph Studios
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
$16.99 USD (60% off)
I’ve always been a big fan of the Age of Wonders series, and Planetfall did a great job of translating the franchise’s mechanics into a sci-fi setting.
Planetfall fixes some of the issues in Age of Wonders III, but its still not a particularly complicated 4X game. As with its predecessors, Planetfall feels more like a turn-based strategy game where the empire management exists just to build up your armies of mechs, space marines, and alien dinosaur people to throw into battles. You can find our full review here (we recommend it!)
Invisigun Reloaded
Developer: Sombr Studio
$1.99 USD (90% off)
Invisigun Reloaded is one of the most fun and unique party games out there, but has sadly remained relatively obscure. The elevator pitch is that everyone is invisible and trying to kill each other in a variety of colorful arenas.
You will need to pay close attention to the environment to figure out where everyone is before taking your shot. Attacking momentarily exposes you, so you’ll need to make sure you have found someone before risking yourself for nothing. The game supports local and online multiplayer, so grab some friends and check it out.
Helldivers Dive Harder Edition
Developer: Arrowhead Game Studios
Publisher: PlayStation Mobile
$9.99 USD (50% off)
Another game that is loads of fun with three of your friends is Helldivers. It’s essentially sci-fi Magika, but you’ll be blowing up your mates with “friendly fire” from mechs and portable tactical nuke launchers instead of spells. Helldivers still has a small but dedicated playerbase, and the metagame is still fully functional, but you’ll really want to convince some friends to grab it with you to get the most out of it.
Nekopara Complete Edition
Developer: Neko Works
Publisher: Sekai Project
$15.43 USD (10% off)
Nekopara Vol. 4 recently came out, so now is a good time to catch up if you’ve ever been interested in the visual novel series. There is a bundle pack containing all the previous games in the series for $15.43, with the individual games all being between $3.99 and $4.99 (with 40% to 60% off).
Please be aware that this does not include the 18+ patches, which must be purchased individually for each game. Luckily, all of the patches are also 50-60% off right now via third party vendors.
Haydee
Developer: Haydee Interactive
$2.99 USD (80% off)
Another fairly lewd series that recently got a sequel is Haydee, which means that the original is deeply discounted. Haydee is a third-person shooter with a heavy emphasis on puzzles, platforming, and resource management.
The game prides itself on its unforgiving difficulty, but at least you have a thicc cyborg lady to look at the entire time. Haydee also has a really active modding community, which includes everything from new levels and scenarios, to the ability to play as your favorite half-naked anime waifu. The sequel is also currently available for $22.49 (10% off).
Space Tyrant
Developer: Blue Wizard Digital
$6.79 USD (66% off)
Space Tyrant is a bite-sized, tongue-in-cheek 4X roguelite created by some ex-PopCap developers. You play as an intergalactic overlord trying to conquer the galaxy, complete with a big red Death Ray button you can press every few turns as you sow chaos. Most maps can be completed in about 30 to 45 minutes, making it a fun little lunch break time waster.
Rebel Galaxy
Developer: Double Damage Games
$2.99 USD (85% off)
Rebel Galaxy might not be as deep or complex as other open world space combat games, but it can still scratch your itch to travel across a hostile galaxy smuggling illegal products to the highest bidder.
One of the more interesting aspects of Rebel Galaxy over a lot of other games in the genre is the focus on controlling larger freighters and capital ships. This gives the game a slower paced combat system, as you try to maneuver around enemy vessels to unleash broadside bombardments. It also has a pretty great soundtrack that makes just traveling around the galaxy enjoyable.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2
Developer: Tindalos Interactive
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
$8.99 USD (70% off)
Speaking of broadsides, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is heavily discounted right now. Armada 2 is one of the better 40k games released in recent years, and focuses on fleet battles in the 41st millennium.
Basically every 40k faction is represented, and there is a ridiculous amount of content to play through between its four campaigns, and skirmish battles. You can find our review here (we recommend it!)
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
Developer: Bulwark Studios
Publisher: Kasedo Games
$9.89 USD (67% off)
Speaking of really good 40k games, Mechanicus is a must-own for fans of the franchise.
While it might look like an XCOM clone at first glance, Mechanicus features a fairly interesting and unique take on action points. It also features room-based encounters and events more akin to a roguelite, and has some of the best writing and presentation of any 40k game to date. You can find our review here (we recommend it!)
Elderborn
Developer: Hyperstrange
$8.99 USD (40% off)
Elderborn is a first-person melee brawler that came out earlier this year. The game is heavily inspired by ’80s and ’90s heroic fantasy, and features an awesome metal soundtrack.
It has some pretty heavy Dark Messiah of Might & Magic vibes too, with quite a few areas that let you make use of your mighty kick to send undead warriors tumbling into bottomless pits. You can probably beat the game in about 8 hours, but it has a cool New Game+ mode where each playthrough gets harder and harder.
Crimsonland
Developer: 10tons Ltd
$4.89 USD (65% off)
Finally, we come to Crimsonland, one of the best top-down horde shooters on the market. While the enemy designs are a bit boring and lack cohesive themes, Crimsonland is redeemed by its massive arsenal of awesome weapons and perks.
These include your fairly standard selection of assault rifles and shotguns, up to some truly devastating weapons like automatic rocket launchers, and railguns that can pierce through a dozen enemies at once.
There are a metric ton of games on sale right now, so be sure to check our reviews if you see a title you like.
What games will you be picking up in the Steam Autumn Sale? Tell us in the comments below!
This is Niche Deals. In this column, we regularly cover new and upcoming deals, discounts, and more for video games. Let us know if there’s a deal we should cover!