Ten games cheaper than a Twitter check mark

Twitter has begun charging $8.00 per month for the ever desirable “verification” checkmark of their platform, spawning countless memes and shots at new CEO Elon Musk. Rather than diving into a discussion about the value of the Twitter check mark itself, we decided to put together a list of ten games that you can buy for less than the price of a check mark on Twitter. All of the games on this list are available at this price, every day. You will not need to wait for a sale, this is their regular price. While many of these games are available on multiple platforms, we focused mostly on games available on Steam. Without further adieu, here are ten games that you can buy for less than a check mark on Twitter…

Doom (1993): $3.99

If you haven’t played the original DOOM game from 1993, you owe it to yourself to do so. Known as the first-person shooter that fathered the entire genre that followed it, Doom still holds up today as a game that is well designed, fun, challenging and even a bit unnerving at times. After you’ve finished the game you will find that there are thousands of free mods and add-ons for the game. It’s like the retro FPS that keeps on giving. As if that wasn’t enough, DOOM II and DOOM 64 are also available for $4.99 each. If you’re someone who enjoys first-person shooters or can appreciate videogame history in the slightest, DOOM absolutely has to be in your gaming library.

Quake II: $4.99

While the Quake name doesn’t carry the respect that it once did, there’s no denying that Quake inspired competitive first-person shooters as we know them. With insane movement speeds, techniques like bunny hopping and rocket jumping, Quake spawned an entire community of competitive gamers during a time when there was nothing else like it. While the original Quake game (Scored by Trent Reznor of NIN) costs more than $8 because it was recently remastered and received new content, Quake II is still available for just $4.99. Play through this piece of gaming history and prepare yourself for the rumored Quake revival.

Super Hexagon: $2.99

Super Hexagon is an insanely addictive and charming game that is so hard describe that it’s probably better that you just play it. It’s core gameplay involves a trippy, color changing environment that resembles something of a tunnel. Your job is to stay alive as a little triangle on the screen, without crashing into the walls of the rapidly spinning and evolving environment. It’s like a challenging, death run, drug trip. Super Hexagon is available for only $2.99, provides an endless amount of entertainment and is one of the few games on this list that is available for mobile in addition to PC.

Vampire Survivors: $4.99

Vampire Survivors is the most modern game on this list, initially releasing in 2021. Imagine if old school Castlevania merged with an old school shoot em’ up game, blended with rogue-like elements. That is Vampire Survivors. Within minutes of starting the game you will be fighting your way through hundreds of on screen enemies in an attempt to survive for as long as you can. The thrill of out manuvering hundreds of ghosts, goblins, vampires and other spooky enemies represented by on screen sprites just never gets old. Vampire Survivors has spawned countless clones in its short life cycle but accept no substitutes as Vampire Survivors only costs $4.99 and is still coming to more and more platforms.

Ori and the Blind Forest: $4.99

Ori and the Blind Forest is best described as a Metroidvania style game, set in a beautiful world that features dashes of hope and despair. Many people refer to Ori and the “Dark Souls” of platformers for a reason. The world of Ori and the Blind Forest is colorful and light but also carries weight and an impending sense of sadness. It’s also incredibly challenging for a game that puts platforming before combat. If you enjoy Metroidvania style games, Ori and the Blind Forest is among the best in the genre and is available for just $4.99.

The Binding of Isaac: $4.99

The Binding of Isaac blends elements of The Legend of Zelda, Christian mythos, horror and wraps it all in a package made of procedurally generated environments, rooms and rogue-like elements. The Binding of Isaac is an extremely simple game, but every single session differs from the last. It’s challenging, weird and it never gets old. The Binding of Isaac is in the indie game hall of fame and has received countless additional content, remakes and pseudo sequels. The original version that started it all can be yours for just $4.99.

Vectorman: $.99

I wanted to include at least one retro classic on this list and for whatever reason, Vectorman from Sega is my pick. Not only did I love the form changing Vectorman on the Sega Genesis as a kid but it’s available for just 99 cents on Steam, every day. Countless other Sega classics are available for the same price so you could just as easily insert Comix Zone, Golden Axe, Gunstar Heroes, Ecco the Dolphin, Streets of Rage or one of the countless other Sega classics that are available here. My favorite of the bunch is Vectorman, though. It’s just a cool retro game.

Polybius: $6.99

If there’s a game on this list that I would bet that you definitely haven’t heard of, it’s Polybius. Polybius is one of the latest games from Jeff Minter, the go to source for trippy arcade shooters. Many of Minter’s games revolve around hurtling at break neck speeds through colorful tubes of light and geometry while shooting everything in sight and dodging environmental hazards. To understand this genre, you just have to play it. Games like Polybius can be played over and over thanks to their simple yet addicting gameplay, mesmerizing visuals and thumping soundtracks. Jeff Minter has released countless other games that can be purchased for little money including Space Giraffe and Moose Life.

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved: $3.99

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved was one of the first ever Xbox 360 games and to this day, stands as one of the most genius Xbox 360 games that were ever released. Luckily for us, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved has been ported to many other platforms over time, including Steam. The concept is simple; You’re the white little ship and all you have to do is navigate around the rectangle which is your screen. Hundreds of geometric enemies will spawn with varying behaviors, chasing you down, shooting things at you and more while you zip around the screen, dodging everything in your path and trying to fight your way through the horde of shapes. Geometry Wars is simple, satisfying, visually appealing and possesses infinite replay value. Sequels are also on the market.

Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee ($2.99)

Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee was one of the strangest games of its time when it launched. Fast forward a few decades and it is still a strange game and universe. Abe’s Oddysee introduced players to a strange, dark and unforgiving world where slave labor is used to drive corporate profits. Would you believe me when I tell you that this game is also filled with a ton of childish humor? Abe’s Oddysee is a side-scroller driven by puzzle solving that is chock full of personality. Abe’s Oddysee went on to spawn a sequel, remake and several spin offs including Munch’s Oddysee (Also less than $8), a unique Western themed first-person shooter called Stranger’s Wrath and an eventual modern day remake. The Oddworld universe is still churning today but for $2.99, you can play the game that started it all.

Honorable Mentions

Hotline Miami: $9.99

If you slightly boost the budget from $8 to $9.99 you will find hundreds of amazing games that we can’t list here but I had to pick just a few…

Hotline Miami is one of the hardest, most stylish and brutal action games that you can play. It’s all about speed running, neon colors, an incredibly hard hitting synthwave soundtrack and lots of violence. If you still haven’t played Hotline Miami, you owe it to yourself to do so. Pay any price.

Gone Home: $9.99

Gone Home is one part videogame, one part art and one part narrative. It’s technically a first-person adventure that is filled with horror and scary stuff of all kinds. You arrive home to find a strange note on the door which sends the player down a rabbit hole of events to unravel what is happening and what happened to your sister. Navigate an empty, spooky house as you investigate everything from the JFK assassination, to electronics malfunctioning, secret passages and more. While the game’s sense of horror and dread builds for its entire duration, we promise that Gone Home will leave the player with an emotional finale thats worth experiencing.

Xbox Game Pass: $9.99 a month

While Elon Musk is asking $8 for a check mark, Xbox is offering you hundreds of games for $1.99 more, per month. I’m not an Xbox salesman but there’s no denying that Xbox Game Pass (Which is also on PC and can be streamed to mobile devices) is the best deal in gaming. Subscribe to Xbox Game Pass today to get access to an almost endless number of games including Halo Infinite, Gears 5, Halo: Master Chief Collection, Brutal Legend, Battletoads, Sea of Thieves, Death’s Door, Disc Room, Doom Eternal, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, MineCraft, MineCraft Dungeons, Ninja Gaiden, Psychonauts (And it’s sequel), Sunset Overdrive, Scorn, Skyrim, The Evil Within, the Wolfenstein games and every Xbox first-party release to come.