RPG deals: how to pick one worth the hours
Role-playing games are among the longest games you can buy, and the cheapest way to start one is almost always a sale. This guide covers what to look at before you spend those hours, and how to tell whether the price is a good one.
Know which kind of RPG you want
- Action RPGs are played in real time, with fights that depend on your reactions as much as on your character's numbers.
- Classic computer RPGs are slower: more dialogue and choices, and turn-based or pausable combat.
- Japanese-style RPGs usually follow a set party through a long story, often with turn-based combat.
- Roguelike RPGs turn character growth into a loop: you play a run, lose or win, and start again a little stronger or wiser.
What to check before you buy
- Length. RPGs range from a weekend to hundreds of hours. The store page and the reviews often say how long players took.
- Edition. RPGs are often sold with expansions. "Complete", "Game of the Year" and "Definitive" editions bundle them and are often cheaper than buying the parts, so compare prices for the same edition, not for the cheapest listing.
- Controls and language. The store page lists controller support and the languages of the text and voices, which matter more in a game with hours of dialogue.
- Age. A game a year or two old is often discounted deeply, and the next big sale is usually a good moment to buy it.
What a good RPG deal looks like
Because RPGs are long, the price per hour is usually low even at full price. So the question is less "is it cheap" than "is it cheaper elsewhere or later". Compare the stores on the game's page, which lists them cheapest first, and look at the price over time to see whether today's is a usual one. For a big game you will not start this month, a price alert costs nothing.
The RPG deals page lists the current RPG deals, and the top-rated page keeps to the best-reviewed games on sale. To see which RPGs on your own wishlist are on sale, paste your Steam profile into the wishlist checker.