The Steam Summer Sale is in full effect right now, with hundreds of great discounts for whatever might tickle your fancy. Out of all the RPGs, Platformers, Rogulikes, Indies, Fighting, or narrative-driven games, today we're focusing on the best offers an almost empty wallet can buy, but with a twist. Some of these titles are part of subscription services that might provide better value, though a bit more money is required.
FORZA HORIZON
Diving right in, we have Forza Horizon 4 at $23 and Horizon 5 at $30. While it might seem enticing to many, I propose a counter-suggestion.
Because we're talking Steam, we'll ignore anything console related and stick to PC. Both Forza games are available on the PC Game Pass subscription service for ten bucks a month. This opens up 100+ more games, and not just that.
Let's say you start subscribing today, July 7. Starfield comes out on September 6. For the current discounted price of Forza Horizon 5 on Steam, you will get three months' worth of PC Game Pass that will last you until the first week of October.
Photo: Xbox
That means you'll also get to play Starfield without additional costs for a month. Forza Motorsport comes out on October 10, so for $10 more ($40 so far), you'll get this without coughing up an extra 70 dollars.
You could argue that you can't play these anymore when Game Pass expires, but it all boils down to your wallet's buying power.
If you want to own Forza Horizon 5, Starfield, and Forza Motorsport for $170, it's your choice, but I would rather have Game Pass for 17 months and 100+ games with new ones coming each month because, at the end of the day, it provides a much greater value than just owning three games.
Photo: Steam
THE CREW 2
Next, we have The Crew 2 for just $5. For a tried and tested racing game that's been constantly updated, and with Season 9 in the works, that's a phenomenal price. It offers tens or even hundreds of hours of game time.
However, Ubisoft's subscription service Ubisoft+ is $15 a month, and you get access to all their games, including Far Cry 6, the upcoming Assassin's Creed Mirage, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and most important of all, The Crew Motorfest Premium Edition, that's coming out on September 14.
Whether you're okay with the $5 Crew 2 or opt for the $ 15-a-month service, it's totally up to you. You might be better off with the fiver now, waiting for Motorfest to launch and then subscribing to Ubisoft+.
Photo: Steam
DIRT RALLY 2.0
Dirt Rally 2.0 is on sale for just $4, which could be the best four bucks you will ever spend on a racing game or become one of the biggest regrets of your gaming life.
While the rally title is one of the best in the business, it's basically the Dark Souls of the racing genre. You must be willing to put in a lot of hours to learn how to play it properly.
Otherwise, it will make you want to stab your monitor with your keyboard, controller, or steering wheel, depending on your weapon of choice. It's not a pick-up-and-play driving adventure like Horizon 5 or Unbound. Dirt 2.0 will test your skills and surface whatever anger issues you have.
Photo: Steam
NFS UNBOUND
Speaking of Unbound, I recommend this wholeheartedly at 21 dollars. It's one of the best entries the franchise has had in years. Graphics, style, atmosphere, it's all there, aside from the overly try-hard Gen Z jokes which never land and end up being lame.
The game is constantly updated, with one major content pack dropping every three months, like the recent Vol. 3 update that introduced new cars, new ways to play and progress, and most importantly, the famous 1981 DMC DeLorean.
Vol. 4 is currently in the works, which should land sometime in September if EA keeps up its release pattern. There's no official word about it, but it's only a matter of time. The true question is if they're building a "Year 2" sort of thing or coming out with Unbound 2 in 2024.
Photo: Steam
HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED
With a Very Positive Recent Review score of 84% and an Overall score of 81%, it's hard not to recommend one of the best reminders of Re-Volt: Hot Wheels Unleashed, for ten bucks.
This title has some of its category's best visuals and art direction. For this price, it's a real bargain, but keep in mind that on October 19, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is coming out, albeit for 50 bucks.
Also, if you want to hit the nostalgia replay button from your childhood, Re-Volt is $5 and is sitting pretty with an Overall Very Positive score of 93%.
Photo: Steam
Before we part ways, I'm gonna dump a bunch of other titles from the Steam Summer Sale you might be interested in, if none of the above floats your boat.
The fan-favorite NFS Heat is now $14 from $70, LEGO 2K Drive is $48 from $60, Moto GP 23 at $49 from $80, Snowrunner at $16.5 from $40, BeamNG.drive at $17, and finally, Mad Max and Titanfall 2 are two amazing single-player games, each at $5.
Most important of all, if you were on the fence about getting a Steam Deck, all three versions are also discounted. If you want to know if a title is suited for the handheld, just scroll down on its Steam page until you see "Deck Verified," then go on YouTube and see how it runs and how much Watts it uses up.
The battery is 40 Wh or Watt-hours, which means you should stick to games that use around 15W, to get at least 2.5 hours out of that thing. And never drain it below 20%, because in time, it will reduce its total life span, and you'll end up with the battery charge lasting less and less time each year, until you're forced to keep it pluged in to play.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
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