In this week’s deals haul, I fell down the familiar rabbit hole of “just checking prices” and somehow emerged with a shortlist of games I have already sunk irresponsible hours into. Some of these are comfort food, some are long overdue, and a few are perfect excuses to cancel weekend plans. No regrets.
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This Day in Gaming 🎂
In retro news, I’m using a precision railgun shot to simultaneously light 26 candles on a cake baked for Quake III Arena. I have extremely fond memories of my older, vastly more employed brother building his first PC to play this at launch as I watched on in awe. It was an absolute batcomputer of a rig packing a Pentium II 266 MHz, 64MB RAM, and a beastly 4MB video card. The latter was very much needed because, unlike most other games released at the time, the idTech3 engine demanded an OpenGL-compliant graphics accelerator to run.
From the first FMV frames of a stogie-chewin’ Sarge making his last stand, I was hooked. The Quake series wasn’t really known for its narrative depth, so pinging around a meticulously crafted Thunderdome with 15 other bots/players was a clever pare back of all the puzzle solvin’ and key findin ‘for pure, unadulterated killin’ at a greased lightning pace. Never shall I forget those all-nighter LANs, the arsey rocket jumps, and railgun duelling across The Longest Yard.
Aussie birthdays for notable games.
– Quake III Arena (PC) 1999. Get
– Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer (PS) 1999. eBay
– Racing Gears Advance (GBA) 2004. eBay
– Metal Slug Advance (GBA) 2004. eBay
– Tekken 6 (PSP) 2009. eBay
– Tales From the Borderlands (PS3/4) 2014. Get
Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch
On Switch, this lot covers chaos, catharsis, and comfort food. Whether you want couch rivalries, moody JRPG soul searching, or a magical school fantasy that absolutely knows its audience, these are all easy recommends at these prices.
- Mario Kart 8 Del. (-26%) A$59 Still the best party racer ever made. I have played hundreds of races and still get shell shock every time I hit second place.
- Shin Megami Tensei V (-60%) A$40.30 Brutal, stylish, and absolutely uninterested in holding your hand. Pokemon for people who enjoy consequences and philosophy homework.
- Pokemon Violet (-25%) A$60 Rough edges aside, the open world formula works. I accidentally lost an entire weekend chasing shinies and felt zero shame.
- Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots (-33%) A$47 Golf that remembers games should be fun. Perfect for zoning out while still pretending you are good at sports.
- Hogwarts Legacy (-51%) A$44 A wizard fantasy that absolutely nails atmosphere. I spent far too long ignoring quests just to explore corridors.
Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.
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Exciting Bargains for Xbox
On Series X, this batch swings hard. Big open worlds, tight competitive fighters, and some old school FPS energy that refuses to die quietly.
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (-55%) A$49.90 Stealth finally feels cool again. I actually planned assassinations instead of sprinting and hoping for the best.
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chornobyl (-40%) A$53.90 Hostile, moody, and deeply stressful. Exactly how fans wanted it. Do not expect mercy or tutorials.
- Painkiller (-42%) A$34.90 Dumb, loud, and gloriously fast. Sometimes you just want demons, metal, and zero narrative responsibility.
- Far Cry 6 (-80%) A$19.90 A gorgeous mess with moments of brilliance. At this price, the chaos is more than worth it.
- Street Fighter 6 (-50%) A$31.40 The best Street Fighter has felt in decades. Accessible, deep, and dangerously good for your ego.
Xbox One
- Dying Light 2 Stay Human (-52%) A$47.90 Parkour still slaps and the nights are still terrifying. Play with friends or accept your fear alone.
- Monster Hunter Rise (-80%) A$11.30 One of the best action RPGs ever made at a laughable price. Say goodbye to your free time.
- Yoku’s Island Express (-85%) A$4 A pinball platformer that should not work but absolutely does. Pure joy from start to finish.
Or just invest in an Xbox Card.
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Pure Scores for PlayStation
PS5 owners get a stacked lineup here, from prestige blockbusters to quietly brilliant surprises.
- Ghost of Yotei (-21%) A$99 Stunning presentation and deliberate combat. This one rewards patience and vibes over button mashing.
- Prince of Persia The Lost Crown (-70%) A$24 Ubisoft accidentally made a masterpiece. Tight combat, clever platforming, zero filler.
- Kingdom Come Deliverance II (-57%) A$49 Historically accurate misery, now even better. You will lose fights, arguments, and dignity.
- Rainbow Six Siege Del. (-74%) A$12.90 Tactical chaos that still has legs. Communication optional, panic guaranteed.
- Split Fiction (-33%) A$47 A clever narrative hook that sticks the landing. I did not expect to care this much.
- Pulse Explore Wireless Earbuds (-15%) A$278 Expensive, yes, but excellent spatial audio. My ears noticed the upgrade immediately.
PlayStation 4
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (-74%) A$23 One of the best stories in games. Slow, deliberate, and emotionally devastating.
- Lies of P (-37%) A$53 Soulslike combat with real confidence. Hard, fair, and far better than it has any right to be.
- Divinity Original Sin 2 Def. (-75%) A$21.20 One of the smartest RPGs ever made. I restarted three times and loved every second.
Or purchase a PS Store Card.
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Purchase Cheap for PC
PC players absolutely clean up this week, with horror, absurdity, and action all deeply discounted.
- Silent Hill f (-53%) A$54.90 A bold new direction for the series. Creepy in ways that linger long after you shut it down.
- Silent Hill 2 (-62%) A$38.90 A respectful remake that understands the original. Still deeply uncomfortable in the best way.
- Dave the Diver (-58%) A$12.50 Cozy chaos perfection. I meant to play for twenty minutes and resurfaced four hours later.
- Katamari Damacy Reroll (-66%) A$9.80 Weird, wonderful, and impossible to explain. Just roll the ball and trust the process.
- Resident Evil 4 (-66%) A$20.30 The gold standard for remakes. Tense, modernised, and still an absolute thrill.
- RoboCop Rogue City (-90%) A$6.30 Shockingly faithful and way better than expected. I laughed, then stayed for the gunplay.
Or just get a Steam Wallet Card
Legit LEGO Deals
Just like I did last holiday season, I’m getting festive with the LEGO section. In Mathew Manor, my sons and I are again racing this year’s batch of LEGO Advent Calendars. Basically, we open the City, Harry Potter, Minecraft, and Star Wars on the daily and compare the mini-prizes for “Awesomeness” and “Actual Xmas-ness”. 2024’s winner was the Lego Marvel one, but, weirdly, there’s no 2025 equivalent. So it’s anybody’s race this year.
Here are the cheapest prices for the four calendars we’re using. Score them yourself or just live vicariously through our unboxings.
Adam Mathew is a passionate connoisseur, a lifelong game critic, and an Aussie deals wrangler who genuinely wants to hook you up with stuff that’s worth playing (but also cheap). He plays practically everything, sometimes on YouTube.
