21 Good Games to Pick Up in the 2025 Steam Spring Sale
Steam sales can be overwhelming, especially if you're new to PC gaming. This list is a compilation of 20 or so games I personally reccomend picking up this sale.
Nothing quite exemplifies the benefits of being a PC gamer like a seasonal Steam sale. The buy-in cost for PC gaming can be 21big, even if you are just on a Steam Deck or other handheld, however, the sheer volume of games you can pick up during a Steam sale for less than the cost of a brand-new AAA console game is staggering.
To remedy that, I have compiled a list of recommendations for this year's Spring Sale event. Of course, I will take this opportunity to plug my Top Ten Games of 2024, all of which are currently on sale as well. The rest of this list includes games big and small, old and new, horrors and puzzlers–but there is one thing binding them all together: how fucking excellent they are.
Puzzle Agent (2010) – AU$1.50
You play as the sole member of the FBI's Puzzle Research Division, sent to uncover a dark mystery that has halted the production of erasers in Scoggins, Minnesota. It's a goofy premise, brought to life by artwork from known gnome collaborator Graham Annable. Puzzle Agent revels in its Fargo/Twin Peaks inspiration, with smartly designed puzzles and a mind-bending plot.
Before the Green Moon (2023) – AU$6.21
It's hard to put into words the emotions a game like Before the Green Moon brings bubbling to the surface. What initially presents as "just another farming game," quickly becomes this contemplation on purpose and moving on. It's rare enough to see a game in this genre roll credits, but rarer still to see it done in the way Before the Green Moon does.
Wildermyth (2021) – AU$23.36
This is a comfort game for me, which isn't to say it's "cozy" or "relaxing," far from it. The combat is punishing, but the character/story moments are heartfelt and disarming. Every time I play I see something new, but it stays this quirky, high-fantasy adventure about the legacy your heroes inevitably leave behind.
Pillars of Eternity - Definitive Edition (2017) – AU$14.23
If you've been playing Avowed as I have, you might be wondering what the fuck everyone is talking about when they're spouting fantasy nonsense about Godwoken and Adra and Watchers–it all started here. Pillars of Eternity is an old-school CRPG adventure through a dense, richly detailed world brought to life through its beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds and vivid storytelling.
Ctrl Alt Ego (2022) – AU$14.75
The perpetually underrated immersive sim that feels as reinvigorating as it does obtuse. It takes a while to learn its eccentricities, but once you do, it's a real treat. Full of dry, British wit and more deadly robots than a Tesla dealership, Ctrl Alt Ego feels like a real step forward for its genre.
Beyond Galaxyland (2024) – AU$13.17
A grand science fiction romp through a dazzlingly charming galaxy. I see a lot of Anachronox in Beyond Galaxyland; the witty writing, the bright and colourful personalities, and the smooth and punchy turn-based combat. It's easy to lose track of time exploring the spectacular environments or getting engrossed in the next quest. While not extraordinarily long, it does a lot with the time it does have.
Hollowbody (2024) – AU$18.71
There's no end to my love for games that let you beat on other-worldly abominations with a rusted pipe, wrench or bat–Hollowbody carries on that tradition and is especially dedicated to its PS2 aesthetic. It can be a bit too old school in its design at times, but it nails the atmosphere and proves to still be a really solid experience despite some rough edges.
Binary Domain (2012) – AU$3.50
When Binary Domain was released, it was competing in a market saturated with third-person cover shooters. To set itself apart, it delivered a completely insane experience from start to end. It feels like a really dumb Mass Effect, complete with dialogue choices and a cheesy romance B plot. What really seals the deal though is the eventual confrontations with building-sized boss fights.
Else Heart.Break() (2015) – AU$9.12
A dreamy little game that can teach you the very basics of coding. Else Heart.Break() lets you manipulate the fabric of the world once you start to understand that everything around you is made up of transient bits. It's an incredibly ambitious game, and while it is unpolished in some areas, I've yet to see another game attempt something like this.
The Good Life (2021) – AU$21.47
Part murder mystery, part "debt repayment RPG" and all weird. The Good Life is a game directed by SWERY, of Deadly Premonition fame. It's got all the typical oddities of a SWERY game and really makes you work your ass off to pay back that debt. There's a lot of repition and grinding in this game but to me, it's all very intentional. Plus, you can turn into a dog, it doesn't get much better than this.
Gunpoint (2013) – AU$5.07
If you want to get some idea of who I am as a person, you would measure the number of times I've excessively punched rent-a-cop security guards in Gunpoint. This is an intelligent, fun and funny game where every joke lands and hacking is as integral as diving through third-floor windows. One of my favourite puzzle platformers of all time.
My Friendly Neighborhood (2023) – AU$30.76
Ingredients:
- 1 part Resident Evil 4
- 1 part Bioshock
- 1 part Sesame Street
Method:
1. Mix and serve
2. Garnish with excellent voice acting, nostalgic but disturbing imagery and salt
Intergalactic Fishing (2020) – AU$5.37
It might not look like much, but this is one deep fishing game, pun intended. Intergalactic Fishing has you exploring an endless universe of lakes on which you'll cast your line to catch the unique fish it produces. It very much plays like a stripped-back, fishing-focused No Man's Sky. I would say it's the premier space fishing game.
Lakeview Valley (2019) – AU$4.39
The Lakeview Cabin Collection was such an oddity when it came out–a terrifying horror puzzler as cute as it was grizzly. Lakeview Valley is the logical conclusion to that confusion. Billed as a "murder RPG," you can approach obstacles in this game in many different ways: it can even rival much bigger RPGs with the freedom it affords you. It still manages to be genuinely unsettling despite its "cozy" trappings.
Lone Survivor: Director's Cut (2012) – AU$7.25
Lone Survivor is an excellent little horror game: it's brutal, it's tense and it fucks with you at every opportunity. Much more of a psychological horror than a straight-up monstery/occult horror, but nonetheless, a good time. There's not too much to say about it, it's just a solid and well-put-together game.
Prodigal (2020) – AU$2.15
Reminiscent of GameBoy classics like Links Awakening, Final Fantasy and Pokemon, Prodigal is a super retro RPG with a wild amount of content for the price. There's some excellent writing tucked away in here, but the meat of the game is in the dungeons, all of which are thoughtfully designed and a lot of fun. More than just a nostalgia trip, Prodigal stands tall on its own two feet.
Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer (2023) – AU$12.47
Slayers X is the story of cool dude Zane, who wields the all-powerful S blade. The evil Psyko Syndikate have killed your sensei; now you're out for revenge. Gameplay-wise, this is a beyond-competent boomer shooter, but the presentation is everything. Slayers X could have easily applied a cynical or ironic lens, but it instead opts for enthusiasm–a celebration of the creativity of an edgy teenager in a bygone era.
UNSIGHTED (2021) – AU$11.58
A drop-dead gorgeous pixel-art action adventure about dying robots. Explore a desolate world, build the perfect loadout for taking on enemies in souls-like combat, and race against the clock to save your friends. UNSIGHTED's big trick is the real-time countdown measuring the remaining lifespan of each character–one big time limit. It may sound like it would get in the way, but it never feels like it's punishing you. It just encourages you to get faster and faster, complementing the hectic gameplay.
Anthology Of The Killer (2024) – AU$8.20
A surreal walking sim through a world that answers the question: "What if I watched Cartoon Network on crack." There's hardly any gameplay here, so it falls somewhat neatly into the walking-sim genre of games. With superb writing, "evocative" art and sheer force of will, Anthology Of The Killer stands out as a real gem of creativity.
You Will Die Here Tonight (2023) – AU$14.75
I love it when a game can be brutally honest about itself in its title. You Will Die Here Tonight does exactly what it says on the tin, presenting a unique take on the survival horror genre. You control multiple characters throughout the night the game takes place, and you will lose characters, each one a necessary sacrifice to get the next one just a bit further along. Immaculate Resident Evil 1 vibes with a fun combination of isometric exploration and arcadey first-person combat.
Timemelters (2024) – AU$7.37
While this game, in theory, is about melting time, it might be more accurate to say it's about melting brains. A unique little tower defence game where instead of just towers, you can throw yourself into the fray. Then, go back in time, but retain the previous version of yourself so now there are two of you fighting the horde. Or three, fuck it, four. It takes a while to wrap your head around but it's well worth the effort, in my humble opinion.
