Budget Games PS4 PlayStation 4 1

Once upon a time, convenience shops and hardware stores in the UK like Spar and Wilko used to sell games. But they wouldn't carry the big titles – that was more the domain of Argos, Woolworths, and GAME. Instead, you'd find budget PlayStation 2 releases available for less than a tenner. They were, in most cases, universally awful – but it was exciting rummaging through the big bins of DVD cases, searching on the off-chance for hidden gems.

That all stopped with the PlayStation 3 generation. High definition development saw budgets rise, and those bargain releases that once demanded shelf space in the unlikeliest of places all but disappeared. But with the success of the PlayStation 4 and the rise of indie developers, the boxed budget game is starting to enjoy something of a resurgence, with some publishers realising that there's money to be made putting indie games on Blu-rays.

The coming months prove this point pretty well, with Rocket League, Dino Dini's Kick Off Revival, Pineview Drive, Joe's Diner, Mighty No. 9, Prison Architect, Deadlight: Director's Cut, OlliOlli: Epic Combo Edition, Super Meat Boy, and several others all set to receive sub-£25 physical releases on the PS4. We're going to be honest: we haven't heard of a handful of these.

And it's not just the UK that's getting in on the action either. Over in the United States, a company called Limited Run Games has risen to prominence by publishing physical versions of digital games. This is more of a collectors thing, but with titles like Saturday Morning RPG and Futuridium EP Deluxe selling out on the PlayStation Vita of all systems, it proves that there continues to be a market for physical releases.

Sure, the PlayStation Store will almost certainly become the primary destination for game purchases within the next decade or so, but we're loving this mini-retail renaissance all the same. We've always thought that there's a novelty to boxed budget releases, which has only amplified as they've become less common. Indeed, long may smaller studios keep finding ways to get their games on physical store shelves.


Have you ever bought a boxed budget game? Are you pleased to see so many indie titles get retail releases? Rummage through our bargain bin in the comments section below.

Do you think more indie games should get retail releases? (102 votes)

  1. Yes, I prefer buying boxed games anyway64%
  2. Don't really care25%
  3. No, I buy most of my games digitally now12%

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