Gaming has become an almost ubiquitous hobby in much of the world, but regardless of your chosen platform, it can feel like it’s either asking too much of your wallet or your time. In the traditional video game market – think PC and consoles – hardware prices have gone up over this generation and average game prices have risen too. If you’re a fan off mobile or free-to-play games, you have to deal with progression and social systems designed to push you into spending on boosters or cosmetic items. As gameblur is a hobbyist site, with no remuneration or income generation, we thought it would be worth sharing some ideas for gaming on a budget – both financial and time-wise – that have served the writers well over the years.
The Xbox Series S
The Xbox Series S is a strangely maligned console (especially given it’s more powerful than most handheld PCs that have received so much praise),, yet it’s served me admirably for the first 3 years of this generation, while dealing with the costs of relocating to another country. Is it going to get you (upscaled) 4K/60 visuals with ray-tracing features? Not often, but it still offers many core features of an Xbox Series X: the ability to play current-gen games; a vast backwards-compatible library that is often deeply discounted; variable refresh rate (VRR) and low framerate compensation (LFC) support for compatible displays; and the brilliant quick-resume function for when your gaming time is unstructured or often interrupted.
It’s obviously not best suited to those with large 4K TVs and physical game collections, but it’s compact, quiet, looks great plugged into a smaller TV or PC monitor, and can be picked up new for as little as £200 new (and even less if you go for a refurbished or second-hand option). The Xbox storefront pushes deeper discounts than most others, including their older first-part or console-exclusive titles. And then there’s always Xbox’ biggest push to consider – Xbox Game Pass. As with all consoles, there’s the paid-for-multiplayer issue, but at least this has been reworked into Game Pass “Core” (currently £7/month) that features a small but quality selection of primarily multiplayer-centric titles.
The Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch can be another budget-friendly choice depending on how you use it. It’s going on 8-years old now and a successor is likely coming out in 2025, but it’s still a great option if you’re a) a fan of Nintendo IP or need a platform skewed towards a younger audience; b) enjoy smaller indie games in the platformer, roguelikes, or point-and-click adventure genres; or c) you need the ability to shift between playing on a TV and on-the-go (or even between TVs within the same household if you buy another dock).
Nintendo Switch consoles are increasingly discounted to sub £250, while second-hand or refurbished options go well below £200. The more expensive console bundles with Nintendo-published games might be a good starting point for some, given how little their games drop in value over time. On that note, Nintendo-published games or console-exclusives only receive only minor discounts – both digital and physical copies – but those with an interest in third-party titles, from AAA ports down to indie, will find they’re aggressively discounted within months of launch. The biggest downside is having to sift through mountains of shovelware Nintendo seems unwilling or unable to curate.
Subscriptions services like Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, and Nintendo Online
How you feel about video game ownership will influence your view on game subscription services, but they remain an incredibly cost-effective way to access a lot of titles – both with regards to the relative cost, and the ability to set a fixed monthly expenditure. Options like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus offer a ton of diversity and have moved towards making themselves platform-independent, with the ability to stream games directly to compatible devices. You’re typically trading access to a rotating library – with the length of time on the service variable – for the price of 2-3 full-priced “AAA” games per year.
Both Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus come in three tiers to muddy the waters. Game Pass Ultimate (currently £15/month) takes top spot by offering Xbox-published games at launch, but PlayStation Plus Extra (currently £11/month or £100/annual) also offers older Sony-published games and PS4/5 exclusives alongside the same extensive third-party content. In stark contrast, Nintendo Online – in addition to enabling only play – is best for retro fans or those wanting their children to start with classic Nintendo games. You can pick between an extensive library of emulated NES, Super NES, and Game Boy titles (currently £3.50/month or £18/annual) or that plus N64, Game Boy Advanced, and SEGA Mega Drive titles (currently or £35/annual).
Research budget accessories
A final point to consider is budget accessories, especially if you need another controller for cooperative games or a headset for chatting during multiplayer sessions. The two most common scenarios are probably finding a basic gamepad/headset for less than an official one, or choosing a gamepad/headset with more premium features for around the same price as an official one. These days there are a ton of options and an unfortunate number of generic manufacturers that comes and go, selling functionally identical products under various names. As such, I’d strongly recommend looking at more established brands and checking several review sources first.
For the typical lounge setup – and assuming you want to avoid wires – there’s no shortage of excellent options from PowerA, GameSir, Hori, 8bitdo, and Nacon; typically with variants for every platform and most compatible on PC by default. For PC gaming and using cloud streaming apps on a Smart TV, the PowerA OPS1 v1 is an excellent choice that feels near identical to an official Xbox Series S|X controller but with features you’d see on an Xbox Elite controller. For the Nintendo Switch (and PC), the 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Wireless Controller is a great alternative to an official Pro controller. If you plan to use streaming services on your phone without investing in a console, consider discounted or refurbished controller-style grips like the GameSir G8 Galileo, Backbone One, or Razer Kishi, so you at least get the best gameplay experience.
Value your time as much as your money
As a final point, take a breath and think long and hard about what you’re after when investing time and money into gaming.
As my total playtime has decreased with more time is spent writing, editing, or producing video, it’s easy to add deeply discounted games to a never-ending backlog, only to realise I’ve eaten into my budget when something I really want to play comes along. As an example, choosing to drastically reduce the number of discounted games I bought allowed me to save up for a Nintendo Switch and later a refurbished OLED TV, both of which proved far more impactful to my gaming experience. The OLED TV – which everyone in the household benefits from – made digging into my backlog more enjoyable thanks to the incredible contrast and clarity; while the Nintendo Switch provided an opportunity to catch up on older titles whenever I had a break or spent some time away from home. The cost was well-spent as it enhanced the time I had.
On the other hand, there’s barely enough time to just sample the myriad of games out there these days, so placing value on your time is the most important factor. Even when gaming on a budget, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking if you have less time, you might as well spend on the best experience, but that’s not needed to enjoy the hobby and may just leave you more disappointed down the line. Rather, try work video gaming into your life smartly – considering both finances and free time – so that when you sit down to game, you can simply lose yourself in the experience instead of worrying whether you should have spent money or whether you’ll be able to invest the time to “justify” the purchase.
