AU Deals: Discounts on Games Worth Playing Now, Not Someday

I am less interested in how big the discount looks and more interested in whether a game earns the hours it asks for. This list is about friction, not hype, and the quiet relief of buying something that does not immediately slide into the backlog. I have played enough of these to know where the fun sticks and where the regret usually starts.

Contents

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I’m placing 33 heart-hiding candles on a birthday cake baked for Super Castlevania IV. A bit of an oddity, SCIV technically recycles the original NES adventure’s plight of Simon Belmont as he “Devos” problems that come along in Drac’s castle. However, said whip was instead being (8-way) cracked into entirely new enemies haunting new levels as we tapped our toes to an original soundtrack. I adored this at launch and have vivid memories of being wowed by its use of Mode 7 to twist levels in quasi-3D fashion. Also, chortling at the Dancing Spectre enemies named “Paula Abghoul” and “Fred Askare.” Konami, what were you smoking?

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

– Super Castlevania IV (SNES) 1993. Get

– Harvest Moon (SNES) 1998. eBay

– Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (Wii) 2010. eBay

– Castlevania [Circle of the Moon] (GBA) 2015. eBay

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

• Dredge Del. (-60%) A$15.10 Quietly one of the best horror games on Switch. Relaxing fishing wrapped around creeping dread, with smart pacing and a tone that never overstays its welcome. Still eerie, still clever.
• Dead by Daylight (-65%) A$15.70 Messy, uneven, but unmatched if you like multiplayer tension. Runs rougher than other platforms, but the mind games and licensed killers still do the heavy lifting.
• Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy Def. (-64%) A$29 Three classics with rough edges sanded inconsistently. Still unbeatable for sheer nostalgia and open world mischief if you accept the compromises.
• Children of Morta (-85%) A$4.90 A generous action RPG with real heart. Co-op friendly, story focused, and surprisingly tough when it wants to be. Ridiculous value at this price.
• Yoku’s Island Express (-80%) A$5.40 Pinball platforming that somehow works. Charming, relaxed, and smartly paced. Not for score chasers, but perfect if you want something genuinely different.

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

• Forza Horizon 6 (-10%) A$99 Could be good. Fingers crossed. Horizon games (in my humble opinion) usually deliver. My kingdom for a new-gen update of the Aussie one (FH3).
• Fallout 76 (-80%) A$10.90 Quiet redemption arc. It finally plays like a Fallout game should, just shared with others. Rough launch baggage remains, but the world is worth revisiting.
• Ori and the Blind Forest Def. (-75%) A$7.40 Still one of the tightest platformers ever made. Gorgeous, emotional, and occasionally cruel. Demands precision, but always feels fair.
• Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound (-25%) A$28.10 Old school difficulty with modern smoothing. Combat sings, but patience is required. Not welcoming, yet deeply satisfying if you commit.
• Fable Ann. (-67%) A$16.40 Nostalgia doing most of the work here. Still charming, still odd, but age shows in combat. Worth it for the humour alone.

Xbox One

• The Callisto Protocol (-62%) A$32.30 Gorgeous presentation carrying uneven design. Combat can frustrate, but atmosphere and sound design do heavy lifting if you like slow burn horror.
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 (-55%) A$31.20 A near perfect remake. Feels exactly right, respects muscle memory, and wastes no time. Even better if you grew up with these parks.
• LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (-67%) A$29.50 Loud, busy, and packed with fan service. The usual LEGO chaos applies, but the roster is massive and co-op friendly.

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

• Ghost of Yotei (-21%) A$99 Striking world design and deliberate pacing. Combat rewards patience, not flash. Expensive still, but memorable if you like thoughtful exploration.
• Dead Space (-59%) A$44.90 A textbook remake. Familiar beats, sharper systems, and oppressive atmosphere intact. Still stressful, still brilliant, still not a relaxing evening.
• Stranger of Paradise: FF Origin (-62%) A$38 Combat carries known nonsense storytelling. Surprisingly deep systems if you push past the memes. Uneven tone, strong action.
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (-63%) A$33.50 Huge, funny, and occasionally bloated. Best enjoyed in short bursts. The scope impresses even when the jokes dont land.
• Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (-55%) A$44.90 Fast, aggressive mech combat with real mechanical depth. Missions are tight, bosses hit hard, and build tinkering is half the joy.

PS4

• Persona 5 Strikers (-58%) A$45 Musou combat with Persona style and heart. Better written than expected, though repetition creeps in late.
• Dead Island 2 (-63%) A$25.90 Goofy, gory, and surprisingly polished. Story is disposable, but the combat feedback is excellent if you like splattery melee.
• Moonlighter (-90%) A$2.40 Shopkeeping by day, dungeon crawling by night. Simple loop, gentle challenge, and absurd value for the hours you will sink in.

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

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Purchase Cheap for PC

• Half-Life: Alyx (-70%) A$26.30 Still the VR benchmark. Thoughtful design, tactile combat, and pacing that never wastes your time. Requires headset hardware commitment, rewards it fully.
• Wild Hearts (-93%) A$6.90 Ambitious monster hunting with rough performance. Systems are clever, but optimisation issues linger. Worth it cheap if youre curious.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (-75%) A$22.40 Slow, deliberate, and stunning. Still unmatched world detail, but demands patience. Best enjoyed when you let it breathe.
• Mass Effect Leg. Ed. (-85%) A$13.40 Three classic RPGs, cleaned up and cohesive. Combat improves over time, writing carries throughout (but peaks in 2). Absurd value for the scope.
• A Way Out (-90%) A$3.90 Built purely for co-op storytelling. Uneven gameplay, but memorable moments land if you commit with a friend.

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

Legit LEGO Deals

• One Piece Buggy’s Tent (-34%) A$52.90 Colourful, character heavy build. More about display flair than complexity. Built this recently myself. Very happy I did.
• Creator 3 in 1 Turtle (-33%) A$10 Simple, charming, and flexible. A quick build with decent variety for the price.
• Minecraft The Pale Garden (-27%) A$22 Familiar blocks and biomes. Not adventurous, but safe and recognisable for fans.
• Pretty Pink Flower Bouquet (-25%) A$75 Display first, play second. Looks great on a shelf, less exciting to build. Worth it if aesthetics are the goal.

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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.