In my digital trawling for steals this week, I’ve found many a modern classic dropped to eyebrow-raising lows. Without spoiling the list below, there’s plenty of excellent stuff spread across Nintendo, Xbox, PlayStation and PC, plus a small mountain of LEGO for the brick-inclined. Honestly, the sheer variety means there is probably something here for everybody’s school holiday, whether you crave dungeon crawling, space-faring or a cheeky kart race.
Contents
RetroNintendoXboxPlayStationPCPC GearLEGO
This Day in Gaming 🎂
In retro news, I’m head-popping Grunts into confetti as Halo 3 turns 18. Back in 2007 its Aussie launch wasn’t just big, it was practically a national holiday, with 50K units and $6M cleared in a single day. That meant one in four Xbox 360 owners jumped straight in, making it a bigger opening act than The Lord of the Rings Return of the King at the movies. I still have strong memories of finally “finishing the fight” in glorious 4-player co-op, a first for the series. Also, the MP vendettas I fought against fellow game critics in our magazine offices were the stuff of legend.
Aussie birthdays for notable games.
– Freedom Fighters (GC,PC,PS2,XB) 2003. Get
– Halo 3 (X360) 2007. Get
– Wario Land: Shake Dimension (Wii) 2008. eBay
– Yakuza 2 (PS2) 2008. Redux
– Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway (PS3,X360) 2008. Get
– Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4) 2018. Redux
Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch
On Switch, Luigi’s Mansion 3 still feels like a masterclass in Nintendo’s ability to turn everyday objects into whimsical puzzles. The team actually built a working vacuum cleaner during development to inspire the Poltergust’s mechanics. Meanwhile, NieR: Automata’s YoRHa Edition hits cheap and that game’s director, Yoko Taro, once admitted he wears his iconic Emil mask during staff meetings to hide his embarrassment.
Pokémon Violet (-26%) – A$59 A solid Gen 9 adventure with new open-world mechanics and Terastalizing battles. Great if you skipped Scarlet, though still plagued by performance hiccups.Luigi’s Mansion 3 (-20%) – A$64 Nintendo’s best ghost-busting romp yet, filled with charm, co-op fun, and clever puzzles. Essential Switch fare, particularly if you enjoyed the GameCube original.GTA Trilogy Def. (-77%) – A$24 Three classics bundled into one, now portable. Performance is patchy on Switch, but for the price it’s hard to ignore this slice of open-world history.LEGO Horizon Adventures (-17%) – A$49 Horizon’s robo-dino hunting shrunk into family-friendly LEGO form. A lighthearted take on Aloy’s saga with drop-in co-op, perfect for younglings and fans of brick-built fun.NieR:Automata YoRHa Ed. (-60%) – A$21.90 PlatinumGames’ action masterpiece with Switch-exclusive costumes. Performance holds up surprisingly well, and the emotional story remains one of the most memorable in modern gaming.
What’s Big on the Radar?
Current hotcakes selling
Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 – $79Pokémon Legends: Z-A – $78Super Mario Party Jamboree – $64
Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.
Switch Console Prices
How much to Switch it up?
Exciting Bargains for Xbox
Xbox Series X owners should look closely at Doom: The Dark Ages, a prequel that’s built around brutal melee action rather than just ballistic fury. Scarlet Nexus is also cut-price, and if you missed it, the dual protagonist system was inspired by Code Vein’s co-op roots.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (-18%) – A$89 Sega’s mascot hits the tracks in a team-based spin on kart racing. Colourful courses, plenty of nostalgia, though perhaps not the fastest horse in the racing stable.DOOM: The Dark Ages (-59%) – A$49 Rip-and-tear goes medieval with brutal new weapons and hellish sieges. A fresh spin on id Software’s demon-slaying formula that makes DOOM feel as savage as ever.Mass Effect Leg. Ed. (-80%) – A$20.30 The definitive Shepard saga remastered. Over 100 hours of spacefaring drama, squadmate bonding, and galactic choices. Easily one of the best value RPG bundles available.Scarlet Nexus (-63%) – A$34.40 Anime action with psychic powers and brain-punk flair. Stylish combat meets intriguing dual narratives, making this a hidden gem for fans of Japanese RPGs.The Evil Within 2 (-50%) – A$19 Shinji Mikami’s horror sequel mixes open environments with disturbing monsters. A creepy, underrated survival horror experience with a strong emotional core.
Xbox One
Red Dead Redemption 2 (-74%) – A$23 Rockstar’s epic Western saga with unmatched detail and storytelling. Still one of the most ambitious open-world games, and this price makes it a steal.Story of Seasons: FoMT (-57%) – A$26 A charming remake of the farming classic. Grow crops, raise animals, and woo villagers in this relaxing countryside sim.Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (-53%) – A$27 Includes the full saga of Shovel Knight and expansions. A retro-inspired platformer packed with content and chiptune brilliance, perfect for old-school gamers.
What’s Big on the Radar?
Headed out the door quick
EA Sports FC 26 – $79.00Silent Hill f – $109.00Borderlands 4 – $99.00
Or just invest in an Xbox Card.
Xbox Console Prices
How many bucks for a ‘Box?
Pure Scores for PlayStation
For PS5, Dead Space is unmissable, a lovingly gruesome rebuild that’s serving me well as a sort of sci-fi horror side-play to Alien: Earth. Disco Elysium is also here, the detective RPG born from a failed rock band called “Ultramelancholic,” who turned to storytelling instead of music.
Monster Hunter Rise (-75%) – A$14.90 Capcom’s beast-slaying hit, enhanced on PS5 with 4K visuals and smooth performance. A must for co-op fans who crave deep crafting and monster-hunting thrills.Dead Space (-78%) – A$24 The survival horror classic remade with modern graphics and zero-G upgrades. A perfect jump-in for sci-fi horror enthusiasts who missed the original.The Witcher 3 Comp. (-37%) – A$49 Geralt’s saga in its ultimate form, with expansions and next-gen upgrades. A sprawling RPG filled with monster contracts, political intrigue, and unforgettable storytelling.COD: Black Ops 7 (-19%) – A$89 Treyarch’s latest entry delivers futuristic firefights and familiar multiplayer chaos. A safer bet for CoD fans wanting the newest maps and modes.Disco Elysium – The Final Cut (-70%) – A$17.90 A detective RPG masterpiece with unparalleled dialogue choices and political satire. Brilliantly written, bizarre, and unforgettable, though firmly for patient players.
PS4
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Col. (-49%) – A$47 Six arcade classics bundled in one. Packed with chaotic crossover battles and nostalgia for fighting fans, though barebones beyond the core gameplay.Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (-86%) – A$3.40 Relive Goku’s saga in RPG form. A retelling stuffed with iconic battles, filler arcs, and plenty of love for DBZ diehards.COD: MW Rem. (-37%) – A$37.90 One of CoD’s most iconic campaigns and maps, polished up. Still a fan favourite, especially if you missed it the first time around.
What’s Big on the Radar?
Fast movers shifting
EA Sports FC 26 – $79.00Ghost of Yōtei – $99.00Silent Hill f – $119.00
Or purchase a PS Store Card.
What you’ll pay to ‘Station.
Purchase Cheap for PC
Over on PC, Hotline Miami’s top-down violence is as hypnotic as ever. Fun fact: the neon drenched style was heavily influenced by the film Drive. Pair it with Inscryption, a deck-building horror oddity where creator Daniel Mullins actually hid secret codes in the game’s source files to drive ARG enthusiasts wild.
Stellar Blade (-29%) – A$78 A stylish action game blending sci-fi spectacle and hack-and-slash combat. On PC, it shines with unlocked frames and ultrawide support.Inscryption (-60%) – A$11.50 A card battler that spirals into horror. Clever, unsettling, and constantly surprising, it’s one of the most inventive indies of the last few years.The Talos Principle 2 (-70%) – A$13.10 A thoughtful puzzle sequel about philosophy, AI, and humanity. A cerebral choice for fans of Portal-style brainteasers.Biomutant (-75%) – A$13.70 A strange but ambitious open-world action RPG with kung-fu critters. Flawed, but oddly charming, especially at this bargain.Hotline Miami (-80%) – A$2.90 Ultra-violent top-down shooter with hypnotic synthwave beats. Quick, brutal, and endlessly replayable. A modern indie classic for less than a coffee.
Or just get a Steam Wallet Card
PC Hardware Prices
Slay your pile of shame.
Laptop Deals
Apple MacBook Air 15″ (-16%) – A$2,087ASUS 14″ Chromebook (-25%) – A$321HP OmniBook X Flip (-37%) – A$1,999HP Envy x360 16″ (-34%) – A$1,329Lenovo ThinkPad E14 (-31%) – A$917.04
Desktop Deals
BOSGAME Mini PC (-31%) – A$479HP OMEN 35L (-30%) – A$4,899HP OmniDesk PC (-21%) – A$1,199Lenovo Legion T5i (-28%) – A$2,959Lenovo ThinkCentre neo (-27%) – A$1,479
Monitor Deals
ASUS VY249HGR 24″ (-22%) – A$109Dell SE2725HM 27″ (-56%) – A$143.40KTC 27″ QHD 180Hz (-27%) – A$227MSI PRO MP2412 24″ (-26%) – A$95
Component Deals
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (-49%) – A$257AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D (-20%) – A$609Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB (-13%) – A$184Corsair Vengeance DDR4 32GB (-6%) – A$134
Storage Deals
ORICO 1TB M.2 SSD (-25%) – A$97.46SanDisk Extreme 1TB SSD (-23%) – A$176SanDisk 128GB PRO SD (-58%) – A$34SanDisk 32GB Ultra SD (-87%) – A$9.90Seagate One Touch HDD (-24%) – A$228
Legit LEGO Deals
Simba The Lion King (-37%) – A$126Boba Fett’s Starship (-36%) – A$15.90AT-ST Walker (-35%) – A$194Knuckles vs. Dr. Eggman (-35%) – A$39.20
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.
