Five games under $5 worth your time this month

Summer sale, winter sale, you name it, there’s always that time of year you can rely on to get amazing games for an absolute bargain. But now we’re waiting for the Steam Spring Sale to come around on March 19, so what do we do with our time until then?

After scouring Steam for fantastic video games at low prices, here are five recommendations for under $5 you can play this month (or all year long). Whether you’re looking for high replayability and an addictive gameplay loop, fun with friends, or an experience you won’t forget anytime soon.

Destructoid’s recommendations: Five games for $5

Lock in for endless chaos with ‘Vampire Survivors’

• Price: $4.99
• More in this genre under $10: Brotato ($4.99) and Megabonk ($9.99)

Potentially the best bang for your buck game out there, Vampire Survivors demonstrates that less is more. That is, until you become the physical manifestation of “more” out there on the battlefield. The job is simple: survive against hordes of enemies for as long as possible. For the roguelike enthusiasts and gamers who want both a challenge and to lose hours in satisfying gameplay, Vampire Survivors is action-packed chaos that satiates the demand for more by providing limitless possibilities with builds.

I bought Vampire Survivors a few days after its initial launch due to its price. I never knew what the game would turn into, but it hooked me for many hours due to its simplicity, without the extra burden of high fidelity or complex mechanics. It’s a great game to just take a breather from the usual.

Andrej Barovic – Destructoid Staff Writer and hardcore gamer

Is luck on your side, or are you just the world’s best gamer? Calling all Hades and Dark Souls players, for this one is for you. The perfect warmup that will surely make you lose track of time, Vampire Survivors is as addictive as Balatro, but this game will actually make you feel unstoppable. Just remember to go outside every once in a while.

An experience to remember with ‘Sally Face – Episode One’

• Price: $2.99
• Unique like this and under $10: UNDERTALE ($9.99), Midnight Scenes: The Nanny ($3.99), Look Outside ($9.99), and Fear & Hunger ($7.99)

Outside of The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption, you can find some surprising heavy-hitters in the indie world of adventures and RPGs. The charming hand-drawn aesthetic with a morbid cartoonish twist does what hyper-realistic games often cannot. Previously RPG Maker games, now often side-scrollers or point-and-click, these indie titles invite you in with their heartfelt and relatable cast, a study into the human condition, and profound narratives that will leave you wanting more—and Sally Face is one of those games.

Games like Sally Face, though they may not catch your eye for their art style, capture hearts for their realism. It has passion and heart, offering up humor, sadness, and happiness, it is a neat package that can hold more impact in its short run-time than hundreds of hours in a game with a million-dollar budget ever could. For the narrative lovers like myself, this one is for you.

Unbeatable atmosphere with ‘IT STEALS’

• Price: $4.99
• More horror under $5: Cry of Fear (free), Welcome to the Dark Place (free), IMSCARED ($3.99), and I’m on Observation Duty 4 ($4.99)

IT STEALS remains one of the most panic-inducing horror games I’ve played. Transported to a PAC-MAN-like realm where you must collect orbs to survive, this pixelated nightmare houses abominations that love to play with their food — and you’re next on the menu. Adapt, improvise, and try not to lose your nerve in this ever-changing labyrinth of torment.

If Maze Runner was made for adults, hellbent on destroying childhoods, it’d be this.

Me – A horror enthusiast with an unmeasurable amount of bias. Just trust me bro.

From the developer of Lethal Company and Welcome to the Dark Place, IT STEALS is a horror with five terrifying game modes. Just when you thought you got the hang of how this works, the rules reset, and you’re now faced against a new threat that’s more deadly than the last. A flashlight in hand, the timer counting down to zero, a monster waiting to ambush you from the shadows. If you hate the thought of being chased, then IT STEALS is here to destroy your hopes and dreams. You’ll never want to play hide and seek again.

Ragebait and destroy friendships with ‘PICO PARK’

• Price: $4.99
• More in this genre under $10: Humans Fall Flat ($5.99), PEAK ($7.99), and Chained Together ($4.99)

Co-op games let you connect with old friends and new, but PICO PARK might actively destroy the friendship you’ve spent weeks, months, maybe years building. The ultimate friendship test, PICO PARK throws you into a puzzle platformer, where you must band together and combine brain cells to win. There’s always one on the team who takes the game too seriously (me) and another who’s the troll of the group (lord help you if there’s multiple). I’m adamant this is a Portuguese Man o’ War simulator, because if you don’t work together, you will surely fail.

Depending on the types of friends you have (or the kind of friend you are), PICO PARK could either be a walk in the park or more challenging than Elden Ring. With a real-life sanity meter and friendships on the line, the stakes are high, and you might come out the other side a different person. Good luck, you’re gonna need it.

Feel more connected in the world with ‘Kind Words’

• Price: $4.99
• More like this under $10: Undusted: Letters from the Past ($7.99) and Before Your Eyes ($9.99)

Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to) is a game about connection. Released before the pandemic, Kind Words grows more valuable and important in our society with each passing day. The coziness of video games such as Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley offers an escape from the mundanity and stresses of life, but Kind Words lets you unburden, unwind, and relax to soothing beats—to help you and others make sense of the world we’re all journeying through.

Kind Words soothingly validates the fact that we are all in this together, and better yet gives us a chance to positively affect the life and mental health of someone else.

Lilia Hellal – sister and queen of cozy vibes

Of course, Kind Words doesn’t replace a helpline, but there’s something profoundly powerful about games like these. In a society that’s growing increasingly more disconnected, where feelings of invisibility, unwantedness, and hopelessness are rife on social media, we could all use anonymous letters to help us feel a little bigger and brighter about our place in the world. Though everyone is a click away, there’s a loneliness that I, and many others feel on a daily—and games like Kind Words can help fill our hearts—even if it’s just by shovelling in love a bit at a time. And in time, we will be full.

The post Five games under $5 worth your time this month appeared first on Destructoid.

Expired Respirator might not be a new item in ARC Raiders, but the demand for it has gone up after the Headwinds update went live.

The Trophy Display project, added as part of the Headwinds update, requires you to find and submit Expired Respirators. Doing so will earn you different rewards that might be immensely beneficial for your in-game grind.

While there’s an element of randomness associated with how you can find, this guide will help raise the odds of your success.

Best Expired Respirator locations in ARC Raiders

There’s no fixed area where you’re guaranteed to find Expired Respirators. However, it’s a medical equipment that can typically be found in commercial areas. I usually used to find this item in different spots of the Buried City. The Hospital is a POI that seems to have the highest chances of success.

Another great spot is the Testing Annex location on Dam Battlegrounds. The spot, located in the southern part of the map, can also help you with a few Expired Respirators. That said, it ultimately depends on your luck.

If you’re on the Spaceport or the Blue Gate map, I will concentrate on hitting the Commercial and Residential areas. You’ll want to go carefully through all the containers and other breachable spots that you might find.

How to use Expired Respirators in ARC Raiders

As of writing, the most important use of the Expired Respirators is to complete the second stage of the Trophy Display project. You’ll need to submit three of these items once you’ve unlocked Stage 2. Doing so will get you three Photoelectric Cloak, and bring you one step closer to unlocking the final rewards.

Once done, you can recycle Expired Respirators to get four Fabric and eight Rubber Parts. Both items are staples for several crafting recipes, and you should stack them as much as possible.

The post How to get and use Expired Respirator in ARC Raiders appeared first on Destructoid.