This fall, most big games are $70, not $60

The year is drawing to a close, and that means we’re approaching the busiest time for video game releases. And while Covid-19 has rocked the entire industry and caused numerous delays, there are still some big games to come over the next few weeks. But if you want to enjoy them, you’ll have to spend upwards of $70 (or more) as publishers begin to move into a new, more expensive era of gaming.

That video games are becoming more expensive is not entirely surprising. Since at least 2020Companies like Sony have made it clear that Game prices would go up from $60 to $70. But it’s still worth noting, with many big games releasing this year for $60 or less, that a majority of the biggest games coming out this fall and early next year will now cost more, even on older consoles.

Here are all the games coming out in the next few months that will cost $70 or more:

Fall 2022

• Gotham Knights – 25 Oct
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2022) – October 28

• God of War Ragnarok (PS5) – 9/11
• The Callisto Protocol (PS5, Xbox Series X/S) – December 1st

winter / spring 2023

• That prophesied – January 24, 2023
• dead island 2 – February 2, 2023
• Hogwarts Legacy – February 9, 2023
• Wild Hearts – February 17, 2023
• skull and bones – March 9, 2023

The reasons for these increased prices are varied, from inflation to more expensive and longer development cycles to good old-fashioned greed. Whatever the reasons for the price increase, it seems to be here to stay. And it is also becoming clear that publishers are not interested in offering themselves free next-gen upgrades more, or lower prices for PS4 and Xbox One versions. Some of the games listed above, such as call of Duty and dead island 2, charge $70 whether you play on PS4 or PS5.

While I understand that developing and publishing video games is a very expensive process, it’s hard to stomach these price hikes when games seem more packed than ever with microtransactions and other ways to get players’ money long after the original one skim off purchase. Some might assume that the human developers working on these games will get paid more, but that’s also highly unlikely, especially in an industry with a long history of exploiting its workers and it’s still in 2022 has almost no unions.

Unfortunately for people who can’t afford to routinely spend $70 or more on a single game, this seems to be the new normal as Sony, Ubisoft and co other publishers undertake to increase the price. At a time when Game Pass has become incredibly popular and free-to-play hits are falling Fourteen days and Genshin Impact continue to dominate the world, it seems like the worst time to ask people to throw down another $10. It might be too much too fast for many gamers, especially with more affordable alternatives like game streaming or monthly subscription plans available than ever before.