Expensive games on Steam generally fall into three categories: VR games, DLC and Special Editions, and possible scams. One might think that the high-end of the Steam store is home to the best of the platform, games that change the face of the video game industry. This is not the case – for the most part, game prices stick to a $10-$60 price range, no matter how amazing they are.
Sorting by "Highest Price" when searching on Steam shows a relatively small number of actual games and DLCs compared to game collections. Digging through all of the bundles shows that the most expensive games are mostly VR-oriented, but there are also educational games and special editions (as well as some stranger offerings) that sell for exorbitant prices on Steam as well.
8 Call of Duty: Ghosts (Hardened Edition) – $99.99
The Call of Duty franchise is no stranger to high-priced exclusive editions. Although there have been a number of entries in the franchise since 2013, the most expensive Call of Duty special edition on Steam is still Call of Duty: Ghosts
Call of Duty: Ghosts was a critically panned game, and the in-game community has dwindled over time. Call of Duty titles rarely see price reductions on Steam, though, perhaps explaining why this edition of the 2013 game still costs as much as the Infinite Warfare deluxe edition from 2016.
7 Runescape Max Pack – $129.99
The well-known free-to-play MMORPG Runescape was added to Steam relatively recently, and along with it came one of the most expensive DLC packs on the platform. The $129.99 pack comes with a year-long membership and a swathe of unique in-game items, the Runescape soundtrack, and 75 treasure keys.
One reviewer did the math and figured out that if one were to add each piece of the bundle together individually, it would total over $150.
6 1000 Stages: Adventure – $149.99
1000 Stages: Adventure is a game that, more than almost any other game on Steam, makes Steam users question the price tag. It's an indie game that features cheaply-drawn 2D art and, according to the description, appears not to have 1000 levels, but 1000 floating platforms.
According to the game's solitary review, 1000 Stages: Adventure plays like a Scratch.mit.edu game, a site that hosts user-made animations and games made in the child-friendly program.
5 CrisisAction VR – $199.99
CrisisActionVR is a pricey co-op survival FPS that was released towards the start of the VR gaming trend in 2017. The game features a variety of game modes, multiplayer, a number of weapons, and maps, but ultimately reviews are mixed.
Players have complained about the unintuitive control scheme, as well as the strange perspective of the world. Additionally, many Steam reviews question why the game is listed at nearly $200.
4 Jam Studio VR: Education & Health Care Edition – $199.99
Jam Studio VR is a game that lets players interact with and play a variety of different musical instruments and create songs in the VR space. A special edition of the game intended for Educational use and Healthcare is also available on Steam.
This special edition offers a number of special programs and music lessons as well as the standard free-play instrumental mode. It's a hefty investment, but ultimately a good one to teach music basics as well as allow physically handicapped people to play an instrument.
3 W.H.A.L.E. – $199.99
W.H.A.L.E. (Water and Hydrogeological Analysis Laboratories) is an indie scientific VR game that was created in collaboration with the European Union itself. The game was created for the University of Sassari in Italy for the Faculty of Agriculture, and serves as a means to teach water sampling analysis.
The game, quote, "is only for people who study the Hydrological Approaches to a batter sustainable development." The lack of reviews on the title's Steam page implies that gamers have indeed stayed away.
2 Heroes and Generals: Giga Packs – $199.99
The free-to-play large-scale FPS Heroes and Generals offers a number of DLC packages in various sizes: the Giga packs contain the most DLC content, but they also go for a steep price.
The US, Soviet Union, and Germany are all represented in separate $199 Giga DLC packs, as well as a variety of megapacks and other DLC available for the game.
1 Ascent Free-Roaming VR Experience – $999
Ascent is one of the few VR games on steam that was built to be played on a motion floor, with players in bodysuits with climate control and haptic feedback. It all sounds incredible on paper, but the up-front cost increases the overall investment for this game into the thousands.
In addition, the very few people who have downloaded Ascent have refunded the game, in part due to the lack of real-life equipment needed to actually play it.