The Philippines’ Steam storefront has some of the best regional pricing for many titles, and with the Steam Lunar Sale ongoing till 2 am of February 12 in Manila, it’s an even better time to get some excellent deals on independent and AAA games.

Below, I’ve got some solid recommendations for a diverse range of games whose prices won’t go over P550. They’ll fit a variety of gamer types and playstyles, so if you’ve got the time or money for just one game, I heartily present these titles for your perusal.

For the premium game lover: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year Edition
Philippine Steam Price: P509.70 (70% discount)

There are plenty of high-caliber games out on Steam, and out of all of them, perhaps one of the most well-received titles has always been The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

This Game of the Year Edition packs all the DLC content and improvements made across this swan song for Geralt the Witcher. Best of all, there’s Gwent!

For the Action RPG fans: CrossCode 
Philippine Steam Price: P399.96 (20% discount)

In CrossCode, you play as Lea, a (literally) mute, amnesiac gamer who logs into an online game from the future called CrossWorlds in order to learn more about herself, in more ways than one. 

It’s one of those action RPGs with Japanese role-playing tropes that can completely engross you but, because it’s not actually a JRPG, lets you devote plenty of time to shooting down enemies or allowing you to push through for the stellar story.

For those who want to spend an afternoon in thought:  Headliner: NoviNews
Philippine Steam Price: P40 (Developer-established regional pricing)

This is my favorite buy from the sale, and it isn’t technically even a sale product, so much as a regional price drop.

I held much love for – and a bit of frustration over the endings of – the first Headliner, and I expect Headliner: Novinews will continue to affect me in much the same vein. It’s a title that basically allows the news editor – you – to control reality and the truth by picking what stories get published then seeing its immediate effects on society and your personal life.

Philippine gamers will note that there’s actually no discount on this title, and after asking the developer about it, he said he reduced the pricing on his end for people in the Philippines and Brazil following his feelings towards enacting social change in countries suffering from a deluge of fake news.

Jakub Kasztalski of developer Unbound Creations explained, “I started making games as artistic expression and commercial product, first and foremost. But when a number of journalists and teachers comment about the educational potential, it made me wonder. If I myself can’t do much to fix the world’s problems, perhaps my games can be my megaphone (no matter how tiny it is). I know that, at our level as a small indie studio somewhere in Seattle, it isn’t much. But… it’s something, and maybe it can be more one day.”

Headliner and Headliner:NoviNews are also in a bundle at 26% off for P104.10, so if you’re feeling so inclined, check out our Headliner review, buy both games, and wrack your brain trying to find an ending to this game that won’t have any negative consequences. 

For strategy fans who like “end of the world” scenarios: Frostpunk
Philippine Steam Price: P389.97 (40% discount)

From 11 bit Studios – which brought you This War of Mine –comes Frostpunk another stark look at humanity at the edge of survival, only this time it’s a city management simulation in the near-apocalypse. 

Calling it a society survival game is a really twisted way of saying, “Your moral choices will damn people to death, and there’s no avoiding it,” but both just so happen to be true. Frostpunk challenges you to run a city, except it’s the last bastion of steam-powered technology on a frozen world, and sometimes having a cold heart is the key to surviving the frigid lands you’re on.

It’s not going to be a comfortable game to get engrossed in, but if you enjoy gritty city simulations and love the movie Snowpiercer, this may be your ticket to paradise.

For those who like cooperative building and adventuring: Astroneer
Philippine Steam Price:  P519.96 (20% discount)

Of course, we couldn’t end our list of recommendations on a sour note! 

Astroneer is a science-fiction sandbox game with the potential for cooperative base-building and space exploration. It actually left Steam’s Early Access program and formally launched on February 7, and boy, is it fun to play “adventuring astronaut” with virtual strangers.

The game has 4-player drop-in online cooperative play, so you can also have online adventures with your friends.

There may be other online sandboxes out there, such as No Man’s Sky or Boundless, but if you’re looking to scratch the itch for happy spacefaring and shenanigans on a cute rover-buggy straight out of NASA, this will definitely suit you. – Rappler.com