The five most most expensive games on Steam start at $200

William Davis Published 05/10/2021

You’ll want to wait for a very good Steam sale before buying these video games.

Steam is known for its massive library of cheap games but there’s plenty of options for more affluent gamers. Base games on Steam can cost hundreds of dollars, and deluxe editions containing years of DLC can reach into the thousands. If you’re looking to drop some serious dough on computer games, here are the most expensive video games for sale on Steam.

In addition to video games, Steam also sells development software, virtual reality hardware, and arcade licenses. This list doesn’t take those into account, but it does include deluxe editions that contain downloadable content. If an expensive video game is listed as an individual product on Steam, it’s eligible for this list.

5. Derelict – $199.99

When it comes to super-expensive video games, there’s always going to be some developers who set a sky-high price just for the sake of it. That’s exactly the case with Derelict. The first-person science-fiction shooter appears to be a jumble of ready-made assets with some simple first-person shooter mechanics on top. It’s possible it at one point it had been tied with the SCP franchise, a popular community-driven wiki about fake cryptids.

Asking $200 for an early access indie project is absurd, but the developer appears to be self-aware about it. Derelict’s Steam page literally has the phrase “(DO NOT BUY)” added to its title.

According to a community post, the developer claims to have run into legal trouble with SCP groups and abandoned development in April 2020. Changing the price so it becomes the fifth most expensive Steam game is a weird way to signal a hiatus.

4. Trainz: A New Era Platinum Edition – $208.01

Simulator games centered around vehicles and farming can fetch an extremely hefty price. Hardcore enthusiasts demand high-quality recreations of their favorite machines, which leads to simulators creating mountains of expensive DLC. The most expensive version of Trainz: A New Era bundles the entire DLC catalog at 40% off plus the base game.

Trainz Platinum Edition doesn’t even include all of the game’s DLC. For everything in Trainz, gamers have to shell out $1,543.06. Even with just some of that DLC, it’s still among the most expensive PC games of all time. The developers don’t bundle everything in one package, so it can’t quite qualify for our list of expensive Steam games. If so, it would definitely be higher than third place.

3. Stellaris: Ultimate Bundle – $208.64

The first civilization-based strategy game on our list is Stellaris: Ultimate Bundle. The galactic-level simulator lets players create their own race and guide their journey through the cosmos. The real-time space combat of Stellaris is extremely complex, with fluid model movement, custom ship designs, and real dog-fighting mechanics.

With such complexity, the developers have plenty of design space for DLC. Stellaris with every DLC ranks among the most expensive games on Steam.

Developer Paradox is known for expansive downloadable content. Since Stellaris’ original release in 2016, the game has gotten 17 paid content updates. Some DLC unlocks entire new game events and modes while others just add a few extra cosmetic options or special factions. Paradox is kind enough to slash 10% off the total price if you buy them all together.

2. Cities: Skylines Collection – $220.84

Cities: Skylines was an unexpected hit when it was released in 2015. It was a simple, but satisfying city simulator with excellent visuals and intuitive UI. The utterly disastrous release of SimCity around the same time greatly contributed to Cities’ success. In the six years since the game’s release, Paradox has released a ton of optional paid content.

The Cities: Skylines Collection bundle includes every DLC package that’s ever been released plus the base game. If the $220 price tag is too steep, Skylines also offers a “New Player Bundle” for $65.66.

Cities: Skylines is another enthusiast game designed to be played for hundreds, if not thousands, of hours. DLC is one of the few ways to freshen up the experience once you’ve gone through your first dozen cities.

1. Europa Universalis IV: Ultimate Bundle – $384.89

The past few ultra-expensive Steam games are all pretty close, but Europa Universalis IV: Ultimate Bundle blows them out of the water. The $40 base price skyrockets up to nearly $400, twice as expensive as Cities: Skylines Collection.

In EU4, players can assume the role of a leader in feudal Europe and steer their civilization towards world domination or utter destruction. The expansive list of Europa Universalis DLC includes 14 expansion packs, nine content packs, and a ton of visual upgrades and music.

Europa Universalis IV shares a The Europa Universalis series is famous for its massive amount of downloadable content. The model clearly works for Paradox, as all three of the most expensive games on Steam belong to them.

There will always be a hardcore group of gamers willing to spend hundreds of hours on a single alternate-history campaign. For them, $400 is definitely worth the endless entertainment.

William Davis

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