Gaming Cost Calculator
What does your gaming habit really cost, and is it worth it?
a year on gaming
Ok, what does gaming really cost me? Let's work it out. I've always told myself it's cheap. I buy 3 games at $60, pay $10 a month for a subscription, spend $5 a month in the game, and the $500 console is spread over 5 years.
That adds up to $460 a year, or $38.33 a month.
I play about 10 hours a week, which is 520 hours a year. So each hour costs me $0.88.
Honestly, cheaper than I expected. I think I can stop feeling guilty.
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Gaming is one of the cheapest hobbies per hour if you play a lot, and one of the dearest if you buy games and never play them. Add up what you spend and how long you play, and see what each hour costs you.
How it's worked out
- Games are how many you buy in a year times the average price.
- Subscriptions and in-game spending are the monthly amount times 12.
- A console or PC upgrade is spread over the years you keep it.
- Those added together are your yearly cost. The cost of an hour is that divided by the hours you play in a year, which is hours a week times 52.
Three games at $60 is $180. A $10 subscription is $120 a year and $5 a month in the game is $60. A $500 console kept for 5 years is $100 a year. That is $460 a year. At 10 hours a week you play 520 hours, so an hour costs about $0.88.
What an hour costs, by price and hours played
| Hours played | $20 game | $40 game | $60 game | $70 game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $2.00 | $4.00 | $6.00 | $7.00 |
| 25 | $0.80 | $1.60 | $2.40 | $2.80 |
| 50 | $0.40 | $0.80 | $1.20 | $1.40 |
| 100 | $0.20 | $0.40 | $0.60 | $0.70 |
| 200 | $0.10 | $0.20 | $0.30 | $0.35 |
Cost of each hour played. The more you play a game, the less each hour costs.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out subscriptions and small in-game purchases, which add up without you noticing.
- Counting a console as a cost for one year only. Spread it over the years you keep it.
- Counting hours the game was left running while you did something else.
- Judging a game by its price alone. A $70 game played for 100 hours costs $0.70 an hour, while a $10 game played for 2 hours costs $5.
- Forgetting what you can get back by selling games you have finished.
Questions
What counts as in-game spending?
Anything you pay for inside a game: loot boxes, gacha pulls, skins, passes and extra content. Add up a typical month.
How do I find out how long I have played?
Many platforms show your playtime in your game library or profile, so check there before you guess.
Why spread a console over several years?
Because you use it for years. Spreading the cost over the years you keep it shows what it adds to each year, instead of one big number in the year you bought it.
Do I need to fill in every box?
No. Fill in what you spend and leave the rest empty. Add the hours you play to see what each hour costs.
That is the cost. Here are some free games.