Arc Raiders and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 help show "mid-price is the new sweet spot" for games, analysts say

"Mid-price is the new sweet spot everywhere," finds a new analyst report from Newzoo on PC and console gaming, with $40 extraction shooter Arc Raiders and $50 turn-based RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 helping to lead a wave of hits in this pricing bracket.

Newzoo examined launch MSRPs in 2025 across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox in the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. On PC, the firm found that games that cost more than $50 represent just 39% of revenue, but they're a much larger 79% on PlayStation and 76% on Xbox.

PC is also substantially larger for games under $30, buoyed by "indie breakout success" stories like Schedule 1 and REPO, whereas PlayStation and Xbox are heavily dominated by Minecraft in this price range.

">$50 games still dominate," the report says, but "their share is slipping due to a two-year shortage of major blockbusters ... The $30-$50 and <$30 segments have been growing, indicating a potential shift".

Since 2022, revenue for games in the $30-$50 range has grown by 60% on PC, 99% on PlayStation, and 45% on Xbox, one slide shows. In this range, Arc Raiders tops Newzoo's list for 2025 revenue on PC and PlayStation, and is a close second to Helldivers 2 on Xbox.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is another recurring top 5 (ranked 4 on PC, 3 on PlayStation, and absent from Xbox as it's in Game Pass), along with The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered (2 on PC, 5 on PlayStation, and also in Game Pass).

In part due to their popularity and staying power, Arc Raiders and Expedition 33, in particular, have become major talking points in ongoing discussions about game pricing. Some games are experimenting with an $80 ceiling, and the hobby as a whole is becoming more expensive due to direct price hikes, added tariffs in the US, as well as knock-on effects from component droughts and a rising cost-of-living crunch boxing out luxuries.

In a March analysis of the report, market intelligence director Emmanuel Rosier noted that this $30-$50 range is "emerging as the fastest-growing tier across platforms," with players seeking "the best cost/fun ratio between indie pricing and $70 releases."

"This price range could be utilized by many upcoming multiplayer games, remakes/remasters, and AA games such as Mafia," he added. "Increasing the price at the high end created opportunities here to offer great value to players without committing to the full price."

Expedition 33 creative director Guillaume Broche predicted last year that "AA-class games" will rise in the years ahead. Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida pointed to Expedition 33 as an example of "the path the industry should be pursuing," and a "perfect balance" of budget and vision.

Analyst Mat Piscatella, executive director of games at Circana, told us in August that "it's a little Wild West right now" for pricing as the old $60 standard becomes increasingly irrelevant.

"Publishers and developers are trying to find the sweet spot for their pricing strategy," he reasoned. "And sometimes you think, 'Okay, we go for a higher price. We may not get as many people, but we know that the ones we get will be very enthusiastic and dedicated.' Or, 'Maybe we need to come out at a lower price and cast a wider net.'"

"Games like Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, and Skyrim" help make PC gaming the only platform where over half of revenue is from "games outside the top 20," report says.