I grew up when Nintendo cartridges were worth their weight in gold, while new PC games and other console games were the same price as they are now, except 20 years of inflation later:



Games are cheaper than ever, yet complaints everywhere.

$60 for new releases, only acceptable if AAA + hype + great metascore, else wait for sale.
$40 for SSF2 remaster with extra modes, way too much.
$30 for an indie game, too much
$20 to $50 for VR games, too much
$10 for Mario runner, too much
$15 per month for game streaming, too much
$10 per month for XBox game pass, still too much
$5 per month for gold/ps+ with tons of games, too much

Have Mobile games, free to play,  Steam sales and Humble bundles eroded the value of games so much that a $40 dollar price point now negatively influences reviews of a game?

What's a game worth nowadays?

For me Steam sales have changed my perception of game value. I have a bunch of games on my wish list which I might buy at a sale. Though it has more to do that I don't value digital downloads all that much and rather not spend more than $10 or even $5 on a download only title unless it's something I really want.
Physical games I have no problem paying CAD 80 for nowadays, yet when I buy a game digitally CAD 40 for The Witness feels like a ripoff. I would pay upto CAD 60 for a physical edition. (Might cave in to a digital edition with VR support)

I wouldn't pay $40 for Ultra street fighter 2, simply because I don't like street fighter. I would pay that no problem if it was wipeout 2097 remaster (wrong platform I know, just an example)

So what should games cost?

It depends on many factors. There isn't one set price for a game's value, which is the flaw in many digital stores. Retail prices typically adjust better than their digital counterparts.

In the end however, a game is a game. If you think game X should be $40 instead of $60, so be it.

When I mainly get games for $5 or less, of course $80 is going to be too expensive for me. When I buy a game, I'm not comparing to past prices, I'm comparing it to how much money I currently have.

Worth is subjective, end of discussion. Complaining about prices of luxury goods is ridiculous.

Street Fighter II is on the Xbox live and PSN for $15. I love the game to death, but $40 for a Switch version is too much.

Not even taking retail into consideration, I'm like you. As a kid, getting a game was a rare and special event. It was like having a birthday or Christmas. A new game was rare unless we traded.

Now? I can't walk out to check the mail without stumbling across a new game. The sentimental value (is that the word I'm looking for?) is almost non-existent.

Whenever anyone complains about modern game prices, I always remember wanting Mario 3 & TMNT 2 on NES, but my parents refused to drop $50 on a single game.

For me, physical AAA = $60 or less, 'AA' = $40 or less, 'indie' = $20 or less.
Digital = $15 or less, regardless of budget.

Game prices are fine as they are a they are a luxury.

When growing up i could hardly afford any so it motivated me to get off my arse and get a good job and career to afford them.

Us Canadians pay $80 for games, so it is different for us. I rarely buy at launch anymore, as I've just been burned too many times (AC: Unity for example).

That's cheap. I remember when the N64 came out some cartridges were NLG 230, or $120 at that time! Although that was import, NLG 120 to 160 'normal' price. ($62 to $83) That was when the exchange rate was favorable.