Why cost per hour?
A $70 game and a $20 game are hard to compare by price alone. Cost per hour puts them on equal footing: a $70 RPG you play for 150 hours is cheaper per hour than a $20 game you finish in an afternoon. It's also a handy way to decide whether DLC or a season pass is worth it for a game you already play a lot.
The formula
cost per hour = total ÷ hours played
Example
| Step | Result |
|---|---|
| Game $69.99 + DLC $30 | $99.99 |
| Played 120 hours | $99.99 ÷ 120 |
| Cost per hour | $0.83 |
How entertainment compares (rough per-hour costs)
| Activity | Approximate cost per hour |
|---|---|
| Movie in a theater | $5–$8 |
| Bowling or mini golf | $10–$20 |
| Streaming service, 20 hours a month | $0.50–$1 |
| Paperback book | $1–$3 |
| Long RPG or multiplayer game played for 200+ hours | under $0.35 |
These are ballpark figures to give context, not exact prices.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate a game's cost per hour?
Add up everything you spent on the game (the base price, DLC, season passes, in-game purchases and any share of a subscription) and divide by the hours you played. A $70 game played for 100 hours costs $0.70 an hour.
What is a good cost per hour for a game?
Many players treat $1 an hour as a fair benchmark, since a movie ticket works out to roughly $5 to $8 an hour. Anything under $1 is great value; long RPGs and multiplayer games often get well under $0.25 an hour.
How do I find how many hours I've played?
Steam shows hours on each game in your library. PlayStation shows play time in your profile's game list, and Xbox and Nintendo Switch track it in their profile or the parental controls app. For planning, sites like HowLongToBeat list typical completion times.
How should I count Game Pass or PlayStation Plus?
Count only the months you used for this game. If you paid for three months and played mostly this one game, add three months of the subscription; if you spread time across several games, add a fraction.
Rates and figures last checked October 2026.
This calculator gives estimates for planning. Check current rates and product labels before you buy, list or file.