Peak is $8 because the devs wanted you to see a $5 price tag and, hey, "eight bucks is still five bucks"

1. Games
2. Co-op Games
3. Peak

Peak is $8 because the devs wanted you to see a $5 price tag and, hey, "eight bucks is still five bucks" News By Dustin Bailey published 8 January 2026

Well they say all five bucks are created equal, but if you look at $5 and $8, you can see that statement is not true

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Aggro Crab / Landfall) Share Share by:

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Whatsapp
• Pinterest
• Flipboard

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google

Peak's $8 price tag is easy on the wallet, particularly if you're trying to convince a cash-strapped friend group to all jump into a new co-op romp. Co-creator Nick Kaman jokes that the $8 investment really reads more like a $5 to players' eyes, and this is one of those jokes that has the unmistakable ring of truth about it.

"We had this joke of, like, how much is a game really?" Kaman says in an interview with Game File (paid article link). "In a player's mind, what does it mean to spend five bucks? Well, that's five bucks. But six bucks? Well, that's still five bucks. Four bucks is also kind of five bucks. Three bucks is two bucks. And two bucks is basically free."

The idea is that we make certain mental groupings of the price tags we see on Steam. Whatever psychological barrier there is to buying a game at $5 is roughly the same as there is to buying one for $8 – and, honestly, I can kind of see it. While, again, Kaman frames this as a joke, I'm immediately recognizing my own buying tendencies here.

You may like

• Peak put friendslop on the map in 2025, but neither of its 2 studios expected it to blow up
• The median price of best-selling new games on Steam has dropped in the past 2 years, research finds: "Charging >$25 is getting trickier, as players compare value to the $10-$15 indie titles"
• After a few months of work led to 11 million copies sold on Steam, Peak devs embrace what many companies refuse to learn: "We're not going to continually have a graph go up"

"We've got these tiers: You know, twelve bucks… that’s ten bucks. But thirteen bucks is fifteen bucks. And we found that eight bucks is still five bucks. It doesn’t become ten bucks. Seven ninety nine, that’s five bucks, right?" (I do want to point out this is a direct quote, taken as it was written for clarity.)

The idea of a five-buck (by which I mean $8) price tag was directly inspired by Content Warning, the 2024 co-op horror game developed by Landfall, one of the studios that would eventually collaborate on Peak. Content Warning also bears an $8 price tag, which certainly seems to have helped encourage players on the fence to jump in.

But maybe it's just a question of profit margins. After all, if $8 is really five bucks, that's $3 worth of free money on every copy sold. "Eight bucks going to five bucks is the biggest differential we could find in pricing, so we found it very optimal," Kaman concludes. That part, I think, might actually be a joke.

Peak put friendslop on the map in 2025, but neither of its 2 studios expected it to blow up: "We were ready to hit the launch button and go into vacation mode."

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES PC Gaming Platforms Dustin BaileySocial Links NavigationStaff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

Show More Comments

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Peak put friendslop on the map in 2025, but neither of its 2 studios expected it to blow up    The median price of best-selling new games on Steam has dropped in the past 2 years, research finds: "Charging >$25 is getting trickier, as players compare value to the $10-$15 indie titles"    After a few months of work led to 11 million copies sold on Steam, Peak devs embrace what many companies refuse to learn: "We're not going to continually have a graph go up"    Silksong is shockingly cheap at just $20, but Team Cherry says it just tries to "price the games at a reasonable level for people," man    Peak lead knows you're a friendslop "hater," but remember "these games aren't trying to be Game of the Year"    "We proudly wear the friendslop badge": Peak studio unpacks one of the biggest trends on Steam and beyond after studying games like REPO to find out what makes them fun    Latest in Co-op Games Indie devs behind adorable co-op horror game say a "direct copy" with "AI-generated assets" is on the PlayStation Store    Peak lead knows you're a friendslop "hater," but remember "these games aren't trying to be Game of the Year"    Peak is "not going to be a forever game," but the devs don't want to "leave anything on the table" either    Calling games like Peak and REPO friendslop "devalues" the skill of the developer, industry investor says    Peak devs have been "running on pure adrenaline" for months, so "the frequency of patches and updates will be slower"    Peak's winter update has festive decorations, frosty biomes, and snowballs you can ragebait friends with    Latest in News Peak is $8 because the devs wanted you to see a $5 price tag and, hey, "eight bucks is still five bucks"    "If we're publishing the game, 'no f***ing AI assets'": Strategy and city builder powerhouse Hooded Horse bans AI art    Arc Raiders cheating and "out of map" exploits acknowledged by Embark: "We are implementing significant changes"    Tom Cruise got behind the camera to help shoot a lightsaber duel for Star Wars Starfighter    I've never seen an AGDQ run more disastrous or entertaining than this American Truck Simulator race    Nintendo reveals first set of new Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers, and underwhelming is putting it lightly    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1. 1Trails Beyond the Horizon review: "This JRPG's thrilling real-time and turn-based combat evolves Metaphor ReFantazio's hybrid battles, making up for a poorly paced adventure"
2. 2This alt-history board game is still a gold standard for modern strategy
3. 3Skate Story review: "A beautiful and unique skateboarding game with great, stylized visuals set in a grungy underworld"
4. 4Octopath Traveler 0 review: "The strongest entry in this retro-styled JRPG series yet, I love the greater focus on tactical battles"
5. 5Sleep Awake review: "An all-timer horror premise is let down by tired stealth that I feel like I'm sleepwalking through"

1. 1Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
2. 2Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
3. 3Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
4. 4Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
5. 5The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"

1. 1Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
2. 2Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”
3. 3Fallout season 2 review: "A hell of a lot of fun despite being overcrowded and convoluted"
4. 4Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 review: “Can the Duffer brothers stick the landing? It’s sure looking like they will”
5. 5Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"