Deal | New all-time low: Old-school RPG with 94% positive reviews is now under $1 on Steam

By the year 2052, disease, economic crises and terrorism have increasingly destabilized the world, while the gap between rich and poor continues to grow. Caught in the middle is J.C. Denton, a cybernetically enhanced agent working for the anti-terrorist organization UNATCO. What initially seems like a routine mission quickly develops into a much larger conspiracy in Deus Ex, involving a global plague, the cure known as Ambrosia and powerful organizations operating behind the scenes.

What still makes Deus Ex special today, however, is less its story than the enormous amount of freedom it gives players. Those who want to can storm through missions with guns blazing. But it's just as possible to avoid enemies, hack systems or look for alternative routes. Doors can be lockpicked or simply broken down, security systems can be manipulated and ventilation shafts can be used as hidden entry points. Even crates can be stacked to reach areas that initially seem inaccessible.

Deus Ex also offers plenty of freedom when it comes to its RPG systems. Experience points can be invested in skills such as weapon handling, hacking or lockpicking, while augmentations unlock additional advantages. Since J.C. Denton can't be perfected in every area at once, players can create very different builds – from a stealthy hacker to a heavily armed frontline fighter.

German gaming magazine GameStar reviewed Deus Ex when it launched in the summer of 2000 and awarded it 88 out of 100 points. The game was praised particularly for its high degree of player freedom, open level design and blend of shooter and RPG elements. Criticism included the only partially German localization and some unavoidable combat encounters. More than a quarter of a century later, the classic appears to have lost little of its reputation: 94% of more than 15,600 Steam reviews are positive. The picture is similarly impressive on Metacritic, where the game has a Metascore of 90 and a user score of 9.0.

On Steam, Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition is 87% off until October 1 and costs $0.90 instead of $6.99. According to SteamDB, the deal marks a new all-time low – albeit only narrowly. The previous maximum discount was 86%. However, the last similarly steep discount dates back to December 2025, so it has been quite a while since the game was this cheap. On the Steam Deck, Deus Ex is rated as “Playable.”

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