Regional pricing in games is supposed to give gamers more accessible pricing for games. This goes without saying, but $70 in the US is not the same as $70 in countries like India. As such, publishers make game prices lower in countries with weaker average wages and buying power, so that AAA titles remain accessible throughout the world.
Unfortunately, the reality is that gaming is still a luxury in most parts of the world, and because of incorrect or downright nonsensical regional pricing, many are unable to buy their favorite games. This same issue has been raised with Forza Horizon 6, releasing on May 19.
However, the story goes deeper than just higher prices. Keep in mind that when Forza Horizon 5 was released, the industry standard was still $60. Now, it’s $70. If prices aren’t adjusted according to the region, that’s a lot of money to spend just on a game for most countries.
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The Forza Horizon 6 Pricing Fiasco
Pre-orders for Forza Horizon 6 opened shortly after the gameplay trailer reveal, and the pricing rollercoaster began straight away. Indian gamers on Reddit were quick to complain about the 5,500 INR (~$60) price. Some pointed out that Xbox games in India rarely have decent regional pricing, while others quickly pointed out that prices were lower in Sri Lanka and Pakistan (~$22 on the first day of preorders).
In Pakistan, PC Gamers on Facebook hailed the Standard Edition at $23, only for Microsoft to increase it to $49 days later, shattering hopes of a steal. Some people rightfully pointed out that the original low price was likely a glitch, and it didn’t take long for Microsoft to “correct” pricing.
And it’s not just Southeast Asia that’s facing this problem. Ukraine faced steeper woes, as the game’s base version started for 2,299 UAH (roughly $55 USD), double Forza Horizon 5’s 1,199 UAH launch price. To make it even worse, the Premium Edition soared to 4,000 UAH. Users say these prices are absolutely unaffordable amid war-ravaged wages, equal to monthly utilities or groceries for many.
But perhaps the most alarming example here is Poland. According to Polish users, the Standard Edition of the game costs 299,00 PLN (approx. $85 USD). That’s a $15 more expensive for a country with lower wages than the US. Make it make sense.
Who Controls Regional Pricing?
Amidst all this, people are pointing fingers at Steam and other storefronts for not enforcing more affordable regional prices. But this is a common misconception: Valve doesn’t dictate prices, publishers do. In fact, Valve provides recommendations and tools for pricing in many countries. They observe local wage data and GDP, and recommend prices based on tiers. For example, Ukraine falls in Tier 3 (low-income), so Valve suggests 25 to 40% of the US price.
Nevertheless, Microsoft, as FH6’s publisher via Playground Games, decides final tags per region on platforms like Steam, Xbox Store, etc. Let’s not forget that Sony and Xbox don’t feature regional pricing in many countries at all, forcing people to pay the full $70. Despite this, Steam has its own share of problems related to this issue.
Steam’s Controversy With Regional Pricing
Steam’s regional model does have its issues; even Valve doesn’t directly dictate the price for third-party games. A couple of years ago, Valve switched volatile countries like Turkey and Argentina to USD currency amid devaluation. Valve explained that due to volatile exchange rates, publishers find it hard to appropriately price games in such regions. Now, both regions still get reduced prices, but prices for games have only gone upwards since this change.
That’s because if publishers just straight up decide not incorporate regional pricing, there’s nothing Valve can do to control it. So while Turkey falls in the MENA-USD region and Argentina in LATAM-USA, publishers can still decide to just throw on the $70 sticker and call it a day.
I don’t doubt that some reading this will say, “It’s just a game, deal with it,” but that’s not fair. These are countries that were able to enjoy AAA games previously because of lower prices. The new $70 standard already isn’t doing them any favors, and poor regional pricing just ruins things further. This just ultimately pushes people into sketchy workarounds: region spoofing with VPNs, piracy, or, when it comes to consoles, jailbreaking.
