Gaming calculator
Game Cost Per Hour Calculator
Compare a game's purchase cost with the time you have spent playing it.
Hours played must be greater than zero.
Cost per hour
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How the cost-per-hour figure is built
The calculator takes two numbers: what the game cost and how many hours you have logged in it. Cost per hour is simply the cost divided by the hours, so it only produces a result once hours played is greater than zero — there is no defined cost per hour for a game you haven't started.
Below the main figure sits a second number, hours per dollar, which flips the division around to show how much playtime you got for each dollar spent. When the cost you enter is $0, that second line reads "Free game" instead of a number, since there is no price to divide the hours by.
The formula, run on two very different games
A $70 game played for 200 hours: 70 ÷ 200 = $0.35 per hour.
A $15 game abandoned after 3 hours: 15 ÷ 3 = $5.00 per hour. The pricier game ends up costing roughly a fourteenth as much per hour, because the formula only cares about hours actually logged, not the sticker price on its own.
A low price tag does not guarantee a low cost per hour
It's tempting to judge a purchase by what it cost upfront, but two games with identical price tags can land at opposite ends of this scale depending on how much time you actually put into them. A $20 sale purchase played for two hours before it's shelved costs $10.00 per hour — worse than most $70 titles anyone finishes.
The number this calculator returns describes usage, not enjoyment. A high hours-played count can come from padded busywork just as easily as from time well spent, so cost per hour is best read alongside your own sense of whether those hours were worth having.
Everyday cost-per-hour comparisons
- A $60 game beaten in 12 hours costs $5.00 per hour (60 ÷ 12).
- A $20 indie game played for 40 hours costs $0.50 per hour (20 ÷ 40).
- A $70 open-world game played for 350 hours costs $0.20 per hour (70 ÷ 350).
- A $50 game returned after 2 disappointing hours costs $25.00 per hour (50 ÷ 2).
- A free-to-play game with $0 spent always shows a $0.00 cost per hour, and the hours-per-dollar line reads "Free game" since there's no price to divide by.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as "game cost" — should I include DLC?
Enter whatever you personally paid. Fold in season passes or DLC if you want them counted toward the rate, or leave them out to see the cost per hour of the base game by itself.
Why does the calculator require hours played to be more than zero?
Dividing by zero has no defined answer, so with 0 hours entered the cost-per-hour field stays blank until you enter a positive number of hours.
Is a lower cost per hour always the better deal?
Not necessarily. Two games can both land at $0.50 per hour — one from 200 hours you genuinely enjoyed, another from padding a completion time with grinding you didn't want — so the figure measures time spent, not how good that time was.
How does "hours per dollar" differ from "cost per hour"?
Cost per hour is money divided by time — $2.00 for a $60 game over 30 hours. Hours per dollar flips that ratio to 30 ÷ 60 = 0.5 hours for every dollar spent on the same game, and shows "Free game" instead of a number whenever the cost entered is zero.
How many hours does it take for a $70 game to beat a $15 game on cost per hour?
The $70 game drops under $0.35 an hour once you pass 200 hours (70 ÷ 200 = 0.35), while the $15 game is already at $5.00 an hour after just 3 hours (15 ÷ 3 = 5). Total price alone tells you very little until hours are counted.
Does this account for a subscription service like Game Pass?
No. The calculator assumes a single upfront purchase price divided across total hours played. A subscription's cost per hour would instead need that month's fee divided by the hours played within that same month.