Playdate’s Season 3 Adds Eight Games and Bolsters Its Standing as a Gaming Bargain

Playdate seasons are curated collections of games released over a short period. Season 3 includes eight games total, with two launching each week for four weeks, and costs $39. The Verge said the season has started well with two games that show what the Playdate experience offers.

One is Soggy Froggy, an arcade game about bathing a frog. The frog sits in a cauldron over a fire, and the player must keep the water at the right temperature so he stays warm and comfortable. If the player does nothing, the water heats up quickly; turning the crank cools it down. If the water gets too hot, the frog boils to death. The goal is to keep him alive as long as possible, making the game a cute and morbid high-score chase that The Verge’s reviewer cannot stop playing.

The other new release is Gloom Gate, a dungeon-crawling RPG. Players traverse a sprawling castle, defeat monsters, and gather gear and experience points to grow stronger. The Verge said the game’s 3D graphics seem impossible on the underpowered Playdate. Battles take place in small arenas, where players dodge, parry, and attack while monitoring stamina that depletes with every action. The report compared it to a stripped-down Dark Souls, with campfires for resting, and said it also recalls Epic’s long-lost mobile series Infinity Blade, another technical showcase built around deep combat.

The full Season 3 lineup has not been revealed. The Verge said it will also include a word game, hide-and-seek for two players on the same handheld, and a classic Mac-style point-and-click adventure. The variety reflects the Playdate’s first few years, the report said.

Through its seasons, the Catalog store, and the ability to sideload games from platforms such as Itch.io, the Playdate has built a strong lineup covering many genres: daily puzzle games, demonic pinball, Monument Valley-style adventures, and even an MMO. The Verge said developers have squeezed a great deal out of the device and Panic has curated the platform expertly, with the shop frequently offering something new and interesting.

The report placed the Playdate’s price in context. Although it became $30 more expensive last year because of increased production costs, the current $229 price feels small compared with other gaming expenses, especially since most Playdate games cost only a few dollars. The Verge noted that the special edition of Grand Theft Auto VI, which does not include the game itself, costs $399.99.

The Playdate is not a one-to-one replacement for a new PlayStation or Switch. Players cannot access the latest big-name releases, and they will miss out on a busy November, the report said. Outside a few titles, it is mostly a solitary experience. Still, in a period of rising costs and formulaic games, The Verge described the Playdate as a comparatively affordable platform with inventive and surprising games, and one that appears to be getting better with time.