Affordable consoles under €300

Below €300 you will mainly find the Nintendo Switch in all first-generation variants – Lite, standard and OLED – as well as used Xbox Series S consoles. The PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X and Switch 2 are usually priced higher; very cheap offers for these consoles are more of a warning sign than a bargain.

The list is sorted by price, lowest first. New and used offers appear together – you can see the condition on every offer card.

For children and on the go, the Switch Lite is ideal. For playing together on the TV, the standard Switch or OLED with detachable Joy-Con is a good fit. If you prefer shooters, racing games or big multi-platform titles, the Series S gives you a current console that pairs well with a Game Pass subscription.

With cheap used consoles in particular, it pays to take a second look: do the photos and description match, are the accessories complete, is there a receipt? Watch out for stick drift on Joy-Con and controllers. You should budget for running costs such as a memory card, an online subscription or a second controller. With a commercial seller you have a statutory warranty; with a private purchase you usually don't.

If your budget is tight, patience pays off: use the price history to judge whether an offer is currently cheap. Used consoles from shops with a statutory warranty are often the best compromise between price and security. Sets with games can offer more value than a console on its own. And think about which games you really want to play – that determines whether a Switch or a Series S is the better choice. Many Nintendo classics are also much cheaper used than new. That way you get the most out of a small budget.