The Best $5 Scratch-Off in Every State Right Now
Five dollars is the most common scratch-off price in America. There are 599 of them on sale right now, more than any other price point, and they sit at a useful spot on the ladder: a real step up from the dollar games without the commitment of a $20 or $30 ticket.
These are the strongest $5 games we can find in the 44 states that have scratch-offs, as of this writing on July 29, 2026.
What $5 buys you
The tier averages 69.1% payout, against 61.9% at $1 and 73% at $10. It sits almost exactly where you'd expect on the price ladder, which makes it a sensible default for anyone who plays often but doesn't want to spend $20 a go.
Top prizes at this level usually land between $50,000 and $200,000, though Massachusetts, Florida and Colorado all stretch theirs to a full million.
Indiana is the outlier
Space Invaders Cash Invasion at 90.8 is a long way clear of the field, and a score in the 90s on a $5 ticket is genuinely unusual. Most games that score that high cost $30 or more.
New Mexico's Loteria Super Grande at 87.4 is the other standout. Both are worth knowing about if you live in either state, because a $5 game scoring in the high 80s will often beat the $10 and $20 options sitting next to it.
Check before you buy
These scores move as top prizes get claimed, so a game near the top of this list in July may not be there in October. Your state's current $5 options are on its own ranking page, reachable from the national ValueScore rankings, and the payout rankings sort the same games by how much they return.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best $5 scratch-off?
Among $5 games we track, Indiana's Space Invaders Cash Invasion scores highest at 90.8, followed by New Mexico's Loteria Super Grande at 87.4 and the DC 5 Scratcher at 83.2.
Is $5 a good price point for scratch-offs?
It is the most common price in the country, with 599 games on sale, and it averages 69.1% payout. That is a clear step up from the 61.9% average on $1 tickets without the outlay of a $20 or $30 game.
How many $5 scratch-offs are there?
599 active $5 games across the states we track, making it the single most common price point on the rack.
Phil Nageotte is a writer covering scratch-off odds, expected value, prize data, and more. He joined ScratchCheck in 2026 after years of tracking lottery payouts in spreadsheets of his own.
