Best Value 4X Games

The 4X games that stretch a budget furthest: median reviewer playtime divided by current price. Pick your currency in the top bar to rank against your local prices.

All Indie Action Adventure Simulation RPG Strategy Co-op Open World Story Rich Casual Funny Survival Difficult Pixel Graphics PvP Horror Anime Puzzle Rogue-like Relaxing Turn-Based Strategy Local Co-Op Psychological Horror Hack and Slash Platformer MMO RTS Immersive Sim Post-apocalyptic Action Roguelike City Builder Life Sim Zombies Sports Racing Survival Horror Stealth Bullet Hell Dungeon Crawler Visual Novel JRPG Deckbuilding Grand Strategy Cyberpunk Tower Defense Clicker Fighting Open World Survival Craft Boomer Shooter Colony Sim Farming Sim Cozy Auto Battler Cooking Twin Stick Shooter Metroidvania 4X Souls-like Dating Sim MMORPG

By price

Any priceUnder $5Under $10Under $20Under $40
Price divided by median reviewer playtime — how much you pay per hour of gameplay. Lower is better. Reviewers tend to sink more hours in than the average owner, so treat this as an optimistic estimate. Free games are excluded because there's no price to divide by.
  1. 1Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword$0.02/1hr
  2. 2Sid Meier's Civilization V$0.04/1hr
  3. 3Sid Meier’s Civilization VI$0.04/1hr
  4. 4Sid Meier's Civilization III Complete$0.08/1hr
  5. 5Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War$0.15/1hr
  6. 6Stellaris$0.19/1hr
  7. 7Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth$0.19/1hr
  8. 8Europa Universalis IV$0.22/1hr
  9. 9Terra Invicta$0.22/1hr
  10. 10The Battle of Polytopia$0.23/1hr
  11. 11Distant Worlds 2$0.24/1hr
  12. 12Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition$0.26/1hr
  13. 13Songs of Conquest$0.27/1hr
  14. 14Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion$0.32/1hr
  15. 15Crusader Kings III$0.32/1hr
  16. 16NEBULOUS: Fleet Command$0.36/1hr
  17. 17STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack$0.40/1hr
  18. 18Farthest Frontier$0.41/1hr
  19. 19ENDLESS Space 2$0.42/1hr
  20. 20Airships: Conquer the Skies$0.42/1hr
  21. 21Hero's Hour$0.43/1hr
  22. 22Age of Wonders 4$0.45/1hr
  23. 23Heart of the Machine$0.47/1hr
  24. 24ENDLESS Legend$0.49/1hr
  25. 25Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic$0.57/1hr
  26. 26Sid Meier's Civilization VII$0.59/1hr
  27. 27Northgard: Definitive Edition$0.64/1hr
  28. 28Total War: ROME REMASTERED$0.69/1hr
  29. 29Dominions 6 - Rise of the Pantokrator$0.70/1hr
  30. 30Conquest of Elysium 5$0.75/1hr
  31. 31HUMANKIND$0.78/1hr
  32. 32ZEPHON$0.82/1hr
  33. 33Galactic Civilizations IV$0.87/1hr
  34. 34Empires of the Undergrowth$0.91/1hr
  35. 35Manor Lords$0.94/1hr
  36. 36Shadow Empire$1.00/1hr
  37. 37Xenonauts 2$1.02/1hr
  38. 38Old World$1.02/1hr
  39. 39Sins of a Solar Empire II$1.03/1hr
  40. 40Knights of Honor II: Sovereign$1.16/1hr
  41. 41Anno 2070$1.18/1hr
  42. 42Cataclismo$1.27/1hr
  43. 43Breachway$1.40/1hr
  44. 44Dune: Spice Wars$1.65/1hr
  45. 45A Total War Saga: TROY$1.77/1hr
  46. 46Homeworld Remastered Collection$1.80/1hr
  47. 47Songs of Silence$2.23/1hr
  48. 48Hexarchy$2.24/1hr
  49. 49Total War: PHARAOH$2.56/1hr
  50. 50Ara History Untold: Anniversary Edition $2.83/1hr

How the math works: we sample each game’s Steam reviewers, take the median of their total recorded playtime (lifetime hours, not hours at the time of review), and divide it by the game’s current price in your selected currency. Reviewers usually sink more hours in than the average owner, so the numbers run generous. Free games aren’t listed because there’s no price to divide by, and a game needs playtime data from at least 20 reviewers before it qualifies. All prices are Steam’s own regional prices, never exchange-rate conversions.