Best Value 4X Games Under $40

The 4X games on Steam games under $40 that deliver the most playtime per dollar: median reviewer hours divided by current price.

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 $40
Median reviewer playtime divided by price. Reviewers tend to sink more hours in than the average owner, so treat this as an optimistic estimate. Free games are excluded because there's no price to divide by.
  1. 1Sid Meier's Civilization III Complete12 h/$
  2. 2Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword9.9 h/$
  3. 3ENDLESS Space 26.4 h/$
  4. 4Terra Invicta5.7 h/$
  5. 5Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition5.1 h/$
  6. 6Sid Meier's Civilization V4.5 h/$
  7. 7HUMANKIND4.0 h/$
  8. 8The Battle of Polytopia3.6 h/$
  9. 9Fantasy General II3.3 h/$
  10. 10ENDLESS Legend3.3 h/$
  11. 11STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack3.0 h/$
  12. 12Galactic Civilizations IV2.7 h/$
  13. 13Microcivilization2.6 h/$
  14. 14Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic2.4 h/$
  15. 15NEBULOUS: Fleet Command2.3 h/$
  16. 16Master of Orion2.1 h/$
  17. 17Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth2.1 h/$
  18. 18Northgard: Definitive Edition1.9 h/$
  19. 19Hero's Hour1.8 h/$
  20. 20Shadow Empire1.8 h/$
  21. 21Total War: ROME REMASTERED1.8 h/$
  22. 22Farthest Frontier1.7 h/$
  23. 23Conquest of Elysium 51.6 h/$
  24. 24Songs of Conquest1.6 h/$
  25. 25Heart of the Machine1.5 h/$
  26. 26Ara History Untold: Anniversary Edition 1.4 h/$
  27. 27Breachway1.4 h/$
  28. 28Old World1.3 h/$
  29. 29Airships: Conquer the Skies1.3 h/$
  30. 30Empires of the Undergrowth1.2 h/$
  31. 31Xenonauts 21.1 h/$
  32. 32Manor Lords0.9 h/$
  33. 33Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War0.8 h/$
  34. 34Cataclismo0.8 h/$
  35. 35Anno 22050.7 h/$
  36. 36ZEPHON0.7 h/$
  37. 37A Total War Saga: TROY0.7 h/$
  38. 38Hexarchy0.6 h/$
  39. 39Homeworld Remastered Collection0.6 h/$
  40. 40Dune: Spice Wars0.6 h/$
  41. 41Songs of Silence0.4 h/$

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.