Best Value City Builder Games Under $20

The City Builder games on Steam games under $20 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. 2Settlement Survival8.9 h/$
  3. 3Cities: Skylines7.5 h/$
  4. 4Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition6.6 h/$
  5. 5Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition6.5 h/$
  6. 6Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom6.4 h/$
  7. 7Dyson Sphere Program5.9 h/$
  8. 8The Guild II Renaissance5.6 h/$
  9. 9Tavern Master5.6 h/$
  10. 10Rise of Nations: Extended Edition5.3 h/$
  11. 11Airport CEO5.1 h/$
  12. 12Age of Empires: Definitive Edition4.7 h/$
  13. 13Age of Empires II (Retired)4.4 h/$
  14. 14ISLANDERS4.2 h/$
  15. 15HUMANKIND4.0 h/$
  16. 16下一站江湖Ⅱ3.8 h/$
  17. 17Bellwright3.6 h/$
  18. 18dotAGE3.3 h/$
  19. 19Stronghold HD (2012)3.3 h/$
  20. 20OpenTTD3.0 h/$
  21. 21Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)3.0 h/$
  22. 22Anno 1404 - History Edition3.0 h/$
  23. 23IXION3.0 h/$
  24. 24The Infected3.0 h/$
  25. 25Tropico 42.9 h/$
  26. 26Mini Motorways2.9 h/$
  27. 27Kingdoms Reborn2.9 h/$
  28. 28ContractVille2.8 h/$
  29. 29Infection Free Zone2.8 h/$
  30. 30Craft The World2.7 h/$
  31. 31RollerCoaster Tycoon: Deluxe2.7 h/$
  32. 32Yog-Sothoth’s Yard2.7 h/$
  33. 33Stonehearth2.7 h/$
  34. 34Microcivilization2.6 h/$
  35. 35Two Point Campus2.6 h/$
  36. 36Two Point Hospital2.6 h/$
  37. 37Banished2.5 h/$
  38. 38Diplomacy is Not an Option2.4 h/$
  39. 39Fabledom2.2 h/$
  40. 40Gladiator Guild Manager2.1 h/$
  41. 41Terra Nil2.1 h/$
  42. 42Stronghold Legends: Steam Edition2.0 h/$
  43. 43Planetbase2.0 h/$
  44. 44Kingdoms and Castles1.9 h/$
  45. 45Cardboard Town1.8 h/$
  46. 46Project Highrise1.7 h/$
  47. 47Stronghold 2: Steam Edition1.7 h/$
  48. 48TheoTown1.7 h/$
  49. 49The Wandering Village1.5 h/$
  50. 50Tropico 51.5 h/$
  51. 51Heart of the Machine1.5 h/$
  52. 52Gourdlets1.5 h/$
  53. 53Construction Simulator1.4 h/$
  54. 54Ara History Untold: Anniversary Edition 1.4 h/$
  55. 55Let's School1.4 h/$
  56. 56SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition1.4 h/$
  57. 57Dorfromantik1.2 h/$
  58. 58Kingdom Two Crowns1.2 h/$
  59. 59RollerCoaster Tycoon 2: Triple Thrill Pack1.2 h/$
  60. 60Stronghold: Definitive Edition1.1 h/$
  61. 61Border Pioneer1.0 h/$
  62. 62Cossacks 31.0 h/$
  63. 63Thronefall1.0 h/$
  64. 64Minami Lane0.8 h/$
  65. 65Dystopika0.7 h/$
  66. 66Nordhold0.7 h/$
  67. 67Townscaper0.6 h/$
  68. 68The Tenants0.5 h/$
  69. 69Kingdom Eighties0.5 h/$
  70. 70SUMMERHOUSE0.5 h/$
  71. 71Becastled0.5 h/$
  72. 72Station to Station0.3 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.