Best Value Difficult Games Under $20

The Difficult 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 $40
Median reviewer playtime divided by price. Reviewers tend to sink more hours in than the average owner, so treat this as an optimistic estimate. Free games are excluded because there's no price to divide by.
  1. 1Don't Starve Together62 h/$
  2. 2Hunt: Showdown 189641 h/$
  3. 3Oxygen Not Included30 h/$
  4. 4Soccer Online: Ball 3D19 h/$
  5. 5Dead by Daylight19 h/$
  6. 6Geometry Dash16 h/$
  7. 7Tales of Maj'Eyal14 h/$
  8. 8Wall World14 h/$
  9. 9Don't Starve14 h/$
  10. 10Slay the Spire13 h/$
  11. 11Enter the Gungeon13 h/$
  12. 12Bean Battles12 h/$
  13. 13Rock 'N' Roll Defense12 h/$
  14. 14Dungeon of the ENDLESS11 h/$
  15. 15Monster Hunter: World11 h/$
  16. 16Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen11 h/$
  17. 17Blasphemous10 h/$
  18. 18Hotline Miami10 h/$
  19. 19Serious Sam II10 h/$
  20. 20Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number9.7 h/$
  21. 21The Binding of Isaac9.5 h/$
  22. 22The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth9.4 h/$
  23. 23Hero Siege9.0 h/$
  24. 24The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos8.7 h/$
  25. 25Monster Sanctuary8.4 h/$
  26. 26UBERMOSH8.3 h/$
  27. 27Downwell7.8 h/$
  28. 28Hacknet7.7 h/$
  29. 29Valheim7.6 h/$
  30. 30FINAL FANTASY XIII7.4 h/$
  31. 31Nioh: Complete Edition7.2 h/$
  32. 32Hitman: Absolution7.1 h/$
  33. 33Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun6.7 h/$
  34. 34Celeste6.7 h/$
  35. 35Reigns6.4 h/$
  36. 36FlatOut6.3 h/$
  37. 37CONTROL Ultimate Edition6.3 h/$
  38. 38Terraforming Mars5.9 h/$
  39. 39Planes, Bullets and Vodka5.7 h/$
  40. 40SKYHILL5.6 h/$
  41. 41Golf With Your Friends5.6 h/$
  42. 42The Talos Principle5.6 h/$
  43. 43The Long Dark5.5 h/$
  44. 44Blasphemous 25.5 h/$
  45. 45UnderRail5.3 h/$
  46. 46Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta)5.3 h/$
  47. 47Hollow Knight5.1 h/$
  48. 48Gato Roboto5.1 h/$
  49. 49Bloons TD 64.8 h/$
  50. 50Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition4.8 h/$
  51. 51CODE VEIN4.8 h/$
  52. 52Muse Dash4.7 h/$
  53. 53The Messenger4.7 h/$
  54. 54Overcooked4.7 h/$
  55. 55Crypt of the NecroDancer4.6 h/$
  56. 56Pathologic 24.5 h/$
  57. 57Ostranauts4.4 h/$
  58. 58FTL: Faster Than Light4.4 h/$
  59. 59Noita4.3 h/$
  60. 60Cosmoteer: Starship Architect & Commander4.2 h/$
  61. 61Party Hard4.1 h/$
  62. 62Voidigo4.1 h/$
  63. 63Barotrauma4.1 h/$
  64. 64Resident Evil 4 (2005)4.1 h/$
  65. 65Across the Obelisk4.0 h/$
  66. 66XCOM: Enemy Unknown4.0 h/$
  67. 67Nuclear Throne4.0 h/$
  68. 68Motorsport Manager3.9 h/$
  69. 69Elin3.9 h/$
  70. 70Hot Lava3.8 h/$
  71. 71RUINER3.7 h/$
  72. 72LIMBO3.7 h/$
  73. 73Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition3.6 h/$
  74. 74Resident Evil3.6 h/$
  75. 75GemCraft - Chasing Shadows3.6 h/$
  76. 76Tiny Rogues3.6 h/$
  77. 77Serious Sam 3: BFE3.6 h/$
  78. 78Monster Train 23.5 h/$
  79. 79A Dance of Fire and Ice3.5 h/$
  80. 80EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair3.5 h/$
  81. 81Dead Estate3.4 h/$
  82. 82Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition3.4 h/$
  83. 83dotAGE3.3 h/$
  84. 84X-Morph: Defense3.3 h/$
  85. 85Subsistence3.3 h/$
  86. 86Gold Mining Simulator3.2 h/$
  87. 87Exanima3.2 h/$
  88. 88Souldiers3.2 h/$
  89. 89Super Hexagon3.1 h/$
  90. 90Rabbit and Steel3.1 h/$
  91. 91DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT3.1 h/$
  92. 92Resident Evil 23.0 h/$
  93. 93Mafia3.0 h/$
  94. 94IXION3.0 h/$
  95. 95Rain World3.0 h/$
  96. 96Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition3.0 h/$
  97. 97SYNTHETIK: Legion Rising2.9 h/$
  98. 98Rabi-Ribi2.8 h/$
  99. 99Ultra Street Fighter IV2.8 h/$
  100. 100Resident Evil 02.8 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.