Best Value Grand Strategy Games Under $40

The Grand Strategy 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 $40
Median reviewer playtime divided by price. Reviewers tend to sink more hours in than the average owner, so treat this as an optimistic estimate. Free games are excluded because there's no price to divide by.
  1. 1Hearts of Iron IV39 h/$
  2. 2X4: Foundations20 h/$
  3. 3Victoria 317 h/$
  4. 4Sid Meier's Civilization III Complete12 h/$
  5. 5Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition11 h/$
  6. 6Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword9.9 h/$
  7. 7Age of History II6.7 h/$
  8. 8ENDLESS Space 26.4 h/$
  9. 9Total War: SHOGUN 26.4 h/$
  10. 10Victoria II6.4 h/$
  11. 11Terraforming Mars5.9 h/$
  12. 12Terra Invicta5.7 h/$
  13. 13Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition5.1 h/$
  14. 14Total War: NAPOLEON – Definitive Edition4.7 h/$
  15. 15Sid Meier's Civilization V4.5 h/$
  16. 16HUMANKIND4.0 h/$
  17. 17Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance3.6 h/$
  18. 18Fantasy General II3.3 h/$
  19. 19ENDLESS Legend3.3 h/$
  20. 20Total War: THREE KINGDOMS3.3 h/$
  21. 21Age of History 33.2 h/$
  22. 22Panzer Corps 23.1 h/$
  23. 23Anno 1404 - History Edition3.0 h/$
  24. 24STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack3.0 h/$
  25. 25Supreme Commander 23.0 h/$
  26. 26Galactic Civilizations IV2.7 h/$
  27. 27Phoenix Point2.7 h/$
  28. 28Legend of Heroes: Three Kingdoms2.6 h/$
  29. 29Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic2.4 h/$
  30. 30Sailing Era2.3 h/$
  31. 31Songs of Syx2.3 h/$
  32. 32NEBULOUS: Fleet Command2.3 h/$
  33. 33Master of Orion2.1 h/$
  34. 34Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth2.1 h/$
  35. 35Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI with Power Up Kit2.0 h/$
  36. 36Dune: Imperium2.0 h/$
  37. 37Shadow Empire1.8 h/$
  38. 38Total War: ROME REMASTERED1.8 h/$
  39. 39ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS 8 REMAKE1.7 h/$
  40. 40Armello1.7 h/$
  41. 41Heart of the Machine1.5 h/$
  42. 42Ara History Untold: Anniversary Edition 1.4 h/$
  43. 43Breachway1.4 h/$
  44. 44Dummynation1.3 h/$
  45. 45Old World1.3 h/$
  46. 46Airships: Conquer the Skies1.3 h/$
  47. 47Creeper World 41.3 h/$
  48. 48Ultimate General: Civil War1.3 h/$
  49. 49Empires of the Undergrowth1.2 h/$
  50. 50Xenonauts 21.1 h/$
  51. 51Fantasy Map Simulator1.1 h/$
  52. 52Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts1.1 h/$
  53. 53A Total War Saga: THRONES OF BRITANNIA1.0 h/$
  54. 54Imperator: Rome1.0 h/$
  55. 55City Bus Manager1.0 h/$
  56. 56SpellForce: Conquest of Eo1.0 h/$
  57. 57Norland0.9 h/$
  58. 58Manor Lords0.9 h/$
  59. 59Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew0.9 h/$
  60. 60Carrier Command 20.9 h/$
  61. 61Planetary Annihilation: TITANS0.9 h/$
  62. 62Total Conflict: Resistance0.9 h/$
  63. 63Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War0.8 h/$
  64. 64Steel Division 20.8 h/$
  65. 65Cataclismo0.8 h/$
  66. 66ZEPHON0.7 h/$
  67. 67A Total War Saga: TROY0.7 h/$
  68. 68Hexarchy0.6 h/$
  69. 69Dune: Spice Wars0.6 h/$
  70. 70Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator 20.6 h/$
  71. 71Prehistoric Kingdom0.5 h/$
  72. 72Iron Harvest0.5 h/$
  73. 73The Great War: Western Front0.5 h/$
  74. 74Songs 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.