Best Value Life Sim Games Under $40

The Life Sim 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 $40
Median reviewer playtime divided by price. Reviewers tend to sink more hours in than the average owner, so treat this as an optimistic estimate. Free games are excluded because there's no price to divide by.
  1. 1Ropuka's Idle Island33 h/$
  2. 2Chill Pulse12 h/$
  3. 3Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator10 h/$
  4. 4Placid Plastic Duck Simulator8.7 h/$
  5. 5Stardew Valley8.7 h/$
  6. 6My Time at Sandrock8.5 h/$
  7. 7Disney Dreamlight Valley7.0 h/$
  8. 8Reigns6.4 h/$
  9. 9Sun Haven5.8 h/$
  10. 10Spirit City: Lofi Sessions5.7 h/$
  11. 11The Guild II Renaissance5.6 h/$
  12. 12Cozy Grove5.1 h/$
  13. 13Ithya: Magic Studies4.8 h/$
  14. 14Fields of Mistria4.7 h/$
  15. 15Ostranauts4.4 h/$
  16. 16Animal Shelter4.3 h/$
  17. 17Big Ambitions4.1 h/$
  18. 18Paleo Pines4.0 h/$
  19. 19The Sims 33.9 h/$
  20. 20Sailwind3.9 h/$
  21. 21Coral Island3.8 h/$
  22. 22Bellwright3.6 h/$
  23. 23Travellers Rest3.3 h/$
  24. 24TCG Card Shop Simulator3.2 h/$
  25. 25Old Market Simulator3.2 h/$
  26. 26Cash Cleaner Simulator3.1 h/$
  27. 27ANEURISM IV3.1 h/$
  28. 28Dinkum2.9 h/$
  29. 29School Days2.9 h/$
  30. 30ContractVille2.8 h/$
  31. 31Car Dealer Simulator2.8 h/$
  32. 32Mon Bazou2.7 h/$
  33. 33Supermarket Simulator2.6 h/$
  34. 34Wylde Flowers2.6 h/$
  35. 35VillageRhapsody2.6 h/$
  36. 36Kynseed2.6 h/$
  37. 37Drug Lord Tycoon2.6 h/$
  38. 38BOOK OF HOURS2.6 h/$
  39. 39Critter Cove2.5 h/$
  40. 40Wobbly Life2.4 h/$
  41. 41Echoes of the Plum Grove2.2 h/$
  42. 42Kebab Chefs! - Restaurant Simulator2.1 h/$
  43. 43Volcano Princess2.0 h/$
  44. 44Roots of Pacha2.0 h/$
  45. 45The Ranch of Rivershine2.0 h/$
  46. 46My Time at Portia2.0 h/$
  47. 47Progressbar952.0 h/$
  48. 48Chef RPG2.0 h/$
  49. 49WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition1.9 h/$
  50. 50Little Witch in the Woods1.9 h/$
  51. 51Project Hospital1.9 h/$
  52. 52Two Point Museum1.8 h/$
  53. 53Farm Together 21.8 h/$
  54. 54Card Survival: Fantasy Forest1.7 h/$
  55. 55TheoTown1.7 h/$
  56. 56Sengoku Dynasty1.6 h/$
  57. 57THE GAME OF LIFE 21.6 h/$
  58. 58Mr. Prepper1.6 h/$
  59. 59The Wandering Village1.5 h/$
  60. 60I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival1.5 h/$
  61. 61WorldBox - God Simulator1.5 h/$
  62. 62Moonstone Island1.5 h/$
  63. 63One Hour One Life1.4 h/$
  64. 64Finnish Cottage Simulator1.3 h/$
  65. 65Potionomics1.3 h/$
  66. 66Comedy Night1.3 h/$
  67. 67Crime Scene Cleaner1.3 h/$
  68. 68Growing Up1.3 h/$
  69. 69Good Pizza, Great Pizza - Cooking Simulator Game1.2 h/$
  70. 70Potion Permit1.2 h/$
  71. 71Punch Club 2: Fast Forward1.2 h/$
  72. 72Chinese Online Game1.1 h/$
  73. 73I Was a Teenage Exocolonist1.1 h/$
  74. 74Summon1.1 h/$
  75. 75Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator1.1 h/$
  76. 76Car For Sale Simulator 20231.0 h/$
  77. 77Chinese Parents1.0 h/$
  78. 78VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action1.0 h/$
  79. 79SimRail - The Railway Simulator1.0 h/$
  80. 80Vanity Fair: The Pursuit0.9 h/$
  81. 81To Pixelia0.9 h/$
  82. 82Calico0.9 h/$
  83. 83Hello Kitty Island Adventure0.9 h/$
  84. 84Trash Goblin0.9 h/$
  85. 85Cozy Caravan0.9 h/$
  86. 86Minami Lane0.8 h/$
  87. 87TOGETHER BnB0.8 h/$
  88. 88Bloomtown: A Different Story0.8 h/$
  89. 8960 Parsecs!0.8 h/$
  90. 90Go-Go Town!0.8 h/$
  91. 91inZOI0.8 h/$
  92. 92Sticky Business0.8 h/$
  93. 93The Sims 2 Legacy Collection0.8 h/$
  94. 94Streamer Life Simulator0.8 h/$
  95. 95Hotel Renovator0.8 h/$
  96. 96Russian Life Simulator0.7 h/$
  97. 97Bear and Breakfast0.7 h/$
  98. 98Chushpan Simulator0.7 h/$
  99. 9960 Seconds! Reatomized0.7 h/$
  100. 100The Coin Game0.6 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.