Best Value Open World Games Under $40

The Open World 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
Price divided by median reviewer playtime — how much you pay per hour of gameplay. Lower is better. 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. 1Myth of Empires$0.03/1hr
  2. 2SCUM$0.03/1hr
  3. 3Fallout 4$0.04/1hr
  4. 4The Quinfall$0.04/1hr
  5. 5Outward Definitive Edition$0.04/1hr
  6. 6Elite Dangerous$0.04/1hr
  7. 7Fallout: New Vegas$0.04/1hr
  8. 8RollerCoaster Tycoon: Deluxe$0.05/1hr
  9. 9shapez$0.05/1hr
  10. 10Fallout 76$0.05/1hr
  11. 11FINAL FANTASY XIV Online$0.06/1hr
  12. 12The Elder Scrolls Online$0.06/1hr
  13. 13Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game$0.07/1hr
  14. 14Mad Max$0.07/1hr
  15. 15The Surge$0.07/1hr
  16. 16Atomicrops$0.07/1hr
  17. 17Hunt: Showdown 1896$0.07/1hr
  18. 18Subsistence$0.08/1hr
  19. 19ORION: Prelude$0.08/1hr
  20. 20My Time at Portia$0.08/1hr
  21. 21HITMAN World of Assassination$0.08/1hr
  22. 22UnderRail$0.09/1hr
  23. 23Darkwood$0.09/1hr
  24. 24Terraria$0.09/1hr
  25. 25Stronghold HD (2012)$0.10/1hr
  26. 26RimWorld$0.10/1hr
  27. 27Batman: Arkham Knight$0.10/1hr
  28. 28Don't Starve Together$0.10/1hr
  29. 29HELLDIVERS 2$0.10/1hr
  30. 30Kenshi$0.10/1hr
  31. 31Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game$0.10/1hr
  32. 32Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen$0.10/1hr
  33. 33Naval Action$0.11/1hr
  34. 34Against the Storm$0.11/1hr
  35. 35Noita$0.11/1hr
  36. 36Space Haven$0.11/1hr
  37. 37Battle Brothers$0.11/1hr
  38. 38Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic$0.12/1hr
  39. 39Hogwarts Legacy$0.12/1hr
  40. 40My Time at Sandrock$0.12/1hr
  41. 41LEGO City Undercover$0.12/1hr
  42. 42Middle-earth: Shadow of War$0.13/1hr
  43. 43Mortal Online 2$0.13/1hr
  44. 44LEGO Marvel Super Heroes$0.13/1hr
  45. 45Stardew Valley$0.13/1hr
  46. 46Oxygen Not Included$0.14/1hr
  47. 47Space Engineers$0.14/1hr
  48. 48Tales of Maj'Eyal$0.14/1hr
  49. 49GreedFall$0.14/1hr
  50. 50Rust$0.14/1hr
  51. 51Avorion$0.14/1hr
  52. 52Red Dead Redemption 2$0.14/1hr
  53. 53Beasts of Bermuda$0.15/1hr
  54. 54Eco$0.15/1hr
  55. 55The Surge 2$0.15/1hr
  56. 56Cyberpunk 2077$0.15/1hr
  57. 57Green Hell$0.15/1hr
  58. 58Valheim$0.15/1hr
  59. 59Mafia III: Definitive Edition$0.15/1hr
  60. 60Dyson Sphere Program$0.15/1hr
  61. 61Project Zomboid$0.16/1hr
  62. 62SnowRunner$0.16/1hr
  63. 63Batman: Arkham City - Game of the Year Edition$0.16/1hr
  64. 64LEGO The Hobbit$0.16/1hr
  65. 65Black Desert$0.16/1hr
  66. 66Breathedge$0.16/1hr
  67. 67Scribblenauts Unlimited$0.16/1hr
  68. 68LEGO Worlds$0.16/1hr
  69. 69Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor$0.16/1hr
  70. 70觅长生$0.16/1hr
  71. 71FINAL FANTASY VIII$0.16/1hr
  72. 72ENDLESS Space 2$0.17/1hr
  73. 73Factorio$0.17/1hr
  74. 74The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim$0.17/1hr
  75. 75Streamer Life Simulator$0.17/1hr
  76. 76Stoneshard$0.17/1hr
  77. 77Foxhole$0.18/1hr
  78. 78ARK: Survival Evolved$0.18/1hr
  79. 79Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition$0.18/1hr
  80. 80Planetbase$0.18/1hr
  81. 81The Guild II Renaissance$0.18/1hr
  82. 82Supraland$0.18/1hr
  83. 83Elin$0.19/1hr
  84. 84Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Enhanced Edition$0.19/1hr
  85. 85Palworld$0.19/1hr
  86. 86Fields of Mistria$0.19/1hr
  87. 87Internet Cafe Simulator$0.19/1hr
  88. 88Kingdom: New Lands$0.19/1hr
  89. 89Stronghold 2: Steam Edition$0.19/1hr
  90. 90NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER$0.19/1hr
  91. 91The Scroll of Taiwu : Beyond The Dome$0.19/1hr
  92. 92Empyrion - Galactic Survival$0.19/1hr
  93. 93Bus Simulator 18$0.20/1hr
  94. 94The Survivalists$0.20/1hr
  95. 95Quasimorph$0.20/1hr
  96. 96Smalland: Survive the Wilds$0.20/1hr
  97. 97ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game$0.20/1hr
  98. 98Batman: Arkham Origins$0.21/1hr
  99. 99Empires of the Undergrowth$0.21/1hr
  100. 100LEGO Batman: The Videogame$0.21/1hr

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.