Best Value Post-apocalyptic Games Under $40

The Post-apocalyptic 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 $40
Median reviewer playtime divided by price. Reviewers tend to sink more hours in than the average owner, so treat this as an optimistic estimate. Free games are excluded because there's no price to divide by.
  1. 1Rust22 h/$
  2. 2Rusty's Retirement10 h/$
  3. 3Deadside9.8 h/$
  4. 4Survivalist: Invisible Strain8.9 h/$
  5. 5My Time at Sandrock8.5 h/$
  6. 6Fallout 48.2 h/$
  7. 7Fallout: New Vegas7.4 h/$
  8. 8Fallout 766.7 h/$
  9. 9The Talos Principle 26.4 h/$
  10. 10Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition6.2 h/$
  11. 11R.E.P.O.6.1 h/$
  12. 12State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition6.0 h/$
  13. 13Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Reloaded Edition5.6 h/$
  14. 14SKYHILL5.6 h/$
  15. 15The Talos Principle5.6 h/$
  16. 16Left 4 Dead 25.6 h/$
  17. 17Project Zomboid5.5 h/$
  18. 18The Long Dark5.5 h/$
  19. 19UnderRail5.3 h/$
  20. 20State of Decay: YOSE5.0 h/$
  21. 21CODE VEIN4.8 h/$
  22. 22DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT4.4 h/$
  23. 23Dome Keeper4.3 h/$
  24. 24ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game4.3 h/$
  25. 25Wasteland 34.1 h/$
  26. 26Nuclear Throne4.0 h/$
  27. 27Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game3.9 h/$
  28. 28XCOM 23.9 h/$
  29. 29They Are Billions3.8 h/$
  30. 30Pacific Drive3.7 h/$
  31. 31Sunset Overdrive3.5 h/$
  32. 32Doloc Town3.4 h/$
  33. 33Chernobylite Complete Edition3.4 h/$
  34. 34Tom Clancy’s The Division 23.3 h/$
  35. 35Borderlands Game of the Year3.2 h/$
  36. 36Timberborn3.2 h/$
  37. 37IXION3.0 h/$
  38. 38Rain World3.0 h/$
  39. 39Kenshi2.8 h/$
  40. 40Infection Free Zone2.8 h/$
  41. 41Phoenix Point2.7 h/$
  42. 42Grim Dawn2.6 h/$
  43. 43Kill The Crows2.4 h/$
  44. 44HumanitZ2.4 h/$
  45. 45ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights2.3 h/$
  46. 46Sunkenland2.2 h/$
  47. 47SurrounDead2.2 h/$
  48. 48Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game2.1 h/$
  49. 49Terra Nil2.1 h/$
  50. 50Thymesia2.0 h/$
  51. 51RAGE2.0 h/$
  52. 52My Time at Portia2.0 h/$
  53. 53DUCKSIDE1.9 h/$
  54. 54The Final Station1.9 h/$
  55. 55I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream1.9 h/$
  56. 56Mad Max1.9 h/$
  57. 57DeadPoly1.9 h/$
  58. 58The Last Spell1.9 h/$
  59. 59ELEX1.9 h/$
  60. 60ZERO Sievert1.8 h/$
  61. 61Outpost: Infinity Siege1.8 h/$
  62. 62Forever Skies1.7 h/$
  63. 63The Crust1.7 h/$
  64. 64Dying Light1.7 h/$
  65. 65LISA: The Painful1.7 h/$
  66. 66A Plague Tale: Innocence1.7 h/$
  67. 67HAAK1.6 h/$
  68. 68Tom Clancy’s The Division1.5 h/$
  69. 69The Wandering Village1.5 h/$
  70. 70BlazBlue Entropy Effect1.5 h/$
  71. 71I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival1.5 h/$
  72. 72Miscreated1.5 h/$
  73. 73Fallout 31.5 h/$
  74. 74Generation Zero1.5 h/$
  75. 75Tunguska: The Visitation - Final Cut1.4 h/$
  76. 76OUTRIDERS1.4 h/$
  77. 77Chained Together1.4 h/$
  78. 78This War of Mine1.4 h/$
  79. 79Roboquest1.3 h/$
  80. 80Ghostrunner 21.3 h/$
  81. 81Frostpunk 21.2 h/$
  82. 82Dread Delusion1.2 h/$
  83. 83S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl1.2 h/$
  84. 84Days Gone1.2 h/$
  85. 85The Last Stand: Aftermath1.2 h/$
  86. 86S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat1.1 h/$
  87. 87Left 4 Dead1.1 h/$
  88. 88HighFleet1.1 h/$
  89. 89The Long Drive1.1 h/$
  90. 90The Forever Winter1.1 h/$
  91. 91The Walking Dead1.0 h/$
  92. 92Insect Swarm1.0 h/$
  93. 93Darksiders Warmastered Edition1.0 h/$
  94. 94Deadzone: Rogue1.0 h/$
  95. 95NieR:Automata1.0 h/$
  96. 96Killing Floor 20.9 h/$
  97. 97Eastward0.9 h/$
  98. 98Drive Beyond Horizons0.9 h/$
  99. 99Into the Radius VR0.9 h/$
  100. 100Rusted Moss0.9 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.