Best Value Strategy Games Under $5

The Strategy games on Steam games under $5 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 $40
Median reviewer playtime divided by price. Reviewers tend to sink more hours in than the average owner, so treat this as an optimistic estimate. Free games are excluded because there's no price to divide by.
  1. 1Black Desert108 h/$
  2. 2Don't Starve Together62 h/$
  3. 3BidKing30 h/$
  4. 4shapez27 h/$
  5. 5CryoFall27 h/$
  6. 6Cookie Clicker23 h/$
  7. 7Banner of the Maid14 h/$
  8. 8Wall World14 h/$
  9. 9Football, Tactics & Glory13 h/$
  10. 10Rock 'N' Roll Defense12 h/$
  11. 11Sid Meier's Civilization III Complete12 h/$
  12. 12Dungeon of the ENDLESS11 h/$
  13. 13Loop Hero10 h/$
  14. 14最后的仙门 The last Practice Sect10 h/$
  15. 15Town of Salem10 h/$
  16. 16Settlement Survival8.9 h/$
  17. 17Monster Sanctuary8.4 h/$
  18. 18Orcs Must Die! 28.1 h/$
  19. 19Punch Club7.4 h/$
  20. 20Beholder6.7 h/$
  21. 21Age of History II6.7 h/$
  22. 22Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun6.7 h/$
  23. 23Niche - a genetics survival game6.6 h/$
  24. 24Orcs Must Die!6.2 h/$
  25. 25Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition6.2 h/$
  26. 26Tavern Master5.6 h/$
  27. 27Halo Wars: Definitive Edition5.1 h/$
  28. 28Age of Empires: Definitive Edition4.7 h/$
  29. 29Rusted Warfare - RTS4.4 h/$
  30. 3020 Minutes Till Dawn4.3 h/$
  31. 31ISLANDERS4.2 h/$
  32. 32Party Hard4.1 h/$
  33. 33Worms Armageddon4.0 h/$
  34. 34Brutal Legend4.0 h/$
  35. 35Your Only Move Is HUSTLE3.7 h/$
  36. 36Warpips3.4 h/$
  37. 37Natural Selection 23.4 h/$
  38. 38X-Morph: Defense3.3 h/$
  39. 39The Escapists 22.7 h/$
  40. 40Worms Ultimate Mayhem2.4 h/$
  41. 41Nubby's Number Factory2.4 h/$
  42. 42112 Operator2.3 h/$
  43. 43The Escapists2.1 h/$
  44. 44Gladiator Guild Manager2.1 h/$
  45. 45Outpath2.1 h/$
  46. 46911 Operator1.9 h/$
  47. 47Cardboard Town1.8 h/$
  48. 48THE GAME OF LIFE 21.6 h/$
  49. 49House of Detention1.6 h/$
  50. 50Nodebuster1.6 h/$
  51. 51Feign1.5 h/$
  52. 52Dice People1.3 h/$
  53. 53Mister Furry: Hot Muscles1.0 h/$
  54. 54Pacify0.9 h/$
  55. 55Minami Lane0.8 h/$
  56. 56Ultimate Zombie Defense0.8 h/$
  57. 57Russian Life Simulator0.7 h/$
  58. 58RUSSIAPHOBIA0.7 h/$
  59. 59Kabuto Park0.7 h/$
  60. 60SUMMERHOUSE0.5 h/$
  61. 61Achievement Clicker0.5 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.