Best Rated Difficult Games Under $40
The best rated Difficult games on Steam for games under $40. Scores are weighted by review volume, so small-sample flukes stay off the list.
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
Our score adjusts Steam's raw rating for sample size. The fewer reviews a game has, the more its score gets pulled toward the site-wide average, so a tiny game can't fluke its way to #1.
- 1Hades307,39997.60%98.01%
- 2Balatro196,51697.22%97.84%
- 3Slay the Spire217,30396.92%97.48%
- 4Bloons TD 6392,70196.88%97.19%
- 5ULTRAKILL239,95896.88%97.37%
- 6Helltaker127,92596.76%97.68%
- 7Hollow Knight556,11496.70%96.91%
- 8Pizza Tower72,35696.67%98.29%
- 9The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth442,23596.66%96.92%
- 10Celeste145,48396.60%97.40%
- 11Resident Evil 2220,36896.52%97.05%
- 12Katana ZERO75,82596.41%97.93%
- 13Dead Cells182,50496.41%97.04%
- 14Hotline Miami127,17595.98%96.85%
- 15Oxygen Not Included143,18295.96%96.73%
- 16Papers, Please79,97495.93%97.30%
- 17Half-Life163,35395.83%96.50%
- 18Ori and the Will of the Wisps145,81695.76%96.51%
- 19Counter-Strike: Source192,72295.73%96.29%
- 20Cuphead218,94595.67%96.16%
- 21Outlast138,06195.66%96.44%
- 22Don't Starve113,30695.61%96.55%
- 23Devil May Cry 5169,21995.42%96.04%
- 24Chants of Sennaar33,60195.19%98.24%
- 25DOOM220,58695.06%95.52%
- 26SANABI44,69595.00%97.26%
- 27METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE88,64994.90%96.03%
- 28Blender90,07794.90%96.00%
- 29Kerbal Space Program145,60794.89%95.57%
- 30Don't Starve Together540,96094.75%94.93%
- 31Beat Saber76,20194.28%95.51%
- 32My Summer Car116,38594.14%94.93%
- 33Noita88,30694.11%95.15%
- 34Enter the Gungeon89,62294.10%95.12%
- 35Return of the Obra Dinn34,91594.08%96.70%
- 36Just Shapes & Beats25,90494.02%97.62%
- 37Baba Is You24,43193.97%97.73%
- 38FTL: Faster Than Light78,49093.96%95.11%
- 39Clone Drone in the Danger Zone39,17693.85%96.13%
- 40Valheim539,73893.82%93.99%
- 41Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition71,29493.82%95.07%
- 42Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun38,37893.74%96.03%
- 43Risk of Rain 2351,22093.56%93.81%
- 44DOOM + DOOM II28,75793.55%96.63%
- 45Super Hexagon25,08393.48%96.88%
- 46Ultimate Custom Night62,61593.42%94.77%
- 47Paint the Town Red32,41493.38%95.99%
- 48Game Dev Tycoon45,04493.33%95.19%
- 49The Binding of Isaac62,72593.30%94.64%
- 50Resident Evil 4 (2005)97,52193.30%94.15%
- 51Barotrauma88,90793.10%94.02%
- 52A Dance of Fire and Ice82,88693.09%94.07%
- 53Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number79,68393.09%94.11%
- 54LIZARDS MUST DIE26,45293.07%96.24%
- 55Iron Snout17,47493.05%97.69%
- 56S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl48,08293.00%94.67%
- 57Plague Inc: Evolved65,27592.98%94.21%
- 58One Finger Death Punch16,33292.97%97.89%
- 59Geometry Dash630,88292.91%93.04%
- 60The Talos Principle32,98092.89%95.31%
- 61Lobotomy Corporation | Monster Management Simulation56,29092.83%94.23%
- 62Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes17,07392.72%97.28%
- 63Library Of Ruina44,34392.72%94.47%
- 64Kingdom Rush - Tower Defense16,95492.69%97.27%
- 65Nine Sols44,54892.67%94.41%
- 66Monster Train22,90792.55%95.87%
- 67Crypt of the NecroDancer26,45592.54%95.51%
- 68Five Nights at Freddy's58,95892.52%93.81%
- 69Rain World56,04892.41%93.74%
- 70Peggle Deluxe14,25392.41%97.65%
- 71Dwarf Fortress31,36592.41%94.79%
- 72Touhou Luna Nights14,90992.36%97.34%
- 73MX Bikes36,67492.30%94.30%
- 74Nuclear Throne19,72792.29%96.02%
- 75Super Meat Boy38,96192.27%94.15%
- 76Zup! S16,12392.26%96.79%
- 77Frostpunk136,77492.20%92.73%
- 78ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights45,39792.17%93.76%
- 79Desperados III16,53492.16%96.52%
- 80Hitman: Absolution63,27592.07%93.19%
- 81Alien: Isolation66,36992.06%93.13%
- 82Skul: The Hero Slayer57,48492.02%93.26%
- 83XCOM: Enemy Unknown58,49992.00%93.21%
- 84DARK SOULS: REMASTERED153,90591.98%92.44%
- 85DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT58,12891.96%93.17%
- 86Mini Metro16,69591.87%96.02%
- 87Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator33,16591.72%93.76%
- 88ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist18,50591.71%95.36%
- 89PAYDAY The Heist40,95291.69%93.33%
- 90Trombone Champ11,14691.65%97.90%
- 91Descenders23,69791.63%94.45%
- 92Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game25,05391.59%94.24%
- 93Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night41,51191.55%93.14%
- 94Post Void12,35791.51%96.83%
- 95Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove16,87591.48%95.51%
- 96Source Filmmaker43,76291.45%92.94%
- 97Antichamber17,73491.37%95.14%
- 98Assetto Corsa Competizione47,77591.33%92.66%
- 99Rabbit and Steel11,45891.28%97.04%
- 100Darkest Dungeon161,04691.28%91.67%
