Best Value 4X Games Under $40

The 4X 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. 1Sid Meier's Civilization III Complete$0.02/1hr
  2. 2Sid Meier's Civilization V$0.03/1hr
  3. 3Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword$0.03/1hr
  4. 4Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion$0.05/1hr
  5. 5Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition$0.05/1hr
  6. 6Sid Meier’s Civilization VI$0.06/1hr
  7. 7Europa Universalis IV$0.06/1hr
  8. 8Old World$0.06/1hr
  9. 9Stellaris$0.07/1hr
  10. 10Crusader Kings III$0.11/1hr
  11. 11Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic$0.12/1hr
  12. 12STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack$0.12/1hr
  13. 13Sid Meier's Civilization IV$0.13/1hr
  14. 14Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War$0.14/1hr
  15. 15Terra Invicta$0.15/1hr
  16. 16A Total War Saga: TROY$0.15/1hr
  17. 17Galactic Civilizations IV$0.16/1hr
  18. 18Total War: ROME REMASTERED$0.16/1hr
  19. 19Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth$0.17/1hr
  20. 20ENDLESS Space 2$0.17/1hr
  21. 21ENDLESS Legend$0.17/1hr
  22. 22Dominions 6 - Rise of the Pantokrator$0.21/1hr
  23. 23Knights of Honor II: Sovereign$0.21/1hr
  24. 24Cataclismo$0.23/1hr
  25. 25Northgard: Definitive Edition$0.24/1hr
  26. 26Conquest of Elysium 5$0.24/1hr
  27. 27Age of Wonders 4$0.25/1hr
  28. 28Empires of the Undergrowth$0.25/1hr
  29. 29HUMANKIND$0.27/1hr
  30. 30Anno 2205$0.27/1hr
  31. 31Airships: Conquer the Skies$0.28/1hr
  32. 32Homeworld Remastered Collection$0.35/1hr
  33. 33The Battle of Polytopia$0.40/1hr
  34. 34Farthest Frontier$0.41/1hr
  35. 35Dune: Spice Wars$0.41/1hr
  36. 36NEBULOUS: Fleet Command$0.41/1hr
  37. 37Sins of a Solar Empire II$0.43/1hr
  38. 38Songs of Conquest$0.44/1hr
  39. 39Heart of the Machine$0.47/1hr
  40. 40Xenonauts 2$0.50/1hr
  41. 41Master of Orion$0.51/1hr
  42. 42Manor Lords$0.70/1hr
  43. 43Breachway$0.79/1hr
  44. 44Age of Wonders III$0.88/1hr
  45. 45Europa Universalis III Complete$1.14/1hr
  46. 46Songs of Silence$1.27/1hr
  47. 47ZEPHON$1.28/1hr
  48. 48Age of Wonders: Planetfall$1.98/1hr
  49. 49Sid Meier's Civilization VII$3.01/1hr

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.