Best Value Immersive Sim Games Under $40

The Immersive Sim 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. 1Chill Pulse$0.04/1hr
  2. 2Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut$0.09/1hr
  3. 3Cruelty Squad$0.11/1hr
  4. 4Dishonored$0.12/1hr
  5. 5Eco$0.12/1hr
  6. 6Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition$0.14/1hr
  7. 7Streets of Rogue$0.14/1hr
  8. 8Deus Ex: Mankind Divided$0.14/1hr
  9. 9ANEURISM IV$0.16/1hr
  10. 10Cyberpunk 2077$0.17/1hr
  11. 11Pathologic 2$0.17/1hr
  12. 12Prey$0.18/1hr
  13. 13Placid Plastic Duck Simulator$0.18/1hr
  14. 14Dishonored 2$0.21/1hr
  15. 15Farming Simulator 22$0.22/1hr
  16. 16Stormworks: Build and Rescue$0.22/1hr
  17. 17Feed the Cups$0.24/1hr
  18. 18My Garage$0.25/1hr
  19. 19Survival: Fountain of Youth$0.27/1hr
  20. 20Motor Town: Behind The Wheel$0.27/1hr
  21. 21Cyber Manhunt$0.29/1hr
  22. 22Little Witch in the Woods$0.29/1hr
  23. 23Farming Simulator 25$0.30/1hr
  24. 24Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey$0.31/1hr
  25. 25American Truck Simulator$0.32/1hr
  26. 26Euro Truck Simulator 2$0.32/1hr
  27. 27Spellcaster University$0.32/1hr
  28. 28Grocery Store Simulator$0.34/1hr
  29. 29Legend of Heroes: Three Kingdoms$0.36/1hr
  30. 30112 Operator$0.36/1hr
  31. 31Ostranauts$0.36/1hr
  32. 32Railroads Online$0.37/1hr
  33. 33Travellers Rest$0.38/1hr
  34. 34Roots of Pacha$0.38/1hr
  35. 35Easy Red 2$0.39/1hr
  36. 36Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI with Power Up Kit$0.39/1hr
  37. 37Car Dealer Simulator$0.39/1hr
  38. 38Disney Dreamlight Valley$0.40/1hr
  39. 39E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy$0.41/1hr
  40. 40ContractVille$0.42/1hr
  41. 41Abiotic Factor$0.43/1hr
  42. 42Airport CEO$0.43/1hr
  43. 43Wrestling Empire$0.45/1hr
  44. 44The Planet Crafter$0.46/1hr
  45. 45Cash Cleaner Simulator$0.46/1hr
  46. 46GoreBox$0.47/1hr
  47. 47theHunter: Call of the Wild$0.47/1hr
  48. 48Dishonored: Death of the Outsider$0.47/1hr
  49. 49Ghosts of Tabor$0.48/1hr
  50. 50Big Ambitions$0.48/1hr
  51. 51School Days$0.49/1hr
  52. 52Depersonalization$0.49/1hr
  53. 53Supermarket Simulator$0.51/1hr
  54. 54Infection Free Zone$0.52/1hr
  55. 55TCG Card Shop Simulator$0.52/1hr
  56. 56Day of Dragons$0.54/1hr
  57. 57SnowRunner$0.54/1hr
  58. 58Barony$0.55/1hr
  59. 59DEATHLOOP$0.56/1hr
  60. 60Medieval Dynasty$0.57/1hr
  61. 61PowerWash Simulator$0.59/1hr
  62. 62Old Market Simulator$0.60/1hr
  63. 63WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition$0.61/1hr
  64. 64Squad$0.63/1hr
  65. 65My Dream Setup$0.63/1hr
  66. 66Car Mechanic Simulator 2021$0.64/1hr
  67. 67Finnish Cottage Simulator$0.64/1hr
  68. 68Le Mans Ultimate$0.65/1hr
  69. 69SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition$0.66/1hr
  70. 70No Rest for the Wicked$0.66/1hr
  71. 71MX Bikes$0.67/1hr
  72. 72SimRail - The Railway Simulator$0.67/1hr
  73. 73Sailwind$0.69/1hr
  74. 74Good Pizza, Great Pizza - Cooking Simulator Game$0.69/1hr
  75. 75Juice Galaxy$0.69/1hr
  76. 76The Tenants$0.69/1hr
  77. 77NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening$0.70/1hr
  78. 78Far Cry 2$0.71/1hr
  79. 79Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII$0.72/1hr
  80. 80Knowledge, or know Lady$0.74/1hr
  81. 81Chef RPG$0.74/1hr
  82. 82Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition$0.75/1hr
  83. 83Ranch Simulator: Build, Hunt, Farm$0.75/1hr
  84. 84Sons Of The Forest$0.75/1hr
  85. 85Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora$0.76/1hr
  86. 86Teardown$0.77/1hr
  87. 87Dark Messiah of Might & Magic$0.78/1hr
  88. 88Automation - The Car Company Tycoon Game$0.79/1hr
  89. 89Kebab Chefs! - Restaurant Simulator$0.80/1hr
  90. 90Farthest Frontier$0.81/1hr
  91. 91ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS 8 REMAKE$0.82/1hr
  92. 92Cattails: Wildwood Story$0.83/1hr
  93. 93Uncrashed : FPV Drone Simulator$0.83/1hr
  94. 94The Sims 2 Legacy Collection$0.85/1hr
  95. 95Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad with Rising Storm$0.88/1hr
  96. 96RoadCraft$0.88/1hr
  97. 97Vanity Fair: The Pursuit$0.90/1hr
  98. 98Cyber Manhunt 2: New World - The Hacking Simulator$0.92/1hr
  99. 99Breakout 13$0.92/1hr
  100. 100Rising Storm 2: Vietnam$0.93/1hr

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.