Best Value RTS Games Under $40

The RTS 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. 1Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance$0.03/1hr
  2. 2Supreme Commander 2$0.08/1hr
  3. 3Mechabellum$0.10/1hr
  4. 4Terra Invicta$0.17/1hr
  5. 5From the Depths$0.19/1hr
  6. 6SpellForce 3 Reforced$0.20/1hr
  7. 7Survivalist: Invisible Strain$0.20/1hr
  8. 8Victoria II$0.21/1hr
  9. 9Dyson Sphere Program$0.21/1hr
  10. 10Planetbase$0.22/1hr
  11. 11Age of Empires II (Retired)$0.22/1hr
  12. 12Airships: Conquer the Skies$0.24/1hr
  13. 13Mindustry$0.24/1hr
  14. 14Command & Conquer Remastered Collection$0.25/1hr
  15. 15Kenshi$0.25/1hr
  16. 16Desperados III$0.26/1hr
  17. 17Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion$0.28/1hr
  18. 18Wargame: Red Dragon$0.29/1hr
  19. 19Sailing Era$0.30/1hr
  20. 20Iron Harvest$0.31/1hr
  21. 21Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition$0.31/1hr
  22. 22Rusted Warfare - RTS$0.31/1hr
  23. 23Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition$0.32/1hr
  24. 24Stronghold HD (2012)$0.32/1hr
  25. 25DG2: Defense Grid 2$0.33/1hr
  26. 26Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)$0.35/1hr
  27. 27Total War: SHOGUN 2$0.35/1hr
  28. 28Outpost: Infinity Siege$0.35/1hr
  29. 29Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition$0.35/1hr
  30. 30The Guild 3$0.35/1hr
  31. 31Colony Survival$0.35/1hr
  32. 32112 Operator$0.36/1hr
  33. 33Age of History 3$0.36/1hr
  34. 34Going Medieval$0.37/1hr
  35. 35STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack$0.39/1hr
  36. 36Banished$0.39/1hr
  37. 37Knights of Honor II: Sovereign$0.39/1hr
  38. 38Total War: THREE KINGDOMS$0.39/1hr
  39. 39Rise of Nations: Extended Edition$0.40/1hr
  40. 40ENDLESS Space 2$0.40/1hr
  41. 41Call to Arms - Gates of Hell: Ostfront$0.42/1hr
  42. 42Kingdom Rush Frontiers - Tower Defense$0.42/1hr
  43. 43They Are Billions$0.43/1hr
  44. 44Company of Heroes 2$0.43/1hr
  45. 45Clanfolk$0.44/1hr
  46. 46Kingdoms Reborn$0.44/1hr
  47. 47Age of Darkness: Final Stand$0.45/1hr
  48. 48Anno 1404 - History Edition$0.45/1hr
  49. 49Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic$0.46/1hr
  50. 50Lobotomy Corporation | Monster Management Simulation$0.46/1hr
  51. 51UBOAT$0.47/1hr
  52. 52Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition$0.48/1hr
  53. 53Border Pioneer$0.49/1hr
  54. 54Planetary Annihilation: TITANS$0.50/1hr
  55. 55Against the Storm$0.51/1hr
  56. 56Infection Free Zone$0.52/1hr
  57. 57Age of Mythology: Extended Edition$0.53/1hr
  58. 58Age of Mythology: Retold$0.55/1hr
  59. 59Cossacks 3$0.56/1hr
  60. 60Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2$0.57/1hr
  61. 61Ultimate General: Civil War$0.58/1hr
  62. 62Total War: ROME REMASTERED$0.59/1hr
  63. 63Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts$0.60/1hr
  64. 64Satellite Reign$0.60/1hr
  65. 65Dummynation$0.62/1hr
  66. 66Castle Story$0.63/1hr
  67. 67Anno 2070$0.63/1hr
  68. 68Men of War: Assault Squad 2$0.64/1hr
  69. 69Emberward$0.65/1hr
  70. 70Kingdoms and Castles$0.66/1hr
  71. 71Total War: NAPOLEON – Definitive Edition$0.66/1hr
  72. 72Stronghold 2: Steam Edition$0.67/1hr
  73. 73WARNO$0.67/1hr
  74. 74NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening$0.70/1hr
  75. 75Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII$0.72/1hr
  76. 76Manor Lords$0.72/1hr
  77. 77Door Kickers 2: Task Force North$0.73/1hr
  78. 78Company of Heroes$0.75/1hr
  79. 79Stronghold: Definitive Edition$0.76/1hr
  80. 80Foundation$0.76/1hr
  81. 81Northgard: Definitive Edition$0.78/1hr
  82. 82Diplomacy is Not an Option$0.78/1hr
  83. 83Call to Arms$0.80/1hr
  84. 84Sudden Strike 4$0.80/1hr
  85. 85Dawn of Man$0.80/1hr
  86. 86Age of Empires: Definitive Edition$0.81/1hr
  87. 87Farthest Frontier$0.81/1hr
  88. 88ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS 8 REMAKE$0.82/1hr
  89. 89IXION$0.82/1hr
  90. 90Buggos$0.87/1hr
  91. 91The Crust$0.87/1hr
  92. 92Tower Dominion$0.89/1hr
  93. 93Norland$0.90/1hr
  94. 94Empires of the Undergrowth$0.91/1hr
  95. 95Steel Division 2$0.92/1hr
  96. 96Breakout 13$0.92/1hr
  97. 97Total Conflict: Resistance$0.93/1hr
  98. 98Tropico 5$0.95/1hr
  99. 99Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew$1.02/1hr
  100. 100A Total War Saga: THRONES OF BRITANNIA$1.07/1hr

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.