Best Value Visual Novel Games Under $40

The Visual Novel 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 $40
Median reviewer playtime divided by price. Reviewers tend to sink more hours in than the average owner, so treat this as an optimistic estimate. Free games are excluded because there's no price to divide by.
  1. 1Banner of the Maid14 h/$
  2. 2Mirror12 h/$
  3. 3Chill Pulse12 h/$
  4. 4Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth8.4 h/$
  5. 5Suzerain5.4 h/$
  6. 6Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet5.1 h/$
  7. 7Super Robot Wars 304.1 h/$
  8. 8Persona 4 Golden4.0 h/$
  9. 9Library Of Ruina3.4 h/$
  10. 10Lobotomy Corporation | Monster Management Simulation3.2 h/$
  11. 11School Days2.9 h/$
  12. 12Mirror 2: Project X2.8 h/$
  13. 13Yog-Sothoth’s Yard2.7 h/$
  14. 14Love, Money, Rock'n'Roll2.5 h/$
  15. 15Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You2.5 h/$
  16. 16Until Then2.3 h/$
  17. 17Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth12.2 h/$
  18. 18Volcano Princess2.0 h/$
  19. 19Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair1.9 h/$
  20. 20Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy1.8 h/$
  21. 21Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales1.7 h/$
  22. 22The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles1.6 h/$
  23. 23The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel1.6 h/$
  24. 24The Red Strings Club1.6 h/$
  25. 25This Is the Police1.5 h/$
  26. 26Fate/Samurai Remnant1.5 h/$
  27. 27Far Away1.4 h/$
  28. 28AI: The Somnium Files1.4 h/$
  29. 29Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc1.4 h/$
  30. 30Living With Sister: Monochrome Fantasy1.4 h/$
  31. 31MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINA1.3 h/$
  32. 32Growing Up1.3 h/$
  33. 33STEINS;GATE1.2 h/$
  34. 34Knowledge, or know Lady1.2 h/$
  35. 35Tiny Bunny1.2 h/$
  36. 36Tales of the Black Forest1.2 h/$
  37. 37Otaku's Adventure1.2 h/$
  38. 38Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony1.2 h/$
  39. 39Love Curse: Find Your Soulmate1.1 h/$
  40. 40I Was a Teenage Exocolonist1.1 h/$
  41. 41Raging Loop1.1 h/$
  42. 42Beacon Pines1.1 h/$
  43. 43The Coffin of Andy and Leyley1.0 h/$
  44. 44DRAMAtical Murder1.0 h/$
  45. 45VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action1.0 h/$
  46. 46Vanity Fair: The Pursuit0.9 h/$
  47. 47An alt girl for skoof0.9 h/$
  48. 48LoveChoice0.9 h/$
  49. 49Disco Elysium - The Final Cut0.9 h/$
  50. 50American Arcadia0.9 h/$
  51. 51Senren＊Banka0.9 h/$
  52. 52The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty0.9 h/$
  53. 53Minds Beneath Us0.9 h/$
  54. 54Assemble with Care0.9 h/$
  55. 55Rebellion GODSOUL: Awakening0.9 h/$
  56. 56TOGETHER BnB0.8 h/$
  57. 57StarVaders0.8 h/$
  58. 58魔女的夜宴0.8 h/$
  59. 59Love Is All Around0.8 h/$
  60. 60STEINS;GATE 00.8 h/$
  61. 61Pyre0.8 h/$
  62. 62BlazBlue Centralfiction0.8 h/$
  63. 63Tales from the Borderlands0.8 h/$
  64. 64Nunholy0.8 h/$
  65. 65Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!0.8 h/$
  66. 66Scarlet Hollow0.8 h/$
  67. 67Dreamlike Love with Seira0.7 h/$
  68. 68Batman: The Enemy Within - The Telltale Series0.7 h/$
  69. 69Night in the Woods0.7 h/$
  70. 70The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante0.7 h/$
  71. 71NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD0.7 h/$
  72. 72NEKOPARA Vol. 40.7 h/$
  73. 73Batman - The Telltale Series0.7 h/$
  74. 74KinitoPET0.7 h/$
  75. 75Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost0.7 h/$
  76. 76Winter Memories0.6 h/$
  77. 77NEKOPARA Vol. 00.6 h/$
  78. 78To Be or Not to Be0.6 h/$
  79. 79The Walking Dead: A New Frontier0.6 h/$
  80. 80ATRI -My Dear Moments-0.6 h/$
  81. 81NEKOPARA Vol. 10.6 h/$
  82. 82The Wolf Among Us0.6 h/$
  83. 83Tavern Talk - A Cozy Visual Novel0.6 h/$
  84. 84We. The Revolution0.6 h/$
  85. 85Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut0.5 h/$
  86. 86Monster Prom0.5 h/$
  87. 87GIRLS MADE PUDDING0.5 h/$
  88. 88Coffee Talk0.5 h/$
  89. 891 to 1 humanoid edible toys0.5 h/$
  90. 90Sanfu0.5 h/$
  91. 91Her Story0.5 h/$
  92. 92Summer Memories0.5 h/$
  93. 93NEKOPARA Vol. 20.5 h/$
  94. 94OPUS: Echo of Starsong - Full Bloom Edition0.4 h/$
  95. 95A Bird Story0.4 h/$
  96. 96Class of '090.4 h/$
  97. 97No Case Should Remain Unsolved0.4 h/$
  98. 98Firework0.4 h/$
  99. 99Detention0.4 h/$
  100. 100Harold Halibut0.4 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.