Best Base-Building indie games under $20
These are the best base-building indie games you can buy for under $20. indielist lists 36 paid base-building games with a list price at or below $20, ranked by Steam review count so the most-validated picks lead. The average list price here is $16.93, and the cheapest is Beltmatic at $6.99. The most reviewed is ARK: Survival Evolved with 579,791 Steam reviews. Beyond the budget end, this wider list adds 33 mid-price picks between $10 and $20 that a stricter under-$10 list leaves out. Every price is the tracked Steam list price, not an estimate, and each game links to a white-box sales estimate you can open and audit rather than a black-box number. This is a value list: a sensible price crossed with real player validation, so you can find a base-building game that is actually good, not just affordable. Free-to-play titles are excluded here; this is about paid games that punch above their price.
Games
36
Avg list price
$16.93
Cheapest
$6.99
- A
ARK: Survival Evolved
2017 · Action
$14.99 579,791 reviews · 83% positive
- V
Valheim
2021 · Action
$19.99 453,292 reviews · 94% positive
- R
Raft
2022 · Adventure
$19.99 318,498 reviews · 93% positive
- S
Schedule I
2025 · Action
$19.99 276,252 reviews · 98% positive
- S
Scrap Mechanic
2016 · Action
$19.99 104,965 reviews · 92% positive
- T
This War of Mine
2014 · Adventure
$19.99 88,747 reviews · 94% positive
- D
Dyson Sphere Program
2021 · Indie
$19.99 82,756 reviews · 97% positive
- F
Forager
2019 · Action
$19.99 43,580 reviews · 90% positive
- H
Hydroneer
2020 · Adventure
$14.99 27,976 reviews · 86% positive
- N
Necesse
2025 · Action
$14.99 27,331 reviews · 93% positive
- G
Gas Station Simulator
2021 · Casual
$19.99 27,184 reviews · 88% positive
- M
Mindustry
2019 · Strategy
$9.99 26,869 reviews · 96% positive
- S
SurrounDead
2022 · Action
$11.99 25,078 reviews · 92% positive
- F
Forts
2017 · Action
$14.99 24,805 reviews · 92% positive
- T
Tribes of Midgard
2021 · Action
$19.99 23,145 reviews · 76% positive
- T
Thronefall
2024 · Action
$12.99 23,080 reviews · 96% positive
- S
shapez
2020 · Casual
$9.99 15,505 reviews · 96% positive
- Z
ZERO Sievert
2024 · Action
$19.99 14,922 reviews · 85% positive
- M
Mist Survival
2018 · Action
$10.99 14,139 reviews · 76% positive
- S
Subsistence
2016 · Action
$13.99 13,700 reviews · 72% positive
- H
HumanitZ
2026 · Action
$19.99 13,067 reviews · 75% positive
- D
DYSMANTLE
2021 · Action
$19.99 11,456 reviews · 91% positive
- P
Planetbase
2015 · Indie
$14.99 10,342 reviews · 80% positive
- S
Settlement Survival
2022 · Simulation
$19.99 7,934 reviews · 86% positive
- B
Becastled
2025 · Indie
$19.99 5,554 reviews · 82% positive
- E
Emberward
2024 · Action
$14.99 3,707 reviews · 97% positive
- C
Cepheus Protocol
2020 · Action
$19.99 3,610 reviews · 76% positive
- J
Juno: New Origins
2023 · Indie
$19.99 3,451 reviews · 89% positive
- O
Outpath
2023 · Adventure
$14.99 3,027 reviews · 93% positive
- B
Builder Simulator
2022 · Adventure
$19.99 2,153 reviews · 72% positive
- B
Beltmatic
2024 · Casual
$6.99 2,110 reviews · 94% positive
- T
The Last Starship
2026 · Indie
$19.99 1,544 reviews · 75% positive
- M
Microcivilization
2026 · Indie
$17.99 1,386 reviews · 80% positive
- H
House Flipper - Garden DLC
2019 · Casual
$14.99 894 reviews · 66% positive
- C
Crab God
2024 · Adventure
$19.99 301 reviews · 83% positive
- O
Out of Orbit
2023 · Action
$14.99 147 reviews · 79% positive
Frequently asked questions
- What are the best base-building indie games under $20?
- indielist lists 36 paid base-building indie games priced at or below $20, ranked by Steam reviews, led by ARK: Survival Evolved (579,791 reviews). The cheapest is Beltmatic at $6.99.
- How is this "under $20" list built?
- By a data filter, not opinion: a paid base-building game qualifies if its tracked Steam list price is at or below $20. The list is ranked by review count and updates as prices and the catalog change. Free-to-play games are excluded.