Best Investigation indie games under $20
These are the best investigation indie games you can buy for under $20. indielist lists 28 paid investigation 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 $15.38, and the cheapest is Unheard - Voices of Crime at $6.99. The most reviewed is Phasmophobia with 677,490 Steam reviews. Beyond the budget end, this wider list adds 21 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 investigation 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
28
Avg list price
$15.38
Cheapest
$6.99
- P
Phasmophobia
2020 · Action
$19.99 677,490 reviews · 95% positive
- U
Unheard - Voices of Crime
2019 · Indie
$6.99 33,237 reviews · 96% positive
- L
L.A. Noire
2011 · Adventure
$19.99 30,604 reviews · 86% positive
- D
Demonologist
2023 · Action
$19.99 23,749 reviews · 85% positive
- M
Murders on the Yangtze River
2024 · Adventure
$14.99 20,613 reviews · 97% positive
- E
Escape Simulator
2021 · Adventure
$19.99 19,113 reviews · 94% positive
- W
We Were Here Together
2019 · Adventure
$12.99 17,445 reviews · 82% positive
- W
We Were Here Too
2018 · Adventure
$9.99 11,011 reviews · 79% positive
- T
The Roottrees are Dead
2025 · Adventure
$19.99 8,696 reviews · 97% positive
- W
while True: learn()
2019 · Indie
$12.99 8,119 reviews · 91% positive
- D
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
2024 · Adventure
$9.99 6,554 reviews · 95% positive
- T
Tangle Tower
2019 · Adventure
$19.99 6,149 reviews · 95% positive
- C
Call of the Sea
2020 · Adventure
$19.99 6,144 reviews · 88% positive
- T
The Rise of the Golden Idol
2024 · Adventure
$19.99 3,965 reviews · 93% positive
- A
At Dead Of Night
2020 · Action
$15.99 3,451 reviews · 94% positive
- N
NORCO
2022 · Adventure
$14.99 3,116 reviews · 93% positive
- D
Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping
2025 · Adventure
$9.99 2,629 reviews · 97% positive
- D
Darkest Dungeon®: The Crimson Court
2017 · Indie
$9.99 2,348 reviews · 62% positive
- D
Dreamcore
2025 · Adventure
$17.99 1,730 reviews · 89% positive
- O
Obenseuer
2018 · Indie
$19.99 1,625 reviews · 94% positive
- J
JudgeSim
2024 · Casual
$6.99 1,362 reviews · 84% positive
- G
Grunn
2024 · Adventure
$12.99 1,346 reviews · 96% positive
- E
Escape From Mystwood Mansion
2023 · Action
$16.99 1,284 reviews · 93% positive
- L
Loco Motive
2024 · Adventure
$17.99 1,169 reviews · 93% positive
- G
Ghost Janitors
2025 · Action
$8.99 890 reviews · 85% positive
- B
Best Served Cold
2025 · Adventure
$17.99 648 reviews · 88% positive
- A
Alex Hill: Whispers at White Oak Inn
2025 · Adventure
$19.99 377 reviews · 94% positive
- C
Cat Detective Albert Wilde
2025 · Adventure
$11.99 163 reviews · 94% positive
Frequently asked questions
- What are the best investigation indie games under $20?
- indielist lists 28 paid investigation indie games priced at or below $20, ranked by Steam reviews, led by Phasmophobia (677,490 reviews). The cheapest is Unheard - Voices of Crime at $6.99.
- How is this "under $20" list built?
- By a data filter, not opinion: a paid investigation 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.