Best Survival indie games under $20
These are the best survival indie games you can buy for under $20. indielist lists 96 paid survival 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 $14.80, and the cheapest is Crosshair X at $1.99. The most reviewed is Terraria with 1,218,154 Steam reviews. Beyond the budget end, this wider list adds 69 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 survival 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
96
Avg list price
$14.80
Cheapest
$1.99
- T
Terraria
2011 · Action
$9.99 1,218,154 reviews · 97% positive
- A
ARK: Survival Evolved
2017 · Action
$14.99 579,791 reviews · 83% positive
- T
The Forest
2018 · Action
$19.99 572,957 reviews · 96% positive
- V
Valheim
2021 · Action
$19.99 453,292 reviews · 94% positive
- D
Don't Starve Together
2016 · Action
$14.99 367,610 reviews · 95% positive
- P
Project Zomboid
2013 · Indie
$19.99 344,149 reviews · 94% positive
- R
Raft
2022 · Adventure
$19.99 318,498 reviews · 93% positive
- F
Fallout 4
2015 · RPG
$19.99 287,429 reviews · 81% positive
- F
Fallout: New Vegas
2010 · Action
$9.99 208,574 reviews · 96% positive
- P
Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition
2009 · Strategy
$4.99 140,718 reviews · 98% positive
- S
Starbound
2016 · Action
$14.99 120,582 reviews · 90% positive
- F
Far Cry 3
2012 · Action
$19.99 118,689 reviews · 88% positive
- T
The Long Dark
2017 · Adventure
$19.99 110,320 reviews · 89% positive
- M
My Summer Car
2025 · Indie
$14.99 105,569 reviews · 95% positive
- S
Scrap Mechanic
2016 · Action
$19.99 104,965 reviews · 92% positive
- T
The Isle
2015 · Action
$19.99 104,770 reviews · 80% positive
- O
Outlast
2013 · Action
$14.99 101,977 reviews · 96% positive
- D
Don't Starve
2013 · Adventure
$9.99 96,238 reviews · 97% positive
- T
This War of Mine
2014 · Adventure
$19.99 88,747 reviews · 94% positive
- D
DEVOUR
2021 · Indie
$9.99 68,110 reviews · 91% positive
- F
FTL: Faster Than Light
2012 · Indie
$9.99 62,132 reviews · 95% positive
- M
Mad Max
2015 · Action
$19.99 56,749 reviews · 92% positive
- P
Plague Inc: Evolved
2016 · Casual
$14.99 56,431 reviews · 94% positive
- O
Outlast 2
2017 · Action
$19.99 53,135 reviews · 91% positive
- F
Five Nights at Freddy's
2014 · Indie
$4.99 52,730 reviews · 94% positive
- C
Core Keeper
2024 · Action
$19.99 48,849 reviews · 93% positive
- T
The Long Drive
2019 · Action
$15.99 48,845 reviews · 89% positive
- T
The Binding of Isaac
2011 · Action
$4.99 48,753 reviews · 95% positive
- F
Forager
2019 · Action
$19.99 43,580 reviews · 90% positive
- S
Stranded Deep
2022 · Adventure
$19.99 43,274 reviews · 74% positive
- C
Crosshair X
2020 · Action
$1.99 39,907 reviews · 93% positive
- C
Clone Drone in the Danger Zone
2021 · Action
$19.99 38,415 reviews · 96% positive
- B
Banished
2014 · Indie
$19.99 37,741 reviews · 90% positive
- T
Town of Salem
2014 · Action
$4.99 36,286 reviews · 88% positive
- W
Who's Your Daddy?!
2016 · Action
$9.99 31,689 reviews · 80% positive
- R
Risk of Rain (2013)
2013 · Action
$9.99 29,811 reviews · 93% positive
- S
Stacklands
2022 · Casual
$7.99 29,610 reviews · 96% positive
- 2
20 Minutes Till Dawn
2023 · Action
$4.99 28,846 reviews · 91% positive
- H
Hatred
2015 · Action
$5.99 28,741 reviews · 84% positive
- D
Dead Island Definitive Edition
2016 · Action
$19.99 27,682 reviews · 82% positive
- N
Necesse
2025 · Action
$14.99 27,331 reviews · 93% positive
- M
Mindustry
2019 · Strategy
$9.99 26,869 reviews · 96% positive
- F
Five Nights at Freddy's 2
2014 · Indie
$7.99 25,744 reviews · 94% positive
- S
SurrounDead
2022 · Action
$11.99 25,078 reviews · 92% positive
- D
Darkwood
2017 · Action
$14.99 24,331 reviews · 95% positive
- T
Tribes of Midgard
2021 · Action
$19.99 23,145 reviews · 76% positive
- T
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
2023 · Action
$14.99 22,780 reviews · 66% positive
- F
Feed and Grow: Fish
2016 · Action
$14.99 21,181 reviews · 78% positive
- W
Witch It
2020 · Action
$19.99 19,777 reviews · 89% positive
- U
Unrailed!
2020 · Action
$19.99 19,591 reviews · 93% positive
- D
Dungeon Defenders
2011 · Action
$14.99 18,870 reviews · 93% positive
- F
Five Nights at Freddy's 4
2015 · Action
$7.99 16,658 reviews · 93% positive
- B
Bomber Crew
2017 · Simulation
$15.99 15,371 reviews · 88% positive
- B
Bendy and the Dark Revival
2022 · Action
$19.99 15,018 reviews · 93% 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
- D
Dungeon of the ENDLESS™
2014 · Adventure
$11.99 14,002 reviews · 85% positive
- S
Subsistence
2016 · Action
$13.99 13,700 reviews · 72% positive
- Y
Yet Another Zombie Survivors
2023 · Action
$14.99 13,299 reviews · 91% positive
- H
HumanitZ
2026 · Action
$19.99 13,067 reviews · 75% positive
- D
Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition
2016 · Action
$19.99 12,791 reviews · 71% positive
- P
PANICORE
2024 · Action
$9.99 12,685 reviews · 79% positive
- C
Cosmoteer: Starship Architect & Commander
2022 · Simulation
$19.99 12,655 reviews · 94% positive
- F
Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location
2016 · Action
$7.99 12,516 reviews · 90% positive
- B
Bloons TD 5
2014 · Action
$9.99 11,872 reviews · 95% positive
- D
DYSMANTLE
2021 · Action
$19.99 11,456 reviews · 91% positive
- E
EVERSPACE™
2017 · Action
$19.99 11,429 reviews · 78% positive
- F
Five Nights at Freddy's 3
2015 · Action
$7.99 11,165 reviews · 90% positive
- C
CastleMiner Z
2014 · Action
$5.99 11,137 reviews · 81% positive
- P
Planetbase
2015 · Indie
$14.99 10,342 reviews · 80% positive
- D
Death Road to Canada
2016 · Action
$14.99 10,279 reviews · 93% positive
- G
Granny
2018 · Adventure
$7.99 10,238 reviews · 94% positive
- T
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
2020 · Action
$19.99 10,019 reviews · 86% positive
- W
WORLD OF HORROR
2023 · Indie
$19.99 9,773 reviews · 90% positive
- B
Beasts of Bermuda
2018 · Adventure
$19.99 9,647 reviews · 69% positive
- S
Slender: The Arrival
2013 · Action
$19.99 9,278 reviews · 88% positive
- D
Dead Rising® 2
2010 · Action
$19.99 8,714 reviews · 78% positive
- A
Among the Sleep - Enhanced Edition
2014 · Action
$16.99 8,202 reviews · 89% positive
- T
The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth
2015 · Action
$10.99 8,073 reviews · 93% positive
- S
Settlement Survival
2022 · Simulation
$19.99 7,934 reviews · 86% positive
- D
Day of Dragons
2019 · Indie
$19.99 7,784 reviews · 65% positive
- A
ARK: Genesis Season Pass
2019 · Action
$14.99 6,798 reviews · 54% positive
- D
DreadOut
2014 · Adventure
$14.99 5,667 reviews · 77% positive
- B
Becastled
2025 · Indie
$19.99 5,554 reviews · 82% positive
- O
Outlast: Whistleblower DLC
2014 · Action
$4.99 5,455 reviews · 97% positive
- I
Ib
2022 · Adventure
$12.99 5,153 reviews · 99% positive
- T
Tinkerlands
2025 · Action
$12.99 3,872 reviews · 86% positive
- C
Cepheus Protocol
2020 · Action
$19.99 3,610 reviews · 76% positive
- M
Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip
2022 · Casual
$11.99 3,290 reviews · 97% positive
- W
West Hunt
2023 · Casual
$9.99 2,152 reviews · 83% positive
- T
The Sapling
2019 · Simulation
$17.99 1,908 reviews · 90% positive
- O
Obenseuer
2018 · Indie
$19.99 1,625 reviews · 94% positive
- A
Achilles: Survivor
2025 · Action
$6.99 1,518 reviews · 83% positive
- I
Infectonator 3: Apocalypse
2018 · Indie
$12.99 1,325 reviews · 83% 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 survival indie games under $20?
- indielist lists 96 paid survival indie games priced at or below $20, ranked by Steam reviews, led by Terraria (1,218,154 reviews). The cheapest is Crosshair X at $1.99.
- How is this "under $20" list built?
- By a data filter, not opinion: a paid survival 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.