Best Base-Building indie games under $20
These are the best base-building indie games you can buy for under $20. indielist lists 28 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 $17.10, and the cheapest is Beltmatic at $6.99. The most reviewed is ARK: Survival Evolved with 579,234 Steam reviews. Beyond the budget end, this wider list adds 26 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
28
Avg list price
$17.10
Cheapest
$6.99
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ARK: Survival Evolved
2017 · Action
$14.99 579,234 reviews · 83% positive
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Valheim
2021 · Action
$19.99 452,821 reviews · 94% positive
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Raft
2022 · Adventure
$19.99 318,148 reviews · 93% positive
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Schedule I
2025 · Action
$19.99 275,336 reviews · 98% positive
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Scrap Mechanic
2016 · Action
$19.99 104,924 reviews · 92% positive
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This War of Mine
2014 · Adventure
$19.99 88,714 reviews · 94% positive
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Dyson Sphere Program
2021 · Indie
$19.99 82,685 reviews · 97% positive
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Forager
2019 · Action
$19.99 35,009 reviews · 90% positive
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Hydroneer
2020 · Adventure
$14.99 26,565 reviews · 86% positive
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Gas Station Simulator
2021 · Casual
$19.99 23,582 reviews · 88% positive
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Mindustry
2019 · Strategy
$9.99 23,402 reviews · 96% positive
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Necesse
2025 · Action
$14.99 23,154 reviews · 93% positive
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SurrounDead
2022 · Action
$11.99 22,653 reviews · 92% positive
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Thronefall
2024 · Action
$12.99 22,374 reviews · 96% positive
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Forts
2017 · Action
$14.99 20,595 reviews · 92% positive
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Tribes of Midgard
2021 · Action
$19.99 17,392 reviews · 76% positive
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ZERO Sievert
2024 · Action
$19.99 14,885 reviews · 85% positive
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Subsistence
2016 · Action
$13.99 13,692 reviews · 72% positive
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Becastled
2025 · Indie
$19.99 5,540 reviews · 82% positive
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Emberward
2024 · Action
$14.99 3,703 reviews · 97% positive
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Cepheus Protocol
2020 · Action
$19.99 3,599 reviews · 76% positive
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Juno: New Origins
2023 · Indie
$19.99 3,447 reviews · 89% positive
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Outpath
2023 · Adventure
$14.99 3,011 reviews · 93% positive
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Builder Simulator
2022 · Adventure
$19.99 2,144 reviews · 72% positive
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Beltmatic
2024 · Casual
$6.99 2,105 reviews · 94% positive
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The Last Starship
2026 · Indie
$19.99 1,523 reviews · 75% positive
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Microcivilization
2026 · Indie
$17.99 1,387 reviews · 80% positive
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House Flipper - Garden DLC
2019 · Casual
$14.99 893 reviews · 66% positive
Frequently asked questions
- What are the best base-building indie games under $20?
- indielist lists 28 paid base-building indie games priced at or below $20, ranked by Steam reviews, led by ARK: Survival Evolved (579,234 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.