Best Building indie games under $20
These are the best building indie games you can buy for under $20. indielist lists 70 paid 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 $16.12, and the cheapest is Cookie Clicker at $4.99. The most reviewed is Terraria with 1,216,769 Steam reviews. Beyond the budget end, this wider list adds 57 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 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
70
Avg list price
$16.12
Cheapest
$4.99
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Terraria
2011 · Action
$9.99 1,216,769 reviews · 97% positive
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Garry's Mod
2006 · Casual
$9.99 1,070,495 reviews · 97% positive
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Stardew Valley
2016 · Indie
$14.99 868,743 reviews · 98% positive
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ARK: Survival Evolved
2017 · Action
$14.99 579,234 reviews · 83% positive
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The Forest
2018 · Action
$19.99 570,988 reviews · 96% positive
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Valheim
2021 · Action
$19.99 452,821 reviews · 94% positive
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Project Zomboid
2013 · Indie
$19.99 343,212 reviews · 94% positive
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Raft
2022 · Adventure
$19.99 318,148 reviews · 93% positive
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People Playground
2019 · Action
$9.99 293,143 reviews · 98% positive
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Schedule I
2025 · Action
$19.99 275,336 reviews · 98% positive
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Starbound
2016 · Action
$14.99 120,582 reviews · 90% positive
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My Summer Car
2025 · Indie
$14.99 105,334 reviews · 95% positive
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Scrap Mechanic
2016 · Action
$19.99 104,924 reviews · 92% positive
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Cookie Clicker
2021 · Casual
$4.99 85,736 reviews · 96% positive
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Dyson Sphere Program
2021 · Indie
$19.99 82,685 reviews · 97% positive
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Supermarket Simulator
2025 · Casual
$19.99 77,643 reviews · 92% positive
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WorldBox - God Simulator
2021 · Indie
$19.99 48,959 reviews · 95% positive
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Core Keeper
2024 · Action
$19.99 48,722 reviews · 93% positive
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Stranded Deep
2022 · Adventure
$19.99 43,247 reviews · 74% positive
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PC Building Simulator
2019 · Indie
$19.99 41,947 reviews · 94% positive
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Graveyard Keeper
2018 · Adventure
$19.99 38,639 reviews · 85% positive
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Banished
2014 · Indie
$19.99 37,726 reviews · 90% positive
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Forager
2019 · Action
$19.99 35,009 reviews · 90% positive
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Stacklands
2022 · Casual
$7.99 28,512 reviews · 96% positive
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Hydroneer
2020 · Adventure
$14.99 26,565 reviews · 86% positive
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Dinkum
2025 · Adventure
$19.99 24,329 reviews · 92% 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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Mini Motorways
2021 · Casual
$9.99 23,045 reviews · 96% positive
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Thronefall
2024 · Action
$12.99 22,374 reviews · 96% positive
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Tiny Glade
2024 · Casual
$14.99 21,895 reviews · 97% positive
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Forts
2017 · Action
$14.99 20,595 reviews · 92% positive
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Travellers Rest
2020 · Adventure
$17.99 17,392 reviews · 88% positive
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Mini Metro
2015 · Indie
$9.99 16,498 reviews · 96% positive
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Gold Mining Simulator
2017 · Indie
$19.99 16,166 reviews · 73% positive
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Subsistence
2016 · Action
$13.99 13,692 reviews · 72% positive
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Tavern Master
2021 · Simulation
$14.99 12,976 reviews · 92% positive
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Cosmoteer: Starship Architect & Commander
2022 · Simulation
$19.99 12,626 reviews · 94% positive
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Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance TD
2024 · Indie
$19.99 11,287 reviews · 88% positive
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Ale & Tale Tavern
2024 · Action
$14.99 9,779 reviews · 89% positive
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(the) Gnorp Apologue
2023 · Casual
$6.99 9,698 reviews · 95% positive
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Spaceflight Simulator
2022 · Indie
$14.99 9,144 reviews · 97% positive
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Tank Mechanic Simulator
2020 · Action
$19.99 9,139 reviews · 88% positive
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Aviassembly
2025 · Simulation
$9.99 8,834 reviews · 97% positive
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Let's School
2023 · Casual
$19.99 7,252 reviews · 93% positive
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Opus Magnum
2017 · Indie
$19.99 6,931 reviews · 97% positive
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Streamer Life Simulator 2
2026 · Indie
$19.99 6,795 reviews · 82% positive
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My Dream Setup
2023 · Casual
$5.99 6,640 reviews · 91% positive
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Becastled
2025 · Indie
$19.99 5,540 reviews · 82% positive
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gogh: Focus with Your Avatar
2025 · Casual
$11.99 4,974 reviews · 91% positive
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Let's Build a Zoo
2021 · Simulation
$19.99 4,062 reviews · 89% positive
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Tinkerlands
2025 · Action
$12.99 3,854 reviews · 86% 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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REKA
2024 · Adventure
$19.99 3,354 reviews · 83% positive
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SUMMERHOUSE
2024 · Casual
$4.99 3,282 reviews · 93% positive
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Element TD 2 - Tower Defense
2021 · Indie
$14.99 3,202 reviews · 90% positive
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Outpath
2023 · Adventure
$14.99 3,011 reviews · 93% positive
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Flyout
2023 · Indie
$19.99 2,214 reviews · 83% 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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Obenseuer
2018 · Indie
$19.99 1,619 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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Small Spaces
2025 · Casual
$12.99 1,369 reviews · 89% positive
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Badlands Crew - Drive, Command, Conquer
2025 · Action
$18.99 1,193 reviews · 79% positive
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Aquarist
2024 · Casual
$15.99 1,115 reviews · 84% positive
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House Flipper - Garden DLC
2019 · Casual
$14.99 893 reviews · 66% positive
Frequently asked questions
- What are the best building indie games under $20?
- indielist lists 70 paid building indie games priced at or below $20, ranked by Steam reviews, led by Terraria (1,216,769 reviews). The cheapest is Cookie Clicker at $4.99.
- How is this "under $20" list built?
- By a data filter, not opinion: a paid 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.