Best Sandbox indie games under $20
These are the best sandbox indie games you can buy for under $20. indielist lists 111 paid sandbox 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 $15.35, and the cheapest is Crosshair X at $3.99. The most reviewed is Terraria with 1,216,769 Steam reviews. Beyond the budget end, this wider list adds 83 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 sandbox 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
111
Avg list price
$15.35
Cheapest
$3.99
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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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Wallpaper Engine
2018 · Casual
$4.99 914,881 reviews · 98% positive
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Stardew Valley
2016 · Indie
$14.99 868,743 reviews · 98% positive
-
ARK: Survival Evolved
2017 · Action
$14.99 579,234 reviews · 83% positive
-
The Forest
2018 · Action
$19.99 570,988 reviews · 96% positive
-
Valheim
2021 · Action
$19.99 452,821 reviews · 94% positive
-
Don't Starve Together
2016 · Action
$14.99 367,165 reviews · 95% positive
-
Project Zomboid
2013 · Indie
$19.99 343,212 reviews · 94% positive
-
Raft
2022 · Adventure
$19.99 318,148 reviews · 93% positive
-
People Playground
2019 · Action
$9.99 293,143 reviews · 98% positive
-
Human Fall Flat
2016 · Adventure
$19.99 172,948 reviews · 95% positive
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Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
2021 · Indie
$19.99 140,498 reviews · 98% positive
-
Slime Rancher
2017 · Action
$19.99 136,310 reviews · 98% positive
-
Mount & Blade: Warband
2010 · Action
$19.99 134,572 reviews · 98% positive
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Starbound
2016 · Action
$14.99 120,582 reviews · 90% positive
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The Long Dark
2017 · Adventure
$19.99 110,190 reviews · 89% positive
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My Summer Car
2025 · Indie
$14.99 105,334 reviews · 95% positive
-
Scrap Mechanic
2016 · Action
$19.99 104,924 reviews · 92% positive
-
The Isle
2015 · Action
$19.99 104,281 reviews · 80% positive
-
Don't Starve
2013 · Adventure
$9.99 96,212 reviews · 97% positive
-
Dyson Sphere Program
2021 · Indie
$19.99 82,685 reviews · 97% positive
-
Noita
2020 · Action
$19.99 79,583 reviews · 95% positive
-
Supermarket Simulator
2025 · Casual
$19.99 77,643 reviews · 92% positive
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Ravenfield
2017 · Action
$17.99 75,350 reviews · 97% positive
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WEBFISHING
2024 · Casual
$4.99 57,052 reviews · 97% positive
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Plague Inc: Evolved
2016 · Casual
$14.99 56,119 reviews · 94% 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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Tabletop Simulator
2015 · Casual
$19.99 47,881 reviews · 96% 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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Game Dev Tycoon
2013 · Casual
$9.99 40,065 reviews · 95% positive
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Crosshair X
2020 · Action
$3.99 39,581 reviews · 93% 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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Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator
2022 · Indie
$19.99 37,031 reviews · 93% positive
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Thief Simulator
2018 · Action
$19.99 36,679 reviews · 88% positive
-
Forager
2019 · Action
$19.99 35,009 reviews · 90% positive
-
Dorfromantik
2022 · Casual
$13.99 27,088 reviews · 96% positive
-
Hydroneer
2020 · Adventure
$14.99 26,565 reviews · 86% positive
-
The Escapists 2
2017 · Indie
$19.99 26,199 reviews · 91% positive
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Who's Your Daddy?!
2016 · Action
$9.99 25,562 reviews · 80% positive
-
Golf It!
2023 · Casual
$8.99 24,433 reviews · 90% positive
-
Dinkum
2025 · Adventure
$19.99 24,329 reviews · 92% positive
-
Mindustry
2019 · Strategy
$9.99 23,402 reviews · 96% positive
-
Necesse
2025 · Action
$14.99 23,154 reviews · 93% positive
-
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
2016 · Action
$19.99 22,312 reviews · 97% positive
-
Untitled Goose Game
2020 · Action
$19.99 22,051 reviews · 96% positive
-
Tiny Glade
2024 · Casual
$14.99 21,895 reviews · 97% positive
-
Tower Unite
2025 · Action
$19.99 21,712 reviews · 90% positive
-
Forts
2017 · Action
$14.99 20,595 reviews · 92% positive
-
Feed and Grow: Fish
2016 · Action
$14.99 20,159 reviews · 78% positive
-
Viscera Cleanup Detail
2015 · Indie
$12.99 17,841 reviews · 92% positive
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Call to Arms
2018 · Action
$14.99 17,272 reviews · 79% positive
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Gold Mining Simulator
2017 · Indie
$19.99 16,166 reviews · 73% positive
-
Wobbledogs
2022 · Casual
$19.99 14,732 reviews · 98% positive
-
Subsistence
2016 · Action
$13.99 13,692 reviews · 72% positive
-
Easy Red 2
2022 · Action
$8.99 13,034 reviews · 90% positive
-
Bloons TD 5
2014 · Action
$9.99 11,860 reviews · 95% positive
-
Amazing Frog?
2014 · Action
$19.99 11,545 reviews · 94% positive
-
CastleMiner Z
2014 · Action
$5.99 11,127 reviews · 81% positive
-
Ale & Tale Tavern
2024 · Action
$14.99 9,779 reviews · 89% positive
-
Beasts of Bermuda
2018 · Adventure
$19.99 9,635 reviews · 69% positive
-
Spaceflight Simulator
2022 · Indie
$14.99 9,144 reviews · 97% positive
-
Overgrowth
2017 · Action
$19.99 8,968 reviews · 81% positive
-
Aviassembly
2025 · Simulation
$9.99 8,834 reviews · 97% positive
-
The Farmer Was Replaced
2025 · Casual
$9.99 8,532 reviews · 96% positive
-
Day of Dragons
2019 · Indie
$19.99 7,770 reviews · 65% positive
-
Sticky Business
2023 · Casual
$9.99 7,474 reviews · 94% positive
-
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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Animal Revolt Battle Simulator
2022 · Action
$14.99 6,695 reviews · 95% positive
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My Dream Setup
2023 · Casual
$5.99 6,640 reviews · 91% positive
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Thief Simulator 2
2023 · Action
$19.99 6,423 reviews · 88% positive
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HARD BULLET
2020 · Action
$19.99 6,407 reviews · 84% positive
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Incredibox
2021 · Casual
$4.99 5,762 reviews · 97% positive
-
Guilty as Sock!
2025 · Casual
$5.50 5,397 reviews · 90% positive
-
Job Simulator
2016 · Action
$19.99 5,370 reviews · 91% positive
-
gogh: Focus with Your Avatar
2025 · Casual
$11.99 4,974 reviews · 91% positive
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DEEEER Simulator: Your Average Everyday Deer Game
2021 · Action
$14.99 4,707 reviews · 92% positive
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Let's Build a Zoo
2021 · Simulation
$19.99 4,062 reviews · 89% positive
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Fantasy Map Simulator
2024 · Indie
$7.99 4,031 reviews · 89% positive
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Tinkerlands
2025 · Action
$12.99 3,854 reviews · 86% positive
-
Cepheus Protocol
2020 · Action
$19.99 3,599 reviews · 76% positive
-
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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Outpath
2023 · Adventure
$14.99 3,011 reviews · 93% positive
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STANDBOX
2023 · Action
$7.99 2,923 reviews · 91% positive
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Maltese's Fluffy Onsen
2025 · Casual
$5.99 2,911 reviews · 95% positive
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Megaton Rainfall
2017 · Action
$15.99 2,233 reviews · 72% positive
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Flyout
2023 · Indie
$19.99 2,214 reviews · 83% positive
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Warsim: The Realm of Aslona
2022 · Indie
$9.99 2,178 reviews · 96% 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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9 Days
2024 · Action
$14.99 2,065 reviews · 71% positive
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The Sapling
2019 · Simulation
$17.99 1,899 reviews · 90% positive
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Laundry Store Simulator
2024 · Indie
$11.99 1,854 reviews · 89% positive
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The Last Starship
2026 · Indie
$19.99 1,523 reviews · 75% positive
-
Small Spaces
2025 · Casual
$12.99 1,369 reviews · 89% positive
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BRUTALISTICK VR
2024 · Action
$9.99 1,238 reviews · 96% positive
-
A Webbing Journey
2025 · Adventure
$9.99 1,232 reviews · 99% positive
-
Badlands Crew - Drive, Command, Conquer
2025 · Action
$18.99 1,193 reviews · 79% positive
-
Better Mart Simulator
2025 · Casual
$14.99 1,151 reviews · 90% 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
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Kerbal Space Program: Making History Expansion
2018 · Indie
$14.99 753 reviews · 68% positive
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ServiceIT: You can do IT
2025 · Casual
$12.99 664 reviews · 58% positive
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Smack Studio
2024 · Action
$14.99 627 reviews · 85% positive
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Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground Expansion
2019 · Indie
$14.99 534 reviews · 77% positive
Frequently asked questions
- What are the best sandbox indie games under $20?
- indielist lists 111 paid sandbox indie games priced at or below $20, ranked by Steam reviews, led by Terraria (1,216,769 reviews). The cheapest is Crosshair X at $3.99.
- How is this "under $20" list built?
- By a data filter, not opinion: a paid sandbox 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.