Best Survival indie games under $20
These are the best survival indie games you can buy for under $20. indielist lists 101 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 $15.04, and the cheapest is Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition at $4.99. The most reviewed is Terraria with 1,238,172 Steam reviews. Beyond the budget end, this wider list adds 74 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
101
Avg list price
$15.04
Cheapest
$4.99
- T
Terraria
2011 · Action
$9.99 1,238,172 reviews · 97% positive
- T
The Forest
2018 · Action
$19.99 681,741 reviews · 96% positive
- A
ARK: Survival Evolved
2017 · Action
$14.99 586,217 reviews · 83% positive
- D
Don't Starve Together
2016 · Action
$14.99 375,815 reviews · 95% positive
- R
Raft
2022 · Adventure
$19.99 323,060 reviews · 93% positive
- P
Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition
2009 · Strategy
$4.99 141,936 reviews · 98% positive
- S
Starbound
2016 · Action
$14.99 120,672 reviews · 90% positive
- T
The Isle
2015 · Action
$19.99 120,070 reviews · 80% positive
- M
My Summer Car
2025 · Indie
$14.99 117,330 reviews · 95% positive
- D
Don't Starve
2013 · Adventure
$9.99 113,439 reviews · 97% positive
- T
The Long Dark
2017 · Adventure
$19.99 111,621 reviews · 89% positive
- O
Outlast
2013 · Action
$14.99 104,099 reviews · 96% positive
- T
This War of Mine
2014 · Adventure
$19.99 89,170 reviews · 94% positive
- D
DEVOUR
2021 · Indie
$9.99 68,625 reviews · 90% positive
- F
FTL: Faster Than Light
2012 · Indie
$9.99 62,676 reviews · 95% positive
- P
Plague Inc: Evolved
2016 · Casual
$14.99 59,090 reviews · 94% positive
- O
Outlast 2
2017 · Action
$19.99 54,180 reviews · 91% positive
- F
Five Nights at Freddy's
2014 · Indie
$4.99 53,556 reviews · 94% positive
- T
The Long Drive
2019 · Action
$15.99 50,127 reviews · 88% positive
- C
Core Keeper
2024 · Action
$19.99 49,940 reviews · 93% positive
- T
The Binding of Isaac
2011 · Action
$4.99 49,184 reviews · 95% positive
- S
Stranded Deep
2022 · Adventure
$19.99 43,593 reviews · 74% positive
- B
Banished
2014 · Indie
$19.99 43,322 reviews · 90% positive
- C
Crosshair X
2020 · Action
$9.99 42,970 reviews · 93% positive
- C
Clone Drone in the Danger Zone
2021 · Action
$19.99 36,009 reviews · 96% positive
- F
Forager
2019 · Action
$19.99 35,363 reviews · 89% positive
- H
Hatred
2015 · Action
$5.99 29,806 reviews · 84% positive
- S
Stacklands
2022 · Casual
$7.99 29,197 reviews · 96% positive
- 2
20 Minutes Till Dawn
2023 · Action
$4.99 27,838 reviews · 90% positive
- S
SurrounDead
2022 · Action
$11.99 26,706 reviews · 91% positive
- W
Who's Your Daddy?!
2016 · Action
$9.99 25,793 reviews · 80% positive
- N
Necesse
2025 · Action
$14.99 24,347 reviews · 93% positive
- F
Five Nights at Freddy's 2
2014 · Indie
$7.99 23,829 reviews · 94% positive
- F
Feed and Grow: Fish
2016 · Action
$14.99 21,703 reviews · 78% positive
- R
Risk of Rain (2013)
2013 · Action
$9.99 20,767 reviews · 93% positive
- T
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
2023 · Action
$14.99 19,645 reviews · 66% positive
- T
Tribes of Midgard
2021 · Action
$19.99 17,454 reviews · 76% positive
- F
Five Nights at Freddy's 4
2015 · Action
$7.99 15,457 reviews · 93% positive
- W
Witch It
2020 · Action
$19.99 14,539 reviews · 89% positive
- Z
ZERO Sievert
2024 · Action
$19.99 14,327 reviews · 85% positive
- Y
Yet Another Zombie Survivors
2026 · Action
$14.99 13,876 reviews · 91% positive
- U
Unrailed!
2020 · Action
$19.99 13,762 reviews · 93% positive
- M
Mist Survival
2018 · Action
$10.99 13,659 reviews · 76% positive
- P
PANICORE
2024 · Action
$9.99 12,978 reviews · 79% positive
- D
Dungeon Defenders
2011 · Action
$14.99 12,137 reviews · 93% positive
- F
Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location
2016 · Action
$7.99 11,486 reviews · 90% positive
- C
CastleMiner Z
2014 · Action
$5.99 11,159 reviews · 81% positive
- D
DYSMANTLE
2021 · Action
$19.99 11,002 reviews · 91% positive
- G
Granny
2018 · Adventure
$7.99 10,858 reviews · 94% positive
- F
Five Nights at Freddy's 3
2015 · Action
$7.99 10,375 reviews · 90% positive
- E
EVERSPACE™
2017 · Action
$19.99 9,799 reviews · 78% positive
- P
Planetbase
2015 · Indie
$14.99 9,552 reviews · 80% positive
- D
Dungeon of the ENDLESS™
2014 · Adventure
$11.99 9,415 reviews · 85% positive
- D
Death Road to Canada
2016 · Action
$14.99 9,109 reviews · 93% positive
- W
WORLD OF HORROR
2023 · Indie
$19.99 8,982 reviews · 90% positive
- B
Beasts of Bermuda
2018 · Adventure
$19.99 8,427 reviews · 69% positive
- S
Slender: The Arrival
2013 · Action
$19.99 7,905 reviews · 88% positive
- T
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
2020 · Action
$19.99 7,597 reviews · 86% positive
- A
Among the Sleep - Enhanced Edition
2014 · Action
$16.99 6,321 reviews · 89% positive
- D
Day of Dragons
2019 · Indie
$19.99 6,276 reviews · 65% positive
- T
The Coin Game
2026 · Adventure
$19.99 5,641 reviews · 92% positive
- B
Becastled
2025 · Indie
$19.99 5,340 reviews · 82% positive
- R
Rising World
2014 · Action
$14.99 5,291 reviews · 86% positive
- A
Atomicrops
2020 · Action
$14.99 5,120 reviews · 92% positive
- I
Ib
2022 · Adventure
$12.99 4,915 reviews · 99% positive
- M
Mr. Prepper
2021 · Action
$19.99 4,790 reviews · 80% positive
- T
Tattletail
2016 · Action
$7.99 4,633 reviews · 95% positive
- D
DreadOut
2014 · Adventure
$14.99 4,504 reviews · 77% positive
- N
NEO Scavenger
2014 · Indie
$14.99 4,435 reviews · 90% positive
- N
Niche - a genetics survival game
2017 · Indie
$17.99 4,353 reviews · 86% positive
- T
Terminus: Zombie Survivors
2024 · Adventure
$19.99 4,317 reviews · 94% positive
- I
I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival
2024 · Indie
$19.99 4,004 reviews · 85% positive
- S
Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice
2021 · Indie
$19.99 3,958 reviews · 93% positive
- P
Penumbra Overture
2009 · Action
$9.99 3,783 reviews · 90% positive
- T
Tinkerlands
2025 · Action
$12.99 3,614 reviews · 86% positive
- Z
Zombie Night Terror
2016 · Action
$12.99 3,350 reviews · 93% positive
- O
Ostranauts
2026 · Indie
$19.99 3,094 reviews · 77% positive
- C
Cepheus Protocol
2020 · Action
$19.99 2,977 reviews · 75% positive
- A
Astrometica
2024 · Adventure
$19.99 2,906 reviews · 83% positive
- M
Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip
2022 · Casual
$11.99 2,824 reviews · 97% positive
- S
Space Pirates And Zombies 2
2017 · Action
$19.99 2,736 reviews · 79% positive
- T
The Last Flame
2025 · Adventure
$19.99 2,717 reviews · 85% positive
- H
Heat
2020 · Action
$19.99 2,612 reviews · 49% positive
- I
IfSunSets
2024 · Action
$19.99 2,230 reviews · 75% positive
- W
West Hunt
2023 · Casual
$9.99 2,166 reviews · 83% positive
- D
Don't Escape: 4 Days to Survive
2019 · Adventure
$14.99 2,162 reviews · 98% positive
- O
Obenseuer
2018 · Indie
$19.99 1,663 reviews · 94% positive
- S
Skin Deep
2025 · Action
$19.99 1,662 reviews · 94% positive
- G
Granny 3
2021 · Adventure
$7.99 1,355 reviews · 92% positive
- S
Scrutinized
2020 · Indie
$9.99 1,310 reviews · 89% positive
- D
Dustland Delivery
2024 · Adventure
$7.99 1,257 reviews · 88% positive
- I
Infectonator 3: Apocalypse
2018 · Indie
$12.99 1,247 reviews · 83% positive
- U
UnReal World
2016 · Indie
$14.50 1,240 reviews · 94% positive
- T
The Doors of Trithius
2021 · Indie
$14.99 966 reviews · 94% positive
- P
Plains of Pain
2023 · Action
$19.99 890 reviews · 83% positive
- B
Backroom Company
2025 · Adventure
$8.99 539 reviews · 79% positive
- S
Supplice
2023 · Action
$14.99 528 reviews · 87% positive
- U
Urge
2021 · Action
$17.99 497 reviews · 90% positive
- E
EXFIL
2024 · Action
$19.99 301 reviews · 50% positive
- C
Crab God
2024 · Adventure
$19.99 267 reviews · 82% positive
- O
Out of Orbit
2023 · Action
$14.99 162 reviews · 81% positive
Frequently asked questions
- What are the best survival indie games under $20?
- indielist lists 101 paid survival indie games priced at or below $20, ranked by Steam reviews, led by Terraria (1,238,172 reviews). The cheapest is Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition at $4.99.
- 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.