The best classic indie games, ranked by reviews

Data report Assembled from live indielist data on 2026-06-06. Rankings update as data changes.

indielist tracks 14 classic indie games on Steam, holding 461,302 reviews at an average of 92% positive. This list ranks them by Steam review count, the most reliable public sales proxy, with a white-box sales estimate behind every title. The most reviewed is Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition with 140,494 reviews. Figures are tracked by indielist; sales numbers are modeled estimates that each expand into their full formula.

The ranking

1. Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition · 140,494 reviews · 98% positive · 2009
2. Black Mesa · 132,752 reviews · 95% positive · 2020
3. The Henry Stickmin Collection · 53,634 reviews · 99% positive · 2020
4. Two Point Hospital · 34,555 reviews · 92% positive · 2018
5. Journey · 34,123 reviews · 94% positive · 2020
6. Pillars of Eternity · 25,839 reviews · 88% positive · 2015
7. Papa's Freezeria Deluxe · 12,893 reviews · 99% positive · 2023
8. FAITH: The Unholy Trinity · 8,596 reviews · 95% positive · 2022
9. Zuma Deluxe · 6,573 reviews · 96% positive · 2006
10. GemCraft - Chasing Shadows · 4,366 reviews · 95% positive · 2015
11. La-Mulana · 2,601 reviews · 80% positive · 2013
12. Myst · 2,139 reviews · 89% positive · 2021
13. Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.2 Watanagashi · 1,844 reviews · 97% positive · 2015
14. House Flipper - Garden DLC · 893 reviews · 66% positive · 2019

How this list is built

Games are ranked by Steam review count, the most reliable public proxy for sales when actual figures are private. Each title links to its indielist page, where the white-box sales estimate expands into the full Boxleiter formula, so you can audit the number rather than trust a black box. Review counts come from Steam; sales figures are modeled estimates, not official sales data.

Want the underlying estimate for your own game? Try the sales estimator, or browse the full game directory.