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indielist (beta)

The best detective indie games, ranked by reviews

5 min read for players

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Data report Built from live indielist data on 2026-09-07. Rankings update as data changes.

indielist tracks 42 detective indie games on Steam, holding 1,075,672 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 Phasmophobia with 683,416 reviews. Figures are tracked by indielist; sales numbers are estimates that each expand into their full formula.

The ranking

  1. Phasmophobia · 683,416 reviews · 94% positive · 2020
  2. Disco Elysium - The Final Cut · 116,394 reviews · 93% positive · 2019
  3. Return of the Obra Dinn · 35,143 reviews · 97% positive · 2018
  4. Unheard - Voices of Crime · 30,927 reviews · 96% positive · 2019
  5. Chants of Sennaar · 30,079 reviews · 98% positive · 2023
  6. Demonologist · 18,859 reviews · 85% positive · 2023
  7. Hacknet · 16,892 reviews · 94% positive · 2015
  8. Murders on the Yangtze River · 15,813 reviews · 97% positive · 2024
  9. Shadows of Doubt · 14,632 reviews · 82% positive · 2024
  10. Raging Loop · 10,484 reviews · 96% positive · 2017
  11. Back to the Dawn · 10,399 reviews · 94% positive · 2025
  12. Pathologic 2 · 9,534 reviews · 92% positive · 2019
  13. The Roottrees are Dead · 9,035 reviews · 97% positive · 2025
  14. Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You · 8,930 reviews · 90% positive · 2016
  15. Tangle Tower · 6,439 reviews · 95% positive · 2019
  16. Duck Detective: The Secret Salami · 6,118 reviews · 95% positive · 2024
  17. GNOSIA · 4,845 reviews · 94% positive · 2022
  18. Contrast · 4,544 reviews · 91% positive · 2013
  19. Roadwarden · 4,467 reviews · 94% positive · 2022
  20. The Rise of the Golden Idol · 3,774 reviews · 93% positive · 2024

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 estimates, not official sales data.

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