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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 2026-10-23. Rankings update as data changes.

indielist tracks 43 detective indie games on Steam, holding 1,076,528 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 685,954 reviews. Figures are tracked by indielist; sales numbers are estimates that each expand into their full formula.

The ranking

  1. Phasmophobia · 685,954 reviews · 94% positive · 2020
  2. Disco Elysium - The Final Cut · 116,394 reviews · 93% positive · 2019
  3. Return of the Obra Dinn · 32,723 reviews · 97% positive · 2018
  4. Chants of Sennaar · 31,306 reviews · 98% positive · 2023
  5. Unheard - Voices of Crime · 31,119 reviews · 96% positive · 2019
  6. Demonologist · 19,052 reviews · 85% positive · 2023
  7. Hacknet · 16,956 reviews · 94% positive · 2015
  8. Murders on the Yangtze River · 15,924 reviews · 97% positive · 2024
  9. Shadows of Doubt · 14,749 reviews · 82% positive · 2024
  10. Raging Loop · 10,848 reviews · 96% positive · 2017
  11. Pathologic 2 · 9,610 reviews · 92% positive · 2019
  12. The Roottrees are Dead · 9,035 reviews · 97% positive · 2025
  13. Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You · 8,966 reviews · 90% positive · 2016
  14. Back to the Dawn · 8,624 reviews · 94% positive · 2025
  15. Tangle Tower · 6,638 reviews · 95% positive · 2019
  16. Duck Detective: The Secret Salami · 6,153 reviews · 95% positive · 2024
  17. GNOSIA · 4,908 reviews · 94% positive · 2022
  18. Contrast · 4,571 reviews · 91% positive · 2013
  19. Roadwarden · 4,522 reviews · 94% positive · 2022
  20. The Rise of the Golden Idol · 3,841 reviews · 92% 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.