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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 2026-07-24. Rankings update as data changes.

indielist tracks 42 detective indie games on Steam, holding 1,066,839 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 680,386 reviews. Figures are tracked by indielist; sales numbers are estimates that each expand into their full formula.

The ranking

  1. Phasmophobia · 680,386 reviews · 94% positive · 2020
  2. Disco Elysium - The Final Cut · 116,394 reviews · 93% positive · 2019
  3. Return of the Obra Dinn · 34,743 reviews · 97% positive · 2018
  4. Unheard - Voices of Crime · 30,767 reviews · 96% positive · 2019
  5. Chants of Sennaar · 29,011 reviews · 98% positive · 2023
  6. Demonologist · 18,654 reviews · 85% positive · 2023
  7. Hacknet · 16,782 reviews · 94% positive · 2015
  8. Murders on the Yangtze River · 15,614 reviews · 97% positive · 2024
  9. Shadows of Doubt · 14,445 reviews · 82% positive · 2024
  10. Raging Loop · 9,794 reviews · 96% positive · 2017
  11. Pathologic 2 · 9,474 reviews · 2019
  12. The Roottrees are Dead · 9,035 reviews · 97% positive · 2025
  13. Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You · 8,875 reviews · 90% positive · 2016
  14. Back to the Dawn · 8,429 reviews · 95% positive · 2025
  15. Tangle Tower · 6,421 reviews · 95% positive · 2019
  16. Duck Detective: The Secret Salami · 6,070 reviews · 95% positive · 2024
  17. GNOSIA · 4,740 reviews · 94% positive · 2022
  18. Contrast · 4,527 reviews · 91% positive · 2013
  19. Roadwarden · 4,400 reviews · 94% positive · 2022
  20. The Rise of the Golden Idol · 3,713 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.