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indielist (beta)

The best difficult 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 237 difficult indie games on Steam, holding 8,035,941 reviews at an average of 91% 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 Geometry Dash with 608,638 reviews. Figures are tracked by indielist; sales numbers are estimates that each expand into their full formula.

The ranking

  1. Geometry Dash · 608,638 reviews · 93% positive · 2014
  2. Hollow Knight · 507,072 reviews · 97% positive · 2017
  3. Valheim · 475,018 reviews · 93% positive · 2026
  4. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth · 393,010 reviews · 97% positive · 2014
  5. Don't Starve Together · 377,538 reviews · 95% positive · 2016
  6. Hades · 287,428 reviews · 98% positive · 2020
  7. Risk of Rain 2 · 242,114 reviews · 94% positive · 2020
  8. Cuphead · 200,544 reviews · 96% positive · 2017
  9. Slay the Spire · 194,429 reviews · 97% positive · 2019
  10. Balatro · 162,155 reviews · 98% positive · 2024
  11. Dead Cells · 157,103 reviews · 97% positive · 2018
  12. Darkest Dungeon® · 141,589 reviews · 92% positive · 2016
  13. Oxygen Not Included · 136,058 reviews · 97% positive · 2019
  14. Celeste · 133,667 reviews · 97% positive · 2018
  15. Kerbal Space Program · 121,715 reviews · 96% positive · 2015
  16. Muse Dash · 117,019 reviews · 91% positive · 2019
  17. The Long Dark · 112,347 reviews · 89% positive · 2017
  18. Hotline Miami · 110,606 reviews · 97% positive · 2012
  19. My Summer Car · 109,459 reviews · 95% positive · 2025
  20. Outlast · 105,281 reviews · 96% positive · 2013

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.