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indielist (beta)

The best exploration 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 341 exploration indie games on Steam, holding 11,683,025 reviews at an average of 88% 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 Terraria with 1,238,172 reviews. Figures are tracked by indielist; sales numbers are estimates that each expand into their full formula.

The ranking

  1. Terraria · 1,238,172 reviews · 97% positive · 2011
  2. Garry's Mod · 1,091,318 reviews · 97% positive · 2006
  3. Euro Truck Simulator 2 · 783,526 reviews · 97% positive · 2012
  4. The Forest · 681,741 reviews · 96% positive · 2018
  5. Hollow Knight · 501,741 reviews · 97% positive · 2017
  6. Valheim · 458,539 reviews · 94% positive · 2021
  7. Lethal Company · 411,377 reviews · 97% positive · 2023
  8. Palworld · 409,299 reviews · 95% positive · 2026
  9. Subnautica · 379,589 reviews · 97% positive · 2018
  10. No Man's Sky · 310,268 reviews · 85% positive · 2016
  11. Satisfactory · 234,628 reviews · 97% positive · 2024
  12. 鬼谷八荒 Tale of Immortal · 190,126 reviews · 56% positive · 2023
  13. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 · 178,402 reviews · 95% positive · 2025
  14. Stray · 157,286 reviews · 97% positive · 2022
  15. Slime Rancher · 156,929 reviews · 98% positive · 2017
  16. DAVE THE DIVER · 139,867 reviews · 97% positive · 2023
  17. ASTRONEER · 139,217 reviews · 92% positive · 2019
  18. Escape the Backrooms · 136,373 reviews · 90% positive · 2025
  19. Oxygen Not Included · 135,173 reviews · 97% positive · 2019
  20. Celeste · 131,634 reviews · 97% positive · 2018

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.