The best nostalgia indie games, ranked by reviews

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

indielist tracks 14 nostalgia indie games on Steam, holding 53,718 reviews at an average of 89% 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 Papa's Freezeria Deluxe with 12,243 reviews. Figures are tracked by indielist; sales numbers are estimates that each expand into their full formula.

The ranking

1. Papa's Freezeria Deluxe · 12,243 reviews · 99% positive · 2023
2. Sea of Stars: Sunset Edition · 12,012 reviews · 89% positive · 2023
3. Hot Lava · 5,330 reviews · 93% positive · 2019
4. Horizon Chase Turbo · 4,210 reviews · 92% positive · 2018
5. Strike Force Heroes · 4,181 reviews · 80% positive · 2023
6. Punch Club 2: Fast Forward · 3,798 reviews · 82% positive · 2023
7. Papa's Pizzeria Deluxe · 3,437 reviews · 99% positive · 2024
8. Mirage Feathers · 2,540 reviews · 98% positive · 2024
9. Old School Rally · 2,240 reviews · 89% positive · 2025
10. SMITE® · 1,387 reviews · 79% positive · 2015
11. The Black Grimoire: Cursebreaker · 871 reviews · 84% positive · 2024
12. #DRIVE Rally · 735 reviews · 80% positive · 2025
13. 3dSen PC · 524 reviews · 91% positive · 2025
14. Within the Backrooms · 210 reviews · 94% positive · 2023

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.