The best simulation indie games, ranked by reviews

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

indielist tracks 2293 simulation indie games on Steam, holding 20,479,642 reviews at an average of 84% 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 Rust with 1,165,850 reviews. Figures are tracked by indielist; sales numbers are estimates that each expand into their full formula.

The ranking

1. Rust · 1,165,850 reviews · 87% positive · 2018
2. Garry's Mod · 1,091,318 reviews · 97% positive · 2006
3. Stardew Valley · 892,594 reviews · 98% positive · 2016
4. Euro Truck Simulator 2 · 783,526 reviews · 97% positive · 2012
5. The Forest · 681,741 reviews · 96% positive · 2018
6. Don't Starve Together · 375,815 reviews · 95% positive · 2016
7. Project Zomboid · 362,878 reviews · 94% positive · 2013
8. Raft · 323,060 reviews · 93% positive · 2022
9. No Man's Sky · 310,268 reviews · 85% positive · 2016
10. People Playground · 297,818 reviews · 98% positive · 2019
11. Schedule I · 287,984 reviews · 98% positive · 2025
12. Sons Of The Forest · 282,923 reviews · 88% positive · 2024
13. 7 Days to Die · 279,128 reviews · 87% positive · 2024
14. Satisfactory · 234,628 reviews · 97% positive · 2024
15. Factorio · 234,322 reviews · 98% positive · 2020
16. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord · 230,075 reviews · 88% positive · 2022
17. RimWorld · 208,289 reviews · 98% positive · 2018
18. 鬼谷八荒 Tale of Immortal · 190,126 reviews · 56% positive · 2023
19. Human Fall Flat · 174,703 reviews · 95% positive · 2016
20. American Truck Simulator · 167,175 reviews · 97% positive · 2016

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.