The best simulation indie games, ranked by reviews

Data report Built from live indielist data on 2026-10-23. Rankings update as data changes.

indielist tracks 2589 simulation indie games on Steam, holding 20,725,289 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 1,176,471 reviews. Figures are tracked by indielist; sales numbers are estimates that each expand into their full formula.

The ranking

1. Rust · 1,176,471 reviews · 87% positive · 2018
2. Garry's Mod · 1,098,377 reviews · 97% positive · 2006
3. Stardew Valley · 901,380 reviews · 98% positive · 2016
4. Euro Truck Simulator 2 · 791,517 reviews · 97% positive · 2012
5. The Forest · 583,870 reviews · 96% positive · 2018
6. Don't Starve Together · 377,538 reviews · 95% positive · 2016
7. Project Zomboid · 370,897 reviews · 94% positive · 2013
8. Raft · 324,860 reviews · 93% positive · 2022
9. Sons Of The Forest · 323,531 reviews · 88% positive · 2024
10. No Man's Sky · 310,268 reviews · 85% positive · 2016
11. People Playground · 301,659 reviews · 97% positive · 2019
12. Schedule I · 292,987 reviews · 98% positive · 2025
13. 7 Days to Die · 280,377 reviews · 87% positive · 2024
14. Satisfactory · 236,679 reviews · 97% positive · 2024
15. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord · 231,865 reviews · 88% positive · 2022
16. 鬼谷八荒 Tale of Immortal · 224,932 reviews · 56% positive · 2023
17. RimWorld · 210,586 reviews · 98% positive · 2018
18. American Truck Simulator · 198,233 reviews · 97% positive · 2016
19. Factorio · 196,758 reviews · 98% positive · 2020
20. Human Fall Flat · 175,540 reviews · 95% 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.