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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 2026-07-24. Rankings update as data changes.

indielist tracks 328 exploration indie games on Steam, holding 11,415,324 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 Terraria with 1,227,439 reviews. Figures are tracked by indielist; sales numbers are estimates that each expand into their full formula.

The ranking

  1. Terraria · 1,227,439 reviews · 97% positive · 2011
  2. Garry's Mod · 1,081,337 reviews · 97% positive · 2006
  3. Euro Truck Simulator 2 · 775,884 reviews · 97% positive · 2012
  4. The Forest · 577,971 reviews · 96% positive · 2018
  5. Hollow Knight · 495,505 reviews · 97% positive · 2017
  6. Valheim · 455,972 reviews · 94% positive · 2021
  7. Lethal Company · 410,693 reviews · 97% positive · 2023
  8. Palworld · 379,930 reviews · 94% positive · 2026
  9. Subnautica · 338,617 reviews · 97% positive · 2018
  10. No Man's Sky · 310,268 reviews · 85% positive · 2016
  11. Satisfactory · 232,215 reviews · 97% positive · 2024
  12. 鬼谷八荒 Tale of Immortal · 189,933 reviews · 56% positive · 2023
  13. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 · 178,402 reviews · 95% positive · 2025
  14. Stray · 155,602 reviews · 97% positive · 2022
  15. Oxygen Not Included · 142,787 reviews · 97% positive · 2019
  16. DAVE THE DIVER · 139,867 reviews · 97% positive · 2023
  17. Slime Rancher · 137,930 reviews · 98% positive · 2017
  18. Escape the Backrooms · 130,040 reviews · 90% positive · 2025
  19. Celeste · 129,534 reviews · 97% positive · 2018
  20. Starbound · 120,624 reviews · 90% 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.