Raft
Raft left the Early Access phase in June 2022 and was experiencing something of a renaissance at that moment, because millions of players on Steam were jumping on the survival, sea adventure. The production managed to exceed sales of 12 million copies (according to SteamSpy data) and over 101,000 people were registered on Steam servers playing at the same time.
Dyson Sphere Program
Dyson Sphere Program is actually difficult to classify as a game with very simple graphics. On the contrary – the 3D visuals here are at a quite high level. However, we are still in the reality of low-budget indie productions. And in this field, the said “strategy-simulation” has made a lot of positive noise. And he is still doing it today, because the work from 2021, in which we build planetary megastructures and gigantic engineering projects, is still very popular (according to SteamSpy, about 4.02 million copies of the game have been sold so far). It is also worth remembering that in just a few days we will see the premiere of new attractions in The Rise of the Dark Fog.
Inscryption
In Inscryption, Daniel Mullins skillfully combined motifs from a card game, a roguelike, a puzzle game and a horror game. This dark mix did so well that the game received quite a few 10/10 reviews in 2021. Players also loved the title (average 96% on Steam) and sales turned out to be very impressive for a low-budget venture created mostly by one person. SteamSpy reports sales of 2.93 million copies only on Steam, and it should be remembered that Inscryption also debuted on consoles.
Factorio
Factorio from 2020 still pleases hundreds of thousands of fans around the world. A game in which we create huge automated factories allows us to carry out crazy projects on a gigantic scale, and the production is still being developed by developers. Fantastic, very addictive gameplay and the involvement of the authors resulted in phenomenal sales of Factorio. According to SteamSpy data, the game was bought by approximately 7 million people on Steam.
Dave the Diver
Comical, inventive, sweet – this is Dave the Diver in a nutshell. The title in which we run a seafood bar while independently catching valuable specimens in the depths of the sea in a diving suit became a big hit of 2023 – not only on Steam, but also on consoles. The positive, cheerful atmosphere and aesthetic 2D setting encourage you to have fun. The game’s success was certainly helped by the good ratings the game received in reviews (average 9/10).
Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia is an example of how word of mouth works in the gaming world. The indie production by Kinetic Games had virtually no advertising, but the news that it was an interesting and noteworthy cooperative horror game spread quickly (broadcasts by several famous authors on Twitch/YouTube also helped). Thanks to this, millions of people played the 2020 hit, which made good use of the possibilities of VR. According to SteamSpy, approximately 16 million users of Valve’s digital distribution platform were tempted to buy the game.
Valheim
Valheim is one of the few games on our list that can boast a 3D setting. This does not mean that there is something to keep an eye on. The graphics in this adventure inspired by Scandinavian mythology are spartan, as if from a previous era. However, this did not prevent the Iron Gate team from achieving spectacular commercial success. Valheim is still one of the best-selling titles on Steam. The result of over half a million players playing this pin at the same time in February 2021 speaks for itself. According to SteamSpy estimates, approximately 25 million people were tempted to buy it only on Steam.
BattleBit Remastered
There were several weeks in 2023 when the inconspicuous BattleBit Remastered was ahead of the biggest hits in the first-person shooter genre in the Steam sales category. In fact, the title was the best-selling item in this store during several days in June. This is hardly surprising, because the SgtOkiDoki project is really cool, offering enjoyable battles on a huge scale. Up to 254 players can participate in the battles, the map is highly destructible and we also have various vehicles at our disposal. A perfect demonstration of how graphics are secondary to having fun with interactive entertainment.
Lethal Company
Lethal Company is the sales sensation of late 2023 on Steam. An inconspicuous cooperative horror game with very simple 3D graphics reminiscent of the PS3/X360 era not only receives “overwhelmingly positive” ratings from users (average 98%), but also enjoys phenomenal sales. The title was played by 240,000 people simultaneously on December 3, and the production is still in first place in the software sales ranking on Steam at the time of writing these words (mid-December 2023).
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is already a global phenomenon, a game that has captivated tens of millions of players around the world (including the head of Xbox, who spent over 230 hours on the title). The 2D graphics are extremely simple, even spartan, and the game itself is very cheap (the current price on Steam is PLN 20). However, this does not prevent the game from generating impressive revenues. Only on Steam, the cult title has sold approximately 6.12 million copies (according to SteamSpy data), and it should be remembered that the pixelated adventure is also available on consoles. The constant support of Vampire Survivors by developers certainly helps in its success. The latest expansion of the production will be a DLC introducing characters from Among Us to this universe.
