Almost 10 years after making its debut, Stardew Valley has become the highest-rated indie game in Steam’s history, marking a major milestone achievement for the beloved indie farming-sim. Stardew Valley has seen a number of new and returning players jumping into the game following a series of massive updates in 2024, and the critically and commercially acclaimed title has continued to delight fans while earning a historic title.

Stardew Valley has been widely considered one of the best life-sim games of all time, as well as one of the best indie games of all time. With the release of the highly-anticipated Update 1.6, Stardew Valley hit peak player counts and saw its popularity continuing to rise. The wholesomely relaxing title has reached several impressive milestones over the years, and it has now officially risen to the top of Steam’s all-time indie charts.

According to data compiled by SteamDB, Stardew Valley boasts an overall user rating of 97.66%. When combined with the game’s official Steam page’s 98% positive reviews from over 761, 869 users, Stardew Valley is the PC gaming platform’s highest-rated indie title of all time. The 97.66% rating places it above other heavy-hitting indie games like Vampire Survivors, Hades, Balatro, and even Terraria. Even when measuring Stardew Valley against non-indie games, the quaint farming title still stands tall. SteamDB data shows Stardew Valley as the second highest-rated game of all time across all genres on the platform, with Portal 2 presently holding the number one all-time spot among Steam releases.

Stardew Valley Among Steam’s Highest-Rated Games of All Time

Similar to laid-back life-sims like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley rose to fame largely due to its simple yet satisfying gameplay, emotional NPC interactions, and diverse customization mechanics. Indie games have continued to gain traction in recent years, and audiences have applauded a long-standing life-sim staple for rising to the top of the indie game ratings charts and holding its own against AAA offerings. Whether Stardew Valley will hold its top-rated indie title for long remains to be seen, but it should come as no surprise that the solo-developed juggernaut has cemented its legacy as one of the best indies of all time.

The success of games like Stardew Valley and other indie hits remains a key point of discussion among audiences and studios, with many happy to see healthy competition between smaller developers and big-name companies. While reviews do not necessarily reflect the popularity or quality of a game, the milestone ratings for Stardew Valley do mark a major achievement for an indie title on a major gaming platform.

Stardew Valley

Released

February 26, 2016

ESRB

E for Everyone (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)

Developer(s)

ConcernedApe

Publisher(s)

ConcernedApe

Engine

Proprietary