Steam numbers

Estimates donewith Steamspy

Steam games in Q1 2016

1.) Stardew Valley - (793,112 ±21,154)
2.) XCOM 2 - (742,551 ±20,470)
3.) Tom Clancy’s The Division - (694,362 ±19,796)
4.) Rise of the Tomb Raider - (655,366 ±19,234) | Max discount: 20% ($47.99)
5.) The Culling - (329,907 ±13,654) | Max discount: 10% ($13.49)
6.) American Truck Simulator - (307,073 ±13,173)
7.) Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen - (280,384 ±12,588) | Max discount: 25% ($22.49)
8.) Factorio - (253,695 ±11,975)
9.) Firewatch - (237,088 ±11,577)
10.) Scrap Mechanic - (220,926 ±11,175)
11.) Slime Rancher - (209,806 ±10,891)
12.) Punch Club - (178,817 ±10,055) | Max discount: 30% ($6.99)
13.) SUPERHOT - (165,176 ±9,664) | Max discount: 10% ($22.49)
14.) Far Cry Primal - (143,898 ±9,020) | Max discount: 20% ($47.99)
15.) Street Fighter V - (142,786 ±8,985)
16.) HITMAN - (139,080 ±8,868)
17.) Portal Knights - (108,980 ±7,850) | Max discount: 20% ($11.99)
18.) The Witness - (102,160 ±7,601)
19.) Trinium Wars - (93,411 ±7,268)
20.) Layers of Fear - (88,370 ±7,069)
21.) NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 4 - (87,036 ±7,016)
22.) FNaF World - (82,812 ±6,780)
23.) Romance of the Three Kingdoms 13 / 三國志13 - (76,953 ±6,597)
24.) Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak - (75,767 ±6,546) | Max discount: 25% ($37.49)
25.) Holodrive - (68,279 ±6,214)

What the hell is Stardew Valley, and how is it getting those numbers looking the way it does in the screenshots? I guess I better go buy it before I miss out on the next big thing.

The next big thing! The next big thing!

I just know it’s a Harvest Moon-type of game. Which it doesn’t clarify a lot because I never played one. :P Something about farming I think.

Xcom2 and The Division did very good, but as expected imo. RoTR too, in fact I think it did it better than the previous Tomb Raider, which had a more modest success on pc until it started going for 5-15 bucks in sales.

I just learnt what it is The Culling, a new indie multi game getting on the back of the “Battle Royale” craze. Popular with the teenagers of today, I imagine.

Hitman is a bit low but it should receive more publicity and word of mouth as each month they publish a new episode, and they also will have a “second release” moment to sell more when they release the full game next year.

I’m surprised by Slime Rancher being so high on the list. It looks pretty fun, but aside from a Let’s Play or two, I haven’t seen much about it.

From all appearances, it’s a mix of Zelda with crafting and Farmville with no spamming of your friends.

Stardew Valley is a very direct indie take on the Harvest Moon/Rune Factory formula: you run a farm, managing crops and buying and selling stuff you grow and produce; you can woo townsfolk, offering them gifts and going on dates with them; and with the Rune Factory influence there, you can go explore dungeons, fighting monsters, getting different kinds of crafting materials, and so on.

It’s proving incredibly popular because the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory series have traditionally been console-only, so a well-made PC take on the concept has an audience already waiting for it.

And the recent pieces in those series have been lacking on some level, at least for me, not really advancing the genre.

So for someone who hasn’t played Harvest Moon and Rune Factory, would you say it’s a mix of Zelda with crafting and Farmville?

No, because Zelda games don’t involve farming at all, and running your farm is the core of these games, not a small portion; regular Harvest Moon games don’t even have combat. The FarmVille comparison is pretty weak too, since they couldn’t be more different where gameplay is concerned; FarmVille is a hands-off timer simulator with a farm skin, while Stardew Valley and its inspirations are very hands-on, don’t have timers in the same sense (crops grow based on in-game days and seasons, and you can manually advance days, though you usually don’t want to waste days like that), and have much more of a “one more turn” quality (as seen over in the Stardew Valley thread).

There really is no comparison outside of the source games.

No. It’s not casual or annoying like Farmville at all. It’s active and more fun than it sounds. I would say it’s a lot closer to Harvest Moon though than Rune Factory. It’s more like Harvest Moon with a very lite version of Rune Factory, farming heavy. Rune Factory on the other hand is a somewhat lite RPG with some Harvest Moon.

Thanks, guys - I’ve never touched either of those other games before, so it helps to have the added information.

I would recommend watching a few youtube videos to get an idea about.

Youtube I think around 15 minutes or so is when they show some of the active game play past the characrer creation and intro stuff. Of course if you have time to watch more go for it.

Stardew Valley is one of those games I am sooooo happy that it exists and that it is doing so well; frequently topping the Steam charts. I am always thrilled when tiny indie game made by a small team or 1 person can make such an impact in the market…something the openness of the PC space allows.

That said I know this isn’t the game for me as I would find it eye wateringly boring. I even had to unsubscribe from many of my favorite Youtube channels since they just started streaming Stardew Valley around the clock and I would rather watch the paint drying channel.

-Todd

I can’t imagine how boring it would be to watch SDV on a stream.

The whole reason the game works so well is that you have all these various goals layered on top of and alongside one another, along with conditions (rainy day, time of month/season, that day’s luck) that affect which is most effective (or possible) to pursue at a time, and limited time/energy each day to pursue them.

I adore the game, but I literally cannot imagine the point of watching someone stream it. And I’m stream-positive, generally speaking.

Well, I think I got enough of an idea from the little bit I watched. It seems like a time-sink game (and not in a bad way). I threw it on my wish list so I can track it for when it goes on a good sale. It may also find its way to a monthly bundle, as well <crosses fingers>.

In the same way that playing it can be a more laid-back, relaxing experience I imagine watching is much of the same and provides a good opportunity to shoot the breeze with the streamer or as semi-background noise to wind down with like TV.

I feel the same way. I’m doubtful this will be my kind of game, but I’m willing to give it a go when I can get it for cheap.

The Giant Bomb quicklook gives a good overview of Stardew Valley.

FWIW the combat portions are very lightweight. There’s a minor progression system (upgrading gear and weapons) but the combat is very basic. There aren’t that many enemies.

For those who think it looks boring, I would recommend giving it a try if it hits your don’t care dollar amount. You might be surprised with how addicting it really is. If I hadn’t been introduced to the genre as a kid, and my first encounter was some sort of FB game, I might be skeptical now too.