When video game developers and publishers identify trends that players respond to, they often set out to capitalize on them. While AAA studios take years to develop projects, indie developers move much faster. This dynamic means that when an indie game goes viral, similar titles frequently pop up on Steam within just a few days. While inspiration is common, many of these copies rush development to cash in on the hype, resulting in lower-quality releases. Looking back at video games that inspired waves of copycats reveals a clear pattern across multiple genres.

Anomaly Loops and Exit 8-Likes

I'm On Observation Duty achieved massive popularity among streaming communities and popularized the stationary spot-the-difference anomaly gameplay loop. That loop led directly to copies like Improbability Control Bureau by Faelune and Scott H.F. Dunbar, and inspired Kotake Create's Exit 8.

Exit 8 turned the concept into an interactive walking loop with the same premise of spotting anomalies. It became so popular that anomaly games are now sometimes referred to as Exit 8-likes. Exit 8 subsequently inspired games such as Shinkansen 0 by Chilla's Art, Hospital 666 by Lokin, and Kotake Create's own sequel, Platform 8.

Simple Premises and Simulation Surges

Released early in 2026, Librarian: Tidy Up The Arcane Library tasks players with putting over 3,000 books on shelves inside one massive library. Its simplicity made it easy to replicate. BunnyHop's Supermarket Chaos applied the same concept to a grocery store, and upcoming Steam releases like Cellar Keeper by EgoTrampoline, Never Sort By Color by Bryan Livingston, and TV Archive: Tidy Up Together follow suit.

Similarly, Supermarket Simulator sparked a major surge in simulation games focused on running a store. That wave includes titles like Megastore Simulator by YOLO Games Simulator, Mall Simulator by F13 Games, and TCG Card Shop Simulator by OPNeon Games.

In early access, Lethal Company became one of the biggest co-op games on the market, tasking up to four players with scavenging scraps on dangerous moons to meet a quota. The title spawned an entire category of chaotic co-op titles. R.E.P.O. took inspiration from this concept before developing its own identity, which in turn inspired YapYap by Maison Bap.

Phasmophobia similarly demonstrated the massive market for horror-based co-op games where players investigate haunted locations. That success paved the way for games like Demonologist by Clock Wizard Games and Content Warning by Zorro, Wilnyl, Philip, thePetHen, and Skog.

Party Socials and Rage-Inducing Climbs

Released in 2018, Among Us reached peak popularity during 2020 on PC and mobile devices as players connected during the pandemic. Based on the party game Mafia, it inspired direct copies such as SuspectEnemy by Horse Games and Imposters by Scott H.F. Dunbar.

Meanwhile, Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy created its own sub-genre of frustrating, physics-based climbing games designed for rage-quits and streamer reactions. That design philosophy led directly to titles like Get To Work by Isto Inc. and A Difficult Game About Climbing by Pontypants.

Horror Mascots and Hide-and-Seek

Five Nights At Freddy's captivated players with its night security guard premise and deep lore explored by creators like MatPat. Typing 'Five Nights' into the Steam search bar reveals a vast assortment of meme-focused copies and fan games inspired by the franchise.

More recently, Meccha Chameleon became one of the fastest-selling games of the year by combining painting and camouflage in a chaotic hide-and-seek format. That unique co-op loop has already made it a target for copies like Animal Chameleon by Crispy Codeworks and Scribble Hunt by Scribble Bunny.