{"id":1956376,"date":"2026-05-26T16:45:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1956376"},"modified":"2026-05-26T16:45:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:45:25","slug":"an-unforgiving-rpg-i-bet-youve-never-heard-of-has-sold-more-copies-than-some-triple-a-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1956376","title":{"rendered":"An unforgiving RPG I bet you&#8217;ve never heard of has sold more copies than some triple-A games"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/kenshi\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Kenshi<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">An unforgiving RPG I bet you&#8217;ve never heard of has sold more copies than some triple-A games<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Kenshi guess what it is?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/kenshi_pX2pGs1.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"A long-haired character wearing a chest wrap and a wrapped skirt looks out on a desert view in the evening light. In the distance there&apos;s a settlement of some kind. Next to the character is a dog of some kind.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"kenshi_pX2pGs1.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"320\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Lo-Fi Games<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Robert Purchese avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/user-9946-originalxoriginal-14-03-23.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Robert Purchese avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"user-9946-originalxoriginal-14-03-23.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/robert-purchese\">Robert Purchese<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Associate Editor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-05-26T16:45:25+00:00\">May 26, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kenshi-sales-sandbox-survival-rpg?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          6 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"f8ec2fa5-eb5a-4ea3-bcf5-efae684303b6\" data-name=\"Kenshi\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Kenshi\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Kenshi\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Kenshi\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Kenshi\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Kenshi\" title=\"Follow Kenshi\"><br \/>\n  Follow Kenshi<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>How many of you have heard of Kenshi? It&#8217;s an obscure and unflinching sandbox survival role-playing game in which you wander a desert and can quite easily starve to death. It&#8217;s hard, especially at the beginning, it&#8217;s systemically dense, and it&#8217;s also a best-selling role-playing game.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re not talking colossal figures here but they are modestly extraordinary. In a Steam post this week, Bristol-based developer <a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/233860\/Kenshi\/\">Lo-Fi Games revealed that Kenshi had passed more than 3m sales<\/a>. That&#8217;s more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragon-age-the-veilguard-walkthrough-tips-and-tricks-guide\">Dragon Age: The Veilguard<\/a> managed; it&#8217;s a figure most companies would be very proud of. Yet here it&#8217;s attributed to one of the most stubborn and potentially unwelcoming role-playing experiences there is; I say these things with love, by the way.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Kenshi: English Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Xd1XnmwD8zE?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Xd1XnmwD8zE\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Kenshi: English Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Xd1XnmwD8zE\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>Visually, Kenshi is also a hard sell, with a dated if endearing almost-isometric view, and low-fidelity character models and environments. It&#8217;s also a premium game so there&#8217;s a monetary barrier to entry. In other words, Kenshi isn&#8217;t the sort of game you randomly stumble upon one night, &#8220;phwoar!&#8221; at and install.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Kenshi absolutely is, however, a game you stick around for once you crest the initial wave of bewilderment. The sandbox depth here is dizzying. You can wander this wasteland world with your scavenger team and bend it absolutely to your whims. We didn&#8217;t review Kenshi on Eurogamer but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rockpapershotgun.com\/kenshi-review\">our indie-loving PC nerd-sibling Rock, Paper, Shotgun did<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rockpapershotgun.com\/\">RPS<\/a> loved it. &#8220;Kenshi is everything. Kenshi is nothing,&#8221; Alec Meer wrote. &#8220;Eternal, unknowable, remarkable, infuriating, Kenshi defies easy judgement. Kenshi is. I implore you to play it.&#8221; High praise indeed.<\/p>\n<p>Lo-Fi, in response to the sales milestone, said: &#8220;Since its original launch in 2018, Kenshi has found its way into the hands of more than 3m players. In recognition of this milestone and the community that helped us achieve it, we wanted to take a moment and express our thanks.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;To the people who picked Kenshi up on a whim. To the modders, fan artists, storytellers, Beep enthusiasts, and content creators. To everyone who&#8217;s ever pointed a friend toward Kenshi, posted a screenshot, or clocked more hours than they&#8217;d care to admit. Thank you. We wouldn\u2019t be here without you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>How many of you have heard of Kenshi? It&#8217;s an obscure and unflinching sandbox survival role-playing game in which you wander a desert and can quite easily starve to death. It&#8217;s hard, especially at the beginning, it&#8217;s systemically dense, and it&#8217;s also a best-selling role-playing game.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re not talking colossal figures here but they are modestly extraordinary. In a Steam post this week, Bristol-based developer <a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/233860\/Kenshi\/\">Lo-Fi Games revealed that Kenshi had passed more than 3m sales<\/a>. That&#8217;s more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragon-age-the-veilguard-walkthrough-tips-and-tricks-guide\">Dragon Age: The Veilguard<\/a> managed; it&#8217;s a figure most companies would be very proud of. Yet here it&#8217;s attributed to one of the most stubborn and potentially unwelcoming role-playing experiences there is; I say these things with love, by the way.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Kenshi: English Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Xd1XnmwD8zE?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Xd1XnmwD8zE\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Kenshi: English Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Xd1XnmwD8zE\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>Visually, Kenshi is also a hard sell, with a dated if endearing almost-isometric view, and low-fidelity character models and environments. It&#8217;s also a premium game so there&#8217;s a monetary barrier to entry. In other words, Kenshi isn&#8217;t the sort of game you randomly stumble upon one night, &#8220;phwoar!&#8221; at and install.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Kenshi absolutely is, however, a game you stick around for once you crest the initial wave of bewilderment. The sandbox depth here is dizzying. You can wander this wasteland world with your scavenger team and bend it absolutely to your whims. We didn&#8217;t review Kenshi on Eurogamer but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rockpapershotgun.com\/kenshi-review\">our indie-loving PC nerd-sibling Rock, Paper, Shotgun did<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rockpapershotgun.com\/\">RPS<\/a> loved it. &#8220;Kenshi is everything. Kenshi is nothing,&#8221; Alec Meer wrote. &#8220;Eternal, unknowable, remarkable, infuriating, Kenshi defies easy judgement. Kenshi is. I implore you to play it.&#8221; High praise indeed.<\/p>\n<p>Lo-Fi, in response to the sales milestone, said: &#8220;Since its original launch in 2018, Kenshi has found its way into the hands of more than 3m players. In recognition of this milestone and the community that helped us achieve it, we wanted to take a moment and express our thanks.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;To the people who picked Kenshi up on a whim. To the modders, fan artists, storytellers, Beep enthusiasts, and content creators. To everyone who&#8217;s ever pointed a friend toward Kenshi, posted a screenshot, or clocked more hours than they&#8217;d care to admit. Thank you. We wouldn\u2019t be here without you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Kenshi An unforgiving RPG I bet you&#8217;ve never heard of has sold more copies than some triple-A games Kenshi guess what it is? Image credit: Lo-Fi Games News by Robert Purchese Associate Editor Published on May 26, 2026 6 comments Follow Kenshi How many of you have heard of Kenshi? It&#8217;s an obscure [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1956376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1956376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1956376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1956376\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1956376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1956376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1956376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}