The physics sandbox game Happy Wheels has launched on Steam. Developer Jim Bonacci confirmed that the game garnered over 750,000 wishlists before release; six days after launch, its Steam reviews showed an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating.
Happy Wheels was initially released as a browser game in 2010. Thanks to player-created levels, physics-based gameplay, and exaggerated cartoon gore, it became popular in school computer labs. The game later launched on iOS in 2015 and Android in 2020, before finally releasing a standalone version for Windows and Linux on September 21, 2026.
In a Steam community announcement posted on September 21, Bonacci said he originally expected the 16-year-old game to receive around 5,000 wishlists on Steam. However, in the two weeks between its Steam announcement and official release, the number of wishlists exceeded 750,000.
As of the sixth day after launch, the game has received an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam based on 2,012 English reviews. The Steam version is priced at $5 and contains no in-game ads. It retains the original gameplay while adding features such as searching for levels by date, Steam achievements, and controller support. Players can also download levels for offline play.
During the first week after release, Happy Wheels has already received two updates. Bonacci stated that he will continue to fix issues and improve controller controls and offline support in the future.
Currently, the Steam Deck compatibility status for Happy Wheels is "Playable"; Bonacci stated that full Steam Deck support will be provided in the future.