The latest title from Double Fine Productions, titled Thank You Bus Driver, has a 94% positive rating on Steam despite having a very low peak player count that has not reached triple-digit figures as of this writing. The new Double Fine game is the first release for the San Francisco studio following its split from Xbox in the summer of 2026.
In short, Thank You Bus Driver is a first-person driving simulator with a cartoony, monochromatic graphics style. Double Fine described its latest project as “Crazy Taxi meets Papers, Please.” As the game’s titular bus driver, players are tasked with taking passengers to their designated stops and enforcing the rules of the bus by any means necessary. The more “Thank Yous” that the bus driver receives, the more time they have to reach their next destination. Thank You Bus Driver is also the first game released by Double Fine Action Labs, a small in-house team dedicated to experimental releases.
Double Fine’s Thank You Bus Driver Struggles to Gain Traction on Steam
Although Double Fine managed to become independent following Xbox’s massive wave of layoffs in July 2026, the studio’s newest project has not attracted too many players yet. Thank You Bus Driver has only managed a peak Steam player count of 99 players, which was achieved one day after its October 14 launch. As of this writing, the player count remained at an average of 25 to 30 daily players. Despite the low player count, Thank You Bus Driver achieved a very positive 94% rating on Steam across 127 user reviews. The reviews stated that Double Fine’s new game was worth playing through in a single session and that its $4.99 price tag was appropriate for the experience. Given that the game is considered an experiment, another user stated they would rather have more titles from Double Fine Action Labs released a few times per year rather than having to wait a few years for a larger release.
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While Thank You Bus Driver received glowing reviews, the news does not get any easier for Double Fine. The studio’s spring 2026 multiplayer title Kiln was also released to a low player count. Kiln only managed to garner 193 Steam users within 24 hours of launch. However, since Kiln was also available on PC Game Pass on release, it is plausible that players opted to grab it on Xbox’s subscription service instead.
Despite Double Fine’s struggles with Kiln and Thank You Bus Driver, the studio has seen another game in its repertoire reach some additional audiences. Keeper was shadow dropped on PS5 on September 3 following the State of Play broadcast. Originally released on PC and Xbox in October 2025, the whimsical puzzle-platformer sees players control a walking lighthouse. While Double Fine has since left Xbox, Keeper is also available on Xbox Game Pass Premium for PC and console users to check out.
Though Double Fine has endured layoffs following its independence from Microsoft, the San Francisco developer remains open for business. It remains to be seen if Thank You Bus Driver will gain more players over time.
- Developer(s)
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Double Fine Productions
- Publisher(s)
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Double Fine Action Labs
- Number of Players
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Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unknown
