A three‐dimensional Monte Carlo model is developed to simulate the thermalization process of atoms sputtered from the cathode in a glow discharge cell. A comparison is made with a simplified analytical thermalization model and the relative importance of different interaction potentials and scattering assumptions on quantities related to thermalization is investigated. Typical results of the thermalization model are (i) the thermalization profile (which gives the distribution of the thermalized sputtered atoms), (ii) the relative amount of atoms that can reach the backplate of the discharge cell without being thermalized, and (iii) the relative amount of backscattering to the cathode. The influence of gas pressure, kind of gas, and cathode material on the thermalization process is also investigated. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.