25 Best Indie Games To Play In 2025

Indie games are a widely celebrated part of the video game industry, and they've only been getting better and better as time goes on. What defines an indie game is somewhat up for debate, and in some cases it can be difficult to tell indies from bigger titles.

One person's definition of an indie may not match another's, but generally, an indie game is developed by one person or a small team without a larger publisher's budget behind it. Sometimes, the developer behind an indie game will grow into a larger studio and develop future games that are considered outside the realm of the indie label. Indies don't have to be a certain type of game or feature any kind of particular graphics or gameplay. The driving force behind what makes an indie game is the person or people behind the scenes developing it, as well as the funding behind them. That can make it a challenge to decide what is or isn't an indie, but we've done our best to account for these considerations.

With that out of the way, it's time to get into our list of the best indie games to play in 2025. This isn't intended to be a "best indie games of all time" list, but rather a showcase of great indie games from a variety of genres that you can easily play and enjoy today. The list of 25 indie games below isn't in any particular order. If you're looking for something more specific, check out our picks for the best racing games, best horror games, or best strategy games to play right now.

Stardew Valley

• Developer: Eric Barone
• Release Date: February 26, 2016
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Android
• Genre: RPG/Simulation

Let's kick off the list with a game that defined the indie game genre for a generation. Stardew Valley was initially released in 2016 and had one single developer behind it: Eric Barone. What started as a farming simulator with RPG elements has turned into one of the best games of the 2010s with tens of millions of downloads to date. Substantial updates for the game continues to release (which have temporarily put a hold on development of Barone's next game, Haunted Chocolatier), but as is, Stardew Valley is a masterpiece in its own right.

You begin as a simple player taking over your grandfather's farm but over time, you discover a massive map full of NPCs, new locations, and different items to expand your farm. You'll also grow your character by acquiring new skills and can even get romantically involved with some of the neighboring NPCs in different towns. If you want even more from the experience, be sure to check out our list of the best Stardew Valley mods.

Undertale

• Developer: Toby Fox
• Release Date: September 15, 2015
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Genre: RPG/Adventure

Undertale is one of, if not the most well-known indie titles of all time. Once again, it was published by a single developer, Toby Fox, and released in 2015 to mass critical and fan acclaim. The game features some of the most distinct graphics and gameplay you'll find in the industry, indie or otherwise. While the 2D graphics specifically might throw some players off, once you step foot into the world of Undertale, you'll throw any preconceived notion you had out the window.

The story of Undertale follows a child who has fallen into an underground world. This underground world is full of frightening monsters, difficult puzzles, and plenty of characters, both friendly and hostile. On top of all of that, there's also a surprisingly deep dialogue system in Undertale that can get you out of any combat encounter you choose.

Hollow Knight

• Developer: Team Cherry
• Release Date: February 24, 2017
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Genre: Metroidvania

Hollow Knight is another incredible game that's unlike most other titles on the market. Developed by the independent Team Cherry in 2017, Hollow Knight is a metroidvania that sees you take control of the "Knight." As the Knight, you explore the ravaged land of Hallownest, which has been infected by a disease with no known cure. Hallownest isn't linear, so you can go down different paths to find new enemies and characters.

The various levels in Hollow Knight are explored with side-scrolling gameplay and you have access to a wide variety of moves and attacks to take down enemies in your path. Hollow Knight features over 30 bosses and 130 characters to encounter across the many levels and environments you explore. What will keep you hooked, however, is the enticing gameplay and gorgeous graphics. It's one of the more beloved metroidvanias out there, which has made the long wait for its sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, all the more agonizing.

Tactical Breach Wizards

• Developer: Suspicious Developments
• Release Date: August 22, 2024
• Platforms: PC
• Genre: Turn-Based Strategy

This is the most recent game on the list, but it certainly deserves a spot. Tactical Breach Wziards is a turn-based tactics game with a surprisingly strong story and hilarious dialogue for its cast of colorful characters. The roughly 14-hour story keeps you involved throughout the game, but you'll stay thanks to the amazingly strong turn-based gameplay.

Tactical Breach Wizards sees you control a set of wizards that all have unique abilities, many of which can manipulate the positioning of other units, which is reminiscent of Into the Breach. If you don't like how something turns out during a combat encounter, you can make use of the game's rewind feature. This allows you to correct any mistakes you might have made or simply try out different solutions to a given challenge. It's a deeply satisfying gameplay loop that makes it a worthwhile spiritual successor to Into the Breach.

Cuphead

• Developer: Studio MDHR
• Release Date: September 29, 2017
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Genre: Platformer

When it was released in 2017, Cuphead exploded in the gaming community. What seems like a simple platformer shooter from the outside is actually one of the more challenging games of the last decade. Cuphead combines old Atari games with gorgeous 1930s-era cartoon graphics in a side-scrolling cocktail. To top it all off, Cuphead features boss fights that will absolutely blow your socks off.

There's a story playing out in the background of Cuphead's gameplay, as you, playing as the main character, and your friend need to collect souls for the Devil to pay off gambling debts. However, you might hardly notice the story after you get hooked by Cuphead's challenging levels and boss fights.

Celeste

• Developer: Maddy Makes Games
• Release Date: January 5, 2018
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Genre: Platformer

Celeste might have retro-style graphics and some gameplay elements reminiscent of other games on this list, but there's something about it that makes it truly stand out from anything else. It's a beautifully crafted game that sees you take control of the main character Madeline. Madeline makes a journey to the top of a mountain where she encounters charming characters, difficult puzzles, hundreds of secrets, and challenges that bring her face to face with her inner self.

The mountain Celeste journeys up is one of the most spectacular settings for a game. You'll find yourself anticipating what the next level is going to look like and end up amazed at what's on your screen. In addition to the environment, the audio in Celeste has won multiple awards and has you entranced for the entire duration of the game. Celeste is a true all-around package of a game that tells a terrific story while handling difficult subject matter very well.

Subnautica

• Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
• Release Date: December 16, 2014
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Genre: Survival

There are few larger success stories in the indie genre than Subnautica. While developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment is now working on a third installment in the series that might not count as an indie, the original certainly did. Starting in early access in 2014, Subnautica grew over time, and eventually, a large community formed around it.

Subnautica is the definition of a survival game. You're dropped in the middle of an alien planet mostly made up of water. Your job is to go deeper into the vast ocean to find out what happened to your crashed ship and the previous inhabitants of the planet while also finding a cure for a new disease you picked up. There are vast crafting systems, combat (though it isn't the main focus), and dozens of species to encounter at every turn. Subnautica is not for the faint of heart, though, as some of the sealife is quite dangerous and comes out of nowhere to disrupt your journey. Descriptions hardly do Subnautica justice, as it's something you need to experience for yourself to truly understand what type of game it is.

Dead Cells

• Developer: Motion Twin and Evil Empire
• Release Date: May 10, 2017
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Android
• Genre: Metroidvania Roguelike

Up next is Dead Cells, a game that doesn't get mentioned enough when speaking about some of the all-time great indie titles. It's another metroidvania-style platformer where players take control of a reanimated corpse who's attempting to find a way off an island. The island is mainly made up of a prison that features a majority of the environments you fight your way through.

Dead Cells is a roguelike; if you die at any point, you're sent back to the start and you'll need to make your way through another randomized world. Dead Cells can be unforgiving, but the gameplay is highly compelling, and even if you don't successfully complete a run, you're often making progress toward some kind of unlockable to help you on a future run.

Hades

• Developer: Supergiant Games
• Release Date: December 6, 2018
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS
• Genre: Roguelike

Hades is another success story in the indie genre. Originally released in 2018 in early access, Hades is a roguelike that sees you fight through waves of enemies as you try to escape the Underworld. There is also character progression, a well thought-out story that unfolds even as you fail to complete runs, and RPG elements, giving you a wide mix of genres in one package.

As you might have guessed from the name of the game, Hades is based on Greek mythology. As such, you'll meet other Greek gods, including Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, and more, who will lend you their unique abilities on your adventure. The gameplay in Hades is crisp, fast-paced, and strategic, making combat encounters feel different from one another. A well-regarded sequel is currently out in early access, too.

Outer Wilds

• Developer: Mobius Digital
• Release Date: May 28, 2019
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Genre: Puzzle/Adventure

Outer Wilds is one of the most interesting games you can play in any genre. Right from the start of the game, you're plopped into a space mystery where your job is to figure out what's going on. As you play through the first 20 or so minutes of Outer Wilds, you'll discover its unique mechanic: an endless time loop.

Outer Wilds restarts every 22 minutes, meaning you only have that long to explore the vast expanse of space before you. During this time, you can travel to new locations, solve puzzles, and try to uncover the mystery of the time loop. After the 22 minutes is up, your character will start back at their original spot and you'll do it all over again. As you go through more and more loops, you'll have to mentally keep track of everything you've previously seen, as your character has their memory wiped. It's a one-of-a-kind experience that takes some getting used to, but it's a journey worth seeing in the end.

Tunic

• Developer: Isometricorp Games
• Release Date: March 16, 2022
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Genre: RPG/Adventure

Tunic is like a combination of different indies we've already talked about on this list. It has beautiful isometric graphics with well-tuned combat, but there's also a large map to follow that uncovers a mysterious story; what initially appears to be a Zelda-like is in fact more of a Souls-like.

Tunic thrusts you into the shoes of a fox who's looking to go on an adventure. At the start of the game, your fox won't be able to do much in terms of combat, but as you find more items, you'll be able to defeat tougher enemies and bosses. The game uncovers itself to you in the form of an in-game instruction manual as you progress, offering new combat techniques, secrets, and more.

Vampire Survivors

• Developer: Luca Galante
• Release Date: December 17, 2021
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Android
• Genre: Roguelike/Survivors-like

If you simply look at the cover of Vampire Survivors, you'd think it was a horror game about a savage vampire. However, the game inside is nothing like you'd expect. It's a 2D, pixelated roguelike shoot-'em-up that essentially created a genre of its own: the Survivors-like or bullet-hell roguelike. Your character's job in Vampire Survivors is to defeat waves of enemies until the sun comes up, but instead of attacking enemies directly, you'll just control your character's movement as their weapons auto-attack based on their specific behavior.

As time goes on, your screen becomes jam-packed with hundreds of enemies at a single time. It takes the utmost strategy and some luck to survive just one encounter, let alone an entire night's worth. As you progress, you'll unlock more abilities and attacks to take the monsters down, and while you might be at a disadvantage at times, well-crafted builds can turn you into an overpowered nightmare that cuts through waves of enemies like they aren't even there. Vampire Survivors was originally a solo game, but following updates, it's become one of the best co-op titles on the market right now, too.

Cult of the Lamb

• Developer: Massive Monster
• Release Date: June 10, 2022
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Genre: Roguelike/Action

Cult of the Lamb is another spin on the roguelike, where you still face waves of enemies as you progress through the game. However, where Cult of the Lamb differentiates itself is in the metagame, as it essentially has two halves: the more standard action-based roguelike section and the base-building side where you manage and grow a cult. You start off as a possessed lamb with a mission of gaining followers in a land that has others vying for control. As you gain more followers through traveling across different regions, you'll unlock new abilities as well as resources, which can be used to build defenses and attacks.

Cult of the Lamb features a randomly generated world with plenty of enemies and bosses to fight that will keep you busy for hours on end. You may end up spending more time managing your cult and its home as you do in the action game-style levels.

Rime

• Developer: Tequila Works
• Release Date: May 26, 2017
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Genre: Puzzle/Adventure

Rime is a puzzle game at heart that features beautiful graphics and a wonderfully crafted world. Your end goal in Rime is to reach the top of a tower that's visible in the background from the start of the game. The puzzles in Rime get more difficult as the game goes on, but none are so challenging that they'll stump you for too long. In addition to the puzzles, you can discover secrets spread throughout the different levels, and there's even a magic fox that comes to help you from time to time.

Disco Elysium

• Developer: ZA/UM
• Release Date: October 15, 2019
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Genre: RPG

Disco Elysium is widely considered one of the best RPGs ever created. The RPG takes everything to the next level when it comes to role-playing. You take full control of a detective who can either be the hero a city needs or a bumbling fool who wastes their supreme talent. All of the choices in the game are up to you and you can choose from several dialogue options when engaging with other characters. You have dozens of quests and investigations to complete, characters to romance, and a dense map to uncover. Nothing is off-limits when it comes to Disco Elysium.

Balatro

• Developer: LocalThunk
• Release Date: February 20, 2024
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Android
• Genre: Roguelike/Card Game

There's sometimes an indie game that comes out of nowhere to take the gaming community by storm. It happens more often than you might think, and in 2024, that game was Balatro. The roguelike deck-building game was among our picks for the 10 best games of 2024, and it was also featured during The Game Awards.

Balatro is yet another take on the roguelike genre, but instead of fighting enemies, you battle against a target score using a decks of cards. At its core, Balatro can be compared to traditional poker, but there are twists and turns that make every hand of cards unique from the last. You'll modify your deck and utilize special Joker cards to mess with the rules of poker, which can be extremely satisfying. Balatro features an endless array of challenges to overcome with numerous difficulties and decks to try winning with, so you'll be hard-pressed to run out of content anytime soon.

Katana Zero

• Developer: Justin Stander
• Release Date: April 18, 2019
• Platforms: Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Android
• Genre: Platformer/Adventure

Katana Zero is a side-scrolling platformer that features some of the most brutally difficult combat of any game on this list. You'll deal with those challenge thanks to the main character, Subject Zero, possessing some incredible abilities. You're able to slow down time as well as see into the future, giving you a slight advantage if you know how to properly wield your powers.

While the gameplay is at the forefront of Katana Zero, the graphics and soundtrack are what make it one of the best indie titles on the market. Every level is hand-crafted and looks gorgeous, featuring a neo-noir art style while the music keeps you engaged throughout the entire campaign.

Pacific Drive

• Developer: Ironwood Studios
• Release Date: February 22, 2024
• Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC
• Genre: Survival/Driving

Survival games have a long history in the indie genre, and it's not often when a survival game comes along that completely changes up the formula. Pacific Drive did just that in early 2024, featuring slick driving mechanics and gameplay in a survival setting. It made our list of the 25 best survival games to play, and for good reason.

You spend a majority of Pacific Drive in your car through a first-person perspective. Your main goal is to survive the elements by scavenging for resources across the Pacific Northwest region, which has been ravaged by supernatural forces. There are some thrilling moments to be had in Pacific Drive, as hopping out of your car to find supplies is quite dangerous with what lurks in the shadows.

Valheim

• Developer: Iron Gate Studios
• Release Date: February 2, 2021
• Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
• Genre: Survival/RPG

Valheim is another one of those indie titles that came out of nowhere to top the Steam charts. What drew players in initially was the art style of Valheim, which is beautiful and clunky at the same time. The game is set in a land where Viking culture is present all around and your character is banished there by Odin. To escape the land, you need to defeat a series of bosses, all of whom are located in different regions spread around the map. Each subsequent boss is more difficult than the last but, fortunately, the regions where the bosses are located offer new resources that help defeat them.

You have to travel all around the randomly generated map to gather the resources you need to become stronger. Along the way, you can construct a structurally sound base that's only limited by your imagination and supplies. Valheim is certainly a more challenging survival game, featuring harsh elements and tough enemies, but it's one of the very best you can play right now.

Spiritfarer

• Developer: Thunder Lotus Games
• Release Date: August 18, 2020
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Android
• Genre: Simulation/Management

Spiritfarer is the first management simulator game on this list and arguably flew under the radar in the heat of the 2020 pandemic. Players who managed to catch wind of it got to experience a remarkable game that you can easily spend over 100 hours playing.

The premise of the game is your character, the ferrymaster, needs to construct a boat to travel the world and pick up deceased souls along the way. As you pick them up, you need to care for them until they can step into the afterlife and leave their spiritual form behind. The boat you construct can be expanded upon with new buildings, rooms, and other structures to house your spirits. You'll gather resources through fishing, harvesting, and other means to keep your boat and the souls on board afloat. Spiritfarer can be played solo, but if you want to add a co-op partner, they'll enter the game as a cat companion. It can also be quite the emotional experience given the subject matter.

Dave the Diver

• Developer: Mintrocket
• Release Date: October 27, 2022
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Genre: RPG/Simulator

If you enjoyed Subnautica but are looking for something with fewer horror elements, Dave the Diver might be the perfect game for you. While it doesn't feature the vast ocean exploration of Subnautica, you still get to dive underwater to gather fish and other resources for your night job. At night, you run a sushi restaurant, taking and fulfilling orders from customers and ensuring their satisfaction while at the restaurant. Underneath this simulator is a secret at the bottom of the ocean that you'll also work to uncover while you gain new skills as Dave the Diver.

Minishoot Adventures

• Developer: SoulGame Studio
• Release Date: February 21, 2022
• Platforms: PC
• Genre: RPG/Adventure

Minishoot Adventures is a less well-known game than others on this list, but it's a seriously underrated indie that becomes difficult to put down once you sink your teeth into it. It's an action-adventure style game in the mold of a classic Zelda, but one that you play from the perspective of a top-down shooter. In your ship, you can fight enemies, explore open-ended locations, and upgrade your ship through the Primordial Powers. These powers improve your ship's capabilities and also open up new areas to explore. If the twin-stick controls are too much for you to handle, there are aim-assist options as well as three different difficulty modes.

Inscryption

• Developer: Daniel Mullins Games
• Release Date: October 19, 2021
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Genre: Roguelike/Card Game

Inscryption is another roguelike deck-building game, but it's decidedly different from something like Balatro. Instead of playing poker, you do battle using cards in a horror setting that gets creepier as the game goes on. As you progress, you'll enter new and mysterious regions with fresh characters to face. These characters aren't to be trifled with and present you with twisted dialogue and new secrets to uncover. Inscryption doesn't feature any heart-pounding jumpscares, but the journey you go on with your deck of cards is nothing short of disturbing. It's also full of surprises, and you're best off not knowing much before playing.

Into the Breach

• Developer: Subset Games
• Release Date: February 27, 2018
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Android
• Genre: Turn-Based Strategy/Tactics

Into the Breach is a turn-based strategy/tactics game and features RPG elements as well as endless gameplay. You control mechs from the future in an attempt to save the world from aliens. You'll need to preserve both structures on the grid-based map and the mechs themselves. Enemy actions are clearly telegraphed, so you know exactly what they'll do on the next turn; by manipulating their positioning, blocking enemies from spawning (at the cost of damage to the unit blocking them), and so on, you can avert disaster.

Win or lose, you'll face another randomly generated set of levels, and you can unlock different types of mechs and weapons to mix up the action from run to run. This puts an almost limitless amount of gameplay at your disposal, as every fight feels extremely different from the last. Figuring out problems on each level takes immense strategy and this complements the turn-based combat perfectly. It's the rare game to have received a 10 from GameSpot.

UFO 50

• Developer: Mossmouth
• Release Date: September 18, 2024
• Platforms: PC
• Genre: Strategy/Puzzle/RPG/Shooter/etc.

UFO 50 is a collection of 50 different standalone games, including both single-player and multiplayer ones spanning numerous genres: platformers, puzzle games, strategy games, adventure games, shooters, and more. The graphics look straight out of the '90s and every game is different from the last. The design in all 50 games is top-notch, and there's plenty of replayability offered by many of the games. You have access to all 50 games in UFO 50 right from the start, allowing you to pick what you, and potentially a friend, play.