Happy new year to all and happy first birthday to Indie Selects! A year ago, we set up the Indie Selects program with the goal of highlighting and recommending indie games found on the Xbox Store that aren’t necessarily part of the Xbox Game Pass service, so that great games and great teams never go uncelebrated. Think of Indie Selects as the “Staff Picks” shelf at a Blockbuster Video or Tower Records. And now you think I am 80 years old. Ah well.

Today, we’re celebrating the one-year anniversary of this program with a 2024 Anniversary Collection featuring our six top Indie Selects titles from 2024 that we believe you need to play – they will be enshrined for all time (or until the Xbox Store team tells us to stop). So, without further ado, here are the six titles we picked for our first Yearly Selects line-up: Balatro, Animal Well, The Plucky Squire, Neva, Crow Country, and Hypercharge: Unboxed.

Whether you come home from a rough day and need to unwind, or you’re just looking for the right adventure that can connect you with a family member, games like these six matter – and so do the teams that make them. These contributions to the industry deserve attention, celebration, and enjoyment.

The Anniversary Collection can be found in the Indie Selects row on Xbox Store Games home from January 29 to February 11. Here’s how to find it:

• From Xbox Home, select Store
• On Store go to the left nav bar and select Games Home.
• On Game Home scroll down until you see the collection!

Each of these titles are a great representation of what our industry strives to achieve. To celebrate and thank each of these developers for creating such beloved pieces of work, we asked each of them if they would be gracious enough to reflect and share their thoughts with us on the following question:

“Looking back at the entire development process, what does it mean to your game studio to launch this project and receive so much high praise from both the gaming audience and critics alike?“

Balatro – Developed by LocalThunk Inc.

“While the praise for the game is certainly nice, Balatro is and always has been a personal passion project more than anything else. I am lucky that the game performed well in this industry at all, and I’m really glad to use the attention from Balatro to shine a light on some of the other incredible indie games out there right now. I think it’s a great time to be a fan of indie games!” – LocalThunk, Developer of Balatro

Balatro

Playstack Ltd

☆☆☆☆☆ 231

★★★★★

$14.99 $12.74

Get it now

Balatro is a poker-inspired roguelike deck builder all about creating powerful synergies and winning big. The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos. Combine valid poker hands with unique Joker cards in order to create varied synergies and builds. Earn enough chips to beat devious blinds, all while uncovering hidden bonus hands and decks as you progress. You’re going to need every edge you can get in order to reach the boss blind, beat the final ante and secure victory.

Animal Well – Developed by Billy Basso

“Seven years ago, I started building a new game/engine from scratch, more as a learning experience than out of any ambition to create the new big indie hit. I drew a few animal sprites. Got a candle to glow the way I wanted. As the game and the engine organically fed off of one another, it took a shape I never would have predicted when I first started. And now that Animal Well is out in the world, players continue to color it with their own perspectives, their pet theories, their love for the game. I feel like I was able to make a small contribution to video game culture and my efforts have been rewarded a hundredfold.” – Billy Basso, Developer of Animal Well

ANIMAL WELL

Bigmode

☆☆☆☆☆ 46

★★★★★

$24.99

Get it now

Hatch from your flower and spelunk through the beautiful and sometimes haunting world of Animal Well, a pixelated wonder rendered in intricate audio and visual detail. Encounter lively creatures small and large, helpful and ominous as you discover unconventional upgrades and unravel the well’s secrets. This is a truly unique experience that can make you laugh in fear, surprise, or delight.

The Plucky Squire – Developed by All Possible Futures

“Working on The Plucky Squire has been an amazing journey for all of us at All Possible Futures. From those first prototypes of Jot leaping from desk to book, to seeing players light up as they experience it – it’s been a joy to share with the world. We poured all of our heart into the game, and it’s been incredible to see players and critics connect with it in ways we couldn’t have imagined. Knowing that the game has brought smiles to so many faces is the most rewarding part of it all. That’s what it’s all about for us, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the love and support along the way.” – Jonathan Biddle, Co-director, All Possible Futures

The Plucky Squire

Devolver Digital

☆☆☆☆☆ 65

★★★★★

$29.99

Get it now

The Plucky Squire follows the magical adventures of Jot and his friends – storybook characters who discover a three-dimensional world outside the pages of their book. When the malevolent Humgrump realizes he's the villain of the book – destined to lose his battle against the forces of good for all eternity – he kicks the heroic Jot out of its pages and changes the story forever. Jot must face challenges, unlike anything he's ever seen if he is to save his friends from Humgrump's dark forces and restore the book's happy ending. Jump between 2D and 3D worlds in this charming action-adventure – solving puzzles, boxing badgers, flying with a jetpack, and enjoying many more delightful and surprising mini-challenges as you become the hero of a living storybook.

Neva – Developed by Nomada Studio

“Launching Neva has been a journey of four years—more than double the time it took to develop [our last game] Gris. It has been a long and challenging process. 

“Our biggest fear was living up to the expectations of our fans and critics. After the huge and unexpected success of Gris, we felt the pressure of both external expectations and our own ambitions. Every element of Neva, from its storytelling to its art and gameplay, was crafted with the hope of creating a meaningful connection with players. This is the kind of game we aspire to create as a studio. 

“Seeing both critics and players enjoy and praise Neva has been incredibly fulfilling—a perfect final gift to its long development journey and a transformative milestone for our studio. It has proven that players are truly eager for games capable of evoking powerful emotions and telling unique, meaningful stories that resonate with them; and for us, this recognition has provided the strength and motivation to continue pursuing this goal for as long as we can.” – Conrad Roset, Creative Director, Nomada Studio

Neva

Devolver Digital

☆☆☆☆☆ 51

★★★★★

$19.99

Get it now

Neva is an emotionally-charged action adventure from the visionary team behind the critically acclaimed GRIS. Neva chronicles the story of Alba, a young woman bound to a curious wolf cub following a traumatic encounter with dark forces. Together they embark on a perilous journey through a once-beautiful world as it slowly decays around them. Over time, their relationship will evolve as they learn to work together, helping one another to brave increasingly dangerous situations. The wolf will grow from a rebellious cub to an imposing adult seeking to forge his own identity, testing Alba’s love and their commitment to one another. As the cursed world threatens to overwhelm them, Alba and her courageous companion will do whatever it takes to survive and make a new home, together.

Crow Country – Developed by SFB Games

“We had hopes that people would get excited for Crow Country when even early, out-of-context teaser screenshots would get very positive attention. Nothing is certain in game development though, so to have had this many people write so many lovely things about the game, recommend it to their friends or audiences, and rate it so highly – it’s really reassuring that the kind of games we want to make are the kind that people want to play. It’s also been a morale-boosting liferaft in a very troubled time for the games industry, and will keep [studio co-founder] Adam and me going through the next game and beyond!” – Tom Vian, Co-founder, SFB Games

Crow Country

SFB Games

☆☆☆☆☆ 136

★★★★★

$19.99 $15.99

Get it now

The year is 1990. It’s been two years since the mysterious disappearance of Edward Crow and the abrupt closure of his theme park, Crow Country. But your arrival has broken the silence, Mara Forest. If you want answers, you’ll have to venture deep into the darkness of Crow Country to find them… A survival horror game, where you’ll test yourself against puzzles and riddles as you investigate the eerie tranquility of the abandoned theme park. Don’t be deceived by the whimsical surroundings, something is awfully wrong in Crow Country. As you unlock new areas, backtrack and discover more, you gradually piece together why Edward really shut down his park and where he mysteriously disappeared to. You’ve heard some pretty disturbing rumors, but they couldn’t possibly be true…..right?  For visitors to the park who are more interested in spotting crows and taking in the sights, Exploration Mode allows you to journey on without the fear of being attacked by the mysterious monsters roaming Crow Country. Besides, if you knew what those monsters really are….. Just how far would someone go to follow their ambition? Are some sins too wicked for redemption?  A tale of reckless hubris and human greed, and now at the center of it all… you.  Who are you really, Mara Forest? 

Hypercharge Unboxed – Developed by Digital Cybercherries Limited

“Power Your Dreams is more than just a slogan: it speaks to the heart of every dreamer, reminding us that with passion and determination, even childhood dreams can come true. We believed in that message and powered our dream of creating Hypercharge. With Xbox’s support, we were able to launch on this incredible platform and witness it not only change our lives as a small indie studio, but also bring families closer together through the magic of couch co-op.

“Seeing parents and children laughing and working together to overcome challenges in Hypercharge has been truly heart-warming. That shared experience, playing together in the same room, on their Xbox – that’s something really special, where memories will last a lifetime. We’re immensely grateful to Xbox for helping make our dream come true and for allowing players to join us on this journey! The overwhelmingly positive response to Hypercharge has been truly inspiring. To everyone who has played and supported our game, thank you!” – Joe Henson, Creative Gameplay & Marketing Director, Digital Cybercherries

HYPERCHARGE Unboxed

Digital Cybercherries Limited

☆☆☆☆☆ 271

★★★★★

$29.99 $23.99

Get it now

HELP SGT. MAX AMMO TO DEFEAT MAJOR EVIL AND SAVE THE HYPERCORE! There was once an ancient line of action figures, who created a magical power source that would allow humans to keep their favourite childhood memories of their toys. This ancient power source is known as the Hypercore. Inside the Hypercore are the beloved memories of our favorite toys. If Major Evil destroys it, these memories will disappear forever. Defend it with everything you've got, or see our cherished toys turn into lost treasures of the past! Hypercharge is a first and third-person shooter action figure game you've always dreamed of! Grab your friends, complete objectives, defend the Hypercore against waves of weaponized toys, and defeat Major Evil together in the story campaign! PLAY CO-OP WITH YOUR FRIENDS Work together as a team to defend the Hypercore. Grab a friend, break out of your toy packaging, and get ready to fight waves of classic toys. Prepare for each wave by searching for weapons, resources, and even hidden secrets. OFFLINE PLAY FOR SOLO PLAYERS Not everybody likes to play online. Hypercharge supports Offline, Split-Screen and Local play. You can progress and unlock everything in-game while playing solo. PLAYER BOTS Don’t have a team to play with? Don’t worry, we’ve got you solo players covered. Player bots listen to your commands, collect resources, and even help to build defences. UNLOCK ACTION FIGURES In Hypercharge, hundreds of unlocks are available, all of which can be earned directly in-game without any microtransactions. PLAYER VERSUS PLAYER MODES Go head-to-head against other action figures as you fight to become top of the scoreboard! Classic PvP modes include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Battery, Infection, and King of the Hill.

On top of the Collection itself, we’re running an Indie Selects Anniversary Sale from January 28 to February 3, featuring over 200 indie titles that launched in 2024. This is the perfect opportunity to save on titles we recommended, including Balatro, Phasmophobia, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Rounds, and more.

Check out the full list of on-sale titles below. Thanks for playing, and stay tuned for even more Indie Selects in the years ahead!

Full List of Games in the Indie Selects Anniversary Sale