19 Best Indie Games You’ve Got To Play in 2026
Recent update
This list is regularly updated to match what’s trending and in-demand among gamers.
I’ll admit that looking for the best indie games is a colossal task. After all, the only thing that makes a game indie is its funding – a game is indie if it’s either self-published by small teams or funded by a small publisher. And it’s this financial freedom that allows indie games to blossom.
The focus on artistic expression or innovation challenges indies to truly stand out. They can’t just use their brand name to sell copies: they have to shine on their own merits. Because of this, you know that when an indie game is good, it’s good. This list cuts through the noise and brings you only the best indie games worth your time.
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Our Top Picks for Best Indie Games
While there are a ton of the best indie games, a few shine brighter than the rest. Here are my picks for the best indie games of all time on this list:
- Slay the Spire 2 (2026) – One of the best indie games with its genre-defining roguelike deck-builder is back, bigger and more addictive than ever.
- Mewgenics (2026) – A 13-year passion project from the creator of The Binding of Isaac that more than lives up to the wait.
- MOUSE: P.I. For Hire (2026) – An amazing noir FPS wrapped in a 1930s cartoon aesthetic unlike anything else on this list.
That’s just scratching the surface, though. Read on to discover a full lineup of must play indie games: who knows, your new favorite might be a scroll away!
19 Best Indie Games of All Time
What makes indie games especially appealing is their need to stand out from AAA peers. No matter their genre, indie games must excel – artistically, thematically, or mechanically – to see any success. This pushes them to be better than anything a big studio can produce.
With that said, here’s my list of the best indies you’ve got to try.
1. Slay the Spire 2 [Best Indie Roguelike Deck-Builder]
| Our score | Enebameter 10/10
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| Platforms | PC, macOS, Linux, Steam Deck (Early Access) |
| Year of release | 2026 |
| Creator/s | Mega Crit |
| Average playtime | 20+ hours (first clear), 100+ hours (completionist) |
| Best for | Roguelike fans craving the ultimate deck-building evolution |
The original Slay the Spire practically invented the roguelike deck-builder genre as we know it, and its sequel picks up exactly where it left off – only bigger, sharper, and more dangerously addictive. Set 1,000 years after the original, Slay the Spire 2 brings back fan-favourite characters like the Ironclad, Silent, and Defect, while introducing two new ones: the Necrobinder and the Regent. Each comes with their own cards, mechanics, and playstyle, which makes it one of the best indie games of all time.
What makes this sequel genuinely special is its expanded scope. With 575+ cards, 278 relics, alternate acts, and the series-first addition of 4-player online co-op, there’s more to discover here than ever before. Whether you’re solo climbing or coordinating builds with friends, the layers of synergy and strategy are practically endless.
Launched into Early Access in March 2026, Slay the Spire 2 sold over 3 million copies in its first week – a staggering number that speaks for itself. The full 1.0 release is expected in 2027, but the Early Access version is already one of the best indie games you can play right now. For a deeper dive, check out our Slay the Spire 2 review.
My Verdict: The king of roguelike deck-builders returns and proves why it’s among the must play indie games of this generation. Don’t wait for 1.0.
2. Mewgenics [Best Indie Tactical Roguelite]
| Our score | Enebameter 10/10
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| Platforms | PC (consoles TBA) |
| Year of release | 2026 |
| Creator/s | Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel |
| Average playtime | 20-30 hours (first run), 50+ hours (completionist) |
| Best for | Fans of deep tactical roguelites with dark humor and infinite replayability |
Thirteen years in the making, Mewgenics is one of the most unlikely success stories in indie history – and one of the best indie games to come out of 2026 by a long shot. From Edmund McMillen, the mind behind The Binding of Isaac and Super Meat Boy, comes a deeply tactical legacy roguelite where the entire premise is breeding cats and sending them into battle. Yes, really.
The gameplay splits into two stages: cat breeding and tactical combat. Each day, you’ll assemble a team from your ever-growing household, equip them with class-specific collars – Fighter, Tank, Mage, and more – and send them crawling through procedurally generated, grid-based encounters that demand careful positioning and clever combo exploitation. The genetic system means no two cats, and no two runs, are ever quite the same.
Mewgenics recouped its entire budget in just three hours after launch and sold over a million copies in its first week, cementing it as the highest-reviewed game of 2026 so far. Console ports have been confirmed, though no release window has been announced yet. If you’re looking for more games in this vein, check out our list of the best games like Mewgenics.
My Verdict: Among the best indie games of all time contenders from this generation, Mewgenics stands tall. A 13-year wait that was absolutely worth it. Chaotic, deep, and dangerously replayable.
3. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire [Best Indie FPS]
| Our score | Enebameter 9.9/10
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| Platforms | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Year of release | 2026 |
| Creator/s | Fumi Games |
| Average playtime | 8-10 hours (main story) |
| Best for | FPS fans who love style, atmosphere, and a killer noir aesthetic |
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is easily one of the most visually distinctive best indie games in years. Developed by Polish studio Fumi Games and published by PlaySide Studios, it takes the rubberhose animation style of 1930s Fleischer Studios cartoons and drops it into a stylish noir first-person shooter. You play as Jack Pepper – voiced by Troy Baker – a detective mouse navigating the corrupt underbelly of Mouseburg in search of the truth.
Beyond its amazing aesthetic, MOUSE delivers satisfying FPS gameplay with Metroidvania-style exploration, a punchy combat system, and a surprisingly gripping storyline, closer to what we see in the best sniper games. The black-and-white visual style isn’t just for show – it’s used cleverly throughout the game to create atmosphere and tension that few shooters manage to pull off.
Released in April 2026 across all major platforms, MOUSE was one of the most best indie games of the year, and it largely delivered on the hype. It’s a shorter experience than most on this list, but its style, voice acting, and sheer originality make it one you won’t forget.
My Verdict: A noir fever dream you have to see to believe. Short, stunning, and utterly original.
4. Hades [Best Indie Roguelike]
| Our score | Enebameter 9.8/10
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| Platforms | PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, iOS |
| Year of release | 2020 |
| Creator/s | Supergiant Games |
| Average playtime | 22 hours (main), 95+ hours (completionist) |
| Best for | Action roguelike fans seeking tight combat and rich storytelling |
Supergiant Games‘ Hades is one of the best indie games ever made, and one of the best roguelike games too.
As Zagreus, son of Hades, you’ll attempt to escape the confines of your home/prison and reach the surface. While this might sound like an RPG plot, Hades opts for pulse-pounding, mechanically tight action roguelike gameplay instead. With short, intense runs punctuated by spectacular boss fights, it’s very hard to put Hades down.
Players can unlock a myriad of weapons and passive upgrades, as well as divine boons that allow full build customization along the way. The progression feels rewarding at every step.
Hades’ rich storytelling is expertly woven into the action, and accessibility options are available for players who want to enjoy the narrative without the difficulty getting in the way.
My Verdict: A masterclass in roguelike design and a true must play indie game. If you play one game from this list, make it Hades.
5. Spelunky 2 [Best Indie Platformer]
| Our score | Enebameter 9.7/10
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| Platforms | PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| Year of release | 2020 |
| Creator/s | Mossmouth (Derek Yu) |
| Average playtime | 30+ hours |
| Best for | Platformer fans who love punishing roguelike challenges |
Spelunky 2 is a surprisingly fast and snappy action platformer roguelike and a strong contender among the best indie games in the genre. It places you in the well-worn boots of Ana, the daughter of the first game’s protagonists, as she searches the moon for her parents.
Sounds simple? Spelunky 2‘s dungeons are rife not just with treasure, but also fiendish foes and devious traps that will quickly put an end to your spelunking. Each failure comes with knowledge, and while the game punishes haste and recklessness, it also rewards mastery and careful observation.
Few of the best indie games of all time lists would be complete without Spelunky 2, and its brutal difficulty curve is a big reason why. The satisfaction of finally clearing a dungeon that once destroyed you is genuinely unmatched.
My Verdict: Brutal, unforgiving, and absolutely brilliant. Failure is the best teacher here, and victory never tasted sweeter.
6. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut [Best Indie Narrative RPG]
| Our score | Enebameter 9.6/10
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| Platforms | PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| Year of release | 2019 |
| Creator/s | ZA/UM |
| Average playtime | 25-30 hours (main), 40-60 hours (completionist) |
| Best for | Narrative RPG fans who love deep dialogue and philosophical exploration |
Disco Elysium is lauded as one of the best RPG games of all time and a landmark entry among the best indie games ever created. This game totally upended the CRPG genre because of its unique take on storytelling and identity.
On the surface, the game is about an amnesiac detective investigating a homicide, but it’s more of a profound commentary on the concept of the “self.” The detective is a blank canvas, stripped of memories, faculties, and ideologies all at once.
Each mental and physical capability is a fully fleshed out character, while every political ideology gets thoroughly skewered. Your journey through Disco Elysium is shaped entirely by the skills and philosophies you choose to rebuild around.
That journey will eventually reach its conclusion, and the choices you made along the way carry real weight. For a breakdown of how it all ends, check out our Disco Elysium endings guide. As one of the best indie games for Switch, it’s a perfect fit for handheld play too.
My Verdict: Unlike anything else in the RPG space. If you have patience for reading and appetite for originality, this is one of the best indie games you can play.
7. Blue Prince [Best Indie Puzzle Adventure]
| Our score | Enebameter 9.4/10
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| Platforms | PC, macOS, PS5, Xbox Series X/S |
| Year of release | 2025 |
| Creator/s | Dogubomb |
| Average playtime | 20-25 hours (main), 40+ hours (secrets) |
| Best for | Puzzle enthusiasts who enjoy mystery-solving and note-taking |
Blue Prince is currently the highest-rated game of 2025, and a genre-defying puzzle adventure that earns its place among the best indie games in recent memory. It places you in the well-polished shoes of Simon, a young heir who must find the mysterious 46th room in his eccentric uncle’s 45-room estate to claim his inheritance.
The brilliant fusion of roguelike mechanics with environmental puzzle-solving is what sets Blue Prince apart. Each time you open a door in Mt. Holly, you draft one of three randomized rooms to place behind it, and every morning the entire mansion resets.
The twist is that knowledge is your true currency. The clues you discover, the patterns you recognize, and the secrets you uncover all persist between runs, slowly piecing together an intricate web of mysteries that rivals Return of the Obra Dinn and Outer Wilds.
Every run brings new revelations, from logic puzzles in the Parlor to cracking safes with clues scattered across multiple rooms, to unraveling a surprisingly deep political narrative through letters and notes. As one of the must play indie games, it demands and rewards your full attention.
My Verdict: A puzzle lover’s dream that keeps revealing new layers. Grab a notebook and clear your weekend.
8. Stray [Best Indie Adventure Game]
| Our score | Enebameter 9.2/10
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| Platforms | PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| Year of release | 2022 |
| Creator/s | BlueTwelve Studio |
| Average playtime | 5-6 hours (main), 8-10 hours (completionist) |
| Best for | Cat lovers and adventure fans seeking a unique perspective |
A cyberpunk city, escape, hidden truths, memories. All of these concepts make for a compelling story game, but one simple yet amazing addition gives Stray a strong case for standing among the best indie games in the genre: you play as a cat. And yes, you can do cat stuff, like meowing to find your cat gang, typing nonsense on keyboards, asking robots for pets, cuddling up to things, and purring. Cat people rejoice!
Beneath the adorable cat exterior lies a wonderfully fresh perspective on the cyberpunk hellscape setting. Thanks to your small size and inability to communicate, you interact with the world through entirely different eyes, creating a uniquely intimate experience that no other game quite replicates.
Stray is also one of the best indie games for Switch, which brings its cozy cyberpunk charm perfectly to handheld play for cat lovers on the go.
My Verdict: One of the best indie games for a cozy weekend playthrough. Short, sweet, and endlessly charming.
9. Factorio [Best Indie Automation Game]
| Our score | Enebameter 9.2/10
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| Platforms | PC, Linux, macOS, Switch |
| Year of release | 2020 |
| Creator/s | Wube Software |
| Average playtime | 50+ hours (first rocket), 100+ hours (typical) |
| Best for | Automation enthusiasts and factory optimization lovers |
Factorio is an absolute masterpiece and a strong contender among the best indie games ever made. You play as an engineer who crash-landed on a wild, uncivilized planet, and to get back home you’ll need to harvest Nauvis’ vast mineral sources, coal, iron, copper, uranium, and oil, to create an infrastructure capable of launching you back into space. No biggie.
Where Factorio truly shines is in its sheer, almost overwhelming scale. The first hour is spent on survival, but everything after that becomes about upgrades, iteration, optimization, discovery, and conquest. Each new technology unlocks bigger, faster, and more optimal ways to do things, so there’s never a shortage of goals to chase. If you enjoy this kind of deep systems-driven gameplay, our list of the best tycoon games is worth a look too.
It’s deeply satisfying to watch your humble outpost gradually transform into an industrial behemoth that will persist long after you leave the planet. Among the best indie games, few reward patience and planning quite like Factorio does.
My Verdict: Digital crack for optimization addicts. Approach with caution, and clear your schedule.
10. Project Zomboid [Best Indie Survival Sim]
| Our score | Enebameter 9.1/10
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| Platforms | PC, OS X, Linux |
| Year of release | 2013 (Early Access) |
| Creator/s | The Indie Stone |
| Average playtime | 20+ hours (sandbox, endless replayability) |
| Best for | Survival sim fans craving realistic zombie apocalypse gameplay |
Ever wanted to direct your own zombie apocalypse movie? Project Zomboid will scratch that itch.
This sandbox packs in survival mechanics, crafting, building, weapons, and a merciless horde of zombies into one of the most ambitious indie experiences around. As the sole survivor of the Knox Infection, it’s your task to eke out an existence in a post-zombie Kentucky. No help is coming, no one’s here to judge you, and the only goals you need to accomplish are those you set for yourself. This is the story of how you died.
Once you’re done adjusting the game’s many options to fine-tune your end-of-the-world experience, including immunity if you want to play Left 4 Dead style, you can turn to the game’s vast library of mods to enhance or even overhaul your next trek through the land of the living dead. For those looking to play with friends, check out our guide to the best Project Zomboid server hosting options.
Among the must play indie games in the survival genre, Project Zomboid stands in a league of its own for sheer depth and replayability.
My Verdict: One of the best indie games in the zombie survival space. Tense, immersive, and endlessly replayable.
11. Balatro [Best Indie Deck-Builder]
| Our score | Enebameter 9/10
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| Platforms | PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, iOS, Android |
| Year of release | 2024 |
| Creator/s | LocalThunk |
| Average playtime | 15+ hours (first clears), 100+ hours (all unlocks) |
| Best for | Deck-builder fans who enjoy poker mechanics and synergy hunting |
Despite being a small indie game, Balatro quickly distinguished itself via its simple yet deep gameplay, garnering commercial success and critical acclaim that puts it firmly among the best indie games of its generation.
Balatro recontextualizes the familiar concept of poker by transforming the entire game into a roguelike. Each time you sit at the table, you’ll need to overcome increasingly challenging enemies by playing poker hands. The odds will be stacked against you, so you’ll need to pull in different types of cards, tarot, planet, and maybe even an actual credit card, to push things back in your favor and pull one over the house.
The sheer volume of combos and synergies you can cook up, or stumble upon, is what makes Balatro so endlessly replayable. This may sound simplistic on paper, but in practice, the depth is staggering. As one of the must play indie games of recent years, it has a habit of turning a quick session into a several-hour spiral.
My Verdict: One of the best indie games with no right being this addictive. Simple to learn, impossible to put down.
12. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth [Best Indie Action Roguelike]
| Our score | Enebameter 8.8/10
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| Platforms | PC, Linux, macOS, New 3DS, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| Year of release | 2014 |
| Creator/s | Edmund McMillen, Nicalis |
| Average playtime | 21-26 hours (main), 200+ hours (completionist) |
| Best for | Roguelike veterans who enjoy dark humor and endless replayability |
The Binding of Isaac is infamous for its raw audacity. No sane publisher would ever dare to back a game where a young boy uses his tears, pee, poop, and farts to navigate deadly dungeons and kill Satan. No, I am not kidding.
Despite its outrageous premise, TBOI absolutely does not get by on sheer shock value. With expertly crafted floors, a myriad of tricky enemies, lots of unlockable characters and items, and synergies you wouldn’t even think to expect, The Binding of Isaac is a lot of fun and one of the best indie games in the roguelike genre.
As one of the best indie games of all time, TBOI has sustained a passionate community for over a decade through constant updates, expansions, and an endlessly surprising item pool that keeps every run feeling distinct.
My Verdict: One of the best indie games that refuses to quit. Disturbing, hilarious, and utterly essential.
13. Palworld [Best Indie Monster-Collector]
| Our score | Enebameter 8.8/10
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| Platforms | PC, macOS, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| Year of release | 2024 (Early Access) |
| Creator/s | Pocketpair |
| Average playtime | 30 hours (main), 60+ hours (completionist) |
| Best for | Monster-tamer fans who enjoy survival crafting with dark humor |
Palworld is a creature game that’s grown up with the Pokémon and Digimon kids from 20 years ago. With its irreverent, hilarious fusion of the monster tamer genre with the open-world survival craft formula, Palworld hits a lot of the right spots and earns its reputation as one of the best indie games to explode onto the scene in recent years.
Where Palworld truly shines is in its dark, unapologetic humor. Capturing monsters means beating them half to death with a wooden stick before they bite the dust. Need food? Butcher some wild Pals. Need automation? Condemn your Pals to an eternity of indentured labor. The kid gloves are fully off, and it’s this jaded approach that makes the game distinct and, most importantly, fun. For those looking to play with friends, check out our guide to the best Palworld server hosting options.
Among the best indie games for Switch, Palworld brings its chaotic charm perfectly to handheld play.
My Verdict: One of the best indie games for anyone craving creature-collecting with a dark twist. Chaotic, irreverent, and surprisingly deep.
14. Cassette Beasts [Best Indie Turn-Based RPG]
| Our score | Enebameter 8.6/10
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| Platforms | PC, Linux, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, iOS, Android |
| Year of release | 2023 |
| Creator/s | Bytten Studio |
| Average playtime | 20-25 hours (main + extras) |
| Best for | Turn-based RPG fans seeking a fresh take on monster-taming |
Cassette Beasts is a more straight-laced take on the monster-tamer game that instead refines the genre’s mechanics to make a fun standout game.
The star of Cassette Beasts is its combat system. Cassette Beasts takes a more strategic approach to battle via 2v2 turn-based combat fueled by action points. Combat is simple yet satisfying: pick a tape, transform into that beast, try not to get hit in your human form, and exploit the complex elemental reaction system (no simple weakness/resistance here). Best of all, you can fuse with a partner to create a single, powerful beast that’s more than the sum of its parts.
We can’t talk about cassette tapes without touching on music, and Cassette Beasts has a phenomenal soundtrack. The best part? The lyrics only kick in while you’re fused. Makes it that much more special.
My Verdict: The monster-tamer for grown-ups who want more than type matchups. Fresh, strategic, and stylish.
15. Astlibra: Revision [Best Indie Action RPG]
| Our score | Enebameter 8.5/10
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| Platforms | PC, Switch |
| Year of release | 2022 |
| Creator/s | KEIZO |
| Average playtime | 40-70 hours |
| Best for | Action RPG fans who appreciate passion projects and deep progression |
Nothing screams “solo developer” more than using different sprite styles and free-to-use indie music. Thanks to that, Astlibra is perhaps the most indie game on this list. Whether it’s through its honest, earnest storytelling, an unforgettable cast of characters, expansive progression systems, or frenetic combat a la the old Tales Of games, Astlibra is a fine and very welcome addition to the 2D RPG genre.
In this game, you play as a young man who’s searching far and wide for a missing girl he met in his childhood. Oh, and you’ll also stumble upon the legendary Scales of Astraea, which lets their bearer mess with time. Admittedly, it’s very tropey, and yet it does nothing to detract from the game’s charm. Astlibra knows that you’re here for a good time, and it has that in spades.
My Verdict: Rough around the edges but overflowing with heart. A hidden gem that deserves more attention.
16. Valheim [Best Indie Survival Adventure]
| Our score | Enebameter 8.4/10
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| Platforms | PC, Linux, macOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| Year of release | 2021 |
| Creator/s | Iron Gate Studio |
| Average playtime | 50-80 hours (all bosses) |
| Best for | Survival adventure fans who love Viking exploration and base-building |
Few open-world survival craft games release with as high a degree of polish as Valheim did. With its carefully cultivated blend of exploration, base building, character progression, fully functional multiplayer, and retro graphics, Valheim ticked all the right boxes for gamers.
Personally, the best part of Valheim is in how much it pushes you to explore. See, Valheim is divided into biomes of increasing difficulty, and each biome presents not just new dangers but new resources. Whether you’re looking for iron to forge new arms and armor, new types of materials to build your great halls with, or new vistas to admire the sea and stars from, Valheim continually urges you to leave your comfort zone and rewards you for doing so.
Lastly, the game does have mod support, allowing you to tailor your Viking fantasy however you so wish!
My Verdict: Viking fantasy at its finest. Every biome an adventure, every boss a milestone.
17. Circuit Superstars [Best Indie Racing Game]
| Our score | Enebameter 8.2/10
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| Platforms | PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One |
| Year of release | 2021 |
| Creator/s | Original Fire Games |
| Average playtime | 8-15 hours (campaign) |
| Best for | Racing fans who enjoy skill-based driving and pit strategy |
Don’t be fooled by Circuit Superstars’ cartoon exterior. This is a tight, precise racer that rewards player experience and skill, making it one of the best racing games I’ve played in a while.
The game is backed by a robust physics engine, making every bump, crash, and drift very real. Courses tend to be short, tricky, and fun, with lots of tight turns and huge curves that require players to master the physics system, lest they fall behind.
Resource management is the other half of Circuit Superstars. As you drive around the course, your fuel will run out, and careless driving and drifting damage both your health and tires. This presents a tactical choice on whether you duck into a pit stop for a full repair and give up your lead or try to finish the race with your damaged, underperforming vehile.
My Verdict: Pure motorsport in adorable top-down form. Don’t let the cute visuals fool you – this demands respect.
18. Terraria [Best Indie Sandbox Game]
| Our score | Enebameter 8.1/10
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| Platforms | PC, Linux, macOS, 3DS, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, PS3/4, Xbox One, iOS, Android |
| Year of release | 2011 |
| Creator/s | Re-Logic |
| Average playtime | 50-60 hours (main), 200+ hours (completionist) |
| Best for | Sandbox fans seeking Metroidvania-style combat and exploration |
Terraria is often incorrectly written off as a 2D Minecraft clone, but it’s closer to a Metroidvania with some survival craft elements, and a titan among the best indie games ever released.
The meat of the Terraria experience is in adventure, discovery, and combat. Exploration yields new materials that steadily make you stronger, with ores and monster drops crafting into powerful weapons and armor, while power-ups provide much-needed boosts to maximum HP and mana. This isn’t blind generosity, though; Terraria‘s brutal bosses show up when you least expect it. For more games scratching this itch, check out our list of games like Terraria.
Combat-focused as it is, Terraria has plenty to keep builders busy too. A vast selection of blocks and decorations lets you construct a home and eventually an entire town for your NPCs to inhabit.
Among the best indie games for Switch, Terraria is an especially natural fit, with its pick-up-and-play loop translating beautifully to handheld sessions.
My Verdict: One of the best indie games for sheer content density and one of gaming’s best value propositions.
19. Sunless Sea [Best Indie Exploration RPG]
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| Platforms | PC, Linux, OS X, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, iOS |
| Year of release | 2015 |
| Creator/s | Failbetter Games |
| Average playtime | 30-36 hours |
| Best for | Horror RPG fans who appreciate atmospheric storytelling and exploration |
“The oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” This adage encapsulates the adventure-horror experience that Sunless Sea offers. Set in an alternate universe where London fell into the Neath – a massive underground world – you will set sail as a fledgling captain in the lightless Unterzee.
Sunless Sea is a master class in weaving both fear of the awful and fascination with the mysterious in its writing; I’d rate it as one of the best horror games on PC in terms of building dread. But to the brave go the spoils, and you’ll need to learn to carefully temper your hesitation and caution with bravery and perhaps some foolishness.
Lucrative opportunities and profitable adventures await zee captains who dare venture beyond London’s relative safety, and even brushes with madness and death have valuable lessons to teach…provided you can survive.
My Verdict: Slow, atmospheric, and deeply literary. For those who click with it, nothing else compares.
Best Indie RPGs
If you’re after rich worlds, deep mechanics, and stories that stay with you for weeks, these are the best indie RPGs on the list:
- Disco Elysium: The Final Cut – A genre-defying narrative RPG that’s less about combat and more about unraveling the fractured psyche of an amnesiac detective.
- Cassette Beasts – A fresh take on monster-taming with a strategic 2v2 combat system and a soundtrack that genuinely earns its place in the story.
- Astlibra: Revision – A solo-developer passion project overflowing with heart, frenetic combat, and an unexpectedly deep progression system.
Best Indie Platformers
Tight controls, punishing difficulty, and that one-more-run feeling – these indie platformers deliver all of it:
- Spelunky 2 – A brutally unforgiving roguelike platformer that rewards mastery and punishes recklessness in equal measure.
- Terraria – Far more than a 2D sandbox, this is a Metroidvania-style adventure packed with combat, exploration, and an absurd amount of content.
Best Indie Horror Games
Whether you prefer psychological dread or outright chaos, these are the best indie horror games on the list:
- Sunless Sea – A masterclass in atmospheric horror that builds dread through exceptional writing rather than jump scares.
- The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth – A roguelike that wraps deeply disturbing imagery in endlessly replayable, brilliantly designed gameplay.
- Project Zomboid – The most immersive zombie survival sim around, where every decision carries real weight and death is always permanent.
Best Indie Games on Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is a fantastic home for indie games, and these titles from the list are the best indie games for Switch:
- Hades – Arguably the best game on Switch full stop, with combat and storytelling that hold up perfectly in handheld mode.
- Spelunky 2 – Short, punishing sessions make this a perfect fit for portable play.
- Balatro – A dangerously addictive deck-builder that’s almost too easy to pick up for “just one more run” on the go.
- Factorio – Recently brought to Switch, the factory-building epic translates surprisingly well to handheld with full touch support.
Upcoming Indie Games
The best indie games aren’t just the ones you can play right now; some of the most exciting titles are still on the horizon. Here are three upcoming indie games worth keeping on your radar in 2026:
- Witchbrook (2026) – A long-awaited magical life-sim set in a seaside witch academy, from the publishers of Stardew Valley. Think cozy farming and relationships, but with spells.
- Big Walk (2026) – A cooperative multiplayer adventure from the creators of Untitled Goose Game, all about exploring a vast open island with friends using proximity chat and creative puzzle-solving.
- Coromon: Rogue Planet (2026) – A roguelite spin-off of the beloved monster-tamer Coromon, featuring 15+ procedurally generated biomes and 130+ monsters to tame and battle.
The indie scene shows no signs of slowing down, and if these titles are anything to go by, the best indie games of 2026 are far from over. Keep an eye on these; your next obsession might be just around the corner.
My Overall Verdict on the Best Indie Games
Best starting point for players diving into the best indie games? It depends on what kind of experience you’re after.
- For roguelike addicts: Hades offers the perfect blend of smooth combat, rich storytelling, and one-more-run addiction that sets the gold standard for the genre.
- For narrative seekers: Disco Elysium provides unmatched writing depth, letting you roleplay as a disaster detective while questioning everything from politics to the nature of self.
- For puzzle enthusiasts: Blue Prince rewards patience and note-taking with layers of interconnected mysteries that rival the best in the genre.
- For survival fans: Project Zomboid turns every decision into life or death, blending crafting, base-building, and permadeath tension into the ultimate zombie apocalypse sim.
- For cozy vibes: Stray lets you be a cat in a cyberpunk city – short, sweet, and endlessly charming.
- For endless replayability: Balatro and The Binding of Isaac will consume hundreds of hours before you’ve scratched the surface.
No single indie game does everything, but together they capture what makes the scene special: the freedom to innovate, the courage to be weird, and the passion to create something unforgettable. Whatever genre calls to you, one thing’s certain: your next favorite game is probably on this list.
FAQs
Slay the Spire 2 is one of the best indie games available right now, adding new characters, 4-player co-op, and 575+ cards to an already-brilliant formula. It sold over 3 million copies in its first week – proof the Spire still reigns.
That depends on what you’re looking for. Indies tend to have more creative freedom, but less budget than a triple-A game. But if you’re tired of the formulaic, too-safe approach that big studios have towards publishing games, you’ll likely agree with me that indie is better!
Some of the best upcoming indie games to watch are Witchbrook, a cozy magical life-sim from the publishers of Stardew Valley; Big Walk, a co-op adventure from the creators of Untitled Goose Game; and Coromon: Rogue Planet, a roguelite monster-tamer with 130+ creatures.
Yes, but an indie game hasn’t won yet. 2024’s Balatro came really close, though, and Stray was also nominated in 2022.
Minecraft was the biggest indie game prior to its acquisition by Microsoft in 2014. Today, there’s no clear winner, but I’d say that Vampire Survivors or Hollow Knight could make a strong case!
As of 2026, Mewgenics is one of the most popular indie games right now, having sold over a million copies in its first week and surpassing Hades 2‘s concurrent player peak on Steam. Slay the Spire 2 is also dominating the charts since its Early Access launch in March 2026.
The big 3 indie games are generally considered to be Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and Hollow Knight. These three titles are widely credited with proving that indie games could compete with – and in many cases surpass – big-budget AAA releases in both quality and commercial success.
Minecraft was originally an indie game, developed solo by Markus “Notch” Persson and released in 2011. However, it became an AAA title after Microsoft acquired developer Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014. Today, it’s one of the best-selling games of all time, but its indie roots are a big part of what made it special.
A game is considered indie if it’s developed and published independently, without the financial backing of a major publisher. This usually means smaller teams, tighter budgets, and full creative freedom, which is exactly why so many of the best indie games are so bold, original, and memorable.
