16 Best Indie Games You’ve Got To Play in 2026

II’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.

Our Top Picks for Best Indie Games

While there are a ton of great indie games, there are also going to be a few that shine brighter than the rest. Here are my picks for the best of the best on this list:

1. Hades (2020) – A fast-paced mythological action roguelike.
2. Spelunky 2 (2020) – A dynamic action-adventure platformer in ancient ruins.
3. Disco Elysium (2019) – A literal novel of a CRPG that shook the genre up.

These titles are just scratching the surface, though. Read on to discover my list of indie gems. Who knows, your new favorite might be a scroll away!

16 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. Hades [Best Indie Roguelike]

Our score	10 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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 isn’t just a great indie game, it’s 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 instead opts for pulse-pounding, mechanically tight action roguelike gameplay. With short, intense runs punctuated by spectacular boss fights, it’s very hard to put Hades down.

While escaping the underworld is a daunting task, you’ll get many tools to help you along the way. Players can unlock a myriad of weapons and passive upgrades, as well as partake of divine boons that allow you to tailor your build.

The cherry on top of all this is Hades’ rich storytelling that’s expertly woven into the action gameplay. And if you’re worried that the game is too hard for you to enjoy the story, there are accessibility options too.

My Verdict: A masterclass in roguelike design. If you play one game from this list, make it Hades.

2. Spelunky 2 [Best Indie Platformer]

Our score	9.9 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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

For those who prefer an indie mix of puzzles and action, Spelunky 2 should hit the spot. This surprisingly fast and snappy action platformer roguelike 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? It’s anything but. 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. But with each failure comes knowledge, and while Spelunky 2 punishes haste and recklessness, it also rewards mastery and knowledge. Just remember to look before you leap!

My Verdict: Brutal, unforgiving, and absolutely brilliant. Failure is the best teacher here – and victory never tasted sweeter.

3. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut [Best Indie Narrative RPG]

Our score	9.8 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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. This game totally upended the CRPG genre because of its unique take.

While the game is (on the surface level) about an amnesiac detective investigating a homicide, it’s more of a commentary on the concept of the “self”. The detective is a blank canvas – he has no memories, and with that loss of memories comes the loss of faculties and ideologies. Each of your mental and physical capabilities is a fully fleshed out character, while every political ideology is made fun of. But whether you decide to rebuild your life around certain skills or philosophies, your journey will eventually end and you’ll have to answer one question: will you stay, or will you turn and move forward?

My Verdict: Unlike anything else in the RPG space. If you have patience for reading and appetite for originality, this is essential.

4. Blue Prince [Best Indie Puzzle Adventure]

Our score	9.7 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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 isn’t just one of the best indie games of 2025 – it’s currently the highest-rated game of the entire year, and for good reason. This genre-defying puzzle adventure 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.

What makes Blue Prince special is its brilliant fusion of roguelike mechanics with environmental puzzle-solving. 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. 

But here’s the twist: 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 the likes of Return of the Obra Dinn and Outer Wilds.

Grab a notebook and clear your schedule, because Blue Prince demands – and rewards – your full attention. 

No matter if you’re solving logic puzzles in the Parlor, cracking safes with clues scattered across multiple rooms, or unraveling a surprisingly deep political narrative through letters and notes, every run brings new revelations. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself whispering “just one more day” well past midnight.

My Verdict: A puzzle lover’s dream that keeps revealing new layers. Grab a notebook and clear your weekend.

5. Stray [Best Indie Adventure Game]

Our score	9.6 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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 are concepts that could make a pretty dang good story game. But a simple yet amazing addition to this blend gives Stray a good case for being one of the best story games: you’re forced to play as a cat. And yes, you can do cat stuff, like meow to find your cat gang, type nonsense on keyboards, ask robots for pets, cuddle up to things, and purr. Cat people rejoice!

Stray, however, isn’t a one-hit wonder. 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’ll interact with the setting through different eyes – all of which creates a unique experience.

My Verdict: Short, sweet, and endlessly charming. Perfect for a cozy weekend playthrough.

6. Factorio [Best Indie Automation Game]

Our score	9.5 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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 of an indie game where you play as an engineer who crash-landed on a wild, uncivilized planet. 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 bringing you back home. No biggie.

Where Factorio shines is in its sheer scale. While the first hour will be spent on survival, everything else will be spent on upgrades, iteration, optimization, discovery, and conquest. Each new technology unlocks bigger, better, faster, or more optimal ways to do things, so you’ll never run out of things to do. It’s also satisfying to watch your humble outpost turn into an industrial behemoth that will persist long after you leave the planet – if you want to.

My Verdict: Digital crack for optimization addicts. Approach with caution – and clear your schedule.

7. Project Zomboid [Best Indie Survival Sim]

Our score	9.4 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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 has it all: survival mechanics, crafting, building, weapons, and a merciless horde of zombies. As the sole (or not, if you play multiplayer) 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.

My Verdict: The zombie survival game I always wanted. Tense, immersive, and endlessly replayable.

8. Balatro [Best Indie Deck-Builder]

Our score	9.3 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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 and garnered commercial success and critical acclaim.

Balatro recontextualizes the familiar concept of poker by transforming the entire game into a roguelike. Each time you sit at the Balatro 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. This may sound simplistic, but in practice, Balatro is huge as there are so many combos and synergies that you can cook up (or stumble upon) – making this indie both fun and addicting.

You can find out how get Balatro without paying to start building your own deck immediately.

My Verdict: No right being this addictive. Simple to learn, impossible to put down.

9. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth [Best Indie Action Roguelike]

Our score	9.2 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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 its sheer shock value. What we have here is a roguelike par excellence. 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 hell of a lot of fun, and one of the best roguelikes and indie games.

My Verdict: A roguelike that refuses to quit. Disturbing, hilarious, and utterly essential.

10. Palworld [Best Indie Monster-Collector]

Our score	9.1 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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 us Pokemon 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.

Palworld shines in its dark humor. Capturing monsters? Beat them half to death with a wooden stick, then capture them 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 in Palworld, and it’s this jaded approach that makes the game distinct and most importantly, fun.

My Verdict: Chaotic, irreverent, and surprisingly deep. An absolute blast – especially with friends.

11. Cassette Beasts [Best Indie Turn-Based RPG]

Our score	9 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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.

12. Astlibra: Revision [Best Indie Action RPG]

Our score	8.9 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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.

13. Valheim [Best Indie Survival Adventure]

Our score	8.8 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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.

14. Circuit Superstars [Best Indie Racing Game]

Our score	8.7 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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.

15. Terraria [Best Indie Sandbox Game]

Our score	8.5 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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.

The meat of the Terraria experience is in adventure, discovery, and combat. Exploration yields new materials that you can use to become stronger – ores and monster drops can become powerful weapons and armor, while powerups give a much-needed maximum HP and mana boost – all of which make you stronger. This isn’t blind generosity; Terraria’s brutal bosses show up when you least expect it!

While Terraria is focused on combat, it’s got something for builders, too. There are a ton of blocks and decorations that can be used to create a home, and eventually, a town for your NPCs.

My Verdict: A masterpiece of content density and one of gaming’s best value propositions.

16. Sunless Sea [Best Indie Exploration RPG]

Our score	7 ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
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.

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Upcoming Indie Games

The indie scene shows no signs of slowing down. Here are three upcoming titles worth watching:

1. Slay the Spire 2 – The king of roguelike deckbuilders returns. Set 1,000 years after the original, Slay the Spire 2 introduces new slayers like the Necrobinder alongside returning favorites, plus fresh mechanics like alternate acts and card packs. Early Access launches March 2026 on PC, macOS, and Steam Deck.
2. REANIMAL – From the original creators of Little Nightmares comes a co-op horror adventure promising to be their most terrifying yet. Play as siblings navigating a hellish island to rescue missing friends – alone or with a partner. Launching February 13, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC.
3. Coromon: Rogue Planet – TRAGsoft takes their beloved monster-tamer roguelite with this spin-off. Explore 15+ procedurally generated biomes, tame 130+ monsters, and uncover the secrets of a crashed alien ship. Coming in 2026 to PC, Switch, iOS, and Android.

That wraps up our list of the best indie games! No matter if you’re into roguelikes, survival sims, or puzzle adventures, there’s never been a better time to dive into the indie scene. 

My Overall Verdict

Best starting point for players diving into 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.

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