“There’s just nothing good to play.”
“Gaming is dead.”
“Game developers have gotten lazy.”
If Dr. Mario heard someone say this, he’d immediately recognize the symptoms and tell them they’ve got a fever and the only prescription is more indie games. Because in an industry that offers up a game like Let’s Build a Dungeon that gives players the ability to design and play their very own video games while also trying to run a successful video game company or Cairn, the soul-searching game about one woman’s life-risking journey as she climbs a mountain, anyone saying there’s nothing new to play just isn’t paying attention. With titles such as Blue Prince, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Hades 2, 2025 looked to be an exceptional year for indie games, but what makes the space so special is that there’s always another great game just around the corner. I write about indie games every year, and while I obviously knew about games like Skate Story and Is This Seat Taken, I had never even heard of Pipstrello and the Cursed Yoyo or Keep Driving, and those ended up being two of the most beloved games of the year. The point I’m trying to make is, if you’re someone who is bored with gaming, maybe it’s time to expand your horizon and check out the games I have listed below. I can guarantee that something will catch your eye, and once you find one indie you like, the next thing you know, your entire backlog is filled with indie games.
Bubblegum Galaxy
Developer: Smarto Club
Publisher: Astrolabe Games
“Bubblegum Galaxy is a cozy narrative building game about rebuilding the galaxy tile by tile. Discover and design new planets, complete missions, explore your office and befriend your co-workers… all while trying to find out who deleted the galaxy!”
Cairn
Developer: The Game Bakers
Publisher: The Game Bakers
“Reach a summit never climbed before in this survival-climber from the creators of Furi and Haven. Climb anywhere and plan your route carefully, managing pitons and resources to survive unforgiving Mount Kami. Discover what Aava is willing to sacrifice to achieve the ascent of a lifetime.”
Car Park Capital
Developer: Hilkojj Interactive
Publisher: MicroProse Software
“The car industry needs you to design and build the greatest car parks that simple town life hasn’t seen before. Introduce the need for car commuting and turn neighborhoods into car parks! Use propaganda to convince people to pay you for it. Fight people that see through your oily business.”
ESOTERIC EBB
Developer: Christoffer Bodegård
Publisher: Raw Fury
“Esoteric Ebb is a single-player CRPG inspired by the freedom of tabletop adventures. Unravel a political conspiracy with your goblin sidekick. Roll dice in tense encounters. Become a cleric of legends or completely ruin the campaign.”
FARAWAY
Developer: Steph Thirion
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
“‘I am a shooting star! A spark meant to shine and vanish in a blink. But I will travel! I will mark my trail in every firmament. I will live to see the universe.” Faraway is an immersive, both challenging and chill, procedurally generated audiovisual experience about creating constellations.”
Grave Seasons
Developer: Perfect Garbage
Publisher: Blumhouse Games
“Grave Seasons is a narrative farming sim with a terrifying twist – someone in the town is a supernatural serial killer. Farm, romance, and investigate your way through the unsettling town of Ashenridge.”
Hermit and Pig
Developer: Heavy Lunch Studio LLC
Publisher: Heavy Lunch Studio LLC
“Hermit and Pig is a story-rich, turn-based RPG where you fend off wild assailants, forage mushrooms, survive social anxiety, and stumb”
Ironhive
Developer: Wondernaut Studio
Publisher: CRITICAL REFLEX
“Ironhive is a deckbuilding strategy game about surviving in a dying world. Build your colony, ensure the survival of your people, create a legacy that will be passed on to the next generations. As the Ironlord, you are their only remaining hope.”
Kingmakers
Developer: Redemption Road
Publisher: tinyBuild
“Go back in time to a war-torn medieval era with a vast arsenal of modern weapons, change the course of history, and save the future in this epic action/strategy sandbox. Build your kingdom, grab a gun, and lead an army of thousands into massive, real-time simulated battles — solo or in co-op.”
Let’s Build a Dungeon
Developer: Springloaded
Publisher: Springloaded
“Manage a game studio making the world’s greatest MMORPG. Hire designers, coders, and testers, create a fantasy world, then welcome hundreds of virtual players. If they get bored they will cancel their subscription and your investors will have your head. You can even play the game you create.”
Milki Delivery
Developer: Doot, Blibloop
Publisher: Doot Tiny Games
“Grab your bike and milk bottles, let’s hit the road! Explore the countryside in this short cozy delivery adventure. Befriend folks and gently help them rebuild their community, one bottle at a time. Upgrade your bike, your dairy farm, and venture deeper into a once-lively region.”
Mixtape
Developer: Beethoven and Dinosaur
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
“On their last night together, three friends embark on one final adventure. Play through a mixtape of memories, set to the soundtrack of a generation.”
Neverway
Developer: Coldblood Inc.
Publisher: Coldblood Inc., Outersloth
“After quitting her dead-end job, Fiona starts over on a farm and becomes the immortal herald of a dead god. Make friends, fight through horrors and pay your debt in this nightmarish life sim RPG.”
Paralives
Developer: Alex Massé and team
Publisher: Paralives Studio
“Paralives is a life simulation game about building homes, lives and bonds. Through both hardship and success, where will your story take you?”
Replaced
Developer: Sad Cat Studios
Publisher: Thunderful Publishing
“Expose the sinister secrets of Phoenix Corporation as R.E.A.C.H., an AI trapped in a human body. Set in an alternate 1980s America scarred by nuclear catastrophe, navigate a dark cyberpunk thriller in this narrative-driven 2.5D platformer blending cinematic exploration with fluid, free-flow action.”
Romestead
Developer: Beartwigs
Publisher: Three Friends
“Rome has fallen! Rebuild civilization in this action-adventure survival game for 1-8 players. Fight, build towns and earn favor with the Roman gods! …or just farm your crops.”
Sacrifire
Developer: Pixelated Milk
Publisher: Pixelated Milk
“SacriFire is an upcoming RPG boasting a unique combat system, elaborate pixel art, and music by genre legend Motoi Sakuraba. Ezekiel Ridan, a young priest, struggles to keep his faith as the world he loves is threatened by a war between gods and demons. The adventure begins!”
Slay the Spire 2
Developer: Mega Crit
Publisher: Mega Crit
“The iconic roguelike deckbuilder returns. Craft a unique deck, encounter bizarre creatures, and discover relics of immense power in Slay the Spire 2!”
Streets of Rogue 2
Developer: Matt Dabrowski
Publisher: tinyBuild
“Streets of Rogue 2 is a crazy, immersive RPG sandbox set in a vast randomly generated open world where freedom and fun are dialed up to 11. Fight, sneak, hack, farm, build, steal, or talk your way to power as you try to topple a corrupt president in countless possible ways – solo or with friends.”
The Remake of the End of the Greatest RPG of All Time
Developer: Coin Drop Games, Lucas Immanuel, Jacob Dominick, Kyle Chuang
Publisher: Glootschke Games
“The Remake of the End of the Greatest RPG of All Time” (TRotEotGRPGoAT for short) is the last hour of a lost (nonexistent) JRPG, “remade” with director’s commentary, the digital manual, and archival footage. It’s a deduction puzzle game made from a JRPG that holds a dark secret.
Witchbrook
Developer: Chucklefish, Robotality
Publisher: Chucklefish
“Discover magic and mystery in Witchbrook, a spellbinding witch life-sim for up to 4-players! Start your life as the newest resident witch in the bustling seaside city of Mossport. Make friends, find love, and discover a world filled with wonder and charm on the road to graduation and beyond…”
Writer Tycoon
Developer: Eduard-Mihai Rusu
Publisher: Eduard-Mihai Rusu
“Become a bestselling author in Writer Tycoon! Write books, grow your fanbase, and dominate the publishing industry. Track sales, manage multiple books at once, and adapt to trends. Will you create literary masterpieces or chase quick cash? Become a bestselling author and leave your mark!”
Thinks of a Thoughter 