22 indie games in this list, released 2013–2025, from developers such as Alexander Bruce, League of Geeks, Cranky Watermelon. Pick one to read our editorial note and jump to its store page.
These are editorial pages. The developers and publishers are not affiliated with The Gaming Nest unless explicitly stated.
Antichamber is a first-person puzzle platformer set in a space that breaks the normal rules of geometry. Corridors can lead somewhere different depending on which way you face, and many puzzles rely on structures that could not exist in ordinary three-dimensional space, with short messages offering hints and life advice. It was created by Australian developer Alexander Bruce, built on Unreal Engine 3, and released for Windows on Steam in January 2013.
Armello is a digital board game that blends role-playing with turn-based strategy in a fantasy kingdom of animal clans. Up to four players each take control of a hero competing to become the next ruler, using dice rolls and cards drawn from a deck, so every move shapes how the match plays out. It was developed by League of Geeks in Australia with support from Screen Australia and Film Victoria, partly funded through Kickstarter, and released in 2015.
Boomerang Fu is a fighting game in which players take control of cheerful food characters who battle each other with boomerangs. Beyond throwing and catching their boomerangs, fighters can grab various superpowers that change how each round plays out. It was developed and published by Cranky Watermelon, a studio from Australia, and launched in August 2020 on Windows, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One to generally favorable reviews.
City of Brass is a first-person, single-player dungeon crawler set in a procedurally generated city inspired by the Arabian Nights. Playing as a thief, you fight through winding corridors, courtyards and rooms full of traps and enemies in search of treasure hidden at the city's heart. It was developed by Uppercut Games, an independent studio from Australia, using Unreal Engine 4, and entered Steam Early Access in September 2017 before its 2018 release.
Crawl is a local multiplayer brawler set in randomly generated dungeons for up to four players or bots. One player is the hero while the others are spirits who possess traps and monsters, trying to kill the hero so they can take that role themselves. It was made by the Australian developer Powerhoof, first appearing in Steam Early Access in 2014 before its full release in April 2017.
Cult of the Lamb is a roguelike that splits its time between combat and community building. As a lamb spared from execution by an imprisoned god, you raise a devoted cult and head out on crusades through dungeons to defeat four bishops, then return home for calmer stretches of managing your followers. Made in 2022 by Massive Monster, a studio from Australia, with Devolver Digital publishing, it was nominated three times at the 19th BAFTA Games Awards ceremony, Best Game among them.
Exo One is a science fiction adventure game with a casual, exploratory feel and simulation elements, according to its store genres. Exbleative, a developer from Australia, made it, with Future Friends Games handling publishing, and it launched for Windows and Xbox in November 2021. A PlayStation release followed in June 2024, bringing the game to a wider audience.
Game Dev Tycoon is a business simulation in which you run your own video game company. Starting small, players design and release games, shaping each project and steering the business as it grows, in a strategy loop that critics often compared with Kairosoft's Game Dev Story, which inspired it. It was created by Greenheart Games, an Australian company that the brothers Patrick and Daniel Klug founded in 2012, and first released in December 2012.
Hand of Fate is an action RPG that combines deck building with roguelike dungeon runs. A mysterious Dealer lays out each randomized dungeon from cards on a tabletop, narrating events and asking for choices, and when a fight breaks out the game shifts into third-person brawling that rewards well-timed attacks, blocks and dodges. It was developed and published by the Australian studio Defiant Development, entering early access in 2014 and fully releasing in February 2015.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a Metroidvania and the follow-up to Hollow Knight, starring Hornet after she is captured and carried to the unfamiliar kingdom of Pharloom. Players explore a large web of connected regions, fighting enemies, clearing platforming challenges and taking on quests with an expanding set of skills, tools and movement abilities. It was made by Team Cherry, an independent studio from Australia, and released in September 2025 after growing from a planned expansion into a full sequel.
Mars First Logistics is a transport simulation about building your own rovers and other vehicles to carry odd cargo across the surface of Mars. Set in a science fiction future, your deliveries help support the colonization of the planet, and the game can be played solo or cooperatively with up to three players. It was developed by Shape Shop, a studio based in Melbourne, Australia, and left early access for a full release in September 2025.
Moving Out 2 is a cooperative simulation game and a sequel to Moving Out. Players work together to carry objects through a series of levels without crashing into obstacles, in a mix that draws on strategy, puzzle and party game ideas. It was developed by SMG Studio from Australia together with DevM Games, published by Team17, and released in 2023 for PC and a range of consoles.
Never Give Up is a 2D platformer about Blue, a stick figure who wakes inside a strange facility and tries to get out. Levels are grouped into sets, each replaying the same layout in steadily harder variations that test persistence. Developed by Massive Monster from Australia with Tasselfoot and published by Armor Games in August 2019, it reboots the Give Up series and features voice acting by Arin Hanson.
One Dreamer is a story-driven adventure game in which some sections have players solve puzzles by writing and editing code. Critics highlighted both that unusual puzzle design and its emotionally affecting storytelling. It was made by the independent developer F2House, a team from Darwin, Australia, headed by Gareth Ffoulkes, who spent around seven years on the project before its release in 2022.
Project Wingman is a combat flight-action game set on an alternate Earth, where a silent mercenary pilot flies for United Cascadia in its war for independence from the Pacific Federation. Alongside the story campaign, a roguelike Conquest mode has you capture territory, buy aircraft and hire support while enemy resistance grows. It was developed by Sector D2 from Australia on Unreal Engine 4 and released for Windows in December 2020, with optional VR support throughout.
Schedule I is an open-world crime simulator with a dark comic streak. Players start a drug trafficking business in Hyland Point, a fictional city, and grow it over time, mixing business management with tactical strategy as the operation expands. It is developed by TVGS (Tyler's Video Game Studio) from Australia and entered early access on Windows in March 2025, where it picked up a large audience through Twitch and TikTok livestreams.
The Adventure Pals is a platformer with action and role-playing elements, focused on running, jumping and fighting through its levels, according to its listed genres. It was the debut game from Massive Monster, a studio from Australia, and was published by Armor Games Studios. The game released on April 3, 2018, arriving on PC alongside Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
The Drifter is a point-and-click adventure with a pulp flavor, in which players explore scenes, interact with characters and objects, and push the story forward through classic adventure-game interaction. It was developed and published by Powerhoof, a studio from Australia, working with Dave Lloyd. The game came out for Windows, macOS and Linux in July 2025, with Nintendo Switch versions following later.
Unpacking is a relaxed puzzle game with simulation elements, built around a calm, casual pace rather than pressure or combat. It was developed by the independent Australian studio Witch Beam and released in 2021 across PC and consoles. The game was widely celebrated, winning two BAFTA Games Awards and Eurogamer's Game of the Year, plus a D.I.C.E. honour recognising outstanding achievement by an independent game.
Untitled Goose Game is a comic stealth puzzle game in which you play a troublesome goose loose in an English village. Using the goose's abilities, players move objects and manipulate the villagers to tick off a list of objectives, all without any violence. Developed by the Australian studio House House and published by Panic in 2019, it took Game of the Year at both the D.I.C.E. Awards and the Game Developers Choice Awards.
Webbed is a physics-driven puzzle platformer starring a peacock spider on a mission to rescue her boyfriend after a bowerbird snatches him away. Players spin webs to swing across gaps, build bridges and drag objects around, getting help from other bugs along the way in a fantasy take on Queensland. It was made by Sbug Games, a studio based in Brisbane, Australia, and released in September 2021 after an earlier prototype appeared on itch.io.
Hollow Knight is a hand-drawn action-adventure set in a vast underground kingdom of insects, where every new ability reopens places you already walked past. Its combat asks for patience and pattern-reading rather than button speed, and much of its story is found rather than told. A benchmark for small-team Metroidvania design from an independent Australian studio.