External Discovery
18 indie games in this list, released 2015–2026, from developers such as RocketPunch Games, Metal Head Games, FYQD-Studio. 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.
By RocketPunch Games · China
Anomaly Collapse is a turn-based strategy roguelite developed by Chinese studio RocketPunch Games, with Spiral Up Games as publisher. It was released for Microsoft Windows in April 2024, with a Nintendo Switch port arriving in July 2025. The game combines turn-based strategy with the roguelite format, and Steam lists it as an indie strategy title for players who enjoy planning their moves.
By Metal Head Games · China
Back to the Dawn is a narrative-driven role-playing game from Chinese studio Metal Head Games, published by Spiral Up Games and fully released in 2025. Playing as Thomas the Fox or undercover agent Bob the Panther, you spend 21 in-game days inside Boulderton Prison. Time only moves when you act, so choosing activities, conversations and hours of sleep carefully is central, and those choices lead to several different endings.
By FYQD-Studio · China
Bright Memory is a first-person shooter made by one Chinese developer in his spare time under the FYQD Personal Studio name, built in Unreal Engine 4 and published by Playism. It blends gunplay with hack-and-slash elements. It entered Steam Early Access in January 2019 as Episode 1 and left it in March 2020. Instead of a second episode, it was rebuilt into the longer Bright Memory: Infinite, free for Windows owners.
By SpaceCan · China
Juicy Realm, a twin-stick shooter with a roguelike structure, comes from Chinese studio SpaceCan Games, with X.D. Network and PM Studio publishing. It launched on Windows and macOS in May 2018, followed by Nintendo Switch in 2019, iOS and Android in 2020, and PlayStation 4 and 5 in 2024. Steam lists it under Action, Adventure, Casual and RPG, reflecting a shooter that borrows role-playing and adventure elements.
By peropero · China
Muse Dash is a rhythm game that fuses music timing with side-scrolling action, so hitting notes also means attacking enemies as your character runs through each stage. It uses a 2D anime art style. The developer, PeroPeroGames, is based in China, and the game first appeared on mobile in 2018 before reaching Windows and macOS in June 2019, with hasuhasu handling publishing.
By Veewo Games · China
Neon Abyss, from Chinese studio Veewo Games, is a run-and-gun game with roguelike elements released in 2020 with Team17 as its main publisher. Members of the Grim Squad descend the Abyss through levels built from procedurally generated rooms, hunting powerful beings called the New Gods. Players fight with a range of firearms and special abilities, and critics gave it a generally positive reception.
By Recreate Games · China
Party Animals is a multiplayer party game built around physics-based brawling, developed by Chinese studio Recreate Games, with Source Technology publishing. It released in September 2023 on Windows and both Xbox One and Series X/S, with a PlayStation 5 port following in January 2025. The game runs on Unity and is listed on Steam as a casual indie action title designed for playing with others.
By Doraccoon · China
Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike is a 2026 roguelike themed around arcade coin pushers, made by Chinese studio Doraccoon, with Playstack publishing. Players fire their own coins to knock others off the cabinet edge or trigger special abilities while collecting tickets, and can buy new coin types and upgrades that change how coins behave. It is the first game from the three-person Shanghai studio, built over about two years.
By Blackfire · China
Runestone Keeper is a roguelike game developed and self-published by Blackfire Games, a studio from China, with its iOS version handled by Cimu. It released on Windows and Mac OS X in March 2015, then arrived on iOS later that year and on Android in 2017. Steam tags it with the Strategy, RPG and Casual genres, while Wikidata classifies it more broadly as a strategy video game.
By 汉家松鼠Han-Squirrel Studio · China
Sands of Salzaar is a fantasy strategy action RPG from Chinese indie studio Han-Squirrel Studio, published by Hong Kong's XD and fully released in 2021. Players create a character, fight battles, recruit troops, run a fief and delve into dungeons across a war-torn realm where five factions compete. It offers a story campaign and a sandbox mode, and has been likened to a blend of Mount & Blade, Diablo and Dynasty Warriors.
By 零创游戏(ZerocreationGame) · China
This visual novel, The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty, takes place in a famine-stricken China. It follows a bandit who deals in human lives as he escorts four girls, one of them mute and bent on revenge, and the story turns toward redemption as secrets surface. Chinese developer ZerocreationGame made it and co-published it with 2P Games in 2024. It holds a Metacritic score of 79.
By Everscape Games · China
Threefold Recital is a narrative adventure game developed by Chinese indie studio Everscape Games and published by indienova. It was released for Microsoft Windows in January 2025. Wikidata classes it as an action-adventure game, while Steam files it under Adventure, placing it among story-led indie adventures on PC. It is the kind of release best suited to players who come for narrative rather than systems.
By Vanimals · China
Undying is a 2023 survival game developed by Chinese studio Vanimals, with Skystone Games publishing. Set during a zombie apocalypse, it follows a mother who has been bitten and must pass on survival skills to her child before she loses her humanity. Its central tension is that race against time. Steam lists it as an indie adventure, and it holds a Metacritic score of 74 from critics.
By 鬼谷工作室 · China
Tale of Immortal is a role-playing game with a sandbox open world rooted in Chinese mythology and Taoist folklore, drawing on the Classic of Mountains and Seas. As a cultivator competing with rival characters, you train martial skills over time with the goal of ascending to godhood. Chinese developer Ghost Valley Studio made it, co-published with Lightning Games, and the full release followed early access in May 2023.
By Spotlightor Interactive · China
Candleman is a 3D puzzle platformer from the Chinese studio Spotlightor Interactive, which began as a Ludum Dare game jam prototype. You play a small candle that can only burn for ten seconds in total, so every moment of light has to be spent carefully while you find your way through the dark. It is a gentle, atmospheric game built around one memorable constraint.
By Moyuwan Games · China
Chinese Parents is a child-raising life simulation from the Beijing-based studio Moyuwan Games. You live a kid's life in China from birth to the end of high school, balancing study, friendships and family pressure on the way to the Gaokao exam. It became a bestseller on Steam and a notable success for the Chinese indie scene.
By Youthcat Studio · China
Dyson Sphere Program is a factory-building simulation from the Chinese studio Youthcat Studio, in which you grow a small workshop into an industrial network spanning a whole galaxy. You gather resources, design production lines and eventually harness the power of entire stars. It launched in early access in 2021 and quickly became a standout in the automation genre.
By Pixpil · China
Eastward is an action-adventure RPG from the Chinese studio Pixpil, set in a society slowly falling apart. You travel east through towns full of strange characters, fighting with a frying pan and other improvised tools alongside a companion with mysterious powers. Its detailed pixel art and warm, bittersweet story are what most players remember.