5 indie games in this list, released 2010–2024, from developers such as Frictional Games, Zorro, Wilnyl, Philip, thePetHen, Skog, Killmonday Games AB. 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.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a survival horror adventure in which Daniel explores the grim Castle Brennenburg while trying to hold on to his sanity. Rather than fighting, players avoid monsters and disturbing events, a design widely credited with influencing horror games that followed. Swedish studio Frictional Games developed and published it in 2010 using its HPL Engine; it won several awards, holds a Metacritic score of 85 and helped popularise Let's Play videos.
By Zorro, Wilnyl, Philip, thePetHen, Skog · Sweden
Content Warning is a co-op survival horror game for up to four players who ride a diving bell into an abandoned underground realm called the Old World. There they film the monsters they encounter, then head back up to post the footage on the in-game site SpöökTube. Hitting view-count targets keeps the run going, and ad money buys upgrades. Published by Landfall and developed in Sweden, it arrived on Windows on 1 April 2024 as an April Fools' Day release.
Fran Bow is a graphic adventure with a strong thread of psychological horror running through it. It was developed and produced by Killmonday Games, an independent studio from Sweden, and built with GameMaker. The game first arrived on PC in 2015, followed by mobile versions a year later and console ports in 2023. The facts at hand focus on its genre and release history rather than specific puzzles, so it suits players drawn to unsettling point-and-click stories.
Mouthwashing is a horror adventure set aboard the cargo ship Tulpar after a mysterious crash leaves its crew drifting in space with dwindling supplies. The captain survives, badly injured and unable to move or speak, and the others hold him responsible for wrecking the ship on purpose. Swedish studio Wrong Organ developed the game and Critical Reflex published it in 2024, and it earned wide praise for its storytelling and distinctive visual style.
SOMA is a science fiction survival horror game in which Simon Jarrett wakes inside an underwater research station full of machines that seem to have personalities of their own. Play centres on sneaking past threats, solving puzzles and uncovering the station's past, with less weight on inventory and more on story and character. Swedish studio Frictional Games developed and published it in 2015 using its HPL Engine, and it holds a Metacritic score of 84.