37 indie games in this list, released 2010–2023, from developers such as Olli Harjola, Otto Hantula, Tom Jubert, Carlo Castellano, Puzzling Dream, Splashteam. 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 Olli Harjola, Otto Hantula, Tom Jubert, Carlo Castellano · Finland
The Swapper is a 2013 science fiction puzzle-platformer from Facepalm Games, an indie studio based in Helsinki, Finland. Stranded on an abandoned research station, the player finds a device that creates clones and lets her shift her mind between them, using it to solve puzzles and uncover what happened to the researchers. Its story explores consciousness and identity, and critics met the game with wide acclaim.
A 2D cinematic platformer from Polish studio Puzzling Dream, The Way follows a space explorer who cannot come to terms with his wife's death. After discovering ancient texts about eternal existence on one of his final expeditions, he returns to that site hoping to bring her back. PlayWay published it for Windows in 2016, and its play combines platforming with puzzle solving.
Tinykin is a 3D puzzle platformer from Splashteam, a studio in France, published by tinyBuild. Researcher Milodane explores a strange planet and gathers tiny creatures with special abilities that help him reach new areas and complete goals. It began as Bubble Town at the 2019 Global Game Jam and takes cues from Pikmin and Paper Mario. Released in August 2022, it earned honorable mentions at the Independent Games Festival.
In Unbound: Worlds Apart you guide Soli, a mage who can open portals into alternate realities, each with its own effect such as bending time, reversing gravity or transforming Soli himself. These portals drive the puzzle-platforming as you gather crystals that unlock gates to the dark world. Romanian studio Alien Pixel Studios developed and published it in 2021 after a Kickstarter campaign, and it received generally favorable reviews.
VVVVVV is a puzzle platformer where you cannot jump; instead you flip gravity so Captain Viridian falls up or down. You guide the captain through over 400 rooms to find a crew scattered by a teleporter accident, and the game also supports levels made by players. It was created by Terry Cavanagh from Ireland, first built in Adobe Flash and released in 2010, and a later C++ port helped it reach many more platforms.
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.
Ayo: A Rain Tale is a puzzle platformer about a young girl who crosses the harsh lands of sub-Saharan Africa to fetch water for her family during a drought. Players push boulders, solve puzzles, face enemies and deal with heat and a day-night cycle along the way. The game was made to raise awareness of water scarcity. It is the debut of Inkline, a studio based in Beirut, Lebanon, and launched on PC before coming to mobile.
Bargan's Treasure is a narrative puzzle-platforming adventure set in a hand-painted, deserted village inspired by the mountains of Saudi Arabia. You explore ruins, work out the strange inventions of Bargan and restore water and power to the village while tracing a dagger lost for centuries. It is being made by Up One Games, which the IsaKaba directory lists as a studio from Saudi Arabia.
Colored Effects is a 2D puzzle platformer in which each colour gives the player a different ability. You switch between colours and their effects to get through levels, collect gems, beat bosses and solve environmental puzzles. It is the first PC release from TACSOU, the one-person studio of Moroccan developer Soufiane Tacherifine, and it is also sold on Nintendo Switch.
Nrem is a 2D puzzle platformer set in surreal dream worlds and built around a reflection mechanic that opens new ways to move. You play Lou, a dream-world watcher who breaks a rule of non-intervention by stealing a piece of a mirror linked to a struggling human, which drives a quiet story about memory and empathy. It is developed by AstraValle, a three-person studio from Saudi Arabia.
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.
Monochroma is a cinematic puzzle platformer and the first game from the Istanbul-based Nowhere Studios. You play a boy carrying his little brother through a dystopian 1950s world, and most puzzles revolve around keeping the younger child safe while you move ahead. Its focus on protecting a sibling gives the puzzles an emotional weight that most platformers never try for.
Semblance is a puzzle platformer in which you can deform the world: press into a surface and it stays bent, reshaping the level into the path you need. Playing with that single mechanic, the game keeps finding fresh puzzles in soft, squashable terrain. It was developed by the South African studio Nyamakop and is a good example of one idea explored thoroughly.