34 indie games in this list, released 2012–2025, from developers such as Bubblebird Studio, Mango Protocol, Exordium Games. 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.
Haven Park is a relaxed adventure about caring for a nature park. Players wander its grounds, gather materials and put up buildings that help draw visitors in, with exploration encouraged at every turn. It was the debut release of Bubblebird Studio, published by Mooneye Studios in 2021 as the first title in its Mooneye Indies line for smaller creators. Reviewers enjoyed its presentation and gentle tone but were less taken with its mechanics and puzzles.
Agatha Knife is a darkly satirical point-and-click adventure whose protagonist founds a religion in order to persuade animals to accept being slaughtered. It belongs to the Psychotic Adventures universe shared with MechaNika, an earlier title by the same team. Spanish independent developer Mango Protocol first built it in Java and released it in 2017, later moving it to Unity for consoles; reviewers liked its look and dark tone but were split on its puzzles.
Bear with Me is an episodic point-and-click adventure from Croatian developer Exordium Games, with its first episode arriving in August 2016. Drawing on film noir, it follows Amber and her detective companion Ted E. Bear as they search for her missing brother, Flint. The story unfolded across three episodes that were later gathered into a Complete Collection, and a prequel called The Lost Robots followed in 2019.
Beautiful Desolation is an isometric point-and-click adventure set in a post-apocalyptic future version of South Africa. After alien technology hurls two brothers forward in time, they have to find a way to return home. It was made and self-published by The Brotherhood, a South African studio, and released in February 2020 for Windows, Mac and Linux, earning a Metacritic score of 76.
By Tiger and Squid, Team17 Digital Ltd · Netherlands
Beyond Eyes is an adventure game from Tiger and Squid, a developer from the Netherlands, published by Team17. It was released on Steam in August 2015 for Windows, Mac and Linux. Available sources describe it simply as an adventure title, so its gameplay details are best confirmed on its store page. It sits among the smaller independent releases to come out of the Dutch indie scene during that period.
Cradle is a first-person science-fiction adventure that explores the theme of transhumanism. Players investigate their surroundings in a desert setting, piecing together a story centred on the bond between the protagonist and a mechanical girl. It was developed by Flying Cafe for Semianimals, a studio based in Ukraine, built on the Unigine engine, and released in 2015 for Windows and Linux.
In Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit, a classic point-and-click adventure, players work to unravel a mystery tied to Lithuanian history. As in the classic genre, progress comes from investigating locations and working through the puzzles the story puts in the way. It was developed by Lithuanian studio Tag of Joy and published through Headup, with a release in May 2022 on Windows, Mac and Linux. Further details of its plot are not covered by the available sources.
Darkestville Castle is a comedic point-and-click adventure in which the player takes the role of a sarcastic demon. Progress comes from solving puzzles and tricking the gullible characters around you as you try to restore mischief to the town. Argentine developer Epic Llama Games created it, and ESDigital Games released it in 2017 for Windows, Mac and Linux. Steam lists it simply as an indie adventure.
Deponia is a comedic point-and-click graphic adventure following Rufus, who lives on a planet made of junk and dreams of escaping to Elysium, a city floating above it. His plans shift when he ends up helping an Elysian get home and stumbles onto a scheme endangering Deponia itself. Daedalic Entertainment of Germany developed and published it in 2012, and it opened a series continued by Chaos on Deponia, Goodbye Deponia and Deponia Doomsday.
Dreamfall Chapters is an episodic 3D adventure focused on conversations with characters, exploring the world and solving puzzles. It continues The Longest Journey series, following Zoe Castillo across the cyberpunk Earth of Stark and the magical realm of Arcadia. It was made by Norwegian independent studio Red Thread Games, founded by series writer Ragnar Tornquist, and funded partly through a Kickstarter that raised more than 1.5 million dollars.
ENA: Dream BBQ is an episodic adventure focused on exploration, starring ENA, a humanoid figure trying to reach a mysterious character called the Boss. Players roam strange environments, talk with other characters, complete tasks, navigate mazes and solve puzzles. It was made by ENA Team in Peru, and its first chapter, Lonely Door, launched in March 2025, with more chapters planned. Reviewers widely described the experience as surreal.
Firewatch puts players in the boots of Henry, a fire lookout spending a summer in Wyoming's Shoshone National Forest. His only link to the outside is his supervisor Delilah on a walkie-talkie, and the dialogue lines the player picks shape how their bond grows while an old mystery surfaces. American developer Campo Santo made the game, co-published with Panic in 2016, and it later won Best Narrative at the Game Developers Choice Awards in 2017.
As its subtitle suggests, Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure takes the point-and-click adventure format into Cthulhu-themed territory. Romanian developer Stuck In Attic developed and published it, releasing it on Steam and GOG in August 2019 for Windows, macOS and Linux, with a Nintendo Switch version as well. It holds a Metacritic score of 74 and carries an indie tag on Steam.
Gods Will Be Watching is a point-and-click adventure pitched as a thriller, dropping the player into a series of tense scenarios and asking them to avert a crisis in each. Its core loop revolves around juggling scarce resources against the clock. Spanish studio Deconstructeam built it in GameMaker, and Devolver Digital published it in July 2014 for Windows, macOS and Linux, with an iOS port arriving in December 2015.
Herald: An Interactive Period Drama is a single-player adventure with visual novel elements and a branching story. Players decide how the protagonist Devan Rensburg acts and talks to others, which reshapes the plot, and the game tackles colonialism and other social themes. It was the debut of Wispfire, an indie studio in Utrecht, Netherlands, released in 2017. It won the Indie Prize Showcase award for Best Narrative at Casual Connect in 2015.
J.U.L.I.A. Among the Stars is a 2014 science fiction adventure game from Czech studio CBE Software, remaking the earlier J.U.L.I.A. with improved graphics, altered gameplay and a broader story. The studio developed and published it itself, releasing it on Windows, macOS and Linux in September 2014, and it holds a Metacritic score of 71.
Miniatures, a point-and-click adventure, was developed and self-published by Other Tales Interactive, a studio based in Denmark. It came out in 2024 on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Nintendo Switch. As a point-and-click title, it is played by exploring scenes and interacting with them through the cursor, and its Steam listing places it in the adventure and casual categories for players looking for a relaxed pace.
MirrorMoon EP is a space exploration game with puzzle elements, built on Mirror Moon, a 2012 prototype that began life at a game jam. It takes inspiration from Noctis IV, another Italian indie title. Santa Ragione, a Milan studio in Italy, both developed and published it in 2013. By October 2013 it had sold 8,000 copies, and it holds a Metacritic score of 73.
Near-Mage combines point-and-click adventure play with RPG elements. It comes from Romanian developer Stuck In Attic, which handled both development and publishing, and it was released for Windows, macOS and Linux in May 2025. On Steam it is filed under the adventure and indie categories, and it supports all three major desktop platforms from launch.
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.
Pilgrims is a graphic adventure made and self-published by Czech studio Amanita Design. It is classed as a point-and-click puzzle adventure with an art-game sensibility, offering relaxed, casual play rather than action. Released in October 2019 for Windows, macOS, Linux and Apple Arcade, it was among the earliest games offered through Apple Arcade and later came to Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android.
Piposh is an episodic point-and-click comedy adventure that reboots a series Israeli studio Guillotine originally produced between 1999 and 2003. Players follow the misadventures of Hezi Piposh, a failed actor chasing a lead role in a film, exploring locations, picking up items, and talking with characters to move the story on. Initially planned in several parts, it was completed as a single release in 2021.
Sunset is a narrative adventure in which players become Angela Burnes, a housekeeper employed in the lavish apartment of the mysterious Gabriel Ortega, in the fictional South American nation of Anchuria. While doing her daily chores she gradually learns about his life and his role in a growing revolution, and her choices shape how she engages with it. Belgian studio Tale of Tales released it in 2015 on Windows, macOS and Linux, and it was their final commercial game.
The Darkside Detective is a point-and-click adventure with a detective theme, focused on investigating cases through classic adventure-game interaction. It was developed by Spooky Doorway, a studio in Ireland, and published by Akupara Games, launching on July 27, 2017 for Windows, macOS and Linux before reaching consoles. It was later followed in 2021 by a sequel titled A Fumble in the Dark.