External Discovery
30 indie games in this list, released 2013–2026, from developers such as UPLAY Online, Danar Dev, Istikan 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 UPLAY Online · Spain
Youtubers Life blends life simulation with business simulation, and Steam also tags it as a casual, strategy and adventure title. It comes from U-Play Online (listed on Steam as UPLAY Online), an independent company based in Spain that also handled publishing. The game first appeared in Steam Early Access in May 2016 before its full release in February 2017, and it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.
By Danar Dev · Iraq
Cat's Vote is a pastel-coloured resource management game in which you run a cat household on a tight budget. You pay for electricity, water, food and fun, while prices shift based on a cat government that you help elect by voting, so campaign promises can help or hurt you. It grew from a Game Zanga jam entry. It was made by Danar Kayfi (Danar Dev), a Kurdish Iraqi solo developer who also manages the Game Zanga jam.
By Istikan Studio · Iraq
Istikan Chai is a fast time-management game in which you run a tea cart in a busy Middle Eastern bazaar. Players take orders, prepare chai quickly and accurately, master recipes and upgrade the stall into a larger business while keeping customers from losing patience. It is available on PC and mobile. It is developed by Istikan Studio, based in Kurdistan, Iraq, and grew out of a GameJamPlus MENA 2023 entry.
By Lazy Bear Games · Russia
Graveyard Keeper is a darkly comic management sim from the independent Russian studio Lazy Bear Games. An ordinary man wakes up in a medieval fantasy world and is put in charge of the village graveyard while he searches for a way home. Between crafting, farming and tending graves, the game keeps nudging you toward morally questionable shortcuts.
By Lucas Pope
Papers, Please puts you behind a border checkpoint desk, checking documents against a rulebook that grows stricter every day. The work is simple and repetitive on purpose, and the tension comes from the choices it forces: follow the rules, feed your family, or help the person in front of you. A small-scale game that became a lasting reference for storytelling through mechanics.
By ConcernedApe · United States
Stardew Valley starts with an overgrown farm and leaves the rest to you: plant seasonal crops, raise animals, fish, mine caves and get to know the people of a small town. There is no single right way to spend a day, which is exactly its appeal. Created by one developer, it became one of the clearest proofs that a solo indie project can define a whole genre.