282 indie games in this list, released 2013–2026, from developers such as ASD Games Studio, Istikan Studio, TACSOU. 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.
Entity: The Black Day is a third-person survival horror game. Former special forces operative Adam is sent into an abandoned underground bio-research lab to find proof of a government-funded viral programme that went wrong, and ends up hunting for its last survivors. It mixes psychological horror, resource management and combat. It was built by Iraqi solo developer Ali Al-Abboodi and released by his studio ASD Games in January 2026.
General Idler is an idle conquest strategy game played on a parallel Earth with 195 stylised nations. You start with one country and a farm, build industries for cash, turn cash into army power and take neighbouring countries, each of which adds permanent multipliers; three rival generals play the same map. It began as a GMTK Game Jam entry. It is developed by Istikan Studio, a team based in Kurdistan, 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.
Kitiplant is a grid-based puzzle game about a group of cats that bring dormant forests back to life. Players guide the cats through handcrafted levels where they must share resources and ration their energy, so every move has to be planned. It was made by Moroccan solo developer Soufiane Tacherifine under the TACSOU name and is available on Steam and, as Kitiplant Mobile, on Google Play.
NOOR is an isometric action-adventure in which the hero Siraj carries a magical lantern that serves as weapon, shield and map. Its light reveals hidden paths and restores lost memories, which in turn unlock new combat and traversal powers across forests, mountains, lakes and deserts inspired by Arabic mythology. It is being developed by Evolite Studio, a game studio from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Operation Stutter is a first-person psychological horror game set in a top-secret Cold War research bunker. You wake with no name or memory and explore a nuclear facility, using a film camera that shifts reality to solve puzzles while facing creatures tied to paranoia and a fractured identity. It was shown at Gamescom. It is the flagship project of Kevir Entertainment, a studio founded in 2023 in Duhok, in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.
Shadowstalk is a top-down multiplayer stealth tactics game in which players are mythological figures summoned into a death game. Each character uses shadows and unique abilities to outwit rivals in real-time battles, aiming to be the last survivor. It is being developed in Unity by Jana Game Studios, an Algerian studio founded in 2014 by Seifeddine Wassim Haddar.
Sheba: A New Dawn is a Metroidvania action RPG set in the ancient Middle Eastern kingdom of Sheba. Players follow Enar, a shepherd who teams up with an escaped jinn, through interconnected realms, fighting monsters and bosses with combo-based combat and unlocking abilities that open new paths. The game draws on regional mythology and history. It was made by Kashkool Games, a three-person Emirati studio in Abu Dhabi founded by the Almansoori brothers.
Silent Realm is an upcoming free single-player action-horror game set in a non-human realm where life has ended and skeletal forms assemble and decay. Searching for a missing brother, the player explores a hostile world with scarce resources, where the environment itself is the main threat. It is the second project of ASD Games Studio, the Iraqi studio founded by developer Ali Al-Abboodi, and is scheduled for 2027.
Sips and Sonnets is a visual novel about Ms Meadows, a retired journalist who runs a small tea shop in the English countryside while preparing for a visit from an old friend. You brew different teas, listen to the stories of customers, and turn each day's conversations into a poem at night. The voice cast includes Bethan Dixon Bate and Lenval Brown, and it was made by London and Jeddah based Blue Tango Street.
Tiny Jar Farm is a cosy idle farming game played on a small seasonal grid. Seeds grow on their own, identical crops merge into stronger plants, and the harvest is cooked into recipes in a kitchen that feeds a gentle production economy. It is designed to reward both short sessions and long breaks. It is available on PC and mobile and is developed by Istikan Studio, a game studio rooted in Kurdistan, Iraq.
Among the Sleep is a first-person horror adventure from the Norwegian studio Krillbite Studio in which you play a small child. Trapped in a strange nightmare, you crawl and toddle through your home and beyond while searching for your mother. Seeing everything from a toddler's height makes familiar spaces feel threatening.
Blasphemous is a Metroidvania from the Spanish studio The Game Kitchen, set in the dark world of Cvstodia. You explore, upgrade your abilities and fight through hordes of enemies with brutal hack-and-slash combat and savage executions. It began as a Kickstarter campaign in 2017 and draws heavily on religious imagery.
Children of Morta is a story-driven action RPG with roguelike elements about the Bergson family, the guardians of Mount Morta, who must hold back a spreading evil called the Corruption. Rather than a lone hero, you lead the whole family, each member with their own flaws, strengths and part to play in the story. It was developed by Dead Mage, a studio with roots in Iran.
Conarium is a first-person Lovecraftian horror adventure from the Turkish studio Zoetrope Interactive, inspired by H. P. Lovecraft's novella At the Mountains of Madness. It follows a group of scientists who try to push past what they believe are the limits of nature, and it favors atmosphere, exploration and puzzles over combat. A good pick for fans of slow-burn cosmic horror.
Critters for Sale is an unusual adventure by the Moroccan independent developer Sonoshee, described as a hybrid of point-and-click adventure and visual novel. It is an episodic collection of five short stories tied together by themes such as time travel, black magic and immortality. Its striking, experimental presentation makes it one of the more distinctive indie releases from North Africa.
Darkwood is a survival horror game from the Polish studio Acid Wizard Studio. By day you scavenge and explore a strange, ever-changing forest, and by night you barricade your hideout and try to survive until morning. It builds dread through sound, limited vision and uncertainty rather than cheap scares.
Dead Cells is a roguelike Metroidvania action game from the French independent developer Motion Twin. You play a strange creature fighting its way out of a diseased island, with levels that change on every run and no checkpoints to fall back on. Fast, fluid combat and a huge variety of weapons keep each attempt feeling fresh.
Detention is a 2D atmospheric horror adventure from the Taiwanese studio Red Candle Games, set in 1960s Taiwan under martial law. It weaves religious elements from Taiwanese culture and mythology into a story about fear, guilt and memory. The game is widely admired for using horror to explore a real and painful period of history.
DreadOut is a third-person supernatural horror game from the Indonesian independent developer Digital Happiness. A group of high school students find an abandoned town, and Linda has to face its ghosts armed mostly with her smartphone camera. Its Indonesian setting and supernatural themes make it a distinctive entry in the survival horror genre.
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.
Kingdom Rush is a tower defense game from the Uruguayan studio Ironhide Game Studio, set in a medieval fantasy kingdom under attack. You place and upgrade towers along fixed roads to stop waves of monsters, earning gold with every defeated enemy. It is a polished, approachable classic of the tower defense genre and a good introduction to the Uruguayan games scene.
La-Mulana is a ruin-exploration action game from the Japanese developer NIGORO, originally designed to look and feel like an MSX game and later remade in a richer 16-bit style. You explore sprawling ancient ruins in search of a legendary treasure, deciphering clues and surviving traps. It is famous for difficult, notebook-worthy puzzles and old-school challenge.
Loop Hero is a roguelike from the Russian studio Four Quarters in which you never control the hero directly. Instead the hero walks a looping road on their own, and you shape each expedition by placing cards that add enemies, buildings and terrain around the loop. That simple twist turns a familiar fantasy adventure into a thoughtful game of planning and risk.