282 indie games in this list, released 2011–2025, from developers such as Frictional Games, DoubleDutch Games, Die Gute Fabrik. 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.
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.
SpeedRunners is a side-scrolling multiplayer racer in which up to four players run, jump and swing through levels while trying to knock rivals off the screen. Weapons and pickups add chaos, and matches can be played locally or online. It was developed by Dutch studio DoubleDutch Games on Microsoft XNA, published by tinyBuild, and fully released in 2016 after early access; the Electronic Sports League recognised it as an esport in 2015.
Sportsfriends is a party game compilation from Die Gute Fabrik, an independent developer collective in Denmark, bundling four titles: Hokra, BaraBariBall, Super Pole Riders and Johann Sebastian Joust. That last one needs no screen at all, as players try to keep their PlayStation Move controller steady while jostling rivals' controllers. Super Pole Riders is a pole-vaulting game by Bennett Foddy, and the project raised more than US$150,000 on Kickstarter.
Starbound is a 2D action-adventure from UK studio Chucklefish, set across a procedurally generated universe that players roam freely. Exploration yields new weapons, armor and items, and journeys lead to towns and villages populated by a variety of intelligent species. It left early access in July 2016 on Windows, OS X and Linux, and its genre listings point to sandbox and RPG elements alongside its science-fiction setting.
Stardeus casts the player as the artificial intelligence of a wrecked starship carrying drones and human survivors in hibernation. Play centres on directing those drones to patch the damaged vessel, keep the sleeping crew alive and eventually move the ship onward between the stars. It blends colony simulation with strategy and RPG elements. The game comes from Lithuanian studio Kodo Linija, was published by Paradox Arc and launched on Steam in 2022 for Windows, Mac and Linux.
StarMade is an open-world sandbox set in space, built in the mould of Minecraft and blending science fiction with building and exploration. It was developed by Schine GmbH, a company based in Germany, which first released it in 2012 as a public alpha on Windows, macOS and Linux. On Steam it is listed under action, adventure, simulation and strategy, and it remains an early access title there, having appeared on the store in 2014.
State of Anarchy: Master of Mayhem is a casual action game that combines bullet hell shooting with reckless driving through a town in chaos, with aliens attacking from above. Steam categorizes it as action, casual and indie. The Belarusian developer Lapovich Team made and self-published it, releasing it in March 2017 for Windows, Mac and Linux. Beyond that premise, few further gameplay details are verified.
SteamWorld Dig is a platforming action-adventure starring Rusty, a steam-powered robot who inherits a mine beneath the Western steampunk town of Tumbleton. Players dig ever deeper, solving puzzles and platforming past traps and enemies while exploring the underground. Swedish studio Image & Form made it as the second entry in the SteamWorld series, launching first on Nintendo 3DS in 2013 and reaching Windows, Mac and Linux on Steam that December.
Sundered is a Metroidvania action game developed and self-published by Thunder Lotus Games of Canada, first released in July 2017 for PC and PlayStation 4. It belongs to a genre that typically centres on exploring an interconnected map and unlocking new abilities. A definitive release, the Eldritch Edition, reached Switch and Xbox One consoles in December 2018, and Steam lists the game under Action and Adventure.
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.
Super Hexagon is an action game by independent developer Terry Cavanagh, with a soundtrack by Chipzel. It grew out of Hexagon, a prototype Cavanagh made in early 2012 for a game jam lasting twelve hours. The game launched on iOS that September, with Windows and macOS versions arriving three months later. Cavanagh is from Ireland, and the original was built with Adobe Flash tools. It holds a Metacritic score of 88 on its store page.
Super Win the Game is an action role-playing game with platforming roots from American studio Minor Key Games, released on October 1, 2014. A follow-up to the studio's You Have to Win the Game, it is a homage to the Zelda II adventure starring Link. Critics praised it, but weak sales prompted lead developer Kyle Pittman to label it a failure. It came to Windows, Mac and Linux, and Steam files it as an action game.
A 2020 follow-up to Superhot, Mind Control Delete keeps the series in first-person shooter territory while layering roguelike elements onto the mechanics of the 2016 original. It was developed and self-published by Superhot Team, an independent studio based in Poland, and released on Steam for Windows, macOS and Linux. The game carries a Metacritic score of 78 and is tagged on Steam as an indie action title.
Tails of Iron is an action role-playing game from UK developer Odd Bug Studio, with United Label publishing it in 2021. Players take control of an anthropomorphic rat fighting to drive back frogs that have invaded his kingdom. Wikidata tags it as a soulsvania, a label for games that blend Souls-like and Metroidvania traits, and it launched on Steam in September 2021 for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Teleglitch is a roguelike action game from Test3 Projects, a developer based in Estonia, that folds survival horror features into its design. The Die More Edition, released in 2013 and published by Paradox Interactive, is an expanded version that bundles free extra content added after the original launch. It is available on Windows, Mac and Linux, and holds a Metacritic score of 78.
Terra Nil flips the usual city-building formula: instead of expanding and consuming resources, players place structures to rebuild damaged ecosystems and bring nature back. The game draws on the climate crisis and on the ideas of the rewilding movement. It was developed by the South African studio Free Lives together with Clockwork Acorn, published by Devolver Digital, and released on March 28, 2023, with mobile versions offered through Netflix Games.
Terraria is a 2D sandbox adventure with no fixed goals, dropping players into a procedurally generated world to explore, fight monsters, gather materials and craft gear. Defeating bosses opens up stronger items, while townsfolk NPCs move in to trade and offer services, and it supports co-op play and mods. Re-Logic, an American studio, released it in 2011, and ongoing updates since then have reshaped it considerably.
Teslagrad is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer built around magnetism and electromagnetic abilities. Players rely on these powers to solve its puzzles while uncovering a plot involving a tyrannical king. It was developed and published by Norwegian studio Rain Games and released in 2013 to generally positive reviews. A sequel, Teslagrad 2, followed a decade later in 2023, continuing the focus on electromagnetism.
Teslagrad 2 is an action-adventure that borrows ideas from Metroidvania games while keeping a mostly linear route. Players control a young girl with electromagnetic abilities as she tries to make her way back home. This follow-up to Teslagrad was developed by Norwegian studio Rain Games, with a 2023 release. The electromagnetism at its core shapes both how players move through the world and how they overcome obstacles.
The Case of the Golden Idol is a deduction puzzle game in which players gather clues and assemble ideas, people and evidence to make sense of what happened. Its cases trace a story that stretches across four decades of the 18th century. It was made in Latvia by brothers Ernests and Andrejs Klavins of Color Gray Games, built in Godot and released in 2022 through Playstack, and it was recognized with awards among the year's best games.
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.
The Drifter is a point-and-click adventure with a pulp flavor, in which players explore scenes, interact with characters and objects, and push the story forward through classic adventure-game interaction. It was developed and published by Powerhoof, a studio from Australia, working with Dave Lloyd. The game came out for Windows, macOS and Linux in July 2025, with Nintendo Switch versions following later.
The Escapists is a strategy game from UK developer Mouldy Toof Studios, published by Team17, in which you play an inmate trying to break out of progressively tougher prisons. Reviewers liked the freedom to tackle each escape your own way, though some found learning its systems through trial and error frustrating. After debuting in Steam Early Access in 2014, it launched fully in 2015 on PC and consoles, and a sequel followed in 2017.
The Escapists 2 is a strategy role-playing game from UK developer Mouldy Toof Studios, published by Team17 as the sequel to 2015's The Escapists. It launched in August 2017 for Windows, macOS, Linux and consoles, with Nintendo Switch and mobile versions following in later years. Its store listing leans on simulation and strategy, while its genre listings also include role-playing.