22 indie games in this list, released 2014–2024, from developers such as The Behemoth, Studio MDHR Entertainment Inc., Throughline 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.
BattleBlock Theater is a platform game from The Behemoth, the American studio behind Alien Hominid and Castle Crashers, making it the team's third release. It first came out on Xbox Live Arcade in April 2013 with Microsoft Studios as publisher, and reached Steam for Windows and Mac in 2014. Steam files it under action, adventure and casual play, and a quality-of-life update along with future console versions was announced in July 2024.
Cuphead is a run-and-gun action game from Canadian studio Studio MDHR, released in 2017. One or two players guide Cuphead and his brother Mugman through a string of levels and boss battles after the pair strike a bargain with the Devil over gambling debts. New powers unlock along the way, though only a few can be equipped at once. Its hand-drawn look recalls 1930s rubber hose cartoons, backed by a big band score.
Forgotton Anne, from Danish studio ThroughLine Games, is a cinematic blend of adventure and platforming that first launched in May 2018. Play mixes side-on platforming with adventure-game exploration, presented in a hand-drawn anime look and backed by an orchestral score recorded by the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra. A macOS version followed in June 2018 after the Windows release, and a follow-up game, Forgotlings, arrived in February 2026.
Katana Zero is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash platformer about Subject Zero, an amnesiac sword-wielding assassin who can slow time and foresee what comes next. Each level asks the player to clear every enemy without taking a hit, bending time, dodging and exploiting hazards, while dialogue-tree conversations between stages tell a neo-noir story. American studio Askiisoft built it in GameMaker, and Devolver Digital published it in 2019.
Never Give Up is a 2D platformer about Blue, a stick figure who wakes inside a strange facility and tries to get out. Levels are grouped into sets, each replaying the same layout in steadily harder variations that test persistence. Developed by Massive Monster from Australia with Tasselfoot and published by Armor Games in August 2019, it reboots the Give Up series and features voice acting by Arin Hanson.
Planet Cube: Edge is a fast action platformer with hand-drawn pixel art. You run, shoot, jump and dash through an underwater research facility while picking up weapons to push back against a mysterious invader. The game leans on precise platforming. It was developed by Sunna Entertainment, a studio from Costa Rica, and published by Balor Games in February 2023 for Windows and Mac.
Rage in Peace is a side-scrolling platformer with an unusual goal: dodging the traps and obstacles in your path so that your character can die peacefully. Each stage tests your timing against hazards on the way. It was developed by Rolling Glory Jam, an independent studio in Indonesia, and published by Toge Productions, launching on Steam and Nintendo Switch on 8 November 2018. Steam lists it as action and adventure.
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell is a first-person platformer from Croatian developer Pine Studio, released on Steam in July 2016. Players dash through levels against the clock, relying on an assortment of power-ups to shave time off each attempt. Its design takes cues from speedrunning in games such as Quake and Super Meat Boy, and the odd name comes from ColloSEUM, the working title used during development.
Shadow Blade: Reload is an action platformer starring Kuro, a ninja racing through trap-filled stages and cutting down enemies along the way. It is the PC counterpart of the mobile game Shadow Blade, and its developers planned additional levels, a full story campaign and Steam features such as leaderboards and workshop support. It was developed and published by Dead Mage, a studio based in Iran, and released in August 2015.
Super Catboy is a platformer starring the title character, a cat in human form who fights through a cast of other animal characters. His goal is to stop the villainous Dr. Ungefug. The game was developed by Pixelpogo, a studio in Germany, published by Assemble Entertainment, and released for Windows and macOS in 2023. On Steam it is filed under action and adventure, and it will appeal to fans of classic character platformers.
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.
The Adventure Pals is a platformer with action and role-playing elements, focused on running, jumping and fighting through its levels, according to its listed genres. It was the debut game from Massive Monster, a studio from Australia, and was published by Armor Games Studios. The game released on April 3, 2018, arriving on PC alongside Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
By Leonard Menchiari, Daniele Vicinanzo, Giulio Perrone · Italy
The Eternal Castle Remastered is a cinematic platformer and adventure presented as a remaster of a 1987 game that never actually existed. Set in a distant future, it follows a colonist whose ship goes down on Earth while trying to escape the planet. Leonard Menchiari led development alongside Daniele Vicinanzo and Giulio Perrone in Italy, and it was released in 2019. It holds a Metacritic score of 73.
Transformice is a free-to-play online multiplayer platformer from Atelier 801, the work of two designers from France: Melibellule, who handles art, and Tigrounette, who programs the game. Built on Adobe Flash, it first launched as a browser game in May 2010. A standalone free-to-play version later arrived on Steam in January 2015, playable on Windows, macOS and Linux.
TurnOn is a single-player platformer starring Turnon, an alien electrical spark trying to bring power back to a city that has suddenly gone dark. It stands out for its distinctive visual style and was built in Unity3D by the Russian team Brainy Studio. A 2014 prototype of the game won the Games category at Microsoft's Imagine Cup, and the full release arrived on June 1, 2016.
Where Is My Heart? is a platformer created jointly by Schulenburg Software and Die Gute Fabrik, two studios from Denmark. It debuted in November 2011 as a PlayStation mini for PSN before reaching Windows and macOS in May 2014, with Die Gute Fabrik publishing the computer release. Its Steam listing files it under adventure and casual, and play centres on moving and jumping through a series of platforming stages.
Gris is a platform adventure from the Spanish developer Nomada Studio about a young girl working through a painful experience. As her journey continues, her dress grants new abilities that open up her faded world, and color gradually returns to the screen. It is a quiet, reflective game that has sold over three million copies.
Kero Blaster is a side-scrolling action platformer by Daisuke Amaya, better known as Pixel, and his first major release since Cave Story. You play a frog working for a company whose teleporters keep breaking down, blasting your way through levels to fix the problem. It is compact, precise and charming, a clear showcase of one developer's craft.
Nine Sols is a hand-drawn 2D action platformer from Red Candle Games, set in a world the studio calls taopunk, a blend of Taoism and cyberpunk. You follow a hero's quest to defeat nine powerful rulers, and combat is built around precise deflection rather than simply dodging. It marked a move into action games for the Taiwanese studio behind Detention.
Owlboy is a story-driven platform adventure from the Norwegian independent developer D-Pad Studio. You fly through a world in the clouds and can pick up friends and carry them with you, using their help to fight and solve puzzles. Its development began in 2007, and the result is some of the most detailed pixel art in the genre.
Remnants of Naezith is a fast precision platformer by Turkish developer Tolga Ay, built around a grappling hook. You swing and dash through short levels as Kayra, destroying enchanted fragments of a dragon before anyone can misuse their power, and leaderboards reward shaving seconds off every run. It is a tight, focused game made largely by a single developer.
Celeste is a precision platformer about climbing a mountain, built from short, demanding screens that restart instantly when you fail. Beneath the tight jumping and dashing sits a personal story about anxiety, depression and self-doubt, told with warmth rather than melodrama. It is a demanding game that stays encouraging, and one of the best-known indie platformers of its generation.