External Discovery
14 indie games in this list, released 2017–2026, from developers such as Light Studio | نقش الضوء, Bold Statement Games, Mad Hook. 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 Light Studio | نقش الضوء · Saudi Arabia
Wojdan is an adventure visual novel with puzzles that change the path of the story. It follows 11-year-old Jawad, his father Adel and sister Sara as they leave their village for the city to find a doctor who can cure him, only to learn the doctor has vanished. The title is an Arabic word for the soul or inner strength. It was released in 2017 by Light Studio (Naqsh Al-Daw), the Saudi team that later made Lefty.
By Bold Statement Games · Saudi Arabia
Tail Trail is a free, story-driven point-and-click game about P.I. Trevor, who takes his first solo case to find a missing person on a mysterious island. The developer built it as a mix of a linear game and a short animated film, with heavy cutscenes, investigation of areas and light quick-time events. It is by Bold Statement Games, the developer of VolleySmash from Steam's Games Made in KSA bundle.
By Bold Statement Games · Saudi Arabia
Sticks And Bones is a short interactive story about a boastful pirate who keeps hunting for treasure even after his death. It mixes quick-time events with shifting mechanics, from third-person sections to 2.5D scenes, puzzles and sword duels. The developer describes it as a one-person project and an episode zero for a planned series. It comes from Bold Statement Games, the developer of VolleySmash from Steam's Games Made in KSA bundle.
By Mad Hook · Jordan
Amer: The Chase Hit and Run is an open-world action game in which the character Amer explores a city and its surrounding desert on foot or by car, taking on deliveries, races, police chases and fights to earn money for cars and property. A mobile version has been available since 2022, while the Steam version is listed as coming soon. It is developed by Mad Hook, a studio based in Amman, Jordan.
By Tamatem Inc. · Jordan
King of Delivery 2 brings back Awad, the delivery character from Tamatem's 2014 mobile hit, in an open-world delivery and business game. Players complete delivery missions, collect cars, invest earnings in new businesses and explore an Arabic city. It is Tamatem's first internally developed title; Tamatem is a mobile games company headquartered in Amman, Jordan, and otherwise works mainly as a publisher.
By Starvania Studio · Saudi Arabia
Bahamut and the Waqwaq Tree is a 2D underwater adventure drawn from Arabian mythology. You swim through Ma'een, a cosmic ocean overrun by dark entities, using light to shield yourself, clear corruption and decipher inscriptions left by a lost civilisation. It is the debut title of Starvania Studio, a team based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is also listed on PlayStation.
By RABABA Games · Jordan
DUB Hunting (Duban Hunter) is a casual mobile game about a hunting trip in the desert. Players drive across sand and dunes looking for spiny-tailed lizards and other desert animals, keeping an eye on fuel and water supplies while they explore. It is developed by Rababa Games, a game studio based in Jordan that is best known for its HAJWALA driving series.
By NewGen · Tunisia
Dusty Secrets is a detective game set in the Old West town of Red Rock, where the player is the sheriff. AI generates each case, so suspects, clues and relationships between NPCs change every playthrough, with cases running from petty theft to serious crimes. NewGen, the Tunisian indie studio behind West Hunt, is developing it as a reworking of that game's world into a detective format.
By Zainab Al-Ansari · Bahrain
Jason Drake and the Winding Tower is a short comedy adventure prototype. Players control Jason Drake, a novice treasure hunter following in his older brother's footsteps, who must climb the Winding Tower using only a grappling hook, aiming with the mouse or controller and firing to swing upward. It is available free on itch.io for Windows. It was made by Zainab Al-Ansari, an independent game developer and software engineer based in Bahrain.
By Mezan Studios · Qatar
Nightscape is a 2.5D atmospheric adventure inspired by Arabian astronomy. Players follow Layla, a young girl travelling with a goat companion through an ancient Arabian land where the stars have fallen to earth, using stellar powers to explore and to fight dark creatures while searching for her missing father. A demo is available on Steam and the full game has not yet been released. It is developed by Mezan Studios, a team that has worked on the game in Doha, Qatar since 2021.
By Outcast Digital · Morocco
Once Upon a Time in Morocco is a relaxed exploration game set in a dreamlike desert. Players cross golden dunes, use a compass to find interactive objects and ruins, and collect the Lost Tablets of Self Acceptance at their own pace. It was released on Steam in August 2022 as an early project of its team. It was developed by Outcast Digital Media, a group of creators based in Rabat, Morocco that formed in March 2022.
By Machboost Game Studio · Kuwait
Rock the Boom is a local multiplayer co-op game for two to four players set during Kuwait's historic pearl-diving era. Players act as the crew of a traditional boom sailing ship and must coordinate against the wind to keep the vessel from capsizing and return with a successful trade. It relies on physics-driven teamwork in short sessions and is built in Godot. It is listed as in development on itch.io by Machboost Game Studio, a Kuwait-based developer.
By Lunacy Studios · Saudi Arabia
The House of Hikmah is a fully voiced 3D narrative adventure about Maya, a 14-year-old who enters a dreamlike House of Wisdom after her father dies. Using a device that transforms elements, she solves puzzles across nine worlds built around scholars and inventions of the Islamic Golden Age, while working through grief and her father's legacy. It was developed by Lunacy Studios and is part of Steam's Games Made in KSA bundle.
By Sonoshee · Morocco
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.