65 indie games in this list, released 2019, from developers such as Edmund McMillen, James Interactive, Ridiculon, Pelikan13, Morbidware. 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 Edmund McMillen, James Interactive, Ridiculon · United States
The Legend of Bum-bo is a roguelike deck-building game that serves as a prequel to The Binding of Isaac. Steam files it under adventure and strategy, and it is also categorized as a puzzle game. Designer Edmund McMillen created it with programmer James Interactive, with Ridiculon also credited, in the United States. It launched on Windows through Steam in November 2019, later reaching Android, Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
The TakeOver is an indie beat 'em up that openly pays tribute to the Streets of Rage series, copying its style of play and graphics. It even includes some music by Yuzo Koshiro, composer of those games. The game was made by Greek developer Pelikan13, the alias of Antonis Pelekanos, and after early access it saw full release in 2019. Critics were mixed on its writing and polish but broadly considered it a worthwhile homage.
The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia combines bullet hell dodging with typing, asking players to type out exorcism texts while weaving through enemy fire. Its hero is a former priest who now works as a freelance exorcist. It was developed by Morbidware, a studio in Italy, and released on Steam for Windows on February 14, 2019. Reviews were mostly positive, singling out its music, theme and art, and it holds a Metacritic score of 78.
The Wild Eight is a survival game about a group of people left stranded in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. Players have to work together to stay alive, and the game combines action and adventure with role-playing and simulation elements. It was developed by Eight Points, a studio from Russia, and published by HypeTrain Digital, with its full Steam release arriving in October 2019.
Trailmakers is a sandbox game from Danish independent developer Flashbulb Games, built around physics-based vehicle construction. Players assemble machines in 3D and take them out into open-world environments to explore what they can do. It launched in Steam early access in January 2018 and reached full release on PC and Xbox One in September 2019, with a PlayStation 4 version following in 2020.
By Alexey Davydov, Sergey Dvoynikov, Timofey Shargorodskiy, Flazm · Lithuania
Train Valley 2 continues Flazm's puzzle-strategy train series with larger and more intricate railway networks to build. Players respond to requests from local industries, which grow steadily harder and more complex, while keeping their lines running smoothly. The Lithuanian studio first put the sequel into Early Access in March 2018 before its full release in April 2019, with Windows, Mac, and Linux versions on Steam.
Transport Fever 2 is a business simulation from Swiss studio Urban Games, published by Good Shepherd Entertainment and first released in 2019. Players plan and operate transport networks, laying routes over land, water and air as their world grows and prospers. It is the third game in the Transport Fever series, and a follow-up titled Transport Fever 3 was announced in 2025.
Vambrace: Cold Soul is a dark fantasy roguelike RPG in which Evelia Lyric, bearer of a mysterious magical vambrace, leads expeditions into Icenaire, a haunted city buried beneath ice. Between runs players return to the safe district of Dalearch to craft gear and assemble parties of procedurally generated adventurers. Exploration happens in real time while fights are turn-based, and every trip wears down the group. South Korean studio Devespresso Games released it in 2019.
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.
AvoCuddle is a 2D action adventure about two avocados, AvoRa and AvoLn, who live on a garden planet. After a quarrel, AvoLn is kidnapped by a spaceship and AvoRa travels across five planets, fighting creatures and solving puzzles to rescue him; the story is inspired by the triangular theory of love. It was made solo by Ramez Al-Tabbaa of Damascus, Syria, who had to publish it through a friend abroad because of sanctions.
Carrom is a mobile version of the classic disc-flicking board game, where players strike pucks into the corner pockets and try to sink the queen. It supports online one-on-one matches, private boards with friends, offline play against bots and pass-and-play on one device, with Arabic and classic rule sets and live voice chat. It is developed by Chickmania Entertainment, a studio based in Amman, Jordan.
Quick Gun: PvP Standoff is an online player-versus-player western duel game. Players pick a character and a gun, then tilt the phone to draw and aim in a 360-degree 3D arena, trying to shoot the opponent first. Friends can challenge each other directly, and more weapons and characters unlock over time. The game is developed by Mad Hook, a studio based in Amman, Jordan.
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.
Forager is a 2D open-world adventure from the Argentine studio HopFrog in which you gather resources, craft tools and build your base from nothing. Earned gold buys new pieces of land to explore, each hiding puzzles, dungeons and secrets. Its constant sense of progress makes it hard to put down.
Pathologic 2 is an open-world horror RPG from the Russian studio Ice-Pick Lodge, set in a secluded town struck by a deadly plague. You play a healer who has to find food, make medicine, treat the sick and decide who can be saved, all while time runs out. It began as a reimagining of the studio's 2005 game and is known for being deliberately demanding and unsettling.
Baba Is You is a puzzle game where the rules themselves are pushable blocks of words. Break the sentence that says a wall is solid, or rewrite what counts as winning, and a level that looked impossible opens up. It rewards lateral thinking over reflexes, and it grew out of a game jam prototype into one of the most inventive puzzle designs of its era.