The 15 Best Indie Games of 2025

by

2025 has been an incredible year for independent, or ‘indie,’ games. We’ve seen a wide range of creative games with compelling stories that are just as good as—and sometimes even better than—big-budget titles. Indie games have always been vital to the gaming world, and this year really highlighted their importance.

This year has been amazing for indie games, with a huge variety of genres and styles to choose from. Whether you prefer scary horror games, fast-paced action, or relaxing story-based adventures, there’s been something for everyone. It was tough to pick just a few, but after careful consideration, here are the 15 best indie games of 2025, listed in alphabetical order.

The Alters

Read Game Rant’s Review of The Alters

In The Alters, developed by 11 Bit Studios, you play as Jan Dolski, a space miner stranded on a hostile planet. To survive, Jan creates alternate versions of himself, each shaped by different life choices. As the only survivor of a failed mission, Jan relies on these clones and a mysterious resource called Rapidium, leading to a compelling exploration of his own identity. This survival and exploration game isn’t just about staying alive; it also asks big questions about free will and destiny. With stunning graphics and engaging gameplay, The Alters is a thought-provoking and morally challenging sci-fi adventure.

  • Create alternate versions of yourself, each with different skills and personalities, to help you survive and complete survival tasks.
  • Manage your base and its resources, assigning Alters to specialized roles like engineering, farming, or research.
  • Balance story-driven choices and relationships, as your Alters react to your decisions and can conflict, cooperate, or even turn against you.

Ball x Pit

Check Out Ball x Pit on OpenCritic

Ball x Pit is a highly addictive indie game that stands out with its vibrant graphics and classic gameplay style. Created by Kenny Sun and Friends and published by Devolver Digital, this action-filled fantasy roguelite challenges players to defeat enemies using ball-shaped projectiles. The game is set after the fall of Ballbylon, where players explore the remaining pit, battling creatures and working to rebuild the city as New Ballbylon. It’s a fast-paced experience with lots of opportunities to explore and customize your gameplay.

  • Launch and bounce elemental balls to defeat waves of enemies in a roguelite, arcade-style arena.
  • Collect drops and fuse balls to build stronger, weirder, or more chaotic loadouts as a run progresses.
  • Return to town between runs to upgrade buildings, unlock heroes, and expand long-term progression.

Blue Prince

Read Game Rant’s Review of Blue Prince

This list features many interesting games, but Blue Prince stands out as a particular favorite. It’s a mystery puzzle game centered around the ever-changing Mt. Holly Manor, where the house and its rooms shift daily. Players must carefully choose which rooms to explore, as each decision impacts their search for the elusive Room 46. Blue Prince boasts a truly original concept that keeps you guessing, and as you solve the mystery, a captivating story unfolds.

  • Explore a mansion that reshapes itself daily, with new room layouts every attempt.
  • Choose one of three room plans each time you open a door, deciding how the mansion expands.
  • Search for the hidden 46th room, piecing together clues and uncovering the estate’s mysteries.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Read Game Rant’s Review of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has quickly become a favorite among gamers this year. It’s the first game from Sandfall Interactive, a studio founded in 2020 by former Ubisoft developer Guillaume Broche. This turn-based RPG is set in a world where a mysterious being called The Paintress paints a number each year, causing everyone older than that number to die. After she paints ’33,’ a team is sent on a mission to stop her and end the cycle of death. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn’t just fun to play—it combines compelling storytelling, beautiful music, and a captivating atmosphere to create a truly memorable experience, earning it a nomination for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025.

  • Fight with a blend of real-time aiming and turn-based decisions, swapping between melee and ranged skills.
  • React during enemy turns by dodging or parrying to reduce or avoid incoming damage.
  • Explore structured zones to find optional bosses, secrets, and resources that shape your party’s build.

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist

Check Out Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist on OpenCritic

I recently checked out Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, and it’s a really cool 2D side-scroller developed by Adglobe and Live Wire and published by Binary Haze Interactive. The game takes place in this place called the Land of Fumes, where they created artificial beings called Homunculi to help build things up. But things went south – the air is full of toxins that drove the Homunculi crazy, turning them into dangerous monsters. You play as Lilac, who wakes up after all this has happened. The whole time, I was trying to help save the Homunculi and figure out what happened to Lilac as I explored this really bleak, post-apocalyptic world. It’s a pretty interesting story!

  • Explore a 2D Metroidvania world, uncovering new paths and abilities as you move through the Land of Fumes.
  • Purify corrupted beings to recruit them, then use their skills in combat instead of fighting directly.
  • Build customized loadouts, mixing different allies’ abilities and upgrading gear to shape your playstyle.

Hades 2

Check Out Hades 2 on OpenCritic

After a long wait, the sequel to the acclaimed game Hades arrived this year, and it’s a huge success. Hades 2 continues the story years later, this time with Zagreus’ sister, Melinoe, as the playable character. Supergiant Games has refined everything that made the first game great, delivering an even more enjoyable roguelite experience. With improved combat and character progression, a captivating new cast of characters, and a more engaging story, Hades 2 proves what a sequel should be. It expands on the original in impressive ways while staying true to its core, earning it another Game of the Year nomination for an indie title.

  • Battle through shifting underworld regions using weapons, magic, and boons that change each run.
  • Die and return stronger, unlocking new abilities, tools, and story progress across repeated attempts.
  • Experiment with varied playstyles, mixing god boons, incantations, and weapon forms for different builds.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Check Out Hollow Knight: Silksong on OpenCritic

Hollow Knight: Silksong was the game everyone was talking about this year. When it launched on September 4th, the huge demand even caused crashes on platforms like Steam, Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Store, and the Nintendo eShop. After years of rumors and anticipation, the developers at Team Cherry surprised fans by announcing the release date just two weeks before launch at Gamescom. As the third indie game nominated for Game of the Year at this year’s Game Awards, Hollow Knight: Silksong lived up to the hype.

  • Play as Hornet, using needle and silk skills to fight and move quickly.
  • Explore a huge 2D world, uncovering secrets, hidden paths, and new areas.
  • Battle tough enemies and bosses, relying on dodges, combos, and timing.

Keep Driving

Read Game Rant’s Review of Keep Driving

Okay, so I just played Keep Driving by YCJY Games, and honestly, it’s one of the coolest indie games I’ve seen all year. You’re basically on a road trip, trying to get to a music festival, and it’s set in the early 2000s, which is a total vibe. You pick up hitchhikers, deal with random stuff happening on the road, and the soundtrack is amazing – super nostalgic and reminds me of that era. The graphics are pixelated, and every time you play, the world is different, which keeps things interesting. It’s a pretty chill game, but it’s surprisingly addictive! It really feels like a love letter to the early 2000s, and it made me realize it’s not always about getting somewhere, but enjoying the drive itself.

  • Drive across a pixel-art country, exploring new roads and towns.
  • Pick up hitchhikers and handle random events, like breakdowns or hazards.
  • Make choices that change your trip, unlocking different outcomes and endings.

Look Outside

Check Out Look Outside on OpenCritic

Look Outside is a creepy and original survival horror RPG created by Francis Coulombe and published by Devolver Digital. The game centers around a mysterious event where simply looking outside transforms people into monsters, forcing those who remain to stay indoors. Players explore an apartment building, searching for other survivors, food, and essential supplies. Its unsettling atmosphere is created by a combination of a cartoonish art style and a tightly confined setting, making it a standout horror game this year.

  • Survive inside an apartment complex where looking out a window transforms people into monsters.
  • Manage turn-based encounters and resources, scavenging for supplies while avoiding dangerous floors.
  • Make tense choices that affect other survivors, long-term outcomes, and the building’s overall fate.

PEAK

Check Out Peak on OpenCritic

PEAK has quickly become a popular co-op game, attracting a lot of attention on Twitch and YouTube. Developed by Team PEAK and published by Aggro Crab and Landfall, PEAK takes the basic idea of a climbing game and adds a unique and enjoyable spin. Players need to make it through increasingly difficult levels, or ‘biomes,’ and it shows that even a simple game can be challenging and fun to play with friends.

  • Climb a dangerous mountain alone or with friends.
  • Survive changing terrain and harsh conditions, managing hunger, stamina, and injury.
  • Use teamwork and gear to navigate obstacles and reach the summit

Read More

2025-12-11 16:08