The Most Original Indie Games Of All Time

In the late 2000s, services like Xbox Live on Xbox 360 and PlayStation Network on PS3 helped independent, or ‘indie,’ games gain popularity beyond computers. These platforms provided better marketing opportunities, and each console featured some unique indie titles. Eventually, indie games grew in prominence, often surpassing big-budget ‘AAA’ games and filling gaps in the console release schedule throughout the year.

Everyone benefited from the rise of indie games, and a few even became incredibly popular, defining or creating entirely new types of games. Over the last decade, many indie titles have emerged, but which ones were truly groundbreaking when they first appeared, or still feel fresh and innovative today? If you’re a fan of indie games, these are all worth checking out. We’ll be ranking them based on their originality.

10. Everything

The Universe’s Life-Sim

Okay, so “Everything” isn’t really a game in the traditional sense. It’s more like… a really strange, beautiful trip. The core idea is that you can become anything – seriously, anything. You start as, say, an amoeba, and then you can seamlessly transition into a cat, a planet, even a galaxy. You just… explore, shifting between these forms. Don’t go looking for a clear plot or objective, because it’s not about that. It’s pure, free-form experience.

The game doesn’t strive for realistic physics, and that’s part of what makes it so enjoyable, even though there isn’t a real goal. Moments like seeing deer hilariously tumble over each other are worth experiencing all on their own.

9. Card Shark

Cheaters ARE Winners

Card Shark is a game where you earn rewards by skillfully cheating at card games. You’ll join a group of con artists traveling from place to place, and each chapter teaches you new methods for swindling the wealthy while playing cards.

Players might assist a mentor by performing tasks like serving wine or carefully polishing furniture. Then, as a gambler, they’ll discover card-playing skills – like counting cards or subtly manipulating the deck – that have historically been used by con artists.

8. Rogue Legacy

The Family Business

Rogue Legacy is a popular roguelite game known for its rewarding gameplay. Players explore dungeons to collect blueprints for better equipment, unlock helpful abilities like a quick dash, and gather gold. When a player dies, they use the collected gold to upgrade their family castle, which permanently improves their character’s abilities and unlocks new options.

What’s really interesting is that when a hero dies, that’s game over for that character. The next time you play, you’ll pick a different descendant from the family tree, and each one has a unique ailment or special ability. Some, like getting wings, are helpful, while others, such as being able to walk on the ceiling, are more of a hindrance, and that’s just a small example of what you’ll encounter.

7. What The Golf

Everything Is A Ball

Golf games offer designers a great opportunity to get creative with gameplay. What the Golf is a funny example of this, focusing more on simply getting anything into the holes, rather than strictly using golf balls.

This miniature golf game is surprisingly diverse – you’ll be doing everything from driving vehicles to completing levels with stealth-like maneuvers. The gameplay is constantly changing, and each level is quick to finish, making it incredibly addictive and hard to stop playing.

6. Moonlighter

The Legend Of Shopkeeper

Moonlighter is a roguelite game, similar to many others available. What makes it unique is the ability to bring loot back from dungeons and choose to either craft items with it or sell it in your own shop. The money you earn can then be used to restore the town, unlocking new shops and possibilities.

The game is designed to feel rewarding after each playthrough, and managing your shop can be really captivating, whether you’re searching for good deals on items or negotiating with customers. This creates a unique blend of shopkeeping and dungeon exploration, offering a fresh take on the typical roguelite experience.

5. Minit

Minute To Win It

Minit is an action-adventure game inspired by The Legend of Zelda, but with a unique challenge: you only have one minute to play before being sent back to your last saved location. Luckily, you can unlock new homes as you play, and these act as checkpoints to help you continue your adventure.

Each time you play, you’re trying to find easier ways to progress or collect items that will help you on your next attempt. A full playthrough usually takes just a couple of hours, depending on how quickly you figure out the puzzles. It can be challenging, but it’s a unique and often humorous experience.

4. Cuphead

Is This Really A Game?

When Cuphead was first shown in 2013, it immediately became a huge hit online. While many games draw inspiration from cartoons, none had ever looked quite like Cuphead. It seemed unbelievable at the time, and even after playing it, the incredibly smooth, hand-drawn animation feels almost magical.

This game is incredibly challenging, but the core gameplay is good enough to keep players engaged if they’re willing to persevere. Its popularity has inspired other independent games to adopt a similar 1930s cartoon style, though they’re each taking a unique approach. A good example is Mouse: P.I. For Hire, an upcoming first-person shooter that’s expected to benefit from the groundwork laid by Cuphead.

3. Ball X Pit

A Roguelike Arcade Game

Ball X Pit is a rapidly growing indie game that blends the fun of classic brick breakers and pinball. Players select a hero and progress through levels, battling enemies and collecting power-ups. These power-ups give you new and improved balls, which can be combined and evolved for even more powerful effects.

I’ve been playing Ball X Pit, and honestly, dying isn’t even that frustrating. Because it’s pretty much on-rails, and your characters and stuff level up even when you fail, it doesn’t feel like wasted progress. Plus, you’re always finding blueprints to unlock new things back at the village. The main goal is rebuilding this place called Ballbylon, and they do it with a surprisingly fun little city-building game between runs. It sounds like a strange mix, I know, but honestly, everything in Ball X Pit is just a blast to play.

2. Rocket League

If Only Cars Really Worked Like This

Rocket League takes the familiar concept of soccer and gives it a high-octane twist. Instead of players on foot, you control rocket-powered cars battling in a large arena to push a giant ball into the opponent’s goal. The game relies entirely on skill, as there are no advantages you can buy – it’s all about mastering the physics-based gameplay. It can be challenging at first, but with practice, players will quickly improve and feel more agile.

Rocket League has become incredibly popular as an independent game, and it’s even partnered with big names like Scooby-Doo, Back to the Future, and Metroid. While these collaborations add to the fun, the game’s core strength remains its engaging and reliable soccer-based gameplay.

1. Baba Is You

Word-Based Puzzles

Okay, so I just finished playing Baba is You, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s a puzzle game, yes, but it’s not about solving puzzles in the traditional sense. It’s about rewriting the rules of the puzzle. You’re literally manipulating words to change how things work – what ‘win’ means, what ‘is’ means, even what you are! Each level has a flag you’re supposed to reach to win, but you can move the words around to redefine everything, and suddenly ‘win’ might mean something totally different. It’s incredibly clever and surprisingly mind-bending.

As a huge puzzle game fan, I was immediately hooked by how Baba Is You lets you play as Baba, this cute, almost animal-like character who’s basically you in the game. But the really clever part? You can change what ‘You’ is! So, you can swap Baba out and suddenly you’re controlling a rock, and the game treats the rock as ‘You’. It’s surprisingly educational, actually – it feels like a quick lesson in how coding and game design work. You’re not just thinking about what an object is, but how it behaves according to the rules. It sounds a bit complex when I explain it, but trust me, after solving a few puzzles, everything just clicks into place.

2025-11-30 07:08