Indie Games

A Palworld player shares a clip highlighting Dinossom stuck in a glitch that bends the Pal in half. Since it was released, Palworld players have shared a handful of interesting glitches, but this may be among the funniest.

Less than 24 hours after launching on Steam, the early access version of Hades 2 has already doubled the all-time peak concurrent player account set by the original Hades. While Supergiant Games certainly found success with its earlier titles like Bastion, Pyre, and Transistor, the studio really took off after it released the roguelike action title, Hades. Although Hades was originally an Epic Games store exclusive, it eventually launched on Steam a year later in 2019 through Early access, releasing Version 1.0 on September 17, before eventually launching across most other platforms like the Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.

A talented Stardew Valley fan has recreated the game's iconic style in isometric view. This unique look at Stardew Valley gives fans an idea of how the game could have looked with a different perspective.

A Stardew Valley player who went through the painstaking task of opening 999 Omni Geodes in the game has shown what they got for their efforts. The result is intriguing for fans who have never opened this many of the Omni Geodes, or those who want to see Stardew Valley's probabilities in action.

Hotfix 0.179.1 for Palia has just dropped, delivering a number of fixes for issues that have been causing game crashes and freezes. This follows the recent release of a patch for the MMO that introduced new content, features, and quality-of-life improvements.

During the 2024 ID@Xbox Showcase, Pocket Pair pulled back the curtain on an upcoming Palworld update introducing at least four new Pals and a new island for players to explore. The new Palworld update is slated to launch in the summer of 2024, and Pocket Pair shared a short teaser video of the new Pals that players will encounter in the update.

Tech Glitch, an indie title developed for Xbox, is now completely free to play, and it's filled with easy achievements. Many may not be familiar with the likes of Tech Glitch, but the deal is a perfect opportunity for those looking to rack up some serious points that are also low-effort.

Indie developers have contributed to a large bundle of games to raise money for Palestinian relief.

The popular Bread & Fred will be released for the Nintendo Switch on May 23. Bread & Fred is a viral co-op game in which players control two adorable penguins trying to climb a mountain, and Switch players will soon be able to try it out with their friends.

Nintendo has broadcast its latest Indie World presentation, giving players a look at 17 upcoming indie games.

Hades 2 developer Supergiant Games has recently announced that the upcoming game will have a “technical test” period in which gamers can apply to play early. Not only will this short test period help the developers iron out bugs, but it may also allow some lucky players to play Hades 2 before it hits Early Access.

An upcoming game with strong Stardew Valley vibes called SunnySide has recently released a demo on Steam and unveiled its official release date. SunnySide is an upcoming 3D life sim game set in the Japanese countryside and may appease Stardew Valley fans looking for a new experience.

Stardew Valley is getting a new update soon that will fix some bugs and add some additional content. WhileStardew Valley players are waiting for the console versions to update, developer Eric «ConcernedApe» Barone is still hard at work squashing any remaining bugs and surprising players with additions.

Dicefolk, a highly rated creature collector roguelike, is coming soon to the Nintendo Switch, where it's looking to find a new audience after quickly racking up great reviews on Steam. Games that market themselves as new approaches to the Pokemon formula are starting to sprout up more and more as they seemingly try to replicate the success of Palworld from earlier this year.

An Xbox player was left puzzled to find a bundle of just two games on the Microsoft Store selling for $2000 USD. The odd listing has confused and amused fellow gamers, though there's likely a simple explanation for the tremendous price tag.

Cozy farming game Farm Together 2 has revealed a bunch of new customization options and improvements over the original game, ahead of its release on Early Access later this year. The original Farm Together was quietly one of the most interesting indie games of 2018, and it's finally getting a sequel.

A Palworld player has shared an interesting image showing how much ore they managed to gather with the help of the new ore site that was added with the latest patch. The game is still in early access, so Pocketpair keeps releasing frequent updates that constantly add new features to the game.

Despite only releasing a few days ago, cooperative multiplayer horror game Content Warning has a new update. The development team at Landfall added several new Content Warning features that players will find useful as they attempt to record spooky occurrences as a team.

Alongside the release of Palworld version 0.2.0.6, developer Pocket Pair said that the new update introduced a bug that prevented Pal eggs from being placed inside an incubator. However, Pocket Pair added that Palworld players could resolve the issue by rebuilding and replacing all the incubators on their bases, and apologized for the bug.

A Palworld player used a program to uncover what the Dark-type Pal Leezpunk looked like without its black jacket and shared their discovery with other players. The Palworld player also shared the method they used to remove Leezpunk's jacket, leading other users to discuss how the Pal looks without the clothing item.

Evil Empire, the studio responsible for the 2018 hit indie title Dead Cells, has revealed the Triple-I Initiative showcase ready to go live next month. The new event plans to highlight upcoming games from over 30 indie studios and publishers, many of which are well known for past hits and have dedicated followings.

Earthblade, the next project from the team behind the indie darling Celeste, has been delayed. The highly anticipated title was first unveiled to the public in early 2021.

Bandai Namco has released three new games on Steam, all of which are completely free.

Plot Twist’s surreal Metroidvania The Last Case of Benedict Fox Definitive Editionreleases on March 26, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers are getting the new upgraded version of the game for free. The Last Case of Benedict Fox launched on Xbox Game Pass on day one, joining the catalog of titles available on the service in April 2023.

Game developer Jean Nguyen is showing off a new gameplay segment from their personal game project titled DinoBlade, featuring dinosaurs wielding giant swords. Gaming has often played host to a plethora of unique concepts for games, with everything from peaceful and relaxing simulation games to high-tension, fast-paced action. Indie games have frequently pushed genres in unique directions, like Pocket Pair's breakout hit Palworld combining the monster-catching elements of Pokemon with survival games like ARK. Now, a new game from a game development veteran takes a unique spin on 1v1 combat.

One Palworld player has built an incredibly realistic base using a variety of decorations. Palworld gives players free rein to construct functional bases, which provides security against hostile Pals and other threats. These bases consist of different parts, such as walls, stairs, and roofs, that can be crafted using natural resources like wood and stone. The easiest way to farm them is to chop down nearby trees and smash Mining Stones scattered throughout the world.

Bigmode Games has officially announced that the indie game Animal Well will be released on May 9, 2024. Bigmode Games was co-founded by Dunkey from the popular Videogamedunkey YouTube channel back in 2022, and this will be the first indie game published by the studio.

Xbox Game Pass has added another day one game, Lightyear Frontier,which is launching in early access on March 19. Developed by Frame Break, the indie game combines farming sim with mech gameplay, and adventurers can explore the colorful open world of Lightyear Frontier solo or co-op with up to three friends. Players will use their mech’s machine gun to plant seeds or equip it with a chainsaw to gather resources while establishing a homestead on a distant planet.

PC players have until March 20 to claim a Steam key for Wanba Warriors as part of Fanatical’s Spring Sale. Wanba Warriors is a wacky 2D fighting game that currently has Very Positive reviews on Steam.

Detective Dotson, a mystery-adventure game for PC by Ahmedabad-based independent game studio Masala Games, was announced on Monday. A demo of the game has been added to Steam and is now available to play. Its full version will be released later this year. The 2D platformer game, which is set in modern India, is influenced by Bollywood and Indian TV shows like CID, as per the publishers. Masala Games has previously released Word Mess, a word game, for iOS and iPadOS.

An upcoming business management and farming simulator with major cozy vibes is sure to appeal to fans of Stardew Valley. The game, entitled Sugardew Island, is aiming to channel the strong gameplay loop, satisfying progression, and atmospheric worldbuilding of Stardew Valleyand other cozy games, making it a potentially great fit for fans of the farming sim genre.

BeXide will announce a new original title for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC (Steam) at Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2024, which will run from March 2 to 3 at Musashino Public Hall in Kichijoji, Musashino City, Tokyo, the studio announced.

A new horror FPS called Fossilfuel 2 has strong Dino Crisis vibes, and it has already gained positive reviews soon after its release. Dino Crisis is among the most beloved of Capcom’s forgotten franchises, and its fans will be glad to know that this new indie game could be considered its spiritual successor.

Fans of cozy games like Stardew Valleyshould keep an eye on the upcoming crafting survival game Outbound. The game was developed by Square Glade Studios, a small indie studio run by only two developers. Outbound, the studio's latest project, is a cozy survival game based in a colorful open world where players live out of their van.

Neostream Interactive has surprised fans with a new Little Devil Inside gameplay trailer. After years of anticipation and silence, the developers recently offered a glimpse into the indie game's progress, showcasing various aspects and insights into its development.

The PvE survival game Nightingale has dropped support for FSR 3, which is the newest iteration of AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution image upscaling technology. It was previously announced that the title would support several upscaling options, including AMD’s latest and greatest.

Tales of Seikyu has surpassed its Kickstarter funding goals and amassed over 100,000 wishlists on Steam. In a display of enthusiasm from the gaming community, the captivating indie game adventure, blending elements of Stardew Valley and fantasy RPG, achieved these remarkable milestones within hours of launching its campaign.

A Palworld player demonstrated how they could take advantage of some glitches in the game that allowed them to trivialize a dungeon, skip right to the end, and claim the rewards in around a minute. The Palworldplayer posted a video of their deed on social media, and other players debated between doing dungeons normally and using glitches to get them done quickly.

An upcoming indie game called Vampire Therapist will dive deep into the minds of struggling vampires, allowing players to help them solve their inner issues. Many successful AAA games are sequels to previous games or belong to a known series. At the 2023 Game Awards, five of the six nominees were sequels, and the other nomination was Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which is part of one of the most well-known video game series in the world. When new IPs are released, they mostly fit into the formulas that have already been done hundreds of times before.

Indie studio Clapperheads has announced its new horror game, Zoochosis. The self-published horror simulation game takes place in a zoo where the animals are afflicted by a mysterious ailment that transforms them into truly petrifying monsters. As the zookeeper, the player must protect the animals throughout the night with all the terrifying happenings captured on the player's bodycam.

2023 was an excellent year for indie games, but 2024 is setting out to be an even better one thanks to the release of some hotly-anticipated titles from developers who become industry darlings with their previous titles and spiritual successors that will make this a year to remember.

The Brilliant Coup is a new indie game by solo developer Markus Creative premiering on the Steam platform. The indie title features a young protagonist who plans to rob a bank by helping out their older friend, embarking on a life of crime. While the concept is an original creation, the two main characters of The Brilliant Coup strangely resemble the protagonists from AMC's hit show Breaking Bad.

2024 is looking as stacked as ever when it comes to innovative indie games. From Pokémon-with-guns game Palworld and the highly anticipated follow-up to Hades, there’s no shortage of games to get excited for. There’s so much to look forward to that it can be a challenge to keep track of it all, which is why we’ve put together another list of upcoming indies to add to your to-play list.

An Xbox brand account has been accused of using AI-generated art to promote indie games.

ID@Xbox has been accused of using AI art to promote indie games.

With AAA titles becoming safer and safer, it is indie games that bring the innovation the video game industry as a whole needs. Much like the past few years, 2023 has seen the release of some excellent titles that twist defined genres into something unique, blending their excellent mechanics with visuals that may not be cutting-edge but are still pleasant enough to the eye.

It’s been one of those strange, busy years where any of Polygon’s top 10 games of the year could have made the No. 1 slot. Heck, you could expand that outward to include the top 20. There was a wealth of great games throughout the year, making it impossible to keep up with everything — even here at Polygon, where many of our jobs are to keep up with video games. That’s why we’ve created this list of 10 games you might have missed, all from indie studios. They cover a bunch of different genres, from a goofy multiplayer game to an inventory management roguelike.

Hello everyone. The year 2023 has been a standout year for games, as we have been blessed with the release of countless top-notch titles. I hope everyone was able to discover new favorites that blew their minds and engaged them in amazing gaming experiences.

2023 was a massive year for the gaming community as a whole, with many huge video games being released throughout, yet there were still numerous titles from the smaller indie developers that also managed to steal the show. From short, thought-provoking games such as to the larger retro-inspired RPG , there are many different genres to experience while supporting the indies. Indie developers don't have the financial backing of the large AAA companies, yet some can still produce incredible works of art that they share with the world.

One-person studios are not so uncommon these days. With the influx of new engines and technology, small capable teams are able to follow their dreams and build out their passions projects. One such project is a new 2D top-down pixel art social MMORPG called Pixadom.

has grown a lot since it first began in 2012, now serving as one of the biggest places for indie developers to showcase games. The event started as a collaboration between iam8bit and Double Fine to shine a spotlight on smaller titles, and has featured over 500 different games since its inception. This week, Days of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition showed off a slew of upcoming titles, including multiple world premieres.

“Morbidcore” isn’t an established subgenre, but it’s not hard to imagine what falls into this category. These are games exploring life’s darker moments. Not for the sake of simply disturbing an audience, but instead, they’re stories communicating the more unsettling aspects of humanity — the parts we shy away from or refuse to acknowledge.

If The Game Awards itself isn't really your cup of tea, but you're still hankering for a gaming showcase, have no fear. Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition is happening today, 6th December 2023, showing off a wide variety of indie games heading to PC and consoles.

Microosoft's latest ID@Xbox Game Demo Winterfest event is now underway, this time featuring a total of 33 playable demos for indie titles old and new.

Xbox has launched its latest ID@Xbox demo event, offering players a chance to try out demos of new and upcoming indie games.

The developer of Terraria has revealed the worst part of creating one of the biggest indie games ever - and it's related to Stardew Valley. 

People did a lot of things to pass time during the early pandemic lockdowns: learn to play the guitar, make sourdough starter, spray their groceries with disinfectant. Among those popular pandemic activities was identifying murderous space goons in Among Us, and if you've set the social deduction game aside since then, you might be interested to know that there's still lots of activity around it—most recently, a collaboration with a bunch of big indie games.

Among Us is now basically the Super Smash Bros. of indie games. On Tuesday, developer Innersloth announced that the viral murder mystery game is getting in-game cosmetics inspired by seven beloved indie titles as part of a collaboration between studios. The full list of games is Undertale, Untitled Goose Game, Crypt of the NecroDancer, Celeste, A Hat in Time, Castle Crashers, and Alien Hominid.

The publisher of a hit new indie game has explained why failed PC launchers are having a negative impact on new indie games.

The latest Nintendo Indie World Showcase aired on Tuesday and featured a host of new games coming to Switch.

If you put books, games, or DVD boxes inside your video game, I will inspect every last one of them. This and video game bathrooms are my particular peccadillo and I would appreciate it if you don’t judge me.

Dredge was unexpectedly one of my favorite games this year. I didn’t think it would play poorly or anything like that, I just never thought that I would find such comfort in a horror-aligned experience. I can easily lose hours of my life traversing the game’s Lovecraftian waters, and always find myself wishing for more story content. Thankfully, my wish is coming true as Black Salt Games has revealed a shiny new Dredge expansion. The DLC is called The Pale Reach, and it’s bringing us to much icier depths.

W.A.S.D. x IGN Curios, a huge event launched in partnership with PCGamesN and IGN, will play host to some of the best, brightest, and most imaginative indie games on the planet, uncovering those rare and up-and-coming gems that are shaping the future of the medium. Now, ahead of the big event itself, we’re bringing you a teaser of everything that will be on show. If you like something different, and want to dive into the greatest, wildest, and most artistic indies right now, W.A.S.D. x IGN Curios has got everything you need.

Bramble The Mountain King is, for my money, one of 2023’s most gorgeous and striking indie games. This atmospheric action platformer inspired by dark Nordic fables comes from Sweden-based Dimfrost Studio, and it’s quite the achievement for just the team’s second outing. Scored by a fantastic soundtrack that ranges from the haunting to the bombastic, Bramble The Mountain King has stuck vividly in my memory – and now thanks to a Steam sale you can grab it at a huge discount, so move fast.

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For anyone with an eye on video game news, it’s been hard to ignore the recent rise of names like Annapurna Interactive, Devolver Digital, Private Division, Humble, Epic Games and Netflix tied to independent projects. The distribution process for indie developers has shifted over the past few years from a self-publishing-first model, to one that prioritizes deal-making and acquisitions. For the moment, this shift is powering a small but highly visible boom in the world of indie games.