Indie
Indie is short for the English word independent, which means "not dependent." Independent developers usually create games without investments from publishers, and therefore have a very limited budget. As a result, the games do not feature AAA-level graphics, but in each of these projects, the developers strive to realize their boldest fantasies and apply risky ideas. Often, indie games are not well-received by hardcore players due to their experimental gameplay. The most prominent representatives of the indie game genre are: Minecraft, Super Meat Boy, Super Meat Boy , and perhaps Fez.
Years
Platforms
All platformsPCPlayStation 5Xbox Series X/SPlayStation 4Xbox OneNintendo SwitchiOSAndroidWii UMacLinuxBrowser
Statuses
Best Games in the Indie genre of 2017 (Game released)
Arcade, Action, Adventure, Online, First-person view, Fantasy / Medieval, Sandbox, Indie, Survival, Crafting
Game released: Xbox 360, Mac, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 5 → 9 May 2012
Players:
7.6/10
Metacritic:
83/100
An exciting sandbox focused on freedom of action and exploring a practically endless open world. Created through procedural generation, it is filled with...
Game released: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Mac, Linux → 26 February 2016
Players:
8.8/10
Steam:
98/100
Metacritic:
88/100
Stardew Valley is a farming simulator with role-playing elements, an open-world sandbox with an isometric camera and the visual style of 90s arcade games. After...
Game released: PC, Mac, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Linux → 24 February 2017
Players:
8.8/10
Steam:
97/100
Metacritic:
89/100
An atmospheric action-platformer about a journey through the dying underground kingdom of Hallownest, inhabited by mysterious insects and strange creatures. A dark...
Game released: PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Linux → 15 September 2015
Players:
8.5/10
Steam:
96/100
Metacritic:
92/100
An RPG with a unique combat system, where each battle can be completed without a single blow. Instead of the usual violence, there are conversations, mercy, and...
Role-playing game, Top-down view, Futurism (Future), Indie, Roguelike, Dungeons, Cooperative (co-op), Replayability
Game released: PC, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, Wii U, New Nintendo 3DS, iOS → 4 November 2014
Players:
8.5/10
Steam:
96/100
Metacritic:
87/100
Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a top-down indie RPG. You will play as the boy Isaac, hiding in the basement from his mother, whom God ordered to sacrifice him. To...
Game released: PC, Mac, iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Ouya, Xbox One, Linux → 28 April 2015
Players:
7.9/10
Steam:
82/100
Metacritic:
79/100
Broken Age is an exciting point-and-click side-scrolling adventure from the author of Full Throttle and Grim Fandango. The game will tell two parallel developing...
Game released: PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 → 8 August 2017
Players:
8.4/10
Steam:
89/100
Metacritic:
83/100
The game takes you on a dark and ruthless journey into the depths of the mind, where the lines between reality and madness blur. The story follows a warrior named...
Game released: PC, Mac, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Linux → 15 October 2015
Players:
9.1/10
Steam:
93/100
Metacritic:
76/100
Human Resource Machine is an indie puzzle game from the developer World of Goo. We have to use office workers to solve the next puzzle and get promoted to the next...
Game released: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS → 5 April 2016
Players:
9.2/10
Steam:
95/100
Metacritic:
85/100
Enter the Gungeon is a top-down arcade shooter from the developers at Dodge Roll. The roguelike takes place in the ever-changing fortress of Gungeon, which is a...
Game released: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Xbox One → 23 April 2015
Players:
8.7/10
Steam:
95/100
Metacritic:
86/100
Crypt of the NecroDancer is a unique indie game where everything moves to the rhythm of the music of Danny Baranowski, the composer of Super Meat Boy and the...
Game released: Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S → 29 June 2016
Players:
8.8/10
Steam:
96/100
Metacritic:
91/100
Inside is an arcade side-scrolling indie platformer with survival elements from the creators of Limbo. The plot centers on a lonely boy who is hiding from...
Game released: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, PS Vita, Xbox One → 4 October 2013
VGTimes:
7.0/10
Players:
8.4/10
Steam:
88/100
Metacritic:
57/100
Knock-knock is an adventure puzzle game with horror elements and a side view. In the depths of a dense forest there is a wooden house. A man lives in this house...
Game released: PC, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Mac, Linux → 6 July 2012
Players:
9.4/10
Steam:
95/100
Metacritic:
83/100
An indie adventure game created using the RPG Maker engine. The game tells the story of two young doctors, Eva and Neil, who give people another chance to live...
Game released: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch → 26 September 2017
Players:
8.3/10
Steam:
89/100
Metacritic:
76/100
RUINER is an isometric action game in a cyberpunk setting. The game takes place in 2091 in a cyber metropolis called Rengkok. You will play as a cyber psychopath...
Game released: iOS, PC, Nintendo Switch, Android, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Mac → 14 December 2017
Players:
8.8/10
Steam:
95/100
Metacritic:
86/100
Gorogoa is a quirky puzzle adventure with beautiful, hand-drawn worlds. To complete the game, you need to move windows with worlds around the screen, placing them...
Game released: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Mac, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 → 20 September 2016
Players:
6.4/10
Steam:
90/100
Metacritic:
61/100
Bunker is an interactive psychological thriller with horror elements. The game is a reincarnation of video quests that were popular back in the 90s. You will play...
Role-playing game, Action, Adventure, Horror, Futurism (Future), Indie, Survival, Top-down view, Crafting
Game released: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One → 21 January 2016
Players:
9.7/10
Steam:
79/100
Subterrain is an action-horror adventure with RPG elements and a top-down view. In the game you will play as one Doctor West, apparently the only survivor of an...
Game released: PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 → 11 December 2014
Players:
9.4/10
Steam:
95/100
Metacritic:
85/100
Talos Principle is a first-person adventure puzzle game in a sci-fi setting from the creators of Serious Sam. In an unknown place, deserted and seemingly divorced...
Game released: PC, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch → 26 June 2014
Players:
8/10
Steam:
95/100
Metacritic:
88/100
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is an old-school pixelated platformer about Shovel Knight, who must destroy his enemies to save his beloved and defeat the evil...
Game released: PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS → 2 August 2016
Players:
8.4/10
Steam:
73/100
Metacritic:
67/100
This Is the Police is an adventure strategy game with management game elements and an isometric camera view. Scandals, intrigues, investigations are commonplace for...
