Indie 2021 for Nintendo Switch — top best games in the Indie genre

Action, Adventure, First-person view, Futurism (Future), Puzzle, Indie, Survival, Comedy, Space, Sandbox

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 6 April 2021

Players: 8.7/10

Steam: 72/100

Metacritic: 70/100

Breathedge is a science fiction adventure action game with a first-person view and survival elements. The game tells the story of an ordinary guy and his pet who...

Subnautica

Action, Adventure, First-person view, Futurism (Future), Indie, Virtual Reality (VR), Survival, Open world, Horror

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 14 May 2021

Players: 8.7/10

Steam: 96/100

Metacritic: 83/100

A single-player adventure in a vast open world, with a first-person view, survival elements, and sandbox features. Playing the game will evoke feelings associated...

Loop Hero

Role-playing game, Roguelike, Top-down view, Fantasy, Tactics, Indie

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 9 December 2021

Players: 8.1/10

Steam: 91/100

Metacritic: 83/100

A Russian roguelike that tells the story of how the evil Lich created a time loop, erased the memory of all residents and plunged the world into chaos. The player...

Secret Neighbor

Action, Adventure, Horror, First-person view, Indie, Free game, Cooperative (co-op), Online

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 26 August 2021

Players: 6.9/10

Steam: 85/100

Secret Neighbor is a free-to-play cooperative action-horror game with a first-person view set in the Hello Neighbor universe. The events of the game take place...

The Binding of Isaac: Repentance

Arcade, DLC, Top-down view, Indie, Roguelike, Action, Adventure, Role-playing game

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 4 November 2021

Players: 8.8/10

Steam: 82/100

The Binding of Isaac: Repentance — an expansion to the top-down arcade action game Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. The expansion includes the fan-made modification...

Sky: Children of the Light

Arcade, Adventure, Platformer, Third-person view, Puzzle, Indie, Online, Open world, Exploration

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 29 June 2021

Players: 8.9/10

Steam: 86/100

Metacritic: 82/100

Multiplayer adventure from the creators of Journey and Flower. Players take control of the Children of Light, who bring light from the heavens to where it is...

Black Book

Adventure, Indie, Role-playing game, Turn-based, Strategy, Card game, Dungeons

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 10 August 2021

Players: 9.4/10

Steam: 89/100

Metacritic: 75/100

Black Book is a mixture of an adventure game and a card RPG in the setting of Russian fairy tales. The game tells the story of a young peasant woman, Vasilisa: the...

Maneater

Role-playing game, Action, Adventure, Third-person view, Indie, Open world, Slasher

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 25 May 2021

Players: 8.1/10

Steam: 88/100

Metacritic: 69/100

Adventure action set in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The story centers around a shark that has survived a brutal encounter with a hunter and is driven by a...

Death's Gambit

Arcade, Role-playing game, Action, Platformer, Indie, Metroidvania

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 30 September 2021

Players: 9/10

Steam: 80/100

Metacritic: 72/100

Death's Gambit is an arcade side-scrolling action platformer with RPG elements. You have to act as an agent of death, whose goal is to rid the world of “immortals...

Cozy Grove

Adventure, Simulation, Indie, Isometric, Hidden Objects, Procedural generation, Business / Management

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 8 April 2021

Players: 9.3/10

Steam: 90/100

Metacritic: 71/100

Cozy Grove is an indie adventure simulator with an isometric view. Welcome to a life simulator about camping on an ever-changing haunted island. As a spiritual...

Gang Beasts

Arcade, Action, Adventure, Fighting, Platformer, Indie, Online, Cooperative (co-op)

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 12 October 2021

Players: 7.7/10

Steam: 85/100

Metacritic: 68/100

Gang Beasts is a multiplayer game with gelatinous characters, comical fights and absurd...

Road 96

Action, Adventure, First-person view, Interactive movie, Indie, Roguelike, Exploration

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 16 August 2021

Players: 9.2/10

Steam: 90/100

Metacritic: 77/100

Road 96 is a thrilling, interactive, first-person adventure that pays tribute to various road movies, as well as the work of cinema legends such as Quentin...

TOEM

Arcade, Adventure, Isometric, Puzzle, Indie, Exploration

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 17 September 2021

Players: 9/10

Steam: 99/100

Metacritic: 79/100

A black-and-white adventure about travel, memories, and seeing the world through a camera lens. Everything is built around observation and the moment—each frame...

Legend of Keepers: Career of a Dungeon Manager

Role-playing game, Strategy, Horror, Fantasy / Medieval, Turn-based, Indie, Roguelike, Side view, Dungeons

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 29 April 2021

Players: 7.5/10

Steam: 76/100

Metacritic: 76/100

Legend of Keepers: Career of a Dungeon Manager is a dark role-playing roguelike with turn-based combat and a side view in a fantasy setting. You have to build a...

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

Action, Side view, Fantasy / Medieval, Indie, Post-apocalyptic, Role-playing game, Metroidvania

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 22 June 2021

Players: 8.4/10

Steam: 94/100

Metacritic: 85/100

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is a side-scrolling action-adventure platformer set in a dark fantasy setting. The setting is the fallen kingdom of Outland...

Fez

Action, Platformer, Puzzle, Indie

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 14 April 2021

Players: 7.1/10

Steam: 91/100

Metacritic: 90/100

Fez is a side-scrolling indie adventure platformer. The action takes place in a 3D world, allowing the player to explore and traverse colorful worlds by rotating...

Sunless Skies: Sovereign Edition

Role-playing game, Adventure, Top-down view, Indie, Steampunk, Exploration

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 19 May 2021

Players: 10/10

Steam: 84/100

Metacritic: 87/100

Adventure role-playing game, which is a direct sequel to Sunless Sea. The setting is not murky water-filled spaces like in Sunless Sea, but the sunlit sky. The...

Townscaper

Strategy, Arcade, Puzzle, Indie, Simulation, Construction, Sandbox, Casual game

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 26 August 2021

Players: 7.9/10

Steam: 95/100

Metacritic: 63/100

Townscaper is a vibrant casual strategy game in which the player builds a city on an island. The player selects colors and creates blocks of houses on a grid, and...

The Forgotten City

Action, Adventure, First-person view, Exploration, Indie

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 23 September 2021

Players: 10/10

Steam: 96/100

Metacritic: 85/100

The Forgotten City — a first-person adventure action game from the creators of the eponymous mod for The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. The game's events revolve around...

Spelunky

Arcade, Action, Adventure, Platformer, Roguelike, Indie

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 26 August 2021

Players: 8.4/10

Steam: 92/100

Metacritic: 87/100

Spelunky is a fun adventure that takes you to explore dangerous but rich mines. You will control a rather big-nosed but cute gold digger who came to the mines for...

Twelve Minutes

Action, Adventure, Top-down view, Indie, Point & Click, Puzzle

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 7 December 2021

Players: 9.4/10

Steam: 68/100

Metacritic: 73/100

Twelve Minutes is an interactive top-down thriller that follows the relationship of a married couple whose lives are dramatically changed by a police officer who...

Cyber Shadow

Action, Platformer, Futurism (Future), Indie, Side view, Anime / Manga, Metroidvania

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 26 January 2021

Steam: 83/100

Metacritic: 80/100

Cyber Shadow is a dynamic side-scrolling action platformer set in a sci-fi setting. The world has been taken over by synthetic life forms. A desperate cry for help...

There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension

Adventure, Indie, Arcade, Isometric, Simulation, Puzzle, Role-playing game, Action, Point & Click

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 14 April 2021

Players: 9.9/10

Steam: 97/100

Metacritic: 88/100

There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension is an indie action-adventure game in the point and click genre with an isometric view and puzzle elements. This is a fun adventure...

Layers of Fear 2

Adventure, Horror, First-person view, Indie, Walking Simulator

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 20 May 2021

Players: 8/10

Steam: 70/100

Metacritic: 68/100

Layers of Fear 2 is a continuation of the first-person adventure horror game from the creators of Observer. A Hollywood star is invited to star in a new...

Shadows of Kurgansk

Action, Shooter, Horror, First-person view, Post-apocalyptic, Simulation, Survival, Indie

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 23 September 2021

Players: 7.7/10

Steam: 65/100

Shadows of Kurgansk is an action shooter with a first-person view and horror elements in a post-apocalyptic world. You have to survive in a Zone where zombies live...

Chicory: A Colorful Tale

Adventure, Puzzle, Top-down view, Indie, Role-playing game

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 15 December 2021

Players: 7.7/10

Steam: 97/100

Metacritic: 89/100

Chicory: A Colorful Tale is an adventure puzzle game with RPG elements and a top-down view. The game is about a dog who wields a magic brush. You'll use the power...

art of rally

Arcade, Simulation, Racing, Isometric, Sports game, Indie, Top-down view

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 12 August 2021

Players: 7/10

Steam: 93/100

Metacritic: 77/100

Exciting rally arcade from the creators of Absolute Drift, where players can participate in the "Golden Era" rally. The game features a career mode with 72 tracks...

Streets Of Rage 4 - Mr. X Nightmare

Arcade, Side view, DLC, Fighting, Action, Indie

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 15 July 2021

Players: 5.5/10

Steam: 89/100

Metacritic: 88/100

Streets Of Rage 4 — Mr. X Nightmare — an expansion for the old-school side-scrolling beat 'em up Streets of Rage 4. After the events of the original game, our...

112 Operator

Simulation, Top-down view, Strategy, Tactics, Indie, Business / Management, Educational game (Education), Roguelike, Casual game

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 23 July 2021

Players: 7.9/10

Steam: 89/100

Metacritic: 73/100

A continuation of the original 911 Operator idea, but on a larger scale - now the whole world is under control. As an emergency services dispatcher, you will have...

Garden Paws

Role-playing game, Adventure, Third-person view, Indie, Exploration, Sandbox, Construction

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 26 August 2021

Steam: 90/100

Garden Paws is an action-adventure RPG with a third-person view, in which you play as seemingly cute little animals. A colorful open world awaits you with...

The Letter - Horror Visual Novel

Adventure, Horror, Anime / Manga, Visual novel, Indie

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 15 December 2021

Steam: 86/100

An atmospheric visual novel in the horror and drama genre, inspired by classic Asian horror films. The story unfolds in the gloomy mansion of Ermengard, which has...

LEGO Builder's Journey

Arcade, Puzzle, Isometric, Indie, Casual game

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 22 June 2021

Steam: 80/100

Metacritic: 78/100

LEGO Builder's Journey is a lyrical puzzle game set in an amazing world. You will go on a journey with a father and his child, where they will have to assemble...

Murder House

Action, Adventure, Third-person view, Indie, Old school, Survival horror, Horror

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 14 October 2021

Steam: 94/100

Atmospheric survival horror in the style of VHS slashers from the 1980s. A local TV crew goes to the abandoned house of the executed serial killer Anthony Smith...

Battle Brothers

Role-playing game, Fantasy / Medieval, Turn-based, Indie, Tactics, Strategy

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 11 March 2021

Players: 8.9/10

Steam: 89/100

Metacritic: 77/100

A turn-based tactical role-playing game about leading a mercenary company through a harsh, low-fantasy medieval world in a procedurally generated open-world...

Genesis Noir

Adventure, Third-person view, Futurism (Future), Indie, Point & Click, Exploration, Puzzle

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 26 March 2021

Steam: 79/100

Metacritic: 80/100

Genesis Noir is a third-person noir adventure where you have to save humanity from destruction. The event itself will tell the secrets of the universal Big Bang and...

Unbound: Worlds Apart

Adventure, Action, Platformer, Side view, Fantasy / Medieval, Logic, Puzzle, Indie

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 28 July 2021

Steam: 82/100

Metacritic: 78/100

Unbound: Worlds Apart is an atmospheric puzzle platformer with a side view in a fantasy setting. The main character, named Soli, can create magical portals...

Weaving Tides

Adventure, Puzzle, Platformer, Action, Top-down view, Indie, Isometric, Fantasy / Medieval, Exploration

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 27 May 2021

Steam: 83/100

Weaving Tides is an atmospheric puzzle platformer with an isometric camera view in a fantasy setting. In the game you will go to conquer the wonderful world of...

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

Indie, Adventure, Arcade, Casual game, Exploration

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 9 June 2021

Players: 8.8/10

Steam: 97/100

Metacritic: 80/100

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is a game about the adventures of a little girl who really loves nature. Alba, that’s our heroine’s name, goes to visit her grandparents...

Boomerang X

Action, Indie, Shooter, First-person view, Parkour

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 8 July 2021

Steam: 95/100

Metacritic: 81/100

Boomerang X is a dynamic old-school shooter with a first-person view and a phantasmagoric atmosphere. You will set off to conquer a crazy and vibrant world filled...

Hoa

Platformer, Adventure, Puzzle, Action, Indie, Side view, Exploration

Game released: Nintendo Switch → 24 August 2021

Players: 10/10

Steam: 92/100

Metacritic: 70/100

Hoa is an indie platformer with a side view and elements of the puzzle. You are waiting for breathtaking drawings, hand -drawn, excellent music and a pacifying...

Indie

Best Games in the Indie genre of 2021 for Nintendo Switch