I’ve always had a soft spot for indie games. There’s something about them that makes you want to see them succeed.
They get made without a giant budget, nobody expects much from them and then they’re doing something that has you sitting in your chair thinking ”What an amazing experience that was”.
Which makes complete sense. Indie developers have absolute freedom to try weird ideas, take risks and make the kind of games that wouldn’t survive even the first meeting with 38 different executives.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not glazing every indie game that’s been made. Yes, some of them are brilliant. Some of them have a great concept but need more work. But there are a bunch of them that absolutely should have just stayed an idea on paper.
But when indie games get it right, they really get it right. You’ll have an experience like no other and you’ll feel things that you didn’t even know you can feel.
So these are indie games that I’ve personally played, absolutely obsessed over, enjoyed immensely and I know for sure that you would love them as much as I do.
Stardew Valley
Let’s start with an obvious fan favorite and my go-to when it comes to cozy games, Stardew Valley. It’s a farming/life simulator where you inherit a run-down farm and try to build your life there. The main reasons why I and many gamers find it to be such a great experience isn’t only all the farming, fishing, decorating, cooking, exploring and relationship building but also the freedom to do things at your own pace instead of having to follow a linear story.
Due to seasons, all the relationship building, progression and sheer amount of content that Stardew Valley has, you can easily spend hundreds and hundreds of hours without getting bored.
It’s really hard to write about how good Stardew Valley really is in just a few paragraphs, which is why I highly suggest checking out my full review of it here.
GRIS
This is a short but highly impactful indie game that you’ll have to experience for yourself at least once. It’s built heavily around art, music and emotions. Arguably, it’s what makes it such a special and cozy experience. It feels more like experiencing a piece of art rather than playing just another platformer.
Even though it hurts my blog in the long run, I really tend not to say much about this game because I really want you to experience it firsthand.
But in case you want to find out more about it, you can check out my review here.
Fields of Mistria
Fields of Mistria is one of the newer farming/life simulators with a strong fantasy setting and pixel-art graphics. It has all of the features that make a cozy game like farming, fishing, exploring, decorating and of course relationship building.
I had my reservations about it, mainly because I hold Stardew Valley so high on a pedestal but I gave it a chance and absolutely loved it. Nowadays, Fields of Mistria is on almost every device I own. It’s a great game for adults if they want to relax from a busy life but at the same time it’s one of those games that I’m absolutely comfortable letting my kids play.
If you love cozy life sims, this one brings many quality of life elements that improve things I usually find annoying. For example, you don’t have to fill your can while watering things (like, ever) and the shops are always open for buying. Plus, the art is beautiful and the movement so flowy and satisfying.
If you still have your doubts about Fields of Mistria, you can check my review here.
Spiritfarer
Spiritfarer is a management/adventure game about caring for spirits before helping them move on. It has features like sailing,cooking, farming, crafting and boat improvement but the game offers something more valuable: a great, memorable story.
That’s what truly makes it special, an emotional story that will affect you deeply. Not many games talk about loss, grief and all other emotions that people have to deal with. Additionally, it doesn’t hurt that Spiritfarer is visually very beautiful with some of the nicest music I’ve ever heard.
A Short Hike
A Short Hike is another great short indie game that will stay with you for the rest of your journey. They’ve somehow managed to take something like mountain climbing and turn it into a relaxing and joyful experience but also somehow emotionally fulfilling. I’ll never stop being amazed by something so simple can be so satisfying to play. Seven bucks well spent if you ask me.
Palworld
Palworld is definitely one of the most controversial games on this list by far. It was falsely accused of being a Pokemon copy which they tried to sue them for but failed miserably. As for me, I’ve played it since day one and I have nothing but good words for it.
For those who aren’t familiar with this game, the main thing is catching Pals and building bases around the map. The whole crafting system is well thought through and base building options almost seem limitless. As for the Pals that you catch, you can put them to work in your base or you can put them in a team and have them fight alongside you.
The level of praise that they’ve got from me, you would’ve thought I was getting paid by them but unfortunately I do this for free. I’ve got a bunch of guides for it and a review here.
Valheim
If you ever wanted to be a Viking, Valheim is a perfect game for you. You start with almost nothing and you have to build yourself up, gather resources, explore the world, build a base, and eventually face tough bosses.
It’s one of those games where I’ll sit to play for an hour and somehow magically teleport 5 hours into the future. The exploration is definitely my favorite part of it. You never quite know what you’ll find, and heading into a new area can quickly turn into an adventure of its own. The survival mechanics can be a little unforgiving, especially when you’re far from home, but that also makes getting back with everything you’ve collected feel much more rewarding.
Terraria
People say Terraria is like Minecraft in 2D and that’s pretty accurate. You get the freedom to do whatever you want but also structure with different biomes, activities, and so much more. Plus, it’s a game you can play on almost any device without needing some high specs, and it’s very inexpensive for the amount of content it gives you.
Subnautica
If you want a game that starts out very cozy — diving, exploring different environments and beautiful sights — but turns deadly quickly, this is it. I loved playing this on my Steam Deck because I got so immersed, and I didn’t even expect the horror elements (I normally avoid horror at all costs). But somehow, with Subnautica, I didn’t even mind. See my full review of Subnautica here.
Project Zomboid
Project Zomboid is probably one of the most interesting zombie games I’ve played. I can’t tell you how many times I thought I was doing great, to only make a stupid mistake that ruined absolutely everything. Which made me quit it immediately only to return to it the next day. It’s one of those games where I have a toxic love/hate relationship with.
What I really like about it is the amount of stuff you can do. You can cook, build a safehouse, farm, fish, forage, look for supplies, explore, work on your skills, or simply try to survive till the next day. But with so many things in the game means there’s a lot of stuff that needs to be learned. For that and a few other reasons Project Zomboid tends to be harder for newer players. If you can get past that initial learning curve, I highly recommend trying it out.
Windrose
Windrose is my favorite pirate game ever, and is a great example of an indie game that was made by passionate people. It perfectly combines elements of survival, crafting and exploration. It’s still in early access but it already feels better than any pirate game out there. I’ve already played it for hundreds of hours and I still can’t get enough of it. Though I have to admit that, my beginning was brutal. I’ve spent a good portion of my day getting annihilated by a boar. But that’s just my stubbornness. I’ve recommended this game in many of my articles already but if you want a full review, you can read it here.
Hades
Hades is a perfect game if you want something funny, with a great story and fantastic characters but also satisfying combat. You’re playing as Zagreus, Hades’ son, who really, really wants to get out of the underworld. His father won’t let him, though, so he decides to do things the hard way, by fighting through different levels.
A bunch of characters help him (and harm him), like the Olympian gods, Achilles, Meg, Nyx, and others. And each level is different, every time you play through (it’s a roguelike), and you will die many times, just trust me on this. But each time, you just get teleported back home. I loved this game so much and it was so satisfying to play, so I highly recommend it. I talk more about it in my full Hades review.
Vampire Survivors
This is one of the easiest recommendations I can give when it comes to indie games. I’ve played this since early days and it’s so good. On a first glance it seems relatively simple: you pick characters, go around in order to defeat hordes of enemies all while leveling up and getting new weapons and perks. As you play more and more, you realise there’s a lot more going on. But you don’t have to trust me on this one, there’s 200k overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam alone. Also you could just read my full review about it here.
Megabonk
The next contender for feeding my addiction is Megabonk, a game similar to Vampire Survivor but also with its own identity that makes it worth playing. You pick a character with a unique skill, fight the waves of enemies, pick loot, level up and upgrade it so you can fight even bigger waves. When it first got released, I tried so hard to get on a leaderboard but as soon I realised it’s going to take so much time, I gave up. I strongly believe that these games should be played recreationally, a run or two per day and that’s it. If you want to learn more about my experience in Megabonk, read my review here.
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
Another great on the list Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor. It’s a single-player auto-shooter spinoff of Deep Rock Galactic. The gameplay revolves around dropping on different planets where you have to mine rare minerals all while fighting swarms of aliens. You pick loot, level up and upgrade your characters to survive longer. For some reason only known to me, I play it exclusively on Steam Deck and so far I racked up a lot of hours there. It’s a great game to play if you’re short on time but still want to relax a little or if you’re on a road trip. And yes, you better believe it, I’ve got a review of it here.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is one of the generational indie games of our time and even though chances are very low that you didn’t hear about this one, I couldn’t take that chance and had to put it here. This is a remake of Binding of Isaac with new graphics, new monsters, new mechanics and a lot of new content. It’s one of the games that you wouldn’t expect to have such a heavy and dark story but trust me, it does. Besides that, you have to be very careful with this one because once you start playing, you won’t be able to stop. So people with a busy schedule, BEWARE.
Balatro
Balatro is a poker roguelike that genuinely caught me by surprise. I’ve thought it would be a simple game that I could play occasionally when I just feel like relaxing. I couldn’t even predict that this game would take over my life and I would invest hundreds of hours into it. So, the gameplay is loosely based on poker but there’re few additions that make it interesting. Each round you have to reach a certain amount of points in order to get to the next one and eventually you’ll get to a stage where no amount of points is enough. If you play it once, you’ll never be able to play regular poker ever again, trust me, I tried and it’s not the same.
Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium is such a good, well-done game, I could hardly believe it was an indie way back when I first played it. You get to be a detective in this one and solve a mystery in a gritty futuristic city filled with all kinds of people. You can be any kind of person you want as well, it all depends on your choices, so there’s a lot of freedom in there.
Plus, it looks incredible and it’s really sort of relaxing to play because most of your job is to select the right conversation points to get the info you need, as well as building up your skillset. A fantastic game to play on rainy afternoons and when you want a good storyline.
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is one of those games that I didn’t play when hype was at its peak but once I did, I completely understood what all the buzz was about. Yes, it’s not an easy and forgiving game but you can definitely see the love that developers poured into it.
The gameplay revolves around The Knight as he explores Hallownest, an underground place that’s filled with all sorts of bugs. I’ve had my challenges with the game but once I made my peace with it, I had tons of fun.
At some point I’ve considered 100% the game and getting all the achievements but you know, I had realistic talk with myself and came to the conclusion that it’s something that would probably require immense time investment and I’m just not ready for something like that. Maybe once I retire, I can do that. Stay tuned for that. Until then, you can read my full review here.
Celeste
Celeste is a platformer about a girl called Madeline who climbs a mountain as she deals with her emotions. It’s a beautiful game that has challenging gameplay and more than a decent story behind it all.
It’s a game that tested my patience as a gamer and there were times where I thought “I can’t do this” but ultimately I proved myself wrong and I was that much happier for it. And if you’re one who doesn’t like challenges, the devs have implemented an assist mode that makes things way easier than they need to be. So there’s no real reason not to try it. If you want to learn a little more about it, I have a review right here.
Ori and the Blind Forest
Ori is one of the few games that I was lucky enough to play during my college days. It was back when I got a new laptop and I really wanted to test out how good it is. For some reason I’ve gotten Ori and the Blind Forest and while I didn’t have any expectations of it, I still somehow got blown away by how good it was. Not only that it’s a beautifully designed game that I would even go so far to call it a piece of art but it has fun gameplay and a heartwarming story. And what was even better, it ran smoothly on the laptop from 2015. In case you haven’t played it by now, I highly recommend this one.
Lifted
Lifted is one the most recent indie games that I played that I absolutely adore. It’s a puzzle platformer that follows a professor and student as they time travel back in the past in a search for a lost necklace. What I liked the most is that the gameplay is fun and doesn’t overstay its welcome with constant repetitive mechanics. You’re constantly on the move and there’s always something interesting happening. Pair with a witty writing and funny voice acting and you got yourself an experience worth every pennie you spent buying this game. If you’re interested, you can find my full review here.
Sheepy: A Short Adventure
Last but not least, Sheepy is probably the indie game that I recommend the most. It’s a short free platformer about a sheep plushie brought to life. I finished it in one sitting in just a few hours but it gave me something that I really needed at that moment that will stay with me for a long time. A sense of just having fun playing games for the fun of it. And the music is really great. So if you haven’t played it by now, what are you waiting for? It’s free…
