Top Indie Games You Should Play in 2025

2025 is already shaping up to be another amazing year for indie game fans. The great indie game boom that started over a decade ago turned out to be more than just a mere trend. Small game development studios have elevated the entire industry, and the sheer volume of games being released on a yearly basis can be quite overwhelming if you don’t know where to start.

So, as we are already halfway through 2025, let’s check out some of the indie games that have grabbed our attention.

Indie Games Explained – History and Popularity

Before we dive into the best video games, let’s try to shed some light on how indie games developed over the years.

Such games stand for ‘independent video games’, and they represent games created either by individuals or small game development teams who are completely independent of major studios.

That flexibility allows them to experiment with unforeseen narratives, aesthetics, and game mechanics – a process that oftentimes leads to creating memorable games.

Due to their recent rise in popularity, indie games seem like a fairly new concept in the world of video gaming. However, that couldn’t be further away from the truth. These kinds of independently developed games have been around since the dawn of video games. One of the very first games that we have on record to be created as an indie game is the Spacewar! — in 1963.

The 2000s – A Start of Something Special

Indie games enjoyed a stellar rise in the decades that followed Spacewar!, but the 2000s have proven to be a true game-changer. Digital distribution platforms like Steam and GOG.com emerged, and they truly revolutionized the gaming industry by allowing independent game developers to bypass mainstream publishing methods and reach bigger audiences by distributing games directly.

This accessibility, complemented by game development tools like Unreal Engine and Unity, ensured an explosion of indie games’ popularity. During that time, games like Braid, RuneScape, Counter-Strike and Cave Story were introduced, and they gained a lot of popularity very shortly.

In recent years, indie game diversification has led to the industry competing with major game studios. Games such as Minecraft, Undertake, and Hollow Knight started off as indie games and have gone on to generate millions while capturing the attention of massive video game aficionados.

Alternative Ways to Enjoy Digital Gameplay

Indie games are a great way to discover new stories and creative gameplay, but there’s a lot more to enjoy in the world of online entertainment. 

If you like the intrigue of exploring something new, you might also want to try out some casino gaming activities, like thematic slots. Moreover, the gaming process can become even more captivating with the chance to receive numerous deals on online platforms created for new users. You can expect 120 FS or similar deals to access numerous titles without spending any money. 

So, no matter if you are interested in a fresh indie title or willing to spin the reels of some interesting thematic slot for free, there are plenty of fun ways to keep the good times going.

Top Indie Games in 2025

The indie game development market seems to move at a very fast pace, so new top-class games constantly hit the industry. To help you narrow down your choice, here are e few of our favourites so far in 2025.

Haste: Broken Worlds

We begin with Haste: Broken Worlds, a game that seems like a 3D version of the evergreen mobile Tiny Wings game. You play as the Zoe character, a girl who runs forward at a lightning-fast pace through generated levels.

By running, you will notice rolling hills you can launch and get added height, and if you manage to time your fall right into the curve of another hill, you will hear a ‘perfect’ message resonating. It will boost your meter and let you pull out a hoverboard. You will get to choose different types of levels to run through.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

At the start of 2025, we were introduced to the sequel to the popular Jump Over the Age. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is a role-playing game that combines tabletop mechanics with dice rolls and skill checks. While playing, you will enjoy its beautiful artistic design and sci-fi setting.

This is a game available across different platforms and consoles – PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, as well as Nintendo Switch.

UFO 50

You may know Derek Yu, the name behind the creation of the Spelunky series, so you might imagine that he won’t miss in terms of game hits. The latest project sees him and the team at Mossmouth have crafted a new project called UFO 50 – a collection of games.

Out of all the games, one of the early fan favourites is Mortol. It is a puzzle and platformer where you need to make your way through levels with a prearranged number of units. You can only perform one action per life, so you need to really make it count. Besides Mortol, you can enjoy a wide range of single-player, co-op and multiplayer titles, so there are plenty of modern games to choose from.

Pacific Drive

If you are a fan of supernatural games, then we suggest you check out the amazing Pacific Drive. It is a first-person survival game that will see you try to solve the mystery behind the abandoned research site in the Pacific Northwest.

As a supernatural game, it is stacked with anomalies at every step, so you are encouraged to get any tools you can to fix an old car. When you modify it, it can truly save your life. The main appeal of Pacific Drive is the possibility of discovering something new at every turn – whether it is a new mystery to solve or getting a new part for your car.

Animal Well

Moving on, we have Animal Well, a game that has emerged as one of the most stacked Metroidvania games to be released in quite a long time. This game offers an unconventional, non-linear experience where you will need to work out ways to use all the items you pick up on your adventure.

During your gaming experience, you will become familiar with various methods of interacting with items, weapons, and special blocks. The developer of the game – Billy Basso, has teased fans by saying that the game has a dual purpose, and by saying that the main game is just the beginning.

Against the Storm

We wrap up this list with a city-building game called Against the Storm. Regardless of its city-building genre, your gameplay will be enhanced with a few roguelike elements that make sure no two buildings are ever the same.

You will play as the Scorched Queen’s Viceroy in this game, and your task will be to expand the territory through the wilderness and claim any treasures you can along the way. Expanding the territory will also make sure that the Queen’s kingdom makes it through the so-called Blightsorm destruction across the land.

The Future of Indie Games

There has been a somewhat worrying trend in recent years when certain AAA publishers acquire indie game development studios around the world. Even Netflix jumped on the bandwagon when the streaming giant bought Night School Studio in 2021.

By buying them, they get experienced employees and their intellectual property, which is certainly a more convenient and cheaper way than building a new indie studio from scratch.

In spite of this, it seems like new indie studios also emerge on a yearly basis, and the above-mentioned top-class games are just proof of that.