This article was last updated by Digital Trends contributor Brandon McIntyre on 8/21/2020.

There are dozens of original indie games released each year. These games often take huge risks, presenting us with bizarre characters or worlds, as well as relatable storylines and simple-but-deceptive gameplay. As such, it’s hard to put any of these games into just one category.

If you are looking for something new, exciting, dark, or just flat-out weird, this list can help you find the next diamond in the rough.

Action

My Friend Pedro

A goofy blend of platforming, puzzle-solving, and precise-shooting action, My Friend Pedro doesn’t fit cleanly into any particular genre, and its bizarre and surreal storytelling only make it more unique. Tasked by a talking banana with eliminating baddies such as crime bosses, you’re given pistols and a plethora of ammo to complete your rampage of justice.

The enemies aren’t pushovers, however, and can eliminate you in just a few seconds with their weapons. To counter this, you have a time-slowing ability that allows you to carry out acrobatic kills like something out of The Matrix.

My Friend Pedro is available on the Nintendo Switch and Windows.

Dead Cells

Dead Cells‘ melting pot of ideas makes it hard to pigeon hole into a single genre. On the one hand, it’s very much a Metroidvania, but it’s also a rogue-lite in the tradition of Rogue Legacy. The randomization makes it exciting each time you enter its nostalgic spin on 16-bit visuals. And, yes, it’s challenging in a way that draws comparisons to Dark Souls (even its title harks back to the de facto “difficult” series).

Dead Cells breaks up its 2D levels into zones much like a Metroid or Castlevania game, though its combat requires precision and forces you to adapt, like the aforementioned Dark Souls. You collect enemy blueprints, upgrades, weapons, and items throughout the game, all of which can be given to the strange old “collector” for safekeeping.

The crux of Dead Cells‘ progression system sees you pushing through levels and delivering useful items to the collector before you die and start anew. Your upgrades and available items also make each run unique, given you’ll have more tools at your disposal. Satisfying combat and an addictive loot system make Dead Cells one of the best Metroidvania/rogue-lite games in years.

Dead Cells is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows.

Read our full review of Dead Cells

Katana Zero

Published by Devolver Digital, Katana Zero has fast, stylish action and a nerve-wracking one-hit death system harkening back to tough games like Hotline Miami. At the same time, it feels like a stealth game with an overarching puzzle loop. As a samurai, you can dash and slash a mighty blade, as well as slow down time to dodge and deflect bullets. The tight, nimble mechanics make Katana Zero always feel fair, despite the sometimes immense challenge. The trick is to discover the ideal order for clearing out stages in this magnificent sidescrolling feat.

Though you play as a “samurai” in the levels, the story itself is a modern neo-noir thriller with layered, exquisite writing that cuts deeper than most games, especially from the 2D action genre.

Katana Zero is available on Nintendo Switch and Windows.

Hotline Miami

Speaking of Hotline Miami, this was the game that started the saga including Katana Zero. It bloodily entered the fray in 2012 as a stylistic shooter, encouraging players to mow down enemies with everything from fists to shotguns to machine guns. Reminiscent of the most memorable action flicks of the ’80s, including First Blood and Commando, Hotline Miami is an indie game that shouldn’t be missed by action enthusiasts.

Since release, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number was released in 2015 and the Hotline Miami Collection came out in 2019, both of which are equally spectacular, with the latter being a particular steal.

Hotline Miami is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile devices.

Cuphead

StudioMDHR’s long-awaited debut, Cuphead, is one of the most visually enticing games we’ve ever played. It feels like you’re playing an old 1930s cartoon and an incredibly well-made one at that. It simply looks like a dream in motion. The story sees titular protagonist Cuphead and his brother Mugman enter into a dubious agreement with the Devil only to battle their way through Inkwell Isle for their souls. Cuphead is not for the faint of heart, as each of the game’s bosses tests your platforming and shooting skills.

Not satisfied being just a boss rush gauntlet, Cuphead also has run and gun stages, each of which is harder than the last. Cuphead‘s challenging gameplay is rewarding, but its visual and audio design steals the show. All bosses, from Beppi the Clown to Wally Warbles to King Dice, are rendered in stunning detail.

Cuphead is available on Xbox One, Windows, MacOS, and Nintendo Switch.

Enter the Gungeon

Enter the Gungeon is a top-down rogue-like similar to The Binding of Isaac, only at a much faster pace. The loot-driven loop tasks you with picking between one of four characters to send through a dizzying number of dungeon rooms. You must contend with both shooting quickly and dodging, as the dodge roll mechanic is an integral part of the gameplay. When you die, you go back to the beginning, but this rogue-like surprisingly retains its rooms through each run.

The challenge comes from the fact that the actual room locations, treasure, and enemies change each time you start over. With more than 300 unique weapons and items to uncover and four different adventurers to play, Enter the Gungeon is a game you’ll want to keep playing even after the credits roll. You can also play co-op with a friend, which doesn’t necessarily make the game easier, but it does up the wonderful chaos.

Enter the Gungeon is available on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Windows.

Night in the Woods

Returning to your hometown doesn’t always turn out how you expect. In Night in the Woods, anthropomorphic cat Mae drops out of college and heads back to Possum Springs. Mae gradually begins to see that the town and its people — a collection of eclectic, talking animals — have a dark past full of mysteries. The game plays as a sidescroller, but Night in the Woods can aptly be compared to visual novels and adventure games.

With an emphasis on the stories we tell, indie studio Finji’s first game ends up telling one of the most profound and relatable video game narratives we’ve played in years. Heavily indebted to dark humor, Night in the Woods asks players to make choices throughout the story that affect the way Mae views the happenings in Possum Springs. It even accomplishes the impressive task of making us sad and laugh all in the space of one scene.

Night in the Woods is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.

Oxenfree

Telltale-esque, story-driven adventures aren’t nearly as common as they were prior to the Telltale Games closure. Nonetheless, Oxenfree may very well be the best entry in the popular genre to date. Set on an island, Alex and her friends begin experiencing events that can only be referred to as supernatural. Instead of fleeing, they remain to uncover the island’s secrets. A distinct, 2.5-D art style gives Oxenfree a look that separates it from others in the genre, and the twisting and turning story is undeniably spellbinding.

With wonderfully realized cutscenes, introspective dialogue, and a meaningful choice-based system, Oxenfree is a gripping story that will grip you until the credits roll. Then, if you’re anything like us, you’ll boot it up again to choose differently, and see how Alex’s relationships and the ending change based on your actions.

Oxenfree is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Mental illness is a storytelling device frequently used to emphasize a larger-than-life villain, yet many creators fail to realize how psychological conditions also affect heroes. Ninja Theory’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice tackles this issue head-on to deliver a deeply disturbing and emotionally affecting story supported by game developer Melina Juergens’ fantastic debut acting performance. The game also has some of the best animations we’ve ever seen, spitting at the “sub-par visuals” stereotype that currently plagues indie games.

But Ninja Theory didn’t forget what made its previous games so engaging: vicious third-person combat. Though stripped down compared to DmC: Devil May Cry or Enslaved, the swordplay in Hellblade is still quite satisfying, and the threat of having to restart the entire game if you die too many times is enough to make you sweat.

Hellblade is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows. A sequel is currently in development for Xbox Series X, now that Ninja Theory has gone from indie developer to Xbox first-party studio.

Read our full Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice review

Outer Wilds

In this award-winning game from Mobius Digital, players assume the role of an unnamed alien astronaut recruit. Their first mission into space is suddenly cut short after 22 minutes when the sun goes supernova. Bummer, right? This short adventure seems disappointing at first, but your trek doesn’t end there. The recruit discovers they’re trapped in a 22-minute time loop yet retains all knowledge each time they die. That means the recruit must explore and gather all the information they can before the sun incinerates all local life and the 22-minute cycle resets.

The premise of Outer Wilds is to uncover the secrets of an ancient race and understand why you’re in the time loop. Both are connected and you must hop from world to world to converse with other astronauts and explore ruins. The overall mystery doesn’t actually tell you where to go. Instead, the surprisingly progressive writing offers hints so you can unravel the plot on your own. Given Outer Wilds is mostly about exploration and discovery, you’ll find puzzles to solve and deadly environments to endure, like the giant tornadoes of Giant’s Deep.

Outer Wilds is one game you don’t want to fly by on the Xbox One, PS4, and Windows.

Platformers

Owlboy

D-Pad Studio’s vibrant platformer may have taken almost a decade to arrive, but the end product was well worth the wait. In Owlboy, human-owl hybrid Otus sets off on an adventure after pirates attack his town. The first thing that stands out about Owlboy is its brilliantly realized, colorful world. This Metroidvania-style platformer features a sprawling, branching world that forces players to use every trick offered with Otus and his companions, whom he carries through various portions of the game.

Owlboy is much more than beautiful scenery, though. Devilishly smart puzzles fill the gaps between interesting boss fights. It captures nostalgia via 16-bit graphics, but all of its mechanisms at work — smart gameplay, engaging dialogue, varied environments — make it feel decidedly modern.

Owlboy is available on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Inside

Playdead’s follow-up to the acclaimed Limbo doesn’t deviate much from the studio’s well-known aesthetic. The game drops a young boy into a dark setting washed in a dreary, monochrome palette. Most of the sounds you hear stem from his feet pattering across environments ranging from the woods to a bizarre factory. This puzzle-platformer doesn’t waste a single moment of your time, as every puzzle has a purpose, both narratively and in teaching you mechanics you’ll need later.

Like Limbo, Inside creates a mood that is both chilling and hypnotic. Play it once to marvel at the ingenious puzzles, but play it again to notice all of the story details you likely missed during the first playthrough. Inside and Limbo both have a distinct atmosphere, but Inside makes better use of it while telling its unique and unsettling tale.

Inside is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows, and iOS.

Read our full Inside review

Celeste

Celeste, the newest game from Towerfall developer Matt Makes Games, is a deceptively simple puzzle-platformer. Ostensibly a game about protagonist Madeline’s journey to the top of the titular Celeste mountain, we gradually learn about her emotional troubles, as well as the colorful cast of characters she meets along the way.

But this isn’t actually an adventure game at all. Madeline climbs the mountain with simple-yet-deep jumping mechanics that make for some tremendously creative levels. The hazards thrown in your way later in the game are always just challenging enough to slow you down. With tons of collectibles to find and special “B-Side” levels to unlock, Celeste keeps you climbing the mountain for hours.

Celeste is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Read our full Celeste review

Spelunky

Spelunky debuted as an open-source game in 2008 followed by an Xbox Live Arcade launch in 2012. Despite its age, this rogue-like platformer still stands tall as one of the most enduring indies of all time. The 2D platformer primarily takes place across four worlds with four levels apiece. Each level is randomized, from the underground mine levels to the forest to the wide-open ice levels. Along the way, you can collect items and gold to help you survive for another moment.

That’s the thing about Spelunky: its greatness stems from its unpredictability. You can start a great run only to get stung by a bee, which sends you shooting into an exploding frog, which then flings you onto a spike pit. That’s game over for you, which means starting over from the very beginning. And yet, a disappointing end to your run can still induce a smile.

Each time you play Spelunky, you learn something new to take along for your next attempt. At the same time, though, the environments are different each time you play as well. It’s all about applying your knowledge and adapting at the same time. Spelunky is a master in platforming design with near-endless replay value.

Spelunky is available on PS4, PS3, Vita, Xbox 360, Windows, and Chrome OS.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

Mediatonic’s Fall Guys has proven to be an utter success among indie game fans. While most battle royale titles tend to stick thoroughly to the “battle” part of it, Fall Guys approaches it from a different angle involving whimsical platforming gameplay.

Using adorable avatars, players can partake in multiple events, including soccer, foot racing, “Grab the Tail,” and more silly games, with each taking place in vibrant and colorful locales. The game is most reminiscent of game shows like Wipeout, as players are consistently bombarded with daunting obstacles. All of this is done as players try to avoid falling off suspended platforms into water, lava, or a vast pit of pink goop.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is one of the most creative platformers in years, redefining the battle royale genre as more diverse than simply hero shooters or survival games. Fall Guys is ultimately a highlight for both 2020 and battle royales altogether.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is available on PS4 and PC.

Puzzle games

The Witness

Jonathan Blow’s long-awaited follow-up to Braid — the massive hit that was one of several to initiate the indie resurgence — couldn’t be a more different game. The Witness features puzzles, and puzzles alone. At first glance, the colorful island littered with random statues and weird oddities seems like a very bizarre environment for a game that consists entirely of line puzzles. But when you start moving from puzzle to puzzle, you’ll begin to appreciate and dissect your surroundings. Simply put, the line puzzles are brilliant.

Each puzzle teaches you a valuable lesson, and when they involve the environment as part of the solution, the grandiose experience only heightens. The game tests your mental stamina and often persuades you to take out a pen and paper as you search for the correct solution. It’s rare for a game to inspire that kind of dedication, but The Witness does, and it will compel you to keep going, and learning, every step of the way.

The Witness is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nvidia Shield, Windows, MacOS, and iOS.

Read our full The Witness review

Papers, Please

Papers, Please shouldn’t be captivating, but it’s easily one of the most enthralling indie games around. You play as an immigration officer at a border crossing that’s based on East and West Berlin. Your job is to check papers amidst political and cultural turmoil and use a set of rules to decide if you should let the person in or turn them away.

The act of checking papers is the main gameplay component, but it’s not what Papers, Please is even about. As an exercise in empathy, Papers, Please slowly creeps up on you, making you feel for the people around you and question the job that you hold. It’s an astoundingly moving experience and, yes, somehow it’s also very fun to play. Don’t read too much about it before you dive in, though, please.

Papers, Please is available on Windows, MacOS, Linux, PlayStation Vita, and iOS.

Untitled Goose Game

Developed by House House and published by Panic, Untitled Goose Game presents a simple, semi-isometric view of a mischievous goose waddling about in an English village carrying a to-do list. The game’s flat colors only complement the feathery animation and allows players to focus on the puzzles at hand, not the overall environment. Like Angry Birds, this family-friendly game packs character just in design alone. The goose waddle is simply adorable.

Your so-called “to-do list” is nothing short of evil. You won’t find any blood or violence. Instead, players rely on puzzle skills and a little stealth to get tasks completed. For instance, your first task is to have a picnic, but that means breaking into the garden, getting the groundskeeper wet, stealing his keys, throwing his rake into the lake, and so on. Later you’re tasked to steal a boy’s glasses. Because he can’t see, your goose steals the boy’s toy plane and gives it to a local shopkeeper. With that done, the boy must now purchase the plane.

Untitled Goose Game is a devilishly good time for everyone on the Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Windows, and MacOS.

Rhythm

Thumper

While gliding down one of Thumper’s psychotropic highways for the first time, you may feel a sense of passive awe as you gaze at the mercurial shapes floating in the distance. Then the metallic screeches and thunderous drums kick in, and the road before you becomes a twisted, nightmarish gauntlet. Thumper does not reinvent the rhythm-game — after all, the influence of Audiosurf is apparent — but it does give the genre a terrifying new coat of paint.

The game puts players in control of a silver beetle that’s perpetually racing down a track. Players use one button and movements to navigate obstacles; holding the action button and leaning left or right to take hard turns, for example. Players must progress through nine worlds with increasingly complex tracks, each of which culminates in a boss that players defeat by executing certain movement patterns.

Thumper is probably the most frightening rhythm-game ever made, particularly when played with a VR headset. The horror comes not just from the visuals, but also the oppressive industrial soundtrack. Easy to pick up and challenging to perfect, Thumper is one of the most spectacular rhythm games in a long time.

Thumper is available on PS4, PS VR, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows, iOS, and Google Stadia.

Crypt of the NecroDancer

One of the great things about indie development is that, without pressure from traditional publishers, creators have a lot of room to experiment. This results in oddities like Crypt of the NecroDancer, which combines the essential traits of rhythm games and roguelikes for a truly unique experience. Players descend the floors of a randomly-generated dungeon, collecting treasure, evading traps, and fighting enemies. The twist comes in the controls. Each floor has its unique soundtrack, and players must move and attack on the beat that, thankfully, has a visual cue for those who need help.

Floors are further divided into grids, and players move using the four cardinal directions. Each enemy has a unique movement pattern while some have special abilities, like walking onto squares and turning them into slick ice patches. That means players must learn and react to each distinct pattern and ability. The game becomes hectic early on, but players can find and equip various items and spells to make things easier.

Crypt of the NecroDancer is available on PS4, Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Linux, MacOS, and iOS.

Beat Saber

Beat Saber is easily one of the most innovative rhythm games in years. Published and developed by Beat Games, Beat Saber ditches the traditional game controller, mouse and keyboard, and instrument peripherals for a VR setup that displays the raw capability for virtual reality entertainment.

Combining Guitar Hero with Star Wars, the game requires a VR headset and motion controllers to slice away at oncoming red and blue blocks denoting which saber to use when hitting a note. Players also have to look out for obstacles, such as walls, upping the intensity to 11.

The game includes an impressive list of songs, including a variety of tracks by Green Day, Linkin Park, and Imagine Dragons. Further, PC players have been able to insert other songs, such as “Toss A Coin To Your Witcher,” in the game through the use of mods

Beat Saber is a relatively straightforward but very unique rhythm game. Virtual reality has yet to come into its own, but Beat Saber proves VR’s sheer capability as a platform.

Beat Saber is available on PlayStation 4 and PC.

Role-playing games

Temtem

Temtem bucks the trend of waiting for The Pokémon Company to release the next generation of Pokémon games by making its own monster-collecting and battling game. This indie RPG first released on Kickstarter, where it found massive success. After a long wait, it is finally available on Steam early access with a planned release for consoles in the future.

Players can collect dozens of intricately created creatures across a variety of elemental types, carving out its own spot in the genre with unique features like MMO cooperative play, unconventional starters, and a colorful art style. With more monsters, player housing, and lots more features to come in the future, Temtem is only getting started.

Pick up Temtem on Steam early access right now with planned releases on PS4, Xbox One, and it’s even coming to Nintendo Switch in 2021.

Slay the Spire

Slay the Spire combines two trendy genres — roguelikes and trading card games — to create one of the coolest and replayable indies around. Taking place throughout three acts, you battle both small and large baddies using turn-based combat. Your weapons are your cards, organized in a deck that gradually builds over time. When you fail a run, you start back at the beginning. Critically, you will have new knowledge to put into play during your next run and more possibilities in terms of cards and abilities at your disposal.

Slay the Spire has three different heroes with unique decks and play styles. The balance of combat is what makes Slay the Spire so good. You’re constantly weighing whether to defend or attack (or do both) during your turn. Slay the Spire has many layers of strategy, but it never becomes cumbersome. In fact, the experience only gets better the more you play.

Easy to pick up and play for short spurts and long gaming sessions alike, Slay the Spire is a sterling RPG for the Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Linux, MacOS, iOS, and Android.

Undertale

At first glance, Undertale seems like some bizarre student project, a homage to old-school JRPGs. The game does borrow many of the trappings of those old games (particularly the graphical style of Earthbound), but beneath that cheap retro exterior beats a transcendent heart.

Undertale casts players as a nameless child who falls into an underground world populated by monsters. Rescued by a kindly creature, the player journeys to the barrier separating humans from monsters while meeting and battling a cast of outlandish characters along the way. Undertale’s writing is where the game really shines, as its cast of monsters come across as beautifully human.

Undertale is available on PS4, Vita, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Linux, and MacOS.

Disco Elysium

Developed by ZA/UM, Disco Elysium is a stylish-yet-gritty isometric open-world RPG. Players assume the role of a detective who initially wakes up mostly naked on a dirty hotel room floor. Problem is, this guy has an alcohol problem. It escalates to a three-day drinking binge that ultimately leaves him with amnesia. Thanks to his inner demons, you’re not only tasked with solving the murder case he originally worked on before his breakdown, but you must discover the character’s hazy identity.

Players roam the streets of Revachol, a 70s-esque city infested with crime and poverty. Overall, Disco Elysium is dialogue-heavy, even during violent encounters. There’s no real combat system, but rather branching trees based on your actions. It’s an interesting twist to your typical isometric RPG and gives Disco Elysium more of a storybook feel versus an interactive game. Over time you’ll focus on four major abilities — intellect, motorics, physique, and psyche — as the murder-mystery unfolds and you level up the detective.

Disco Elysium is available on Windows, with PS4, Xbox One, and even Nintendo Switch ports in the works.

Sandbox/simulation

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley could perhaps be described best as a small-town life simulator. The game opens with the player inheriting a farm in a run-down village, and from there it’s all about everyday living.

The game divides into days, months, and years. Players can only accomplish so many activities in a given day, forcing them to choose their priorities wisely. Whether they’re growing crops, helping townsfolk with problems, or exploring caves to find resources, players must decide what they value and pursue it.

Stardew Valley is available on PS4, Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Linux, MacOS, iOS, and Android.

Kerbal Space Program

Want to run a spaceport? Kerbal Space Program is the simulator for you. It centers around an alien species known as Kerbals located on the planet Kerbin. The little green creatures built a spaceport just for you; a platform for designing, building, and launching spaceships. It’s not just a design studio, however, as the sim relies on orbital and aerodynamics to provide an “authentic” feel. The object: conquer space by building space stations and habitations on neighboring planets.

You start Kerbal Space Program by selecting one of three gameplay modes. In Science Mode, players advance Kerbal knowledge by conducting space experiments to unlock parts. Of the three, this mode is your safest starting point. On the other hand, Career Mode stacks on contracts and funding as you manage the entire space program and build a reputation. Lastly, Sandbox Mode simply unlocks everything the sim provides right from the start, so you can create anything you want without any worries over finances and contracts.

Kerbal Space Program is available on Xbox One, PS4, Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Strategy

Into the Breach

Subset Games’ FTL: Faster Than Light delivered a brutally difficult strategy with a classic retro-inspired aesthetic. However, the developer outdid itself with its next game, Into the Breach. It’s a time-traveling turn-based role-playing game that tasks you with saving humanity from destruction at the hands — or antennae — of the insect-like Vek creatures. Each level takes place on a small grid map and requires you to do damage and position yourself in areas where you can knock Vek into the ocean.

Survive for the allotted number of turns, and you complete the stage, but focus on damage output alone, and you will quickly find yourself overrun. Though the game can be completed in a few hours, you’re all but guaranteed to start up a second run as soon as you finish your first.

Into the Breach is available on the Nintendo Switch, Windows, and MacOS.

Read our full Into the Breach review

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