The Indie game scene is rich with many developers with unique and interesting ideas, stories, and different approaches to gameplay that the triple-A titans would never try. Today, I will show you our top 15 indie game developers and some of their games that you should try.
Our Top 15 Indie Game Developers
- Supergiant Games
- Might & Delight
- FuturLab
- Landfall
- Klei
- Ghost Town Games
- Thunder Lotus Games
- Extremely OK Games Ltd.
- Hitchcock Games
- Jutsu Games
- Curve Digital
- Free Lives
- 10tons
- Steel Wool Studios
- The Behemoth
1. Supergiant Games
If you’ve played the smash hit Hades you’ll know these guys. Supergiant creates fun and challenging isometric action games with beautiful visuals. They all feature great soundtracks, with the music from their game Transistor being one of my personal favorites.
Top 3 Games:
- Transistor
- Hades
- Pyre
2. Might & Delight
Might & Delight offers unique visual styles in their works as well as some uncommon concepts for games. Their Shelter series has you take on the role of a mama badger, lynx, and elephant in their respective games. You have to raise your babies and travel through sweeping landscapes.
Top 3 Games:
- Shelter series (Shelter 1, 2, and 3)
- Meadow
- Tiny Echo
3. FuturLab
FuturLab is the developer of the acclaimed PC Builder Simulator, where you can live out your dreams of having enough money to build a decent gaming PC. But that’s not all, their newest simulator game Power Wash Simulator is their most thrilling and action-packed game yet! They also have a couple of top-down shooters and a game based on the TV show Peaky Blinders.
Top 3 Games:
- Power Wash Simulator
- PC Builder Simulator
- Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
4. Klei
Best known for games like Don’t Starve Together, Klei’s strengths are engaging and stylized 2D games. However, you can check out their venture into 3D with Hot Lava, a platformer that you can play with your friends where the floor is, quite literally, lava.
Top 3 Games:
- Don’t Starve Together
- Crypt of The Necrodancer
- Mark of the Ninja
5. Ghost Town Games
Overcooked! & Overcooked! 2 are some of the best party games out there, and it’s evident that Ghost Town put a lot of care into them. I would recommend these chaotically fun games for everyone. Recently the devs remastered both games and combined them in Overcooked!: All You Can Eat. While not a new game entirely, this revamped mix of the two games has new levels with 4k graphics and runs in a butter-smooth 60 FPS. But I would also recommend following Ghost Town’s future developments.
Top 3 Games:
- Overcooked!
- Overcooked! 2
- Overcooked!: All You Can Eat
6. Thunder Lotus Games
Games from Thunder Lotus are engaging and feature excellent hand-drawn style animations. Jotun: Valhalla Edition puts these aspects on full display while also giving you some good action and a story based on Norse mythology. If you’re looking for some relaxation, check out their game Spiritfarer.
Top 3 Games:
- Spiritfarer
- Jotun: Valhalla Edition
- Sundered: Eldritch Edition
7. Extremely OK Games Ltd.
Extremely OK Games are not ok but in fact, quite good. Their most famous game is the difficult precision platformer Celeste. Each of their titles is created in a 2D pixelated style and features some great music that lends itself well to the gameplay.
Top 3 Games:
- Celeste
- Towerfall
- Earthblade (Coming Soon)
8. Hitchcock Games
Hitchcock Games has made a good name for itself in the indie horror genre due to its hit Emily Wants to Play and the game’s sequel and prequel. Hitchcock’s games are great as they’re relatively cheap and play up the thrills and chills thanks to their interesting gameplay.
Top 3 Games:
- Emily Wants to Play
- Emily Wants to Play 2
- Pacify
9. Jutsu Games
Jutsu is known for their unique style of simulator games, their claim to relevancy came from their title 911 Operator. Their Operator sims are immersive and engaging. But if you aren’t in a mood for strategy you can play their “GTA, but medieval” game called Rustler. Steal them horse-drawn carriages boy!
Top 3 Games:
- 911 Operator
- 112 Operator
- Rustler
10. Scott Cawthon (Scottgames)
Scott Cawthon’s Five Night’s at Freddy’s series has made quite the impact on the indie gaming scene with the convoluted story and borderline stressful gameplay from each entry. There’s plenty to choose from but I’ll list some of the fan favorites in the series. I recommend heading to youtube to get the lore explained to you, it’ll save you the headache of trying to figure things out yourself.
Top 3 Games:
- Five Nights at Freddy’s
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
- Ultimate Custom Night
11. Free Lives
Free Lives’ games are known for their over-the-top gameplay and overall fun weirdness. Like really weird, but really fun. I don’t even know what else to say. Look up their games and sink into their pool of craziness.
Top 3 Games:
- Broforce
- Gorn
- Cricket Through the Ages
12. 10tons
The biggest strengths of 10tons are their isometric action games. They’ve got a handful of great titles to choose from, so don’t overlook these smaller devs.
Top 3 Games:
- Dysmantle
- Skeletal Avenger
- Crimsonland
13. Steel Wool Studios
In recent years, Steel Wool has stepped into the limelight thanks to their collaboration with Scott Cawthon, bringing his Five Nights at Freddy’s series into virtual reality. This VR games developer puts a lot into creating engaging experiences to get over the common hurdles of VR games.
Top 3 Games:
- Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted
- Mars Odyssey
- Quar: Battle for Gate 18
14. Landfall
Landfall boasts a roster of hilarious and fun games, from their famous Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (or TABS for short), to truck jumping (yes, truck jumping) game Clustertruck. Their ease of play and wacky premise makes for hours of fun. And if they start to get boring, they also have level editors for some of their games (TABS, Clustertruck, and Stick Fight) where you can play other people’s custom levels.
Top 3 Games:
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
- Clustertruck
- Stick Fight: The Game
15. The Behemoth
Behemoth is a fitting name for this developer, as they have put out smash hits like Battleblock Theater and Castle Crashers. These beat’em ups are a favorite among co-op game fans, thanks to their great humor, charming art style, and their responsive and fun combat.
Top 3 Games:
- Castle Crashers
- Battleblock Theater
- Pit People
Liked our list? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
