Top 15 Best Indie Games on Steam (To Play in 2019 & 2020)

Best Indie Games on Steam
By
Updated:
01 Nov 2019

Even our favourite Indie games can get dry, and there's always time to try some out new ones.

Try some of these 15 Steam games to spark a new love for Indie games.

15. This War of Mine

This War of Mine / Gameplay Trailer

Survive in a group on civilians as a war rages on in your country. Scavenge for food, medication, and supplies in an almost entirely deserted city.

Meet survivors and avoid snipers as you traverse the war-torn buildings and landscapes.

Make choices that walk the line between life and death of your friends and fellow survivors.

  • Choose dialogue and actions that could change the course of your game.
  • Avoid snipers and militants as you try to protect fellow survivors as well as yourself.
  • Craft your own weaponry, beds, cooking equipment, and other survival items.
Image
Body Image

Protector: Find and rescue abandoned NPC’s and make life and death choices.

Image
Body Image

Exploration: Find and carefully explore ‘abandoned’ building looking for new materials and survivors.

14. Starbound

Starbound 1.4 - Bounty Hunter Update Trailer

Build your base and your story in Starbound. Choose a unique race and personalise your character before finding yourself lost in the depths of space.

Inhabit a nearby planet and scan for resources and survival materials. Work on your ship until it’s strong enough to explore the vast darkness of space.

  • Forage for food and materials to make your way back into deep space.
  • Build your base and repair your ship with friends or alone.
  • Build your skills and add items and areas with mods.
Image
Body Image

Home Base:  Build your base up from nothing as you fight to survive.

Image
Body Image

Adventure: Find more impressive loot and new NPC’s as you go through the map.

13. FTL: Faster Than Light

FTL Advanced Edition Trailer

Save the galaxy with your own spaceship.

Fight against other ships and build yourself into an unstoppable force whilst progressing on your quest to save the galaxy from enemies and other hostile ships. 

  • Permadeath means dying isn’t an option. Plan every move with great caution and pray your risks pay off.
  • Make difficult choices as you order your crew and try to keep the ship up and running.
  • Play in a unique story with more random enemies and events.
Image
Body Image

Difficult Decisions: Modify and upgrade your ship and crew as you fight to save lives.

Image
Body Image

Sleeping With One Eye Open: Watch your back and keep your crew happy.

12. Prison Architect 

Prison Architect Trailer

Plan and build your own high security prison as you fight to keep inmates under control.

Keep an eye on every aspect of the prison as you fight against time to expand your prison, whilst keeping riots and fights under control.

Follow the story of one man; Edward, as you begin your story.

  • Play in different modes (story or escape).
  • Struggle to keep riots under control whilst trying to accommodate the huge influx of prisoners 
  • Build toilets, canteens, cells, and work spaces to take in more prisoners.
Image
Body Image

Expanding:  Watch your prison grow and flourish as you build up.

Image
Body Image

Under Control: Contain riots and fights to keep your prison up and running.

11. Banished 

Banished Gameplay Trailer 

Build your city from the ground up and control your own group of outcast travellers and expand from very humble beginnings.

Watch as your townsfolk grow older and wiser. Learn to barter and build as you breed more livestock, learn to fight, mine, and even teach the town.

  • Learn tonnes of new skills, as well as teaching your townspeople skills, too.
  • Manage your limited resources and make life changing decisions for your townspeople.
  • Keep the people of your town from hunger, whilst making sure they’re happy and healthy, too.
Image
Body Image

Expanding Upwards: Outgrow your initial spaces as your town grows in space and numbers.

Image
Body Image

Townsfolk: Watch the people of your town thrive and have children of their own.

10. Oxygen Not Included 

Oxygen Not Included [Official Launch Trailer]

Find yourself in an alien environment, and build your knowledge of your sorroundings as you fight to survive. Learn about the alien technology and watch your space colony thrive.

With every second you loose breath and risk death, so every outing must be meticulously planned.

  • Control your environment, with gas, temperature, and gravity.
  • Take good care to protect your colony from any harm as you watch it grow.
  • Build enviable new tech and delve deeper.

Image
Body Image

Stay Alert: Keep a close eye on oxygen levels and judge if a situation is survivable or not.

Image
Body Image

Thriving: Expand down into the ground and up into the sky as you gather more resources and find more exotic loot.

9. Adventure Capitalist 

Adventure Capitalist Trailer

Follow the story of a man with absolutely nothing but a lemonade stand, as you push closer to success. Each investment brings new items and opportunities for profit and expansion.

Look after yourself and your investors as you upgrade and watch your businesses flourish.

  • Grind out the time based game, where your choices may take time to come into effect.
  • Watch as your businesses grow exponentially and your life takes shape.
  • Chase achievements and stickers with every milestone.
Image
Body Image

Humble Beginnings: Start with only a few lemons and a lemonade stand.

Image
Body Image

Rich and Famous: Build your businesses to unimaginable heights, But make sure to keep a close eye on your own stats and happiness.

8. Undertale

Undertale Release Trailer

In this classic masterpiece of an RPG, become one unlucky person who’s fallen underground into a world saturated with dangerous beasts and monsters.

Battle or negotiate your way through the dangerous depths if you want to escape… Partake in tactical and brutish attacks on enemies and even befriend bosses on your journey to the surface.

  • Unique emphasis on humour and a wholesome, humour filled storyline.
  • Take on underground bosses and creatures on your way to the surface.
  • Dogs. That’s right, there’s dogs in Undertale (just when you thought it couldn’t get any better).
Image
Body Image

Story: Meet lovable characters as you progress.

Image
Body Image

Festivities: Attend different celebrations with NPC’s.

7. Terraria

Terraria - Journeys End

Start with only a few simple tools and a strong will to survive. Build a shelter and explore the treacherous Planes, Deserts, Mines, and even Temples.

Build up impressive weapons and armour to seek and destroy vicious bosses and reap the loot.

  • Fight unique mythical bosses and fight to survive.
  • Seek out loot from bosses, chests, quests, and the mines.
  • Meet travelling NPC’s and animals and expand your following.
Image
Body Image

Mystical: Fight unique bosses, tame mythical creatures, and meet unlikely characters.

Image
Body Image

Allies and Friends: Play with friends or introduce NPC’s to your home.

6. Don’t Starve Together

DST Launch trailer

Fight hunger, insanity, and dangerous creatures with friends as you traverse the world of DST.

Enter a deceptively simple world, where you forage to survive and explore new biomes, and build your knowledge of science and crafting. Soon, however, it becomes apparent this world isn’t quite so innocent.

Dabble in the dark arts and face horrific nightmares and monsters.

  • Hunt down elusive beasts for their precious hide.
  • Fight against Mother Nature as you try to stay warm in winter and cool in summer.
  • Explore dark magic and try not to drain too much sanity in the progress.
Image
Body Image

Looming Darkness: Stay close to the campfire to keep your insanity and the demons away.

Image
Body Image

Chaos: Fight intimidating bosses and meet new friends and allies along the way.

5. RimWorld

RimWorld Launch Trailer

Build your colony in a new world every time you play.

In ‘RimWorld’, you will find yourself shipwrecked with only three survivors, and with no idea where you are.

Keep your growing colony happy and healthy as you expand into forests, jungles, deserts, and tundra.

Discover more advanced medicines and keep your colony flourishing as new dangers threaten to end your story.

  • Fend off monsters, pirates, thieves, and tribes.
  • Learn more advanced crafting and medicine as your progress.
  • Tame adorable animals for pets and raise them as your own.
Image
Body Image

Workers: Watch your colony grow as everyone does their part.

Image
Body Image

Defence: Protect your people from intruders and threats.

4. Kenshi

Kenshi Full Length Launch Trailer

Choose your walk of life, whether it be a thief, a noble trader, or a warlord.

Traverse the dangerous world of Kenshi and fight your way to each objective.

Fight off cannibals and monsters, in a ‘no level-scaling’ game, where low levels will be difficult to progress from, but very rewarding.

  • Fully customise your own character, and choose their life path.
  • Explore a constantly changing world as you grind up the levels.
  • Fight to free the slaves, or perhaps become one yourself?
Image
Body Image

Survival: Fight off any threats if you want to progress.

Image
Body Image

Party: Group up and try not to ail your team, as injuries can greatly slow down the party.

3. The Forest

The Forest Trailer

After your jet crashes on a remote island, you quickly realise you’re the only survivor of the crash, and must think quickly to stay on your feet.

Fight flesh eating mutants and use improv weapons to stay alive.

Craft with natural resources for shelter and food, as well as laying traps in an attempt to stave off the hunger the wilderness brings.

  • Unique weapons and killing dynamics.
  • Fight against the genetically modified cannibalistic mutants that roam your new home.
  • Sneak around enemies or brave close quarters combat.
Image
Body Image

An Unforgiving World: Kill without hesitation if you want to stay alive.

Image
Body Image

Take Aim: Steady your hand or face almost certain death.

2. Town of Salem

Town of Salem Trailer

A classic ‘Who-dunnit’ game with an entertaining twist sums up ‘Town of Salem’ fairly well.

In an online lobby, each person begins with a secret role and must convince the others of their role, or try to lie their way to the innocents hearts, picking them off one by one.

  • Take on a different role every time and try to sell your character to the lobby.
  • Play carefully and think every move through well.
  • If you happen to be a killer, try to hide your ill intent from the others...
Image
Body Image

Keeping Your Wits About You: Don’t be too quick to trust anyone as you try to solve the mystery...

Image
Body Image

Unexpected Results: Solve the  puzzle before its too late.

1. Stardew Valley 

Stardew Multiplayer Update

Take to the farm in ConcernedApe’s Stardew Valley alone or with friends. The game begins with you inheriting a farm from your grandfather, and armed only with a little gold and a few tools, you must learn to sustain and grow your idyllic farm. However, the game doesn’t stop there; you can even delve into the deep caverns and dungeons, create bonds with the cheery townsfolk, participate in events, mini games, and even get married.

  • As the year unfolds, participate in different events and opportunities for rare items.
  • Fight battles in dungeons as you delve deeper, each level bringing more precious loot.
  • Improve your farming, fishing, and fighting skills over time with up to 4 friends..

Image
Body Image

Annual Events: Take part in plenty of yearly events and festivals for rare items.

Image
Body Image

Upgrades: Build your farm up from the ground until it runs like clockwork.

Also be sure to check out:

The 10 Best Indie Games Loved By Millions Worldwide

Top 15 Best Indie RPGs To Play Right Now

image
Gamer Since:
2006
Favorite Genre:
RPG
Currently Playing:
Overwatch
Top 3 Favorite Games:
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor, Fallout 4, Hearthstone: Goblins Vs. Gnomes