Best Indie Games of 2016

An atmospheric 2D side-scroller in which, hunted and alone, a boy finds himself drawn into the center of a dark project and struggles to preserve his identity.

Stardew Valley is an open-ended country-life RPG! You’ve inherited your grandfather’s old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new…

The Witness is a single-player game in an open world with dozens of locations to explore and over 500 puzzles. This game respects you as an intelligent player and it treats your time as precious.…

Abzu is an exploration game where you are a lone diver in a lush ocean world. The diver descends deeper and deeper into the depths, where she will encounter majestic creatures, discover ancient…

Learn about daily life in a cyberpunk dystopia. A branching storyline where your decisions do not depend on traditional choices, but through the drinks you prepare. Visuals inspired by old japanese…

Owlboy is a platform/action-adventure video game created by Norwegian developer D-Pad Studio. Explore a vibrantly crafted pixel world in this flying adventure platformer. Being a mute, Otus struggles…

Pony Island is a suspense puzzle game in disguise. You are in limbo, trapped in a malevolent and malfunctioning arcade machine devised by the devil himself. It is not a game about ponies.

Quadrilateral Cowboy is a single-player adventure in a cyberpunk world. Tread lightly through security systems with your hacking deck and grey-market equipment. With top-of-the-line hardware like…

Tumblestone is a casual puzzle and competitive multiplayer game from the creators of The Bridge. Tumblestone's beautiful, hand-drawn artwork will captivate you while the maddeningly addictive…

Echoes of a dark and violent past resonate throughout a savage land, steeped in treasure and blood. Hyper Light Drifter is an action adventure RPG in the vein of the best 16­-bit classics, with…

Darkest Dungeon is a challenging gothic roguelike turn-based RPG about the psychological stresses of adventuring. Recruit, train, and lead a team of flawed heroes against unimaginable horrors,…

Skillfully hide from and sneak past the enemies fields of view, take their formations apart and hide their bodies to cover your tracks. Quick Save will enable you to execute your plans perfectly.…

Enter the Gungeon is a gunfight dungeon crawler following a band of regretful misfits seeking to shoot, loot, dodge roll and table-flip their way to personal absolution by reaching the legendary…

Severed Is a first-person dungeon crawler that uses touch based combat mechanics. It has a loot and crafting system based on severing enemy body parts to create and upgrade armor.

Oxenfree is a supernatural adventure game. Rites of passage and Senior year traditions set the stage for a group of friends sneaking off to Edwards Island, an old military outpost with no phone…

Shantae embarks on her first full HD adventure! After three highly successful outings with Shantae, Shantae: Risky's Revenge, and Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, Shantae and her friends finally get a…

Thumper is a rhythm violence game. It combines classic rhythm-action with breakneck speed and brutal physicality. Thumper strips rhythm gaming down to its core. Classic rhythm-action is combined with…

Enter an apocalyptic fantasy world where humanity is on the brink of extinction, iron is valued above gold and trust is hard earned. This ARPG features complex character development, hundreds of…

The award winning and BAFTA nominated saga continues in The Banner Saga 2. Continue your journey soon after the climactic events of The Banner Saga. The choices you made in the first game will affect…

An immersive, narrative videogame that retells Joel Green's 4-year fight against cancer through about two hours of poetic, imaginative gameplay that explores themes of faith, hope and love.

The Little Acre follows the story of Aidan and his daughter, Lily, set in 1950's Ireland. After discovering clues as to the whereabouts of his missing father, Aidan begins investigating until he…

From kickstarter: "The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is a metroid-vania styled action/adventure game where you play as the navigator of Argo 9, a spaceship/submarine hybrid, thrust back to…

A snarky and rhythm-driven action game about rolling around. Prepare your balls for an epic journey to Ballhalla. Feel the rhythm to overcome deadly hazards and marble at awful puns in the roll…

Overcooked! is a co-op cooking game for 1-4 players. Working as a team, you and your fellow chefs must prepare, cook and serve up a variety of tasty orders before the baying customers storm out. Take…

A puzzle RPG about a game developer that loses his job and finds true love in his quest to make his first independent game.

"Salt and Sanctuary seamlessly combines fast, brutal, and complex 2D combat with richly developed RPG mechanics. Discover, craft, and upgrade over 600 weapons, armor pieces, spells, and items as you…

SuperHot is the first person shooter where time moves only when you move. No regenerating health bars. No conveniently placed ammo drops. It's just you, outnumbered and outgunned, grabbing weapons…

The Lion's Song is a series of four self-contained point & click stories connected into an overarching narrative, where player choices will affect the way in which the story unfolds. Set against the…

Ever wish you were a wall-jumping, arrow-dodging, trap-setting horse, besting your animal pals in a race through a peril-laden obstacle course that you all built together? Wish granted! Ultimate…

NeuroVoider is a twin-stick shooter RPG set in a cyber futuristic world about brains shooting around evil robots with nuclear rocket launchers. Battle through the horde of vigilant robots, boost your…

Firewatch is a single-player first-person video game where you, as a man named Henry, explore the Wyoming wilderness after taking a summer job as a fire lookout. What is supposed to be a peaceful…

Crashlands is an outlandish story-driven-action-adventure set in a world of hidden magic and high technology. Tame and milk alien beasts, craft resources into menacing weaponry, befriend the locals,…

Offworld Trading Company is a real-time strategy game in which money, not firepower, is the player's weapon. Players lead their developing companies in cutthroat economic warfare against other…

The Bug Butcher is an action-packed 2D side scrolling shoot em up game where peril comes from above. The core mechanics hold old ties from the classic arcade shooter "Super Pang" where you shoot…

"Gonner is a tough as hell procedurally-generated 2D platformer with roguelike elements, following the largely misunderstood and altruistic Ikk on a journey to cheer up his only friend in this…

"Float ashore on a strange island Ittle and Tippsie crash onto yet another island filled with loot, puzzles and mysterious inhabitants! With the help of a magical map, they set out to steal eight…

Death Road to Canada is a Permadeath Randomized Road Trip Simulator. You manage a group of survivors through decision making events as you travel from Florida to Ontario, Canada. This is mixed in…

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is a sidescrolling platformer, and is the fourth installment of the Momodora series. Focusing on gameplay, melee combos, dodge mechanics, travel forwards in the…

Space Run Galaxy is the sequel to Space Run, the game from one-man studio Passtech, which seduced hundreds of thousands of players with its dynamic and original game play. By twisting the…

"Event[0] is a game about building a personal relationship with a machine. You type messages into a computer, and Kaizen answers. As in any relationship, you experience gratitude, disappointment, and…

Fight your way free in our frenzied all-boss fighter, and discover what’s waiting behind the last gate. Furi is all about the tension of one-on-one fights against deadly adversaries. It’s an intense,…

Pixel adventure inspired by classics like Zelda and Silent Hill.

A rogue-lite river journey through the backwaters of a forgotten post-societal America. Forage, craft, evade predators. Travel by foot and by raft down a procedurally-generated river as you scrounge…

Hue is a stark puzzle platformer where you shift the hue of the world, creating rifts when colours collide. In this world, everyone sees in grayscale. Anne, a researcher specialising in colour…

Dodge bullets, missiles and lasers in battle as you wrap your head around that bunny girl costume! Combo away with your mighty Piko Hammer or spam various spells from afar with your fiery fairy…

The race is on in Mantis Burn Racing, where fast-paced bumper-to-bumper racing combines with intuitive, tactile gameplay and stunning visuals in one of the best-looking and most immersive top-down…

Sequel to one of the hit RTS games of the last generation, Mushroom Wars 2 introduces hero characters with customizable skins, reimagined campaigns for each race of Mushroom folk, even wilder…

Klaus follows an office worker who wakes up in a basement with no idea of who or where he is. With his only clue being the word "Klaus" tattooed on his arm, he's forced to escape the mechanical and…

Samorost 3 is an exploration adventure and puzzle game from the award-winning creators of Machinarium and Botanicula. Travel across space to nine unique worlds teeming with colorful challenges,…

Enter the wondrous world of Wuppo! Fight numerous enemies, collect countless items, and solve immersive puzzles, all while exploring the detailed history of the world in your quest to find a new home.

"The 2D high speed, old-school style side-scrolling action that you remember from Azure Striker Gunvolt is back! In this game, Gunvolt's rival Copen from the first installment returns to the fray as…

Arizona Sunshine is a VR shooter built and optimized for room-scale VR from the ground up. Step into the midst of a zombie apocalypse as if you were really there, and defend yourself against enemies…

Pankapu is a 2D platform/action game, narrative and episodic: In a world full of Dreams and Nightmares, a tiny warrior has to fight for the safety of his homeland. However, the real purpose of his…

A super fast-paced ARCADE TOWER-DEFENSE. Build turrets and shoot your way through hordes of alien scum as you protect multiple rooms simultaneously!

Duelyst is a competitive strategy game focused on tactical combat, squad building, and ranked ladder play. Each battle is a 1v1 match between two online opponents. Gameplay in Duelyst is turn-based,…

The Deadly Tower of Monsters is an action-packed adventure, full of time-honored literary themes: the daughter versus the tyrant father, the planet full of innocent ape-creatures, the dashing…

The threequel to the party game phenomenon features the deadly quiz show Trivia Murder Party, the say-anything sequel Quiplash 2, the surprising survey game Guesspionage, the t-shirt slugfest Tee…

Super Galaxy Squadron is a fast-paced vertical shooter designed for human beings as well as shmup veterans. Featuring a challenging but merciful difficulty curve, forgiving health system, and 14…

Icey is a 2D side-scrolling action game and a meta game in disguise. As you follow the narrator's omnipresent voice, you will see through Icey's eyes and learn the truth about her world. The narrator…

Reigns is a strategy video game developed by Nerial and published by Devolver Digital. Set in a fictional medieval world, it places the player in the role of a monarch who rules the kingdom by…

Dear Esther is a first-person game about love, loss, guilt and redemption. Driven by story and immersion rather than traditional mechanics, it's an uncompromisingly emotional experience.

Headlander is a retro-futuristic, side scrolling, action-adventure game set in a world inspired by 70’s science fiction. It is a world of automation, a utopia gone wrong in which all of humanity have…

Shu will challenge and delight players with an engrossing 2.5D world, filled with collectables, obstacles and threats. Adventure across the land with the help of hand-drawn characters and their…

This is a 2D shooter / platformer with old school gaming values in a decidedly new school execution. During the intense 360 degree shooting and platforming action, players learn to alter the behavior…

In Killing Floor 2 players descend into Europe where the Zed outbreak has quickly spread and gained unstoppable momentum. Just one month after the conclusion of the events in the original Killing…

An original turn-based role-playing game set in a world of machines and magic, a world that stopped spinning thousands of years ago.

Stikbold! is a single and local multiplayer dodgeball game heavily inspired by the 70's and its athletes. This is a salute to the heroic sportsmanship of the era, a time when tacky was cool and there…

Inspired by the adventure and imagination that we love from classic science-fiction, No Man's Sky presents you with a galaxy to explore, filled with unique planets and lifeforms, and constant danger…

Human: Fall Flat is an open-ended physics based puzzle game in which you take control of builder Bob helping him resolve the mysteries behind his recurring dreams of falling. Your goal is to escape…

Witness the rebirth of a genre in Lumo – a classic isometric adventure with a modern twist for gamers young and old alike!

Livelock is a cooperative top-down shooter where you and up to two others must work together to break the cycle of infinite war between machines. As one of "The Few" remaining Capital Intellects, you…

This War of Mine: The Little Ones explores the hardships of wartime survival as seen from an entirely new perspective; that of a child.

Clustertruck is a chaotic physics based truckformer. Jump your way through insane levels in a game of "the floor is lava" on top of speeding trucks driven by terrible drivers.

Layers of Fear is a psychedelic horror that will keep you on-edge for the reminder of the game. Delve deep into the mind of an insane painter and discover the secret of his madness, as you walk…

Mother Russia Bleeds is an ultra-violent co-op brawler overflowing with an unmistakable style and unforgettably brutal action for up to four players at once. Set in an alternate U.S.S.R, the story…

10 SECOND NINJA X is a blisteringly fast, satisfyingly difficult and surprisingly methodical sidescroller which tasks you with completing each level in ten seconds or less. No lengthy checkpoint…

Aragami is a third person stealth game that casts you as an undead assassin with the power to control the shadows. Teleport to any shadow, become invisible, materialize weapons or even summon a…

Travel by train through a dying world. Look after your passengers, keep your train operational, and make sure you can always reach the next station. Make your way through swarms of infected at each…

1979 Revolution, the action/adventure game, immerses players into the gritty, euphoric streets of revolution – where the choices you make may betray you. Set in the actual events of 1979 Iran. 1979…

From Cyan, the indie studio that brought you Myst and Riven comes a whole new adventure that will become your world. The new worlds of Obduction reveal their secrets only as you explore, coax, and…

A post-apocalyptic adventure game from the publisher that brought you Primordia, Gemini Rue and Technobabylon! A young woman stricken with a deadly plague searches for a cure in a hostile world.

Tricky Towers is a multiplayer physics-based tower building game. In a game of Tricky Towers you stack your bricks to create a stable tower and try to topple those of your opponents. To spice it up…

A unique racing game about mastering the art of drifting. Journey from apprentice to master drifter as you hone your skill in a gorgeous minimalist world. Travel from airports and docks to a floating…

Explore the vast and beautiful world of Valley using the power of the L.E.A.F. suit: a fierce exoskeleton that grants exceptional speed and agility along with the phenomenal ability to manipulate the…

Neon Chrome is a ruthless top-down cyberpunk shooter with rogue-like elements. The game takes place inside an arcology – a massive sci-fi mega structure. Every gaming session is different as large…

Defend your stage with music in this new indie rhythm game featuring Tegan and Sara, CHVRCHES, Lights, Metric, METZ, F*cked Up, HEALTH, Purity Ring, Little Dragon, Austra, Shad, Cadence Weapon, July…

Bringing back the 90's-era PC platformer with a game inspired by classics like Commander Keen, Conker, Ruff'n'Tumble & Jazz Jackrabbit.

Xenoraid is an exciting vertically scrolling shoot'em up rooted in the classic action gameplay of the genre with modern additional features. Intercept the alien threat in missions that play out…

G'day Mate. Are you ready to explore the wilds of the Australian Outback in this remastered version of the classic game, TY the Tasmanian Tiger? Join TY on a RIPPER of an adventure to free his family…

Reynardo the Fox is a clever rogue, but he’s not as clever as he thinks. He's got himself sucked into a Rebellion against the mad Emperor, and now he’s got fateful choices to make. Should he rescue…

A totalitarian State controls every aspect of private and social life. Laws are oppressive. Surveillance is total. Privacy is dead. You are a State-installed manager of an apartment house. The State…

Ashes of the Singularity is a real-time strategy game set in humanity’s not-so-distant future. What it means to be human has changed with the coming of the singularity. In the post-human economy,…

"Taking up arms solo or with a friend, you must dance with death in a brutal and addictive arcade platformer shooter inspired by Super Crate Box and stuffed to the brim with unlockables. Fight…

Typoman is a 2D puzzle platformer. You slip into the role of a character made of letters, struggling to make your way through a dark and hostile world. Despite your small stature you have a powerful…

Virginia is a first person interactive drama. It is the story of a recently graduated FBI agent and her partner as they seek to uncover the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young boy. In…

Strike Vector EX is a competitive first-person aerial-combat game that satisfies every gamer’s dream of waging dizzying dogfights with super-powered aircraft. Bursting with mech-inspired ships,…

Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is a tactical action RPG developed by Witching Hour Studios.

Explore thousands of holes created by the community, set new world records, participate in multiplayer competitions, customize your character with unlockable clothes and accessories or create your…

Battle creatures, collect loot, master magic, and build your very own Wizard Tower sanctuary in this rogue-like, dungeon-crawling RPG.

Risk life and limb as you explore a mysterious floating fortress in search of your kidnapped father. Take on the role of Bess, a young co-pilot who must navigate her way through puzzles and perilous…