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15 Most Exciting Indie Games Still To Come In 2025

The older I get, the more I find myself drawn to the world of unique and creative indies. In a gaming landscape where the AAA space has begun to feel entirely too same-y, indie devs are the ones with the freedom to actually present us something that takes risks and pushes boundaries in ways the big dogs are too scared to broach.

50 Best Indie Games of all Time

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Forget blockbuster AAA games! We want some plucky little indies!

2025 has already had its fair share of absolute banger indie titles like Bionic Bay, The Midnight Walk, and Fretless – The Wrath Of Riffson. Truly, these have become three of my absolute favorite games of the year.

Even more exciting is that the indie release slate isn’t slowing down any time soon for the rest of the year. So for any of you out there that also prefer jumping into a smaller-scale, but creative title instead of the latest open-world map-clearing grindfest, here are 15 upcoming indies to keep an eye on throughout the rest of 2025.

To qualify for this list, a game must at least have a “Planned Release Date: 2025” note on Steam. Sorry, Silksong; a random Discord message from a dev isn’t concrete enough for me. I’ll also be focusing on the smaller side of indie game publisher releases. Companies like Devolver and Focus are a bit too large these days to fit the bill.

15 Table Flip Simulator

Enough Is Enough!

table flip simulator_ss01

Table Flip Simulator

Released
2025

Developer(s)
YummyYummyTummy

Publisher(s)
PM Studios

Platform(s)
PC

I think almost everyone can relate to the feeling of a 9-5 job eventually wearing you down to a depressed, angsty nub of what you used to be. While having a meltdown at work and flipping your desk over in protest is typically frowned upon IRL, Table Flip Simulator gives you another outlet.

Working in a coffee shop with rude customers or sitting in a boring lecture has never been more palatable, as you’ll now be able to get the revenge you’ve always dreamed of as a rage meter builds on your screen, and you eventually burst into a Super Saiyan-style frenzy.

It’s not all just physics-based mayhem, as the game also has puzzles to solve and hilarious boss battles along the way. I demoed this game at LVLUP Expo in Vegas earlier in the year, and I had a great time. Look for this one to come sometime later in 2025.

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

14 Bendy: Lone Wolf

You Guys Made Me Ink

Bendy Lone Wolf

Bendy: Lone Wolf

Released
August 15, 2025

Developer(s)
Joey Drew Studios

Publisher(s)
Joey Drew Studios

Franchise
Bendy

PC Release Date
August 15, 2025

Xbox Series X|S Release Date
August 15, 2025

PS5 Release Date
August 15, 2025

Nintendo Switch Release Date
August 15, 2025

Platform(s)
Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S

Bendy And The Ink Machine burst onto the scene in 2017 with a distinctly unsettling portrayal of old-school cartoon art that definitely did its part to stand out from the crowd. In 2025, it’s getting a spin-off that’s ditching the original first-person camera style for a top-down, isometric angle instead.

Bendy: Lone Wolf stars an alternate universe-looking doppelgänger version of Goofy as he tries to survive in the bowels of an animation studio gone crazy. Personally, I vibe much harder with the new perspective switch in this game, and I think it’ll lend itself nicely to the survival meets weirdo horror feel that the game is going for.

This one launches on August 15th, 2025, so there’s not much longer to wait to see if all the style changes present in Lone Wolf serve to move the franchise forward.

13 Escape From Duckov

Ducking Around

Escape From Duckov

Developer

Team Soda

Publisher

bilibili

Release Date

2025

Genre

Isometric Looter Shooter

There aren’t many games out there that look as hilarious and charming as Escape From Duckov. In this one, adorably animated birds take each other on in an isometric shooter with way more depth and loot to manage than you’d ever expect going into it.

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In addition to just bird-on-bird mass warfare, Duckov also lets you spread your wings with base-building and weapon customization mechanics if you’re into that sort of thing as well. There’s just something about these cuddly duck avatars running around with assault rifles that draws me in entirely.

While there’s no concrete release date for Escape From Duckov beyond “sometime in 2025,” there is a demo on Steam that’s live right now if you want to check it out yourself. Hopefully this one lives up to all it’s quacked up to be.

12 Tiny Bookshop

With Tiny Bookmarks

tiny bookshop

Developer

neoludic games

Publisher

Skystone Games, 2P Games

Release Date

August 7, 2025

Genre

Management/Life Simulator

If you’re like me, you’re a gamer who loves the idea of getting into reading, but never feels like you have enough time to actually sit down with a good book with so many other life obligations and games sitting in an endless backlog. But at least Tiny Bookshop will let us combine these two interests in the digital space.

There’s a certain Stardew Valley-feeling story premise here in which you’ll be able to play as someone from the mindset of “Hey, I’m done with this corporate grind. I’m just gonna peace out and have a cozy life off the grid.” Open your own little second-hand bookstore and start life over.

This is a management-style game that seems primed to be the perfect cozy title to dive headfirst into as rain patters on your window, and you’re wrapped in a blanket with a warm drink. There’s a demo out for this one too, but the full release is coming very soon on August 7th.

11 LAN Party Adventures

Maximum Nostalgia

LAN Party Adventures

Released
2025

Developer(s)
LEAP Game Studios

Publisher(s)
LEAP Game Studios, Pchujoy Games

Number of Players
Single-player

Steam Deck Compatibility
Unknown

Platform(s)
PC

This is another one I’ve had the pleasure of previewing early, and I feel strongly that it needs to be on more people’s radar. LAN Party Adventures is peak ’90s nostalgia and is simply about building PCs and playing games with your friends. Well, until one of them goes missing.

Aside from this mystery aspect, however, LAN Party Adventures has some of the most unique mechanics I’ve seen in a while. You go through every step of the old-school PC boot-up process, get your cable management on point, and bask in the vibe of simpler times when we’d all link our rigs together for some multiplayer action before the rise of online gaming.

This is a game where I spent a lot of my time in the preview simply looking around at all the ’90s touchstones the team managed to cram into a single bedroom. Somehow, they absolutely nailed the vibe of my entire childhood, and I can’t wait to check out the full release later this year.

10 Unbeatable

Challenge Accepted

Unbeatable

UNBEATABLE

Released
2025

Platform(s)
PC

Unbeatable sort of looks like a fever dream, which instantly puts it on my radar as an indie to keep an eye on. In a world where music has been outlawed, you’re here to break some rules.

This game is dripping with anime-ish style and has rhythm-based gameplay that looks more chaotic and frantic than most others in the realm of QTE-ish music games. I’m really not even sure how to fully explain this game, which is part of what also draws me to it. Even the Steam description is just full of jokes, sarcasm, and misdirection, so the game itself will surely follow suit.

This is another upcoming indie with a demo to jump into if you want to try to wrap your head around it yourself. Bottom line, this seems like a game that will stand out as a bombastic, creative, somewhat hyperactive experience once the full game drops.

9 ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard

Live And Let Dye

ChromaGun 2 green wall

ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard

Released
2025

Platform(s)
PC

ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard is another title that I’ve already had the pleasure of testing out, and you can now do the same since the demo is available to everyone. The basic pitch is super simple. Think Portal, but with a gun that shoots different paint colors instead of gateways across rooms.

I’m personally really into the feel of most first-person puzzle games, and ChromaGun 2 seems like it’ll be one of the good ones. What starts as a simple concept of painting things the appropriate colors in order to open doors and progress to the next room eventually morphs into a really brainy and challenging puzzle experience.

Like Portal, it’s also got that self-aware, super-meta type of humor that you’d be into if you were a fan of GLaDOS and all of her constant quips and jokes. You can also jump right into this one without playing the previous title, so put this on your radar if you want a game that’ll test your wits.

8 Dead Take

An Evil Residence

Dead Take

Dead Take

Developer(s)
Surgent Studios

Publisher(s)
Pocketpair Publishing

Platform(s)
PC

Speaking of first-person indies, Dead Take is another upcoming option, but with a much more sinister twist. As a bonus, this one is out on July 31st, so you’ll be able to check it out for yourself very soon if you’re reading this article close to the time of posting.

Dead Take looks like a terrifying, psychological horror-type escape room game that mixes in videos and cutscenes in live-action clips. It looks primed to be a genuinely unique-feeling experience for those with the stomach to investigate just whatever is going on in this creepy, haunting mansion.

This one feels like a mix of old-school adventure game mechanics with new-age, mind-bending horror. It might not end up being for the faint of heart, but it looks like one that will attract an audience for those of us willing to get a little bit uncomfortable.

7 Discounty

Stardew Groceries

Discounty game

Developer

Crinkle Cut Games

Publisher

PQube

Release Date

August 21, 2025

Genre

Management/Life Simulator

Discounty feels weirdly familiar as you flip through the promo screenshots of the game, and I don’t mean that as a negative. While clearly invoking some Stardew Valley feelings, it also just feels immediately cozy and heartwarming even with just a passing glance.

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In this one, you’ll take over a grocery store and manage it to the best of your ability while also connecting with townies and taking some time for yourself along the way. It’s that sort of indie life management title that I’m expecting to get completely lost in once the full release is out.

There’s a demo for this one available right now on Steam, but the full game launches soon on August 21st. Get ready to price some produce, stack some cans, and take care of a cleanup or two on Aisle 5.

6 Cairn

Ain’t About What’s Waiting On The Other Side

Cairn

Cairn

Released
November 5, 2025

Developer(s)
The Game Bakers

Publisher(s)
The Game Bakers

Number of Players
Single-player

Steam Deck Compatibility
Unknown

PC Release Date
November 5, 2025

PS5 Release Date
November 5, 2025

Platform(s)
PlayStation 5, PC

The Game Bakers have already released what I think is one of the most criminally underrated games of the last ten years in 2016’s Furi, a tough-as-nails boss rush game with some incredibly rewarding fights. While Cairn is not the same type of game at all, it looks equally amazing in its own right.

Cairn is a mountain climbing game that looks semi-overwhelmingly detailed, and I’m down for the challenge. I mean, just take one look at the absolutely gorgeous vistas in this game, and I think I’m starting to understand part of why the struggle of real-life mountain climbing may be worth it in the first place.

If The Game Bakers’ reputation for hyper-difficult but ultra-rewarding video games rings true for Cairn as well, this could be another hidden gem in the making. There’s a demo out now with the full release coming on November 5, 2025.

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