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.

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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
- 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
- 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

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

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

- 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
- 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: 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
- 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

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
- 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.