18 Must-Play Indie Gems Set to Dazzle in 2025

The year 2024 proved to be substantial for indie gaming, with titles such as Balatro, Animal Well, and UFO 50 achieving both commercial success and commendable reviews alongside their AAA counterparts. This momentum appears poised to continue into 2025, featuring highly awaited releases like Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector and Hyper Light Breaker, both launching in January, trailed by a variety of other thrilling new games, including Pathologic 3, Wanderstop, and additional surprises.

We have prepared another compilation of some indie titles we are eagerly anticipating. From stealth-action deck builders and atmospheric mountain climbing simulations to isometric roguelike shooters, there is something for every kind of gamer, and undoubtedly even more revelations on the horizon.

Which indie games excite you the most for 2025? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Release date: Jan. 14 (early access)
Platforms: Windows PC

Hyper Light Breaker, the forthcoming 3D cooperative roguelike from developer Heart Machine, has experienced a lengthy and complex journey since it was first revealed in 2022. However, the anticipation is nearly at an end, as the game is scheduled to have its early access debut on Steam on Jan. 14.

Taking place years before the events of Hyper Light Drifter, Hyper Light Breaker enables players to take on the role of a Breaker — a hero assigned with reconstructing society following a devastating conflict. As you traverse the world of the Overgrowth, facing its various threats and uncovering its many secrets, you will confront formidable foes known as the Crowns in your endeavor to vanquish the Abyss King and restore harmony to the land. —Toussaint Egan

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Release date: Jan. 31
Platforms: Windows PC

The new year initiates with the launch of Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector on Jan. 31. The sequel to Jump Over the Age’s narrative-driven RPG Citizen Sleeper aims to expand upon the foundation laid by the original, featuring rich and intricate science fiction lore. —Nicole Carpenter

Release date: February 2025
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC

Morsels seems like a title for the quirky, and I mean that in the most favorable way. It’s a creature-collecting roguelite that’s vibrant, quick-paced, and absolutely essential. From the indie studio Furcula based in Toronto, Morsels currently lacks a specific release date. —Nicole Carpenter

Release date: March 11
Platforms: Windows PC

Wanderstop is a delightful farming simulator with a sinister twist — it’s what unfolds when a talented warrior takes a moment to brew some tea. From the creators of The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide, Wanderstop is set for release on March 11. —Nicole Carpenter

Launch date: March 31 (early access)
Systems: Windows PC

For those who appreciate Cruelty Squad, the necrocapitalist horror sim by Ville Kallio, well done: their forthcoming title is imminent! Characterized as a, “mecha FPS hybrid law enforcement and retribution simulator,” Psycho Patrol R engages players as members of the European Federal Police responsible for maintaining law and order within the deteriorated realm of Pan-Europa. The game boasts a semi-open environment, featuring levels crafted for both on-foot exploration and piloting the player’s V-Stalker— a bipedal war machine with upgradeable weaponry. —Toussaint Egan

Launch date: 2025
Systems: Windows PC, TBA consoles

Not only does Cairn feature stunning visuals and landscapes, but The Game Bakers’ climbing title appears to include intricate, nuanced mechanics that realistically reflect the true nature of climbing. (It also has a very stylish backpack for haphazardly storing your essential gear.) It seems reminiscent of Death Standing, but with an upward direction instead of lateral. —Nicole Carpenter

Launch date: 2025
Devices: TBA

Indeed, the eagerly awaited subsequent two chapters of Toby Fox’s Deltarune are predicted to debut in 2025 — more than six years since the game’s initial release. This role-playing title is distinctive because of its turn-based combat and bullet hell features; players are also allowed to select between peace and aggression, similar to Undertale. —Nicole Carpenter

Launch date: 2025 (early access)
Device: Mac, Windows PC

InZoi is not the only life simulation game arriving this year! Crafted by a formidable group of designers headed by Alex Massé, Paralives is a “dollhouse life simulator” that includes a sophisticated character creator dedicated not only to facial and body attributes but also adjustable personality traits. Construct your ideal dream home and oversee your characters’ lives within a vast open-world town when it launches in early access later this year. —Toussaint Egan

Launch date: 2025
Devices: Windows PC

This quirky stone-age metroidvania places players in the role of a cave inhabitant isolated from his family in an unusual extraterrestrial realm. Gather resources, master the elements, and combat a variety of dangers — such as man-eating predators, competing clans, and puzzling aliens — as you endeavor to reunite with and safeguard your loved ones. —Toussaint Egan

Launch date: 2025
Devices: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X

Kaizen Game Works, the U.K.-based creator behind 2020’s Paradise Killer, returns with a new title that is even more innovative and audacious than its predecessor. Promise Mascot Agency is described as “the world’s first (and finest) Open World Mascot Management Crime Drama,” focusing on Michi, a shunned yakuza lieutenant banished to a cursed locale to revive a failing mascot organization. Like Paradise Killer, it incorporates a hint of mystery, as you are tasked with revealing the conspirators who caused your exile. —Toussaint Egan

Launch date: 2025
Devices: Windows PC

Sam Eng’s Skate

Story is set to be released in 2025 by Devolver Digital, although it was initially revealed with a 2023 launch timeframe. Despite the abundance of exciting skateboarding titles over the years, Skate Story stands out, allowing players to skate through the depths of hell. —Nicole Carpenter

Release date: 2025
Platforms: Windows PC, Xbox Series X

Sleight of Hand is precisely the kind of title that captivates my attention: a third-person stealth-action card game centered around a tough private investigator infiltrating a witch coven. Merging immersive simulation settings with real-time stealth gameplay, Sleight of Hand offers a stylish, noir-inflected dark fantasy that I am excited to try out later this year. —Toussaint Egan

Release date: 2025
Platforms: Windows PC

Created by Finji (Tunic), Usual June is a third-person action-adventure reminiscent of Psychonauts that immerses players in the role of a young girl endowed with the ability to communicate with spirits of the deceased. Alongside her friends, both living and otherwise, June needs to explore the seaside town of Fen Harbor and halt an interdimensional anomaly that poses a threat to the very fabric of existence! So, no pressure. —Toussaint Egan

Release date: 2025
Platforms: Windows PC

Bithell Games re-enters the realm of Tron, this time with an isometric action-adventure. Tron: Catalyst revolves around Exo, a clever program pursued by the rulers of the Arq Grid due to their possession of a peculiar ability that jeopardizes the system’s equilibrium. —Toussaint Egan

Release date: TBA
Platforms: Windows PC

“Hades meets Superhot” perfectly describes this new roguelike shooter. In Enter the Chronosphere, players gather a motley crew of alien mercenaries to confront the chronospheres — massive dungeons the size of planets that are sweeping across the universe, consuming entire galaxies in their path. Inside each chronosphere, time only progresses when you do, so every moment is crucial as you cut through waves of foes and unveil the secrets of these enormous megastructures. —Toussaint Egan

Launch date: TBA
Available on: Windows PC

Initially unveiled in 2019, Hollow Knight: Silksong has transformed into the elusive goal of the gaming fraternity. The studio Team Cherry postponed the highly awaited sequel in 2023, but there was a chance it might debut in 2024. That release did not materialize, yet I remain hopeful for a possible emergence in 2025. —Ana Diaz

Launch date: TBA
Available on: Windows PC

The follow-up to the 2019 renowned hit Pathologic 2 invites players back to the Town on the Gorkhon River, this time as Daniil Dankovsky, an enchanting physician determined to conquer death. Charged with rescuing the town from an epidemic within a 12-day timeframe, players must utilize a unique gadget to rewind time, impacting significant events, reshaping the narrative and discovering new routes to achieve success. —Toussaint Egan

Launch date: TBA
Available on: Windows PC

Hyper Light Breaker isn’t the sole Heart Machine title looming ahead. Introduced in 2024, Possessor(s) presents a stylish side-scrolling exploration game where participants embody a duo of characters who must traverse the interlinked expanse of a devastated mega-city following an interdimensional disaster. Anticipate 3D settings, exquisitely hand-drawn and animated figures, and rapid-fire gameplay. —Toussaint Egan