Indie Video Games Round-Up – January 2026

Blog | Feature

Welcome to 2026. We’ve formally defeated 2025 and moved on to the subsequent degree, and if life actually is the last word co-op sport, we’re positive there are many boss battles ready for us. As at all times, a brand new month means a recent batch of indie video games to get enthusiastic about, and January is bringing a significantly diversified line-up.

Here are a number of the coolest indie PC video games launching this month.

This month’s survival sport comes with some critical visible aptitude. StarRupture drops you onto a always altering alien planet the place you’ll collect assets, construct up a base, and fend off enemies in FPS fight. It seems like a mash-up of Satisfactory and Sanctum 2, which is a fairly thrilling mixture. It’s additionally from the group behind Green Hell, and that alone makes it value maintaining a tally of.

BrokenLore: UNFOLLOW is a psychological horror sport exploring isolation and the darker facet of on-line tradition. Expect eerie environments, unsettling imagery, and a heavy deal with environment. It seems to be just like the type of horror expertise that sticks with you lengthy after you cease enjoying.

Tailside: Cozy Café Sim places you within the fluffy paws of a fox operating a café for the locals. Brew espresso, make latte artwork, adorn your house, and preserve prospects pleased as you go about your day. It’s charming, laid-back, and precisely the type of cosy sport you would possibly need to kick the yr off with.

Hooded Horse are as soon as once more coming on your free time with Nova Roma. This metropolis builder has you managing your folks, provides, and even the gods themselves as you form your empire. There’s a shocking quantity of depth right here, too, together with methods like operating water, letting you get as detailed as you need along with your metropolis planning.

The Spirit Lift is a horror-tinged roguelike deckbuilder set in a haunted resort. It’s full of creepy enemy designs, sturdy ’90s vibes, and loads of mysteries to uncover. You’ll select from basic character archetypes to construct your group and see how lengthy you possibly can survive the horrors ready inside.

Steel Century Groove is a rhythm-RPG the place large mech battles play out to the beat. Timing your strikes is essential as you unleash trendy assaults and attempt to outplay your opponents. Between battles, you’ll get to know your group, deal with mini-games, and work your approach towards the massive leagues.

Cairn – twenty ninth January

Cairn is all concerning the climb. This survival-focused sport has you rigorously scaling an enormous mountain, managing stamina and planning each transfer alongside the best way. There’s no fight right here – simply you, the rock face, and the fixed threat of falling should you make a mistake.

Closing out the month is I Hate This Place, an isometric survival horror sport dripping with ’80s vibes. Based on a comic book e book collection, it absolutely leans into that type with on-screen sound results and daring visuals. Spend your days scavenging and crafting, then battle on your life every night time as the true horrors come out to play.

Jason Coles

Jason likes to deal with roguelikes and co-op video games; in a dream world he’d make a dwelling writing about Dark Souls. As nicely as being a author he additionally does private coaching and accounting and might sometimes be seen on different folks’s streams. Being an enormous fan of fluffy issues means he has two cats, each of whom refuse to let him sleep, however at the least they’re cute.