For the last few years (check out 2024 and 2023 here), I’ve asked my fellow writers to share what upcoming indie games they’re most excited about. Independent studios work hard for years on these projects, often with little budget or on the side of full-time jobs. I have equal parts respect and enthusiasm for indie teams, and I love starting off my new year with inspiration. So, without further ado, let’s get hyped!
– Amanda Tien, Punished Backlog Editor
17 Exciting Indie Games To Wishlist in 2025
The following games are listed in order of their expected release dates (as listed by their developer or publisher), with launch platforms listed as of the time of press.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
This year’s going to be a good one because we’re starting off strong this Friday with a sequel to Jump Over The Age’s critically acclaimed 2022 game. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector brings players into a role-playing game that’s a mix of table-top inspired mechanics, like dice rolls and skill checks, and an interactive novel. It’s all bundled up with gorgeous art, an immersive sci-fi setting, and excellent music. I got to play this game early for a review that will come out on Thursday, and I know I’m not the only one on the site who’s excited for this one to launch.
Release date: January 31, 2025
Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch
– Written by Amanda Tien
While Waiting
Optillusion Games brings us While Waiting, a unique indie that will test your patience. From birth to death, While Waiting will teach you to embrace life’s simple moments. These moments may be waiting for traffic to clear, for your food to finish cooking, or even for likes on a social media post. Though this may sound boring to some, I’m excited to try it, especially with the promise to discover hidden Easter eggs along the way. While Waiting has a gorgeous art style that reminds me of other narrative games like Florence. I’ve never seen anything like it and I can’t wait to try it out!
Release date: February 5, 2025
Platforms: PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch
– Written by Allison McDaniel
Keep Driving
If you, like me, are a ’90s kid, Keep Driving is very likely going to enchant you. I played Y/CJ/Y Games’ demo during Steam’s most recent Next Fest, and I was instantly struck by the game’s sensational grasp of teenage wanderlust. In Keep Driving, you are a teenager with a car and you need to make your way across a map to a festival, picking up hitchhikers and working odd jobs, with roguelike events occurring along the way. The theme resonates with me in a similar way to the music of Cyberpunk 2077: There’s something about being a teenage hoodlum with a longing for escapism and a fearlessness that combines into such superb road trip material.
Release date: February 6, 2025
Platforms: PC
– Written by Joe Chivers
Wanderstop
From Ivy Road, the team behind the 2013 indie hit The Stanley Parable, comes a cozy management game about tea. In Wanderstop, you’ll play as Alta, who owns a tea shop in a magical forest. Like you would in games such as Coffee Talk and Tavern Talk, Alta brews warm beverages for customers who pass through, and learns their stories. In addition, Alta grows and harvests ingredients used to make these special drinks. From watching the trailer, there seems to be a chilling narrative behind why Alta is running this shop. The hype seems pretty real for this one, especially since it’s published by Annapurna Interactive, who also gave us hits like Outer Wilds, Stray, and Neon White.
Release date: March 11, 2025
Platforms: PC and PlayStation 5
– Written by Allison McDaniel
Rooster
I love cooking games, gorgeous artwork, and the Chinese Zodiac, and I cannot freaking wait to see all of these elements come together in Rooster. As I highlighted last fall, Rooster is the debut console game from Sticky Brain Studios, a mostly East Asian-Canadian women and nonbinary team. The story-driven game follows the titular Rooster time-traveling to ancient China after a Lunar New Year dinner gone awry, and looks like it will combine a mix of light puzzles and adventures.
Release date: Q1 2025
Platforms: PC and Mac
– Written by Amanda Tien
Nivalis
Similarly to Stardew Valley (which I and others here love!), you begin your life in Nivalis when your old friend, Thaddeus, leaves you his noodle shop. Aesthetically, though, the games couldn’t be more different. Nivalis is a dark, cyberpunk “slice-of-life” sim where you navigate a dystopian-looking metropolis. It promises to be an exciting adventure into the cutthroat world of late(r) stage capitalism.
German studio ION LANDS has already launched one much beloved cyberpunk game, Cloudpunk, which has amassed a loyal following. Hopefully, I’ll become one of those fans when Nivalis launches this year. I can’t wait to turn my little noodle shop into a booming enterprise, fish in the Forbidden Seas, and (apparently) have a close call with a serial killer!
Release date: Spring 2025
Platforms: PC
– Written by Alexia Dahlin
Ages of Cataria
As someone who almost religiously follows indie “cozy” games, I’ve had Ages of Cataria by Third Pie Studios on my radar since 2022. The game is a self-described “village story generator”—a real-time town management simulator where you don’t just manage the macro elements of a town, but also the minute details of your villagers’ lives. It’s also multiplayer, meaning you can trade and communicate with your friends’ villages, which I imagine will build a great sense of community among Cataria players. I’m most excited to play this game to learn more about my villagers and the lore that the developers have built for us to unearth!
Release date: Q2 2025 (early access)
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, and Nintendo Switch
– Written by Alexia Dahlin
Cairn
If ever there was a fitting name for a game studio, it’d be The Game Bakers. This France-based indie team has cooked some absolute bangers over the years, from 2021’s romantic action-RPG Haven to 2016’s boss-rush masterpiece Furi. Never content to rest on their laurels, the team is constantly trying new genres and seeing what sticks.
Their newest project, Cairn, does away with high-octane action in favor of something decidedly more somber: mountaineering. Dubbed as a “survival climber,” Cairn tasks players with helping protagonist Aava scale a treacherous mountaintop—and not without sacrifice. If the game can capture the magic of contemporary climbers like Celeste and Journey, we should be in for something special.
Release date: TBA 2025
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S
– Written by David Silbert
Deltarune Chapter 3 & 4
Deltarune, the successor to Toby Fox’s smash-hit RPG Undertale, has already proven its charms. Chapter 1 of this seven-part epic stealth-dropped in 2018, giving Undertale diehards an excuse to embark on a new adventure. Chapter 2 released in 2021, expanding on the lovable characters, engaging combat, and stellar soundtrack that made Chapter 1 so memorable. Perhaps most admirable of all, both of these chapters were gifted to us for free.
Now, I’m ready to pay the hell up. Toby’s confirmed that Deltarune Chapter 3 & 4 is coming in 2025, come hell or high water, and I can hardly wait. This project has been nothing but excellent for seven years, and even if I have to wait another 17 for it to reach its conclusion, it will have been worth it.
Release date: TBA 2025
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4/5, and Nintendo Switch
– Written by David Silbert
Half Sword
Half Sword is horrible, but then again, a realistic game about medieval combat should be, shouldn’t it? The gore is intense, but it doesn’t feel cheap—check out the playtest—and cleaving people in twain has never been more satisfying. The debut title from Half Sword Games pits you against one to four opponents, wielding a dizzying array of ancient weaponry, including the usual suspects like maces, swords, and axes, but also the exotic, such as the billhook and the voulge. Each weapon can be wielded in the standard or half-sword technique, and there’s a lot of meatiness to the combat.
Release date: TBA 2025
Platform: PC
– Written by Joe Chivers
Mixtape
From developer Beethoven and Dinosaur, Mixtape is an adventure about friendship, youth, and music. It’s the last night of high school and three friends are having their last hurrah together. Along the journey, they play curated mixtapes, replaying memories from the last four years. Whether it’s a first kiss, skateboarding, or trespassing at an abandoned theme park, it sounds like a wild ride of nostalgia.
The whole high schoolers sneaking out narrative reminds me of Oxenfree, as it feels spooky at times and emotional at others, and I cannot wait to play another game like that. The game’s soundtrack includes classic alternative rock acts like The Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, and The Banshees. The last line in the description for Mixtape is “Make out. Sneak out. Hang out.” Tell me less. I want to play it now!
Release date: TBA 2025
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S
– Written by Allison McDaniel
Promise Mascot Agency
Kaizen’s debut game, Paradise Killer, was a big favorite of mine and David’s. In the 2020 murder mystery, the protagonist, Lady Love Dies, had to solve a crime in a version of the afterlife. It was equal parts absurd, clever, and sexy. For their second game, it looks like Kaizen Game Works has let themselves have even more fun. It’s an “open-world mascot management crime drama RPG” where a disgraced Yakuza collaborates with a crying tofu mascot, a pink-bean-thing dressed up like a sailor, and more to save their town. I really don’t know what this game will be like, but I can’t wait to find out.
Release date: TBA 2025
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch
– Written by Amanda Tien
Reanimal
From Tarsier Studios (the creators of Little Nightmares and Little Nightmares II) comes a new terrifying story with creature designs that make my skin crawl. Reanimal is a co-op horror game that follows a broth and sister through a carefully designed, creepy-as-hell world. Tarsier’s previous horror titles felt like little Burton-esque explorations; based on what we’ve seen so far, Reanimal looks to be a memorable exploration of minimalist and aesthetic narrative. (Writer’s note: I’m hopeful that we can convince self-proclaimed scaredy cat Amanda to give this one a try.)
Release date: TBA 2025
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S
– Written by Clint Morrison, Jr.
Slay the Spire 2
Before the young Balatro emerged onto the scene, Slay the Spire was the undisputed king of card games, the ruler of roguelike deckbuilders. The sequel by Mega Crit, expected to release into early access this year, looks set to make a bold attempt to reclaim its crown. The expected changes to the gameplay aren’t yet public, but we do know that the Spire itself is set to be changed from the original. I can’t wait to sink my teeth back into this game, especially after getting hopelessly hooked on the original back when it launched.
Release date: TBA 2025 (early access)
Platforms: PC, Mac, and Linux
– Written by Joe Chivers
Sleight of Hand
This game looks so good that it makes me want to buy an Xbox Series X, which I guess is the whole point of a console-exclusive. David hyped New Zealand-based RiffRaff Games’ debut title, Sleight of Hand, to me after the Xbox Showcase, saying it had a big “witchy deckbuilding mystery plus Dishonored energy.” (I love Dishonored so much that I inducted it into our Hall of Fame, and I was super into 2023’s tarot-adventure The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood.) The hardboiled trailer features sultry jazz, a fun animation style, quick movements, lots of sneaking around, and an all-around badass femme protagonist. Sign me up!
Release date: TBA 2025
Platforms: PC and Xbox Series X/S
– Written by Amanda Tien
The Big Catch
With vibrant colors and whimsical environments, The Big Catch feels like a love letter to N64-era platformers—but with a modern twist. The game’s demo, available on Steam, showed me the game has some potential to be an incredible platformer. Developed by Filet Group, this indie adventure combines nostalgic charm with innovative mechanics, such as a versatile fishing hook that doubles as a movement tool. Its blend of retro aesthetics and fresh gameplay seems to underscore the kind of joy of exploration that classic platformers were known for. If you’ve been craving an old-school throwback with a clever new hook (literally), this is one to keep an eye on.
Release date: TBA 2025
Platforms: PC and Nintendo Switch
– Written by Donovan Harrell
Tombwater
What if Bloodborne took place in the a Red Dead-style western? Moth Atlas’s Tombwater answers this strange question by placing a nameless, lone gunslinger in the titular town. The game wears its inspiration on its sleeve: a 2D Soulslike that promises a wide array of weapons, including pistols, blades, and magic, to fight the eldritch beasts and cursed locales haunting the town. With its fast combat and incredible monster design, Tombwater might do more than just satisfy former Hunters.
Release date: TBA 2025
Platform: PC
– Written by Clint Morrison, Jr.
What Indie Games Are You Excited for in 2025?
Let us know! We’re ready to game.
Help, I need more PTO so I have time to play these games. lollll