Top 30 Best Indie Games : Stardew Valley, Celeste, Hades, Cuphead

Another year, another one filled with its share of ups & downs, where indie games have been a very welcomed distraction in more instances that I can count, so here’s a special look at the Best Indie Games of the Year – 2021.

BEST Indie Games of the Year

What is Indie game

An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most “AAA” (triple-A) games.

However, the “indie” term may apply to other scenarios where the development of the game has some measure of independence from a publisher even if a publisher helps fund and distribute a game, such as creative freedom.

Because of their independence and freedom to develop, indie games often focus on innovation, experimental gameplay, and taking risks not usually afforded in AAA games, and may explore the medium to produce unique experiences in art games.

Indie games tend to be sold through digital distribution channels rather than at retail due to lack of publisher support.

The term is synonymous with that of independent music or independent film in those respective mediums.

What is Most Popular Indie Gaming 2022

Stardew Valley Video game

Stardew Valley is a simulation role-playing video game developed by Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone. It initially released for Microsoft Windows in February 2016 before being ported to several other computer, console, and mobile platforms.

Celeste Video game

Celeste is a 2018 platform game designed, directed and written by Maddy Thorson and programmed by Thorson and Noel Berry. It is a fully-fleshed version of the 2016 PICO-8 game of the same name, which was made in four days solely by Thorson and Berry during a game jam.

Is Celeste a good game?

Celeste is one of the most critically beloved indie games of this console generation, thanks to its smart mechanics, beautiful soundtrack, and challenging-but-fair gameplay and level design.

Hades Video game

Hades is a roguelike action dungeon crawler video game developed and published by Supergiant Games. It was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Nintendo Switch on September 17, 2020, which followed an early access release in December 2018.

Cuphead Video game

Cuphead is a 2017 run-and-gun video game developed and published by Studio MDHR. It was inspired by the rubber hose style from the golden age of American animation, and the subversive and surrealist qualities of works of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Fleischer Studios.

Hollow Knight Video game

Hollow Knight is a 2017 Metroidvania action-adventure game developed and published by Team Cherry. It was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux in early 2017 and for the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and Xbox One in 2018.

Indie Bundle for Ukraine offers nearly 1,000 games for $10

Itch’s Bundle for Ukraine is live right now, and groups together 991 games for just a $10 donation.

The bundle went live earlier today on March 8, and you can view it over on the Itch.io storefront. The minimum donation amount required for the bundle is $10, and less than 24 hours after launching, the Bundle for Ukraine has amassed over $480,000 of its grand $1 million goal.

There’s some absolute bangers to be found in the Bundle for Ukraine collection. You can bag yourself the likes of CrossCode, Wandersong, Celeste, Superhot, Baba Is You, A Short Hike, Minit (and its spin-off Minit Fun Racer), Towerfall, and many more fantastic indie treasures.

What is the most successful indie game?

Indie game development bore out from the same concepts of amateur and hobbyist programming that grew with the introduction of the personal computer and the simple BASIC computer language in the 1970s and 1980s.

So-called bedroom coders, particularly in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, made their own games and used mail order to distribute their products, later shifting to other software distribution methods with the onset of the Internet in the 1990s such as shareware and other file sharing distribution methods, though by this time, interest in hobbyist programming had waned due to rising costs of development and competition from video game publishers and home consoles.

Death’s Door Video game

Death’s Door is a 2021 action-adventure video game developed by Acid Nerve and published by Devolver Digital. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on July 20, 2021, and for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on November 23, 2021.

Undertale Video game

Undertale is a 2015 2D role-playing video game created by American indie developer Toby Fox. The player controls a child who has fallen into the Underground: a large, secluded region under the surface of the Earth, separated by a magical barrier.

Inscryption Video game

Inscryption is a roguelike deck-building game developed by Daniel Mullins Games and published by Devolver Digital. The game is set in a cabin where the player tries to escape by beating a demonic force in a card game. Inscryption was released for Microsoft Windows on October 19, 2021.

Untitled Goose Game

Untitled Goose Game is a 2019 puzzle stealth game developed by House House and published by Panic. Players control a goose who bothers the inhabitants of an English village. The player must use the goose’s abilities to manipulate objects and non-player characters to complete objectives.

Loop Hero Video game

Loop Hero is a 2021 endless RPG developed by Russian studio Four Quarters and published by Devolver Digital. The game takes place in a randomly generated world where the player changes the world by placing cards instead of directly controlling a character.

Valheim Survival game

Valheim is an upcoming survival and sandbox video game by the Swedish developer Iron Gate Studio. Published by Coffee Stain Studios, it was released in early access on 2 February 2021 for Windows and Linux on Steam.

Dead Cells Video game

Dead Cells is a roguelike video game inspired by Metroidvania-style games and The Binding of Isaac, developed and published by Motion Twin. After a year in early access, Dead Cells was released for Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 7, 2018.

Spelunky Arcade game

Spelunky is a 2008 source-available 2D platform game created by independent developer Derek Yu and released as freeware for Microsoft Windows. It was remade for the Xbox 360 in 2012, with ports of the new version following for various platforms, including back to Microsoft Windows.

Shovel Knight Video game

Shovel Knight is a 2D side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Yacht Club Games. Development was crowdfunded and the game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, and Wii U in June 2014.

Is Minecraft still an indie game?

It is comfortably Microsoft’s biggest games IP, and has remained relevant and popular for more than a decade. Yet it’s also one of the original indie games, responsible for every major games publisher launching an indie label to “find the next Minecraft.”

Are indie games better?

An indie game is not necessarily better than a AAA game, however; indie games generally work with limited resources, making developers think smart on how they will make their vision become a reality. This limit on resources, either via funding or marketing, can make even the simplest mechanic an amazing experience.

Is Roblox an indie game?

Roblox is an indie gaming and app business that offers a shared digital experience by connecting people through online play and entertainment.