Top 10 Indie Games of 2025: The Best From Solo Developers

2025 was a fantastic year for indie games, with titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becoming huge successes. However, the year truly stood out for games created by solo developers or very small teams—those with fewer than ten people. We saw a remarkable number of high-quality games from these creators, including BALL x PIT, Megabonk, and the critically acclaimed Hollow Knight: Silksong, which was developed by a team of just three at Team Cherry and is considered one of the best games of the year.

The game Schedule 1, a surprisingly unique crime simulator where you deal drugs in an open world, was a standout title. Along with other independent games released in 2025 by solo creators and small teams, it demonstrates that we’re currently experiencing a golden age for indie game development.

Rosewater

A Choice-Driven Western From Grundislav Games

Rosewater is a beautifully pixelated Western game where your choices really matter, and it’s easily one of the best story-focused indie games of 2025. I love a good Western, and Rosewater’s unpredictable events make each playthrough a fresh and unique experience.

Rosewater is a charming and visually appealing game that builds upon the world of Lamplight City, a unique steampunk setting in an alternate 19th century. Your decisions truly matter as you journey with a diverse group of characters, meeting all sorts of people – from outlaws and revolutionaries to inspiring thinkers and oddballs. With an 82 Metacritic score and overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, you can try out a free demo today.

Legends of Dragaea: Idle Dungeons

A First-Person Idle Dungeon Crawler RPG From Blast Programming

Legends of Dragaea: Idle Dungeons is a new fantasy adventure game where you explore challenging pixel-dungeons. Developed by Blast Programming and published by GIGATANK 3000, this game lets you build a team of heroes, brave dangerous dungeons, and collect awesome loot. It was released just a few weeks ago!

Legends of Dragaea: Idle Dungeons lets you build your hero however you want, without being tied to specific classes. You’ll discover over twenty skills, tons of unique abilities, and hundreds of items to collect and improve. The game includes guild management, expeditions that run even when you’re not playing, and large raids with a team of up to nine heroes. It combines the detailed world and character building of classic RPGs with the easygoing nature of idle games, making it enjoyable for everyone from casual players to hardcore dungeon explorers.

No, I’m Not A Human

A Terrifyingly Unsettling Horror Indie From Trioskaz

In the game No, I’m Not a Human, created by Trioskaz, you’re faced with a terrifying situation: every night, people come to your door asking for shelter. But beware – some of these visitors are actually monsters hiding in disguise. You’ll have to carefully question and examine each one to decide whether to let them in, turn them away, or, if necessary, defend yourself with a shotgun.

Okay, so I just finished playing No, I’m Not a Human, and wow, one wrong move can seriously ruin your run. It’s a really creepy indie horror game that came out in 2025, and the atmosphere is just perfect – really unsettling and minimalist. What’s cool is there are multiple endings depending on your choices, which gives it a ton of replay value. They call it “an anxiety horror about paranoia in the End of Times,” and honestly, that nails it. Plus, it’s got thousands of overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, so I wasn’t the only one who loved it!

Escape The Backrooms

A Co-Op Survival Horror Indie From Fancy Games

I’m really excited about Escape the Backrooms! It’s made by a single developer, Fancy Games, and it throws you right into those creepy, endless hallways from the Backrooms mythos. You can play with up to three friends, and it’s all about trying to survive the horror together. There are a ton of different levels – over 30! – each with weird buildings, scary monsters, and puzzles you’ll need to solve. What’s cool is that you have to stay close to your team and talk to each other, because the game uses voice chat that gets quieter the further away you are, so getting separated is a really bad idea!

Okay, so I just finished playing this indie horror game and wow, it really got to me! You and your teammates are basically trying to find your way out of these creepy, winding hallways, and the goal is to make sure everyone survives. What really sets it apart is how unsettling the atmosphere is – it’s super realistic and the visuals are genuinely haunting. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have nightmares! It’s inspired by those creepy online stories and that weird ‘liminal space’ look, and honestly, in a year full of indie games, this one really shines because of how it uses the environment and feeling of being totally alone to create a truly fun, but terrifying, experience.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

The Dice-Rolling Sci-Fi Sequel From Jump Over The Age

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is a fantastic sequel to Citizen Sleeper, successfully expanding on everything players loved about the original. It’s remarkable that one person, Gareth Damian Martin at Jump Over The Age studios, created both games. Starward Vector keeps the engaging tabletop-inspired gameplay of the first, where you roll dice each turn, use them to perform actions, manage your crew, and make impactful choices that shape the story.

Starward Vector has received excellent reviews, scoring 86 on Metacritic and earning Very Positive feedback on Steam. It’s considered one of the best indie game sequels this year, surpassed only by the later release of the Hollow Knight sequel. Even with a fantastic year for indie games, Citizen Sleeper 2, released in January, is a must-add to your wishlist if you haven’t played it yet. Both Citizen Sleeper and its sequel are also available to play with an Xbox Game Pass subscription.

BALL x PIT

A Ball-Busting Brick-Breaking Base-Builder From Kenny Sun (& Friends)

It’s difficult to describe how captivating BALL x PIT is unless you’ve played it, but once you start combining and launching balls, you’ll likely become completely hooked. The game has been a huge surprise hit this year, selling hundreds of thousands of copies quickly and becoming incredibly popular on Steam. Remarkably, BALL x PIT was developed by Kenny Sun, a solo developer, along with a small team of friends, and has quickly become a beloved indie game.

BALL x PIT is simple to learn but offers a lot of strategic depth. You can choose from a variety of characters, each with a unique way to play, and the ball fusion mechanic keeps the gameplay fresh and replayable. It’s been very well-received, earning an 85 on Metacritic and an ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ rating from over 6000 Steam reviews – and it’s only been available for a short time!

Megabonk

Bonk Endless Swarms In This Highly Replayable Indie Hit From Vedinad

Released in 2025, Megabonk is a highly addictive indie game created by first-time solo developer Vedinad. While the name might seem unusual, Megabonk is pure fun, taking inspiration from the popular game Vampire Survivors. The game features a wide variety of unique weapons, characters, and items, offering tons of replay value as players strive to create the ultimate builds and compete for top scores on the leaderboards.

Megabonk isn’t perfectly polished, but it’s packed with content, including over 240 different challenges and plenty of unlockable weapons, items, and characters to keep you playing for a long time. The game relies on luck and random elements, making each attempt unique and exciting. Challenges vary from easy to incredibly difficult. Despite its quirky and humorous nature, Megabonk has become a hit, selling over a million copies and earning a ‘Very Positive’ rating with over 28,000 reviews on Steam.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Team Cherry’s GOTY-Worthy Sequel

It’s no surprise that Hollow Knight: Silksong is a top contender for the most popular indie game of 2025, even challenging Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. What’s particularly remarkable is that the game was created by a small team of just three people at Team Cherry: designers Ari Gibson and William Pellen, and programmer David Kazi. Silksong was already the most anticipated game of the year, and its unexpected September release sent it soaring in popularity.

As a huge fan, I truly believe Silksong is going to be a Game of the Year contender, and it’s already earned incredible praise! It’s sitting at a 91 on Metacritic, which means ‘Universal Acclaim,’ and they even gave it a ‘Must-Play’ award. Plus, over 100,000 people on Steam have given it a ‘Very Positive’ review. Honestly, in a year that’s already been packed with amazing games, this sequel is easily one of the best of all time!

Schedule I

A Drug-Dealer Sim From Tyler’s Video Game Studio

Schedule I is a game where you play as a drug dealer, starting small and working your way up to become a major player in the industry. You do this by creating your own drug combinations and then selling and distributing them to climb the ranks. Created by a single developer, Tyler, at TVGS (Tyler’s Video Game Studio), Schedule I is a simple but highly addictive simulation game that’s become very popular with indie game fans.

Since launching in March, Schedule I has earned over 150,000 overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam. The game has also been consistently updated with new content since its release. It’s remarkable how popular this indie game, created by a single developer and featuring mature themes, has become – players just keep coming back for more!

Blue Prince

A Truly Original Puzzle Game From Dogubomb

Blue Prince is a standout puzzle game, and its unpredictable gameplay is both captivating and highly addictive. You play as a boy trapped in a repeating cycle, exploring a mansion where the rooms change every time, based on the layouts you choose. As you play, you’ll unlock more room designs and slowly uncover the secrets of the mansion.

Blue Prince is a truly captivating puzzle game with a strong narrative, and it’s remarkable that it was made by just one person, Tonda Ros at Dogubomb, over eight years. Widely considered one of the best games of 2025, it’s easily the top indie puzzle game of the year. With a Metacritic score of 92 (even higher than Silksong’s!), Blue Prince competes with major, big-budget titles, solidifying 2025 as a landmark year for independent games.

2025-11-12 00:35