The best single player indie games on PC. The best indie games

The Magnet Trials- an adventure action game with puzzles, where, with the help of a magnetic gun, you have to get out of a space laboratory that was attacked by enemies!

Son of a Witch- a fun action roguelike for 1-4 players where you go into a dangerous dungeon to find ancient artifact goblins!

Combine dozens of different weapons, potions, spells and magical items to defeat 7 enemy factions and 24 bosses.

Wonder Wickets- a colorful arcade game with golf mechanics, in which you will find tons of unique content, game modes, competitions, a variety of characters, as well as special controls for creating amazing shots!

Star Valor- a space action RPG with a randomly generated and open world, where you have to explore a huge galaxy, extract resources, complete quests, trade, craft weapons, and fight dangerous enemies!

Already in RUSSIAN!

The game has been updated from version 1.1.3 to 1.1.4.

City Game Studio- an entertaining simulator of a video game development company, where, having started creating games in your garage, you have to create a successful company that will go down in the history of computer games!

Already in RUSSIAN!

The game has been updated from version 0.12.1 to 0.12.3. The list of changes can be viewed.

Death's Gambit is a hardcore action platformer with RPG and Metroidvania elements, where you play as the messenger of Death, who has been sent to explore a distant planet filled with monsters, knights, dangers and adventures!

The game is like a mixture of Shadow of the Colossus, Another World, Castlevania And Dark Souls.

The game has been updated from version 1.1 to 1.2. The list of changes can be viewed.

The GOG version of the game has been updated to v1.2.

Geneshift- a very cool top-down with a lot of crazy violence, multiplayer chaos, crazy car chases, mutants, high-caliber weapons and hordes of zombies.

The game is like a top-down GTA, filled with MOBA elements, intense matches, chaotic shootouts, vehicular carnage, upgradable mutant skills, and a currency system that allows you to buy powerful weapon. There is also an excellent selection of modes, such as capture the flags, checkpoint racing and Zombie Survival, and cool mutant abilities, from teleportation to plasma balls, greatly enliven the gameplay.

The game has changed its name from Subvein to Geneshift!

The game has been updated from Beta version to FULL RUSSIAN version!

Soulblight- a promising topdown roguelike, made in dark colors. While exploring the mysterious temple, get ready for unexpected encounters and important decisions that will determine the outcome of your journey!

The game has been updated to version 1.33. The list of changes can be viewed.

Age of Gladiators II: Rome- a new version of the advanced gladiator manager simulator, where you have to buy, improve, equip and train your gladiators so that they defeat everyone in deadly battles in the Roman arenas!

The game has been updated from version 1.1.26 to 1.3.3. The list of changes can be viewed.

Terraforming Earth- a puzzle platformer where all levels are randomly generated. Take control of three separate robots with unique technological quirks, stranded on a desolate Earth. Help them work together to overcome randomly generated obstacles and restore life on the planet. When playing alone, switch between robots. You can also play with friends in local multiplayer co-op mode.

Indie games have been around since the dawn of the industry, but over the past decade, as multimillion-dollar blockbusters flooded the market, the term has become increasingly used. Indie games today mean modest projects with minimal budgets. And independent developers, as a rule, have more freedom (and desire) to experiment, which is an unaffordable luxury for an ordinary blockbuster.

This selection is not a typical list of the best games of all time. Consider this an opportunity for discussion, not an ultimatum. Each of our employees chose their top ten games, then we mixed the lists and compiled a single selection. This could not have happened without mathematics.

So, without further ado, here are the 25 best indie games. If you like articles like this, then follow the links to find a list of the best PC games (all genres) and a selection of the 50 most significant projects in the gaming industry.

25. Gone Home

Release year: 2013 | Developer: Fullbright

Games don't always involve exterminating aliens, Nazis, and trolls in fantasy, sci-fi, or post-apocalyptic settings. But in most cases this is the formula that is used. Gone Home wasn't the first game to break away from these stereotypes and offer us interesting story wrapped in meditative gameplay, however, it was successfully released at a time when many were already fed up with the same type of AAA projects.

The reason for the success of Gone Home was the fact that Fullbright studio almost completely abandoned the cinematic presentation of the story, relying on completely different techniques. It's interactive in the sense that we walk around the house and learn the stories of its inhabitants, but the game also encourages us to think about those stories. There are a lot of walking simulators out there these days, but Gone Home stands out among them thanks to its deep storyline that raises a number of important questions.

24. Proteus

Release year: 2013 | Developer: David Kanaga

I love walking simulators, and I use that term without irony, but sometimes I find it difficult to connect with the story. Sometimes it seems drawn out, sometimes boring. But not in the case of Proteus, since in this game I myself am responsible for creating the story. The game takes me to a procedurally generated island and allows me to explore it, climb mountains and chase frogs. Here, of course, there is a general plot - that is, there is a certain sequence of events - but it is not very obvious. (I'll give you a hint: it's connected to the standing stones). If you need a plot, a climax and a resolution, then you will find them, but even without all this, relaxing walks around the island completely suit me.

23. Papers, Please

Release year: 2013 | Developer: Lucas Pope

Games are wonderful because they allow us to live someone else's life. For example, Snake Pass gives you the opportunity to literally walk in the skin of a snake, and Papers, Please, with its prohibitive level of bureaucracy, gives you the opportunity to play the role of a border guard living in a totalitarian regime.

Games often do little to convey the moral side of the topics they cover, but Papers, Please, which is full of quite complex rules, which is rare in such projects, gives us tangible power over the destinies of people standing in line in front of the checkpoint. The game forces us to treat them with the utmost severity, because otherwise we may get a fine and return empty-handed to a starving family. And the process of checking documents itself leaves two feelings.

When you find inconsistencies in them, you feel like a real detective, but then you realize that you are depriving a person of the opportunity to get home, and this is not a pleasant feeling. Yes, it's a game about bureaucracy, but it's so intense that when I was given the key to a gun locker for my performance at work, I wanted it back. This is not a game where I would be interested in weapons.

I still remember the man who never became a citizen of the fictional country in Papers, Please - the old man who showed up time after time with fake documents. Sometimes their gender or date of birth was mixed up, sometimes the passport contained someone else’s photo. Each time his mistakes became more obvious, but his carefree attitude never changed.

I refused him a pass, but every time he smiled and said that he would definitely return, as if I were a waiter in his favorite restaurant. Papers, Please is a game where you have to make tough decisions, but what I felt most guilty about was that I never let this resilient old man into the country.

22. N++

Release year: 2016 | Developer: Metanet Software

In my first weeks of playing N++, I found myself thinking that I had found the perfect platformer. The sliding and floating movements of the main character were so easy to control, and the levels were so varied (over 5 thousand of them in total) that I was ready to spend an eternity in this game. And although I've played a couple dozen more platformers since then, N++ remains the only game in this genre that I regularly return to.

It's fun to play even when you're losing, and its emphasis on timing and testing reflexes isn't as nerve-wracking as Super Meat Boy. The entire game is minimalistic, from the level design to the experimental electronic soundtrack (this is one of the rare platformers where I don't want to turn down the music). Here we have the best of purebred platformers for PC - a concentration of everything that we love about this genre.

21. West of Loathing

Release year: 2017 | Developer: Asymmetric Publications

West of Loathing is packed with great humor, a great script and charming characters, so it's hard to leave the game even after you've completed the main story, solved all the (sometimes very tricky) puzzles and collected all the possible hats (and there are more than 50 of them in the game). At every step you can come across funny descriptions that either cause a modest smile or sincere laughter - and this even applies to the settings menu. Perhaps this is the only game in which I explored the world not so much for experience points and new things, but for lines of text.

20. Crypt of the Necrodancer

Release year: 2015 | Developer: Brace Yourself Games

Crypt of the Necrodancer is a cross between a rhythm game and a dungeon crawling RPG. An extremely unusual combination, but that’s what makes the game so attractive. Dance through pixelated dungeons accompanied by a gorgeous, rhythmic soundtrack to make your way further. Try to keep up the pace to kill monsters, and of course, don't forget to check out the shop whose owner is a big opera fan.

19. Bastion

Year of release: 2011 | Developer: Supergiant Games

Not one of those to whom I have advised to play Bastion has been disappointed. Everyone comments on the excellent storytelling and music, and each of these elements would be good on their own, but the way they interact is a real delight. For example, imagine: you're playing through a level when you suddenly hear a beautiful melody, thinking it's a regular soundtrack, but a little later you come across a musician playing this melody. Or take the narrator: at first it seems that he is needed only to bring you up to date, but over time he begins to react to your actions.

Bastion is an action RPG that tells the story of a destroyed city in the sky that is being rebuilt right before your eyes. In off-screen locations, absolutely nothing happens until you get to them. There is no inventory in the traditional sense - you are simply asked to choose two types of weapons from an ever-growing catalog, and the more unusual the combination, the funnier the narrator's comments. In addition, this significantly affects the gameplay. And if you are not satisfied combat system, then you can go to settings and change controls. I rarely praise the ability to change controls, but the settings in Bastion allow it to turn into a pure Diablo. Is not that great?.

18. Her Story

Release year: 2015 | Developer: Sam Barlow

Jodie: At one time, I really loved the TV series A Very English Murder. When it was at the peak of its popularity, it often featured episodes in which half the screen time was devoted to interrogating suspects, starring guest stars. The same thing can be seen in Her Story, only instead of the cops you are doing this, viewing the video archive and switching between recordings by entering keywords.

Part of Her Story's gameplay consists of watching videos, and part of it consists of filling out your notebook with conspiracy theories. similar topics, which was Charlie from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. During the passage of Fez, I didn’t even touch the paper (although I should have), whereas for the sake of Her Story I wrote dozens of sheets of paper.

But the influence of the game goes far beyond the monitor - I argued for a long time with friends who did not agree with my version of the events that happened in the game, proving to me that my theories were far-fetched. Perhaps I really got too carried away, but I don’t regret at all the time spent completing the game one hundred percent.

The concept that we see in Her Story is one that is hardly used in modern games, and therefore it creates an incredible effect. The dusty old computer screen sets a very convincing tone that makes you believe in everything that happens in the game. Her Story grabs you with its atmosphere from the very first seconds and doesn’t let go until the very end.

17. Dungeons of Dredmor

Year of release: 2011 | Developer: Gaslamp Games

Chris: I'm usually hesitant about turn-based strategy games and RPGs where subtle mistakes lead to stalemates hours later, but Dungeons of Dredmor immediately captivated me with its style and comedy. I never completed it: I didn’t meet Lord Dreadmore and only completed a few levels. But I liked even these levels due to the pleasant atmosphere, humor and surprisingly deep story.

The complexity of the game is offset by an incredible level of absurdity. You can turn your character into a communist vampire who wields Egyptian magic and commands mushrooms, or an emo wizard to battle hordes of strange robots, carrots, genies and other creatures.

I've returned to Dungeons of Dredmor time after time because it's a bit of a gamble and I don't mind losing. I never managed to defeat Dredmor, but I really enjoyed creating a random character with a fun skill set and no less funny names like Vegan Killer or Paranormal Detective, even if I died on the first floors. This game encourages creativity. You can manually select your skills, but it's much more fun to trust the random selection system and get an unpredictable combination that will make each playthrough completely different from the previous one.

16. Lovely Planet

Release year: 2014 | Developer: QuickTequila

A first-person shooter doesn't always require gallons of blood and exploding heads. Look at Lovely Planet: it’s also a shooter, but in it we shoot colorful figures while in a colorful world. But what's so fun about a game where you have to shoot colorful figures (and where not a drop of blood is spilled)? The fact is that this is actually a platformer that combines the dynamics of Quake and the need for instant reaction, like in Super Meat Boy.

15. DEFCON

Year of release: 2006 | Developer: Introversion Software

DEFCON is one of those games that I can play forever. This is a simple and brutal real-time strategy game where the inexorable nuclear war is a given, and “victory” may mean the death of millions of people in order to save the lives of billions. In the early stages, we place missile silos (as well as air defense), airfields, radar stations, submarines, warships and aircraft carriers.

And when war begins, the only way to prevent the genocide of one’s people is to form fragile alliances only to bomb one’s former allies with nuclear missiles within minutes, turning a blind eye to the fact that radioactive fallout will one way or another destroy all life. The gloominess of what is happening is emphasized by the strict style of the map, on which reports of the dead are displayed in the form of dry numbers, which perfectly conveys the essence of modern wars

14. Oikospiel

Release year: 2017 | Developer: David Kanaga

Oikospiel is a game about dogs who develop an opera game. Yes, it's complicated. The official description from developer and composer David Kanaga reads: “Oikospielen is about a massive gaming festival called THE GEOSPIEL, planned for the year 2100. The producers of the opera, sponsored by the Animal Workers Union, are trying to attract the dogs who work on the games at Koch Games, but these dogs love their jobs and their boss, and therefore do not want to leave the company! Will it be possible to attract them to the Union?”

The game itself is as strange as its description. Oikospiel is a psychedelic (and touching) excursion into the history of the gaming industry, where important questions related to working conditions. And all this is accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack that perfectly emphasizes the atmosphere of the game.

13. The Stanley Parable

Release year: 2011 / 2013 | Developer: Galactic Cafe, William Pugh, Davy Wryden

Are you playing the game or is the game playing you? In modern games, everything is illusory, and the choice is reduced to two simple options. You are either good or bad, and there is simply no third option. The Stanley Parable is an inventive meta-criticism of the entire gaming industry and, at the same time, a Trojan horse filled with an existential crisis (and this is a topic close to all of us).

What happens if we turn away from the only true path, the one along which we are usually led by the hand? And if the game deliberately gives us the opportunity to deviate from this route (which in The Stanley Parable is spoken by the narrator), then is there any point in playing it at all? Hm. Makes me think.

When I first played The Stanley Parable, I did everything I was told. I knew that my actions would be commented on, and this was my way of protest - not to go against the system, although this was exactly what was expected of me. I admit it was stupid. Playing The Stanley Parable for the first time is completely different. Disobey the rules, go where you are told not to, hide in the back rooms and refuse to come out. The full charm of The Stanley Parable is revealed precisely when you do everything contrary to the words of the narrator.

12. SOMA

Release year: 2015 | Developer: Frictional Games

Survival horror games often boil down to the fact that players are asked to destroy crowds of the undead by any means at hand, but Soma stands out clearly from such games. You won't find any weapons at this underwater research facility, and enemies are extremely rare. Most of the time you're just looking at objects, but Frictional studio delivers this activity at the proper level.

The developers managed to create an atmosphere of horror and despair, in which even ordinary dark corridors evoke fear, not to mention the gloomy underwater landscapes. And the ending of Soma - even if you're not a particular fan of slow horror - completely justifies the game. The game has much fewer screamers than, for example, Amnesia, but this only benefits it.

I recommend trying SOMA even for those who don't like the horror genre. Download the aptly named Wuss Mode mod from the Steam Workshop to prevent monsters from harming you so you can focus on the atmosphere of the game. Of course, you won't have to hide anymore, but that doesn't mean the game can't really scare you.

11. Thumper

Release year: 2016 | Developer: Drool

Sean: Thumper is like a revived, unpleasant in every sense, melody of the industrial genre with admixtures of techno. In our selection of the best PC games, Evan described it as “a documentary sketch showing your path after death to heaven or hell,” which is the most accurate description of the game I can remember. Of course, first of all, this is a harsh game in which timing is everything, but it looks like a joint brainchild of director Gaspar Noe and the musical group Laibach.

10. Nidhogg 2

Release year: 2017 | Developer: Messhof Games

Bo: I don't really like games with local multiplayer, but I just couldn't pass up Nidhogg. Resembling a mix of fencing and tug-of-war, Nidhogg's 1v1 bouts are fast-paced but intense battles that test both your reflexes and your fighting skills every second. The game has a fairly low barrier to entry, but at the same time it has strategic depth, which will not be mastered immediately.

The recently released Nidhogg 2 improves on all of its predecessor's mechanics, adding a grotesque clay animation style and a variety of weapons to make combat even more exciting. As a result, we have a great fighting game that simply cannot get boring (in our office this is a kind of sports discipline, and large bets are usually made on the outcome of battles).

9. Fez

Year of release: 2012 | Developer: Polytron Corp

Sean: Fez is much deeper than it seems at first glance, and the older you are, the more clearly you understand this. It's a mixture of a platformer and a puzzle game, where the concepts of 2D and 3D merge into one. The game's protagonist is tasked with exploring the sudden appearance of a third dimension in a two-dimensional world that previously managed without it, and this is a clear allusion to the condemnation of progress.

And as you progress through Fez, when the world becomes more and more hostile, the game opens up on several levels at once. We begin to realize that some inconvenient truths have always been right in front of our eyes, but we stubbornly refused to notice them. This may motivate some to dig deeper, searching for hidden meanings and secrets (and there are indeed a lot of them in Fez).

Fez is a game about the hidden areas of our world, the existence of which almost everyone knows, but prefers to remain silent. This is a beautiful and at the same time sad game with exciting gameplay. Fez has not aged even 5 years after its release - it still evokes a storm of emotions and prompts important thoughts.

After the fairly simple tutorial levels, every discovery and decision in Fez felt like a big win. I love those moments in games when I say to myself: “This decision cannot be right,” and a little later I discover that my crazy theory turned out to be the only correct approach. And that's what Fez is all about. It shows that an incredible amount of effort was put into the game; Each level here is carefully checked to the smallest detail, and for each task someone clearly spent many weeks, if not months, collecting it piece by piece and bringing it into perfect shape.

8. Night in the Woods

Release year: 2017 | Developer: Infinite Fall

Most of the most notable indie games have been in the adventure genre, but it wasn't until 2017 that a game was released that made the most of elements of that genre. We're talking about Night in the Woods. As sweet cat Mae Borowski, who decides to drop out of college, we return to the quiet rural town of her childhood. The city is experiencing its decline, and the same can be said about May herself.

Her life has taken a different turn than Mae (and her family) had hoped, and much of Night in the Woods is spent reflecting on this topic. Exploring the area around Possum Springs is fun without context, but the way Night in the Woods wraps a coming-of-age story into a puzzle-filled adventure is admirable.

7. Kentucky Route Zero

Year of release: 2013-… | Developer: Cardboard Computer

I honestly wanted to wait. I wanted to wait until all 5 episodes of Kentucky Route Zero were released so I could binge them. This is exactly how I played through The Walking Dead - it took me a week, but I got all the emotions from the game at once. But I still couldn’t resist and launched Kentucky Route Zero, because a poet I knew recommended it to me, and this doesn’t happen often. And I understand why he liked it even in its unfinished form. The script for Kentucky Route Zero is simply beautiful and hits the mark. Just like when someone calls office bureaucracy a “paper maze” or describes topology as “the science of continuous space.”

Kentucky Route Zero is a modern adventure game where progression through the story is driven more by choices and dialogue than by solving puzzles. The story initially revolves around the search for an abandoned highway, but the game soon dives deep into American mythology, where mysterious roads are the least strange element. I don’t want to spoil it, but I can’t help but tell you about one funny detail - the game has an elevator, one of the buttons in which is labeled “third floor (bears).” It's hard to resist pressing it.

The game is reminiscent of novels in many ways, but Kentucky Route Zero is a great homage to classic games. For example, the phrase “a tangled labyrinth of paths” that appears throughout the game is a reference to the text adventure game Colossal Cave Adventure. The same applies to the first lifted object - the lamp. Some of the early PC games manipulated words simply because they had nothing else to surprise them with. Kentucky Route Zero manipulates words because the creators really enjoy the process. It’s hard to explain why this is attractive, but I’m just a journalist. There should have been a poet in my place now.

6. Stardew Valley

Release year: 2016 | Developer: Eric Baron

Rarely are games as enjoyable as Stardew Valley. Having grown up with the Harvest Moon series, I was glad that Stardew took the same formula but in a PC gaming setting. Stardew sheds many of Nintendo's puritanical taboos (same-sex marriage and sexual innuendo, for example), but still retains the original's farming and crop-growing charm. There's also a vibrant city to explore, mysterious caves, and plenty of fish to catch. I've spent about 80 hours in Stardew Valley, and I'm sure I'll spend the same amount more.

5.Undertale

Release year: 2015 | Developer: Toby Fox

Wes: My friend and I finished Undertale in one sitting. At first, the game attracts with its originality, then it gives rise to determination, asking you to understand the complex combat system without prompts, and after a few hours you gain respect for the creators for the impeccable delivery of jokes and excellent processing of familiar RPG themes and mechanics. Comparisons between this game and the Super Nintendo RPG Earthbound are unfortunately not in favor of the latter: Undertale is an incredibly smart game that treats its audience the same way, and therefore manages to surprise even the most seasoned gamer.

I think everyone should play it at least once. You'll appreciate either the humor, the challenge of the game, the ability to choose from multiple playstyles, the awesome boss battles, Toby Fox's clever use of the Game Maker engine, the prospect of a "true" ending, or all of the above. . The game looks simple, but there are many surprises hidden in it.

4. Kerbal Space Program

Release year: 2015 | Developer: Squad

Chris: It doesn't matter if you're serious about science and simulation, or just looking for fun game, where you can launch astronauts into space (or watch rockets explode upon launch), Kerbal is the perfect sandbox for you. One of the reasons it's fun to play is that it's full of moments where you realize you've worked hard, like the first time you fly into orbit, land on the moon, or bring back astronauts safely. and safety back to Earth. But at the same time, even failures are not particularly upsetting (and provide important lessons).

KSP is both simple and complex: rockets can be assembled or rebuilt in minutes, but conquering the solar system will require meticulous precision. Nice graphics and detailed physics will appeal to everyone - from fans of space games to real scientists working on creating rockets.

3. Hollow Knight

Release year: 2017 | Developer: Team Cherry

The best Metroidvania game in years, and that's probably because Team Cherry didn't set out to make a game exactly like Metroid. They made a 2D action game with a chic art style, where every detail was hand-drawn, choosing a dying man as the setting underworld beetles, and based on this concept, the game we know was created. A game with excellent controls and an excellent combat system, where every attack feels exactly as it should. Fighting and movement are based on the basic mechanics of jumping, dodging and attacking - that is, all the capabilities that we have from the very beginning. Here skills are much more important than improvements.

Hollow Knight rarely directly tells you where to go or what to do, which makes you interested in exploring new locations and new abilities. This is what the whole game is based on. The world shown in it is simply huge and much more detailed than it seems at first glance, and therefore even after several dozen hours you may not have learned even half of everything that is put into the game. The Super Nintendo had Super Metroid; PlayStation had Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Perhaps Hollow Knight differs in many ways from these projects, but in terms of the quality of execution it is in no way inferior to them, and therefore we can safely continue this series and say: the PC has Hollow Knight.

2.Darkest Dungeon

Release year: 2016 | Developer: Red Hook Studios

Feeling of constant anxiety. Most developers of this style of RPG try to avoid this feeling, but it is an integral component of Darkest Dungeon. To describe the game in a nutshell, it's a dungeon crawler, but there are no dungeons. fabulous atmosphere– they are just dark and gloomy. Moreover, we need to monitor the psychological state of our team (and this is not an easy task, since the game is clearly inspired by the works of Lovecraft), and therefore you rarely feel calm in this RPG. Darkest Dungeon's gloomy mood and constant play on emotions makes it a truly outstanding representative of the genre.

I like that the archetypes presented in the game are more fighters than magicians. Only one class can cast spells here, and otherwise Darkest Dungeon relies on melee weapons, poisons, bloody fights and crossbows. All the battles in the game, not least thanks to the stunning 2D effects and sound work, feel like real ones, and therefore can be physically exhausting. There's also a nice contrast here with the DD monsters, which make the blood-sucking, tentacled beasts look much more convincing.

1. Spelunky

Year of release: 2008, 2013 | Developer: Mossmouth

When I first started Spelunky, it only lasted me 10 minutes. Then I read Graham Smith's review of the game and reluctantly installed it again. And I still remember what attracted me on the second try: I lifted the golden mask, there was a roar, and a huge cobblestone crashed through the ceiling, killing a character standing nearby. I laughed involuntarily, waking up my neighbor. At that moment I fell in love with Spelunky.

Thousands of lines have already been written about Spelunky's systems for interacting with the outside world, the game's ability to tell compelling stories, and its high complexity. And I subscribe to each of these lines, because I believe that Spelunky has already become a classic of the genre, even despite the fact that it was released relatively recently. I often download it for a couple of hours just to plunge back into the world of the game and feel its atmosphere.

This great game, capable of warming the heart of any gamer. In addition, it became the first game that personally demonstrated to me that an independent project, which was once distributed free of charge, managed to contain so much: a huge number of stories, events and simply pleasant moments. I’ll leave here a gorgeous 87u6ZAb_EB8 cover of one of the game’s tunes.

Even 4 years after its release, Spelunky deservedly takes its place at the top of this list. The way the hero interacts with traps, enemies and objects is simply unparalleled. Brilliant implementation. It's worth mentioning Spelunky's daily missions, which mix the classic arcade spirit with randomly generated levels. Interestingly, before the release of this game, this genre was known for the absence of such daily tasks, but since then they began to appear in every second project.

Worth mentioning

Coming up with a list of the 25 best indie games wasn't easy. There are many games left overboard that we would like to include in the selection. Therefore, we present to your attention 10 more projects that should not be ignored, but which for one reason or another did not make it into the top 25.

• Cave Story+ (2011): Cave Story, a beautiful pixelated metroidvania first released in 2004, inspired thousands of similar platformers that appeared over the next 13 years. But in this game, now called Cave Story+, you can find the origins of everything you love about this genre.
• Audiosurf (2008): Dylan Fitterer's 2008 interactive visualizer (and its equally excellent 2013 sequel) lets you take MP3s from your music collection and turn them into a cosmic rollercoaster. The tempo of the music determines the speed and winding of the route, as well as the placement of blocks to dodge and power-ups to collect. Try starting with the song Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush.
• Mark of the Ninja (2012): An inventive 2D stealth platformer that encourages creativity. Dodging attacks and enemies in Mark of the Ninja is quite easy, but it’s even more interesting to use your imagination in the process. And teasing enemies in a beautifully rendered world is a pleasure.
• Braid (2008): A timeless example of how a slight change to an old formula and the ability to approach a project with passion can create a classic. Jonathan Blow's time manipulation system works wonders in this 2D platformer, but Braid's appeal lies in its touching story, told mostly through hints.
• Hotline Miami (2012): Undoubtedly one of the most stylish and brutal pixel action games for PC. Hotline Miami is similar to puzzle games in that players must "solve" a challenge in each level to figure out the fastest and deadliest route. And the unique soundtrack will not leave your head for a long time.
• Stephen's Sausage Roll (2016): This is a game about frying sausages. But for some reason, you have to chase these sausages through mazes to get them to the grill. It's better not to ask unnecessary questions. If you are looking for a challenging puzzle game, then this game should be perfect for you.
• Don't Starve (2013)): Klei's 2013 Survival is still one of the best in its genre, which is quite surprising for a game that started out in early access. You can think of it as a kind of translation of Edward Gorey's book into a gaming space where you can be eaten by dogs or starve to death during a long winter (the title of the game suggests such thoughts), but in any case it is interesting to play.
• Devil Daggers (2016): A first-person shooter with one single level, which is a hellish arena in which the enemies are flying skulls, snakes and other items from the album cover of any heavy metal band. Here's the essence of the best Quake shootouts, condensed into 10 seconds. Or up to 20 if you have a really good reaction.
• Life is Strange (2015): The first episode, as well as the last, looks a bit damp. But in the three remaining episodes, Life is Strange clearly shows what it's like to be a teenager - insecure and reckless at the same time. The game then gives you the ability to rewind time to correct your mistakes, a kind of adult alternative to realizing that your teenage ideas weren't good. (None of them).
• Gravity Bone (2008): Games about spies are rare, as are games that borrow elements from films and remain standalone works. In just 20 minutes, Gravity Bone will make you feel like a real spy from the film and will not allow you to doubt that the game version is many times greater better. Further games from Blendo Games – Thirty Flights of Loving (2012) and Quadrilateral Cowboy (2016) develop the ideas inherent in Gravity Bone.

The Magnet Trials- an adventure action game with puzzles, where, with the help of a magnetic gun, you have to get out of a space laboratory that was attacked by enemies!

Son of a Witch- a fun action roguelike for 1-4 players, where you will go into a dangerous dungeon to find an ancient goblin artifact!

Combine dozens of different weapons, potions, spells and magical items to defeat 7 enemy factions and 24 bosses.

Wonder Wickets- a colorful arcade game with golf mechanics, in which you will find tons of unique content, game modes, competitions, a variety of characters, as well as special controls for creating amazing shots!

Star Valor- a space action RPG with a randomly generated and open world, where you have to explore a huge galaxy, extract resources, complete quests, trade, craft weapons, and fight dangerous enemies!

Already in RUSSIAN!

The game has been updated from version 1.1.3 to 1.1.4.

City Game Studio- an entertaining simulator of a video game development company, where, having started creating games in your garage, you have to create a successful company that will go down in the history of computer games!

Already in RUSSIAN!

The game has been updated from version 0.12.1 to 0.12.3. The list of changes can be viewed.

Death's Gambit is a hardcore action platformer with RPG and Metroidvania elements, where you play as the messenger of Death, who has been sent to explore a distant planet filled with monsters, knights, dangers and adventures!

The game is like a mixture of Shadow of the Colossus, Another World, Castlevania And Dark Souls.

The game has been updated from version 1.1 to 1.2. The list of changes can be viewed.

The GOG version of the game has been updated to v1.2.

Geneshift- a very cool top-down with a lot of crazy violence, multiplayer chaos, crazy car chases, mutants, high-caliber weapons and hordes of zombies.

The game plays like a top-down GTA, filled with MOBA elements, intense matches, chaotic shootouts, vehicular carnage, upgradable mutant skills, and a currency system that allows you to purchase powerful weapons. There is also an excellent selection of modes, such as capture the flags, checkpoint racing and Zombie Survival, and cool mutant abilities, from teleportation to plasma balls, greatly enliven the gameplay.

The game has changed its name from Subvein to Geneshift!

The game has been updated from Beta version to FULL RUSSIAN version!

Soulblight- a promising topdown roguelike, made in dark colors. While exploring the mysterious temple, get ready for unexpected encounters and important decisions that will determine the outcome of your journey!

The game has been updated to version 1.33. The list of changes can be viewed.

Age of Gladiators II: Rome- a new version of the advanced gladiator manager simulator, where you have to buy, improve, equip and train your gladiators so that they defeat everyone in deadly battles in the Roman arenas!

The game has been updated from version 1.1.26 to 1.3.3. The list of changes can be viewed.

Terraforming Earth- a puzzle platformer where all levels are randomly generated. Take control of three separate robots with unique technological quirks, stranded on a desolate Earth. Help them work together to overcome randomly generated obstacles and restore life on the planet. When playing alone, switch between robots. You can also play with friends in local multiplayer co-op mode.

With the advent of stores like Steam and GOG, the number of games developed by small teams has also increased. There have been really a lot of them released over the past few years. Therefore, when compiling this list, we had a lot of choice. Maybe even too much.

To appreciate everything that the industry has given us, we simply have to take some stock. This is what we will try to do. Some of the games on the list were developed by first-year students, others former employees large companies who worked on AAA projects. But despite this, they still have a lot in common.

So, what is the list of the best indie games for PC? Puzzles, quests and even top-down action adventures, there are projects for every taste. And believe me, you will want to play everything. Let's get started.

The Witness

In a sense, Jonathan Blow can be called a pioneer who started the indie game boom. After all, almost ten years ago he took part in the creation of Braid. His next project, The Witness, is completely new type puzzles.

Here you have a huge island at your disposal, while exploring it you will get acquainted with the plot and features of this world. In just two games (The Witness and Braid), Jonathan Blow clearly demonstrated how indies have changed.

In The Witness, the gameplay is puzzle solving. Their main feature is that they do not have any general solution algorithm. Each adds new rules that complicate the process.

Another feature of The Witness is that there is no tutorial or hints. You will have to look for solutions yourself. To do this, you will first have to understand the essence of the first puzzle, and then apply the acquired knowledge to complete the next one. By the way, the lack of training is another feature of games from Jonathan Blow.

Rocket League

It should have been obvious from the very beginning that football and cars are a great mix to create one of the best indie games. And don't even try to point out Psyonix's other failed attempts to do something similar (like Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars). Even though these projects contradict what we said just above, Rocket League outshines them all.

The game has two teams that drive cars and score goals. Therefore, in the process you will also have to make sure that the balls bouncing off the bumper do not hit your goal.

Perhaps the reason why Rocket League has become so popular is that there is no special equipment, special skills or different classes. All you do is just control the car, while trying to develop some tactics to win. Not sure if the chosen strategy really works? Then turn to special guides for help. Having learned a couple of tricks, you will be able to master the ball and score goals much more effectively. Not to mention the controls, once you master the basics you will learn the game from a new perspective.

Inside

Playdead studio is in no hurry to say goodbye to its cult monochrome game Limbo. By releasing Inside, she demonstrated how you can change the original idea and make it even more interesting.

The pale palette doesn't look as vibrant as the black and white tones in Limbo. But in general, the world around us seems much deeper and more detailed. Lighting also plays an important role. Objects not in the field of view disappear almost immediately. Which adds charm to Inside.

It’s difficult to discern any emotions on the main character’s face. But when he runs away from a pack of dogs or lands on the ground from a high height, his screams and moans are much more expressive than those of the protagonists of other games. Not to mention the painful emotions you will experience when strange masked people try to drown him.

Horror, as well as an atmosphere of mystery, are important components of Inside. As you progress, you will become more familiar with the world, and the puzzles will become even more difficult. Over time, you will begin to wonder: why do corpses come to life and how can you take advantage of this?

If we talk about the plot, the form of narration here is very unusual. Therefore, you will have to figure everything out on your own. Gradually you will learn new details about the gloomy world and plot. The ending will also not leave you indifferent. It is considered one of the most interesting, intriguing and widely discussed, which everyone understands in their own way.

Firewatch

Firewatch is an adventure game in which you control a fire watch tower in Wyoming's Shoshone National Forest in 1989. You must look after the territory of the park, and in one of the tasks you will have to deal with teenagers swimming in the lake...

The game has a slow pace of storytelling. Therefore, during the course of the game, Henry will have time to think about his past more than once. Actually, this is exactly how you will get acquainted with the plot of Firewatch. This is a story about problems in the life of one single person, and not an entire galaxy. But this will not stop you from empathizing with the main character.

You will learn the details of Henry's life thanks to his communication via walkie-talkie with his boss Delilah. And only her voice keeps Henry from complete isolation. She will give you tasks, and sometimes just ask how you are doing. Every time you complete any missions, you will realize that Firewatch has both comedy and drama.

This is a story about how much we can give and lose. Therefore, Firewatch is one of those games that are best played without knowing absolutely any details about the plot or gameplay mechanics. Even if the plot doesn’t really appeal to you, then still pay attention to Firewatch: rarely has a game been able to so accurately convey the atmosphere of that place and time. And in such a wonderful way.

Oxenfree

Oxenfree is great in everything, but when it comes to dialogue, it is an order of magnitude superior to other popular indie games and confidently claims to be the best. The project was created by Telltale and Disney alumni.

The teen drama is distinguished by a natural dialogue system, well-written lines and other phrases exchanged between the main characters. It's really fun to listen to them. Moreover, while you choose a suitable replica, the game is not paused. Instead, at the beginning, you can choose an action that Alex will take while you think about how to respond. Or refuse the offer and simply remain silent, listening to your friends who will continue to talk without your participation.

The game is somewhat similar to the series The X-Files, only with the participation of teenagers. If at first the story resembles a typical horror film, then after a few minutes you will understand that everything is much more complicated. As you progress, you will have to explore the world and solve puzzles. By the way, Oxenfree has several endings. And if you want to get to know the main characters better and understand their motives, then one passage will clearly not be enough.

Hotline Miami

A dark, top-down indie action game that transforms the battles of the first GTA into true art. Hotline Miami is a brutal neon shooter that is characterized by extreme cruelty and a surreal plot.

Every day you receive a call from a mysterious subscriber who clearly asks you to clear the building of bad guys. You'll literally have to fight your way through every room, killing everyone who gets in your way. To do this, you can use melee weapons, rifles, pistols. Didn't succeed in completing the mission the first time? Then press the “restart” button and start all over again. Believe us, you will have to do this more than once.

You will soon realize that you are the embodiment of everything that is usually associated with anti-heroes. You open doors with a flourish, breaking the thugs' noses, shoot a shotgun right in the face, throw bouncers from one corner of the room to another, destroying everything around you along the way. In other words, you are causing a real massacre. Like the neon films with Ryan Gosling, Hotline Miami 2 is not much better than the first part. Therefore, it is better to start getting acquainted with the series with the original game.

Stardew Valley

Despite the fact that Harvest Moon is a Nintendo console exclusive, there are a huge number of PC gamers who are partial to it. This is partly why Stardew Valley managed to become so popular. This is a farmer's life simulator with role-playing game elements, which has absorbed all the best from Harvest Moon and added a couple of its own advantages to it.

Stardew Valley begins with the main character inheriting an abandoned farm in the fictional Stardew Valley. At first, you will be engaged exclusively in planting new plants and selling them, but over time your capabilities will only grow. In addition, soon after you start, you will be able to explore the game's surrounding world.

The fact that you need to constantly monitor the farm is not tiresome, but rather relaxing. This is an ideal game for those who want to relax after a hard day at work. In addition, Stardew Valley has a co-op mode and a huge number of mods available for download. This is an unforgettable adventure for all those who crave rural peace.

Gone Home

In the game Gone Home, the main character returns home after a year living abroad. Upon arrival, you find that the house is empty and no one is greeting you. You have to figure out what happened here and where everyone went. To do this, you will have to study in detail each room and the things left behind, listen to audio cassettes scattered around the house.

This is an exciting journey with elements of voyeurism that you can’t enjoy watching let’s plays or broadcasts on Twitch. Instead of watching someone else play, it is much more interesting to go through it yourself and become part of the story. All in order to get acquainted with the life of three interconnected generations.

The gameplay is quite simple. You will wander around the house, study the things left by the residents and learn the details of the family’s life literally bit by bit. The game touches on issues such as parenting and depression. By the end, you will realize that you ended up with a much more interesting revelation, something that you were counting on at the very beginning.

What Remains of Edith Finch

By the way, about huge abandoned mansions. Giant Sparrow studio, which developed the console exclusive The Unfinished Swan, has prepared another riddle for us. This time the main action takes place in Washington state.

What Remains of Edith Finch has a lot in common with games like Gone Home and Firewatch. But at the same time, there are also new, unique ideas, thanks to which you can look at the genre that is popular today from a different angle. Not to mention the insanely fascinating plot.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a collection of different stories that tell the story of the Finch family. And, as one of its members, a girl named Edith, you return to the family mansion to unravel the mystery of the curse. If you believe the rumors, then this is precisely the reason for the death of your relatives. The game tells the story of several generations and touches on such serious topics as depression, unusually weaving them into the gameplay. And rest assured that after completing it you will be impressed.

Spelunky

Undertale

In traditional RPGs, you almost always begin your story by arriving in a small town or village. Only after completing a little training and getting to know the residents can you start leveling up your chosen character. If we say that almost all the problems that you encounter during the passage can be dealt with with weapons or magic, then we will not be mistaken either. But in Undertale, murder is a last resort, just like in real life.

In this amazing 16-bit indie RPG, you can subdue, calm, and even flirt with your enemies. How you deal with adversity will affect how other characters treat you. If you decide to leave the enemy alive, then in the future you may see him again, and maybe you will even be able to make friends. If you still prefer to kill someone, then this decision will be fair.

You control a child who has found himself in a world filled with monsters and is now trying to escape from it. An incredibly exciting adventure awaits you with a detailed plot, unforgettable characters and an excellent soundtrack.

Gunpoint

Gunpoint is a 2D puzzle game with stealth elements. The game takes place in the near future. The main character, Richard Conway, a “spy for hire,” is given so-called “hyperpants,” with which he can jump great distances and fall from any height without any harm. One day he discovers that he is the main suspect in a murder case, which, of course, he did not commit.

The game is a set of missions in which you must penetrate protected areas and steal, replace, or destroy any data. The buildings you need to get into are shown in a cross-section, so you can immediately see all the guards and the location of the desired terminal.

If you wish, you can threaten the guards with a weapon, but over time you will understand that it is more convenient to use a light indicator. For example, it can be used to make it so that when you press a light switch, a door opens, or when you enter the field of view of a security camera, the elevator is called instead of activating an alarm. The pleasure of the game is guaranteed.

Pyre

Almost all of Supergiant Games' works deserve to be on the list of the best indie games. But we will only mention the studio's latest release - Pyre. This is one of the most unusual games, where there is nothing superfluous, and all elements are interconnected. It has incredibly beautiful graphics with excellent visual effects, a fantastic soundtrack and a heart-tugging story. As for the gameplay, half of it consists of mechanics inherent in sports games, and the other half of role-playing games.

Considering the features mentioned above, such a hybrid is really difficult to describe. The game is a text adventure whose plot follows exiles fighting for their own survival. At the same time, you will recognize the world around you thanks to excellent hand-drawn locations.

To escape the barren lands of the world of Pyre, you will have to participate in magical basketball matches, somewhat reminiscent of Quidditch with curses. Be prepared to be attracted not only by the main characters, but also by the standings. And believe me, it’s not just victory and glory that is at stake.

Papers, Please

The main action of the game takes place in 1982. You control checkpoint immigration inspector Arstotzki, whose job is to protect the homeland from terrorists, smugglers and wanted criminals.

Every day you should process as many documents as possible. If you make even the slightest mistake, it will immediately affect your salary. If you think this isn't such a big deal, consider that your family is in desperate need of money. And with too little a salary, you are unlikely to be able to provide her with a decent future. There is only one way out, work hard.

Papers, Please is the best indie game in which you can learn about your own moral principles. Every day you will be offered bribes and you must choose between risking the safety of the country and a better future for your own family.

Can you separate a married couple if only one of them has all the documents in order, and deny entry to the other? Choosing the right solution will not be so easy. Be careful, because in Papers, Please the whole danger is that everyone here may turn out to be an enemy of the country, taking advantage of your kindness.

Will you agree to make bloody sacrifices for the sake of an anti-government organization? Of course, everything is exclusively for the benefit of Arstotzka! Or are you ready to accept what is happening and eke out a miserable existence for the good of the communist state? It all depends on you. Just stamp it.

Night in the Woods

Night in the Woods is an exciting 2D adventure from the studio Infinite Fall. The story centers on May, who dropped out of college and returns to her hometown of Possum Springs to reunite with her friends. Upon arrival, she realizes how much everything has changed. The coal mines that helped the city develop have closed, and the residents are now unrecognizable.

As the game progresses, the plot will develop, revealing more and more terrible secrets Possum Springs. Night in the Woods deals with serious topics such as economic turmoil, depression and other mental illnesses. Some things you only realize when the credits roll. You will definitely want to play through the game again to get to know the other residents of the town better and experience this adventure again.

Don't get caught up in the fact that this is a 2D game with a ton of mini-games. This doesn't really impact gameplay, but it does give you a better look at the town of Possum Springs and its people. The real secrets lie hidden in Mae's mind, and over time you will understand the difficulties she had to cope with.

Kerbal Space Program

Kerbal Space Program can hardly be called a game with the most beautiful graphics or attractive design. The frightening visual hides a simply incredible space simulator. In a sense, the game can be called a NASA tycoon, in which everything needs to be calculated with mathematical precision. You want the rocket you created to be able to go into outer space?

To do this, you will have to think through every detail to the smallest detail. It will take a long time until you launch your first rocket into the stratosphere and not crash into rocks at a speed of about 10,000 kilometers per hour. But with experience, you will understand which indicators you need to monitor more closely.

The Kerbal Space Program rewards those who are able to set goals for themselves and are willing to take on private and government contracts. This will earn you enough money that you can spend on learning new skills in the technology tree to create something truly incredible.

The game doesn't limit your ideas, so you can design the most unusual rockets that have little to do with real science. It doesn't matter if she can take off. This is not the main thing. Kerbal Space Program is one of the best indie games we've ever played.

Scrap Mechanic is a huge sandbox-constructor for creating all kinds of machines and mechanisms. The action takes place in the near future, people have long been traveling to various planets and creating automated machines there. You play as a mechanic whose job is to service such machines. On one of your trips, you are shipwrecked on one of the planets, and now your task is to survive on a rather hostile planet. The problem is that the local robots that were engaged in agriculture have become uncontrollable, and now, in order to survive, you need to use your brains and use your main advantage - your design abilities.

Game under development

Sneak Thief is a thief simulator in which a variety of objects await the player. Start like a burglar, open it up simple alarm at home and collect various valuable junk. Once you gain experience, you will be able to take on serious business and maybe you will even be able to rob a well-guarded bank. Moreover, the player is given complete freedom of choice: you can look for weaknesses in the system and stealthily rob, or you can arm yourself and take the same bank with brute force.

If you were delighted with the game "Sunless Sea", then you should definitely try the new creation of the Failbetter Games studio called Sunless Skies. This time the game will take place not on the water, but in the air. Control a fancy flying steam engine, engage in trade, complete various tasks, fight and simply explore the amazing world. Sunless Skies retained the atmosphere of the previous part. The developers' attention to detail allows you to believe in the world they have created and immerse yourself in it.

CHKN is a unique sandbox construction kit in which you will create the most incredible life forms. Create your pet and explore the world in search of resources for survival, as well as to find others interesting species to continue his crazy experiments. There are simply a colossal number of combinations in the CHKN game, and each combination is a unique creature with its own character and behavior.

Alchemist's Awakening is an open-world sandbox where you play the role of a young alchemist who explores a wonderful world. Gradually you will explore new possibilities, you have 9 basic elements, combining which you can create various items. Also with the help of alchemy you you will be able to summon various creatures that will protect you from enemies. By combining different elements, you can build anything, from machines for collecting the necessary elements, to creatures that can then be revived. Alchemist's Awakening has three game modes: survival (you find yourself in the world as a novice alchemist and try to survive in it), creative (this mode allows you to conveniently and quickly build whatever you want) and multiplayer (a mode in which you can survive on a map with real players).

Imagine Earth is new game project, in which the player will be asked to create a civilization on an uninhabited planet. Before you is an ideal planet for humanity. Your task is to create a prosperous civilization on the planet. Gradually developing, you must monitor the basic resources, as well as the environment. A powerful industry provides good resources and a strong impetus for development, but at the same time it can completely destroy the planet. You can thoughtlessly cut down trees, which will very soon lead to a lack of oxygen and other natural disasters. You must learn to use the planet's wealth moderately, but at the same time develop your civilization. The problem is that other civilizations are developing on other planets, which will charmingly try to take a dominant role and because of this they will want to destroy you.

Abandon Ship is an indie adventure strategy game with a nautical theme. Plunge into the world of pirates, treasures and fairy-tale creatures. Gather your team and go in search of treasures. Fight other ships, plunder them, look for hidden treasures and avoid encounters with giant octopus. Learn various skills for your team and use them skillfully during battle. You are the captain, but you shouldn’t follow the code and go down with the ship, because the game is not lost as long as the captain is alive. Sometimes, it is better to escape on a boat than to start the game from the very beginning.

Although there are a huge number of indie projects with pixel graphics, the Wargroove developers still tried to surprise and delight connoisseurs of retro-style games. Here is a turn-based tactical strategy, designed for both solo playthrough and playing with 3 other friends. The young princess of Mercia, under the onslaught of enemies, is forced to abandon her kingdom of Cherrystone and flee to other lands in order to find allies there who will help her regain power. The plot of the entire game depends on which of the 12 heroes you choose and which faction you join.