All articles tagged with #indie
A curated list of 15 PC games that run well on the Steam Deck without requiring tweaks, mixing enduring favorites like Vampire Survivors, Stardew Valley, and Hades with newer hits such as Balatro, Dave the Diver, Blue Prince, Dredge, Deep Rock Galactic Survivor, Elden Ring, Resident Evil 2, Big Hops, Warframe, TMNT Shredder’s Revenge, and Megabonk—emphasizing portable, bite-size sessions and optional co-op where available.
This week’s PC game lineup runs from horror and occult-themed titles to puzzlers and roguelites, with a standout Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown strategy port, plus a mix of indie experiments and whimsical titles across multiple genres.
New PS5 climbing game Cairn from The Game Bakers has sold over 200,000 copies in four days after its January 29 launch, marking a strong start to 2026. The game is praised as a tactile climbing simulator with freedom to explore a full mountain and a deliberately slow pace, though the PS5 version suffers frame-rate drops (PC is preferable until patches land).
Starsand Island, an anime-inspired cozy life sim from Seed Sparkle Lab, will launch on Steam Early Access and Xbox Preview in February, with a full 1.0 release planned for mid‑2026 on Steam, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and macOS; early access won’t include online multiplayer, but cooperative crafting and expansive DIY systems are slated for the full release, along with NPC relationships, animal companions, and vehicle-based exploration. The developers have been transparent about the process and the community currently maintains a stance against AI-generated content.
The Game Bakers’ climbing indie game Cairn sold over 200,000 copies on PC and PS5 in its first weekend, with peak concurrent players near 15,000 and a top-10 Steam ranking, signaling strong early demand for a niche title.
Bugged Games unveils Dithered, a Windows PC indie action-adventure thriller releasing in Q1 2026 (Steam), where Penelope navigates a dithered, trauma-tainted dreamscape with stamina-based combat and surreal, memory-driven visuals.
Indie Selects marks its second anniversary with a six-title Anniversary Collection (Despelote, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, Cronos: The New Dawn, I Am Your Beast, Afterlove EP, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage), introduces three Xbox Dynamic Backgrounds, and runs a 300+ title Anniversary Sale from Jan 28–Feb 9, with the Collection hub available Jan 28–Feb 10 via the Xbox Indie Selects hub.
Indie studio Studio Rassvet announced I Have No Change, a first-person narrative game set in a melancholic Russian night kiosk where you run the shop as 27-year-old Matvey, interacting with a range of customers and exploring themes of stagnation and dreams. The game emphasizes slice-of-life storytelling, detailed visuals, expressive characters, and a locally-inspired soundtrack, with PC (Steam) release planned but no date yet.
GameSpot’s six-month roundup of new co-op titles covers cozy color-puzzle play, party and social-deduction games, roguelikes, horror, and racing, with options for couch or online play across two players up to large groups. Highlights include 100 Cats Lost In China Find And Color, Deviation Game, Peak, RV There Yet, Escape The Backrooms, Wobbly Life, Republic Of Jungle, Sync Or Sink, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Mars First Logistics, Absolum, and Grounded 2.
A new free indie title on Steam, Lavalamp by Space Lemmings, released January 10 and playable on Steam Deck, has earned over 200 user reviews with 95% positive ratings. The first‑person exploration game offers a short, ~1‑hour experience with a psychedelic, flexible narrative and no monetization, drawing praise for its relaxing atmosphere and quirky vibe from players.
This week’s Next Week on Xbox preview highlights new releases across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Game Pass from Jan 19–23, with notable titles like 2XKO (Jan 20) and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (Jan 21, pre-orders available), plus a mix of indie games and genre variety (horror, platformers, metroidvania) hitting through Jan 23.
Cross Reverie, a Final Fantasy X-inspired turn-based JRPG by Sinxsoft that failed its 2015 Kickstarter, reappears on Steam with a trailer and February 2026 demo, aiming for a 2026 release; it features eight playable characters, a stigma-based customization system, CTB-like turn order, and multiple endings across top-down exploration.
A indie developer behind the Steam roguelike card battler Hardest announces the game will be removed from Steam on January 30 to drop AI-generated assets, citing concerns about AI's economic and environmental impact and suggesting a future AI-free version with real assets may rise from the project.
Indie developer Eero Laine will remove his AI-generated roguelike card game Hardest from Steam on January 30 after his girlfriend convinced him it is a disgrace to all game makers. Laine said he built the game in 2025 using university-provided free tools and AI, and that AI has a real impact on jobs and the environment; he may pursue a future project using non-AI assets.
The article reviews 25 overlooked indie movies from 2025, highlighting diverse genres and themes, from feminist horror to coming-of-age stories, and emphasizing their unique artistic approaches and cultural significance.