The Best Indie Games of All Time, Ranked

Highlights

• Indie games offer unique and unforgettable experiences that major gaming companies often overlook.
• The best indie games span a variety of genres, ensuring there is something for every type of player.
• These indie games, such as Lisa: The Painful and Cuphead, showcase the power of pixel art and deliver dark, challenging, and visually stunning gameplay.

Indie gaming has become one of the best things in the industry, allowing creators with limited resources and uninhibited creativity to craft some truly memorable experiences that have stuck in the minds of gamers more than genuine AAA experiences. There’s a reason why so many people love indie games with a passion — they touch upon certain emotions and gameplay loops that most major gaming companies have seemingly forgotten about.

As a result, there are numerous indie games of the highest quality that have become some of the greatest experiences that video game enthusiasts can expose themselves to. These titles encompass a wide range of genres and will keep players with varied interests engaged.

Updated on December 7, 2023 by Ritwik Mitra: Indie gaming has become all the rage in modern times, and understandably so. Some of the most creative, admirable, and engaging video games are indie titles that set the stage alight and show publishers with bigger budgets how it’s done. Of course, there are many self-publishing indie developers with massive budgets of their own who have crafted some amazing video game experiences that rival and surpass AAA developers at times!

10 Lisa: The Painful

Metascore: 77

The twisted nature of Lisa: The Painful is one of the biggest reasons why this game was such a massive success across the board. In this world, human females have become extinct, which is why the protagonist, Brad, is surprised to find a female child whom he ends up raising like his own child as he tries his hardest to take care of Lisa.

When Lisa is kidnapped, Brad goes to the ends of the earth in a bid to save her from forces unknown. However, over the course of a narrative that is full of laugh-out-loud moments, it’s revealed that Brad himself wasn’t a saint in any way. The game’s pixel art conveys some really powerful visuals that make it one of the best indie games that fans can check out if they want to enjoy an RPG with a really dark story.

9 Hotline Miami

Metascore: 85

The sheer impact that Hotline Miami had at launch can’t be stated enough. Many people argue that this title pushed Devolver Digital to the heights of fame that it currently enjoys, with the techno soundtrack and the pulse-pounding combat making it one of the best high-octane indie games to check out.

The story was a surreal experience to behold, featuring many unique characters and obtuse dialogue that kept players guessing about the majority of events that were happening. The presentation, music, and gameplay are three pillars that prop Hotline Miami to a whole new level and make it one of the best games for fans to check out.

8 Cuphead

Metascore: 86

A game with a painstaking amount of effort put into it, Cuphead‘s attempt to channel the charm of the golden age of cartoons has been nothing short of a massive success. It’s clear that this title’s incredible art style is one of the biggest reasons why the game was a massive hit.

Cuphead is a ridiculously challenging game that demands the player’s attention every step of the way. Repetition is key to victory, and players will soon memorize and defeat a wealth of incredible bosses in no time at all.

7 Omori

Metascore: 87

Omori‘s psychological horror is executed with great panache, with the title’s story being one for the ages as players try and uncover the main character’s trauma and why he chose to be a shut-in for the longest time. The dream world that Sunny decides to hide in is way more sinister than what meets the eye.

The game deals with some disturbing themes, so players should be warned if they wish to check this title out. The RPG gameplay is a blast and the characters in this title are all pretty fleshed out and engaging in their own way, making this game an excellent title for fans of unique horror experiences.

6 Return Of The Obra Dinn

Metascore: 89

Lucas Pope is one of the most legendary names who has made the indie scene such a tantalizing prospect, to begin with. His work on Papers, Please was an eye-opening affair, although some people argued that the gameplay loop wasn’t all that compelling after a point.

However, Return of the Obra Dinn makes for a completely different and unique experience altogether. The game’s narrative is a complex and engaging one where players relive the moments leading up to a sailor’s demise, piecing together the story of the many events that led to the death of everyone on the Obra Dinn.

5 Limbo

Metascore: 90

Despite being a relatively simple platformer, Limbo‘s incredible art style and atmosphere are what make it such a tantalizing title. Despite not saying a single word, most people form a bond with the main character and try to save him from the many surprisingly brutal deaths he can be subjected to.

The game takes players on a journey using a 2D plane, which is pretty impressive. Featuring a minimalist design, unique puzzles, and an excellent storyline, Limbo is a title that will wow players and then some.

4 Undertale

Metascore: 92

An indie darling that became one of the biggest titles in the gaming industry at one point, there are many people who still can’t get enough of Undertale and its imaginative world. The game is a masterpiece that shows the strengths of indie gaming while simultaneously curbing expectations to make for an experience that is fresh and engaging every step of the way.

In many ways, Undertale is the very definition of an anti-RPG that doesn’t shy away from punishing players for killing monsters for no reason whatsoever. The unique manner in which it handles its gameplay loops makes it clear why this game was such a massive hit across the board.

3 Hades

Metascore: 93

Supergiant Games is one of the best indie developers around, marrying story and gameplay in a truly brilliant manner that makes each one of their games a blast to play through. However, none of their games attained the same level of success as Hades did, with this action-roguelike being an engaging tale in every way.

Zagreus is a great protagonist who has to break out of the Underworld while fighting a wealth of bosses and enemies during his escape attempts. The interactions between characters in the game are handled extremely well, and players love the variations in all these interactions as they make their way through the four levels of the Underworld.

2 Inside

Metascore: 93

Playdead’s future is up in the air after a rift formed between its co-founders, but players still love the two groundbreaking titles that were released during the studio’s golden years. Limbo was certainly a captivating title in its own right, but Inside upped the ante when it came to how this atmospheric title could approach its gameplay.

The muted visuals and brutality of the game made it a poster child of what indie gaming can achieve when it focuses on the right things. It’s a great game with a scintillating story that will keep players in the dark until the very end, with both the regular and secret ending giving some answers while raising some questions of their own!

1 Baldur’s Gate 3

Metascore: 96

It’s hard to believe that Baldur’s Gate 3 is technically an indie game, despite having more love and care put into it than the majority of AAA releases out there. The game is a worthy successor to the beloved Baldur’s Gate 2 and arguably surpasses its greatness in many ways.

Larian Entertainment deserves all the success they’ve enjoyed, single-handedly making the gaming majority take CRPGs seriously. This dense world is packed with memorable characters and numerous interactions, reacting to the player’s choices in ways that have never been seen before!