Underrated Indie Games That Deserve a Second Look

The rise to prominence of the indie gaming space during the 7th generation helped pave the way for some of its best and brightest titles to sit right alongside their AA and AAA counterparts as some of the more beloved games in the industry. But while everyone knows the big marquee titles like Hades, Celeste, The Messenger, Slay the Spire, Balatro, and many, many others, there are thousands of indie games that go relatively underappreciated despite delivering experiences that are of comparable quality. The following underrated indie games are ones that definitely deserve a second look from fans of their respective genres, as they deserve just as much love as some of the more well-known indies, but have yet to achieve the same kind of mainstream crossover success.

• Release Date — March 11, 2025
• Developer — Ember Paw Games
• Publisher — Fireshine Games
• Genre — Action Roguelike, Twin-Stick Shooter
• Steam User Score — 86% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC

Ember Paw Games’ Odinfall launched into Early Access just this year after having a public demo available on Steam for quite some time, and it’s somehow managed to avoid coverage from most mainstream outlets despite being one of the better indie twin-stick shooters out there. Fans of games like Enter the Gungeon or Neon Abyss would feel right at home in Odinfall, which features some jaw-dropping pixel art visuals, a great soundtrack, and some satisfying progression that gives way to a tough-but-fair difficulty curve. And even in its Early Access state, there’s a ton of content in Odinfall to keep you busy for a long, long time.

• Release Date — September 3, 2019
• Developer — Dead Mage
• Publisher — 11 bit studios
• Genre — Action Roguelike, ARPG
• Steam User Score — 88% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Among those who have played Children of Morta, it easily ranks as one of the best action roguelikes, yet it’s somehow continually left out of the conversation in comparison to other genre stalwarts like Hades. Children of Morta is essentially a roguelike version of Diablo that places its compelling narrative at the center of the experience, letting players control each family member in a household tasked with defending their world from destruction at the hands of an Eldritch deity. Each family member is fun to play and aligns closely with a familiar ARPG class archetype, but it’s the excellent story that will keep you pushing from one descent into the dungeons after another.

• Release Date — September 30, 2022
• Developer — Antonio Freyre
• Publisher — Digerati
• Genre — Stealth
• Steam User Score — 71% (Mostly Positive)
• Platforms — PC

The underutilization of the stealth genre, together with the untimely demise of the Metal Gear Solid franchise, has created a vacuum that indie developers have been all too happy to fill, and one of the best indie stealth games to come from that is Undetected. The work of a solo developer, Undetected is clearly indebted to the foundation of the original Metal Gear Solid, but it also stands on its own two feet as a worthwhile entry into the stealth genre with some solid (pun intended) movement mechanics and emphasis on total no-detection “ghost” playthroughs.

• Release Date — April 3, 2024
• Developer — GFX47
• Publisher — GFX47
• Genre — Action, Strategy, Tactical Shooter
• Steam User Score — 87% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC

The tactical shooter genre tends to focus on gritty and immersive first-person experiences, so when a game like No Plan B comes along, you would expect fans of the genre to have their interest piqued. No Plan B is similar to more well-known top-down indie tactical shooters like Door Kickers and its sequel, but it’s somehow gone underappreciated by fans of those games despite offering a comparably great gameplay loop. There are dozens of levels to play through, each of which presents its own sort of mini puzzle for the best plan of attack to neutralize threats and rescue hostages, and plotting out your plan of attack, then watching it play out in real-time, is incredibly satisfying.

• Release Date — May 15, 2025
• Developer — Ant Workshop Ltd
• Publisher — Wales Interactive
• Genre — Action Roguelike, Deckbuilder, Auto-Battler
• Steam User Score — 83% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Into the Restless Ruins had the unfortunate luck of releasing right at the same time as several other indie games that were more highly anticipated. It’s a shame, because the core gameplay loop of Into the Restless Ruins is both unique and incredibly addictive, blending elements of puzzle-solving, deckbuilding, and auto-battling as you piece together the rooms of different dungeons and battle the threats within. It uses the deckbuilding elements to give players cards that they use to construct a dungeon before delving into it and trying to break the seals within, opening up further layers of the dungeon and eventually conquering a boss. It’s addictive, plays great on the Steam Deck, and totally original when stacked up against its contemporaries.

• Release Date — May 13, 2024
• Developer — FairPlay Studios
• Publisher — Dear Villagers, Gamirror Games
• Genre — Roguelike, Turn-Based Tactics, Deckbuilder
• Steam User Score — 79% (Mostly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S

Despite its somewhat middling review scores, I’d venture to say that The Land Beneath Us is maybe one of the best turn-based tactics roguelikes out there. Similar to Into the Restless Ruins, The Land Beneath Us is one of the few games based on Celtic folklore and is essentially a dungeon crawler. But rather than build a dungeon and descend into it in an auto-battler, The Land Beneath Us is a clever spin on the turn-based tactics genre in which both your turns and the enemies’ happen at the same time, turning each battle into a sort of rhythm game puzzle where your weapons and abilities fire off depending on which direction you move, all while trying to anticipate your enemy’s movements in kind.

• Release Date — July 23, 2024
• Developer — Jordan Mochi, Catchweight Studio
• Publisher — Team17
• Genre — Survival Horror
• Steam User Score — 91% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

There have been several incredible indie survival horror games over the last few years that each take heavy influence from the genre’s forebears, with titles like Crow Country and Signalis sitting at the head of the pack. One that’s just as good but doesn’t seem to get quite the same amount of recognition, though, is Conscript. Conscript trades supernatural horror for the very real terrors and psychological trauma of World War I, and its gameplay is classic Resident Evil through and through. You traverse a sprawling map, collect items, solve puzzles, and battle enemies, all while needing to backtrack and deal with an ever-present sense of dread and dwindling resources. But while Conscript is classic Resident Evil in its gameplay, its horror elements are pure Silent Hill-style psychological horror, making it the best of both worlds when it comes to its classic influences.

• Release Date — April 28, 2023
• Developer — Phobia Interactive
• Publisher — Phobia Interactive
• Genre — FPS, Survival Horror
• Steam User Score — 91% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC

Another incredible indie survival horror game that should be much bigger than it actually is is Dino Trauma. For as much lamenting that fans do over Capcom’s abandoning of the Dino Crisis franchise, you’d expect a modern spin on that formula to be huge, but Dino Trauma remains relatively unknown outside indie survival horror fans. Part Dino Crisis homage and part old-school boomer shooter, Dino Trauma is a short but sweet first-person riff on Capcom’s classic that places action at the forefront and features plenty of jump scares, and its authentically low-poly PS1-style visuals are the perfect visual palette that ties it all together.

• Release Date — September 26, 2024
• Developer — R_Games
• Publisher — R_Games
• Genre — FPS, Immersive Sim, Survival Horror
• Steam User Score — 86% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC

R_Games’ Zero Protocol is another excellent hybrid of first-person shooter and survival horror, but it skews far more toward the immersive sim genre than something like Dino Trauma. Part John Carpenter’s The Thing and part System Shock, Zero Protocol sees you take control of a researcher at an Antarctic facility, only to discover that something has gone horribly wrong. It’s spooky, it has some great first-person shooting combat, the puzzles are cleverly designed and head-scratching, and the story ventures into some places that will stick with you long after you’ve put it down. Anyone who’s discovered the System Shock franchise thanks to the remake and remasters from Nightdive Studios owes it to themselves to check out Zero Protocol next.

• Release Date — May 31, 2024
• Developer — Altered Orbit Studios
• Publisher — Altered Orbit Studios
• Genre — FPS
• Steam User Score — 93% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC

Highly anticipated boomer shooter Selaco finally launched into Early Access last year after having a public demo available since 2022, and it somehow surpassed every single expectation that players had for it. Anyone who fondly remembers Monolith’s incredible F.E.A.R. series and its near-perfect enemy AI absolutely needs to play Selaco, because it’s one of the few modern shooters (along with another excellent indie, Trepang²) to come close to having a similar level of challenge. But more than its challenging enemy AI, Selaco simply looks and plays great, including having some of the best gunplay, visuals, and sound design of any modern boomer shooter.

• Release Date — August 23, 2023
• Developer — Maeth
• Publisher — Rogue Games
• Genre — FPS, Boomer Shooter
• Steam User Score — 87% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Tons of great indie boomer shooters scratch that itch for some old-school FPS thrills, but Sprawl is somehow relatively unknown among fans of the genre. It’s time to change that. When it comes to games that blend pitch-perfect gunplay with satisfying movement and a pulse-pounding sense of momentum, few do it as well as Sprawl, which is essentially the boomer shooter version of a game like Titanfall 2. Sprawl features all the tricks you’d expect from a movement shooter (wall running, double jumping, etc.), but combines them with a cleverly implemented bullet-time mechanic that turns every encounter into a beautiful dance with death that has to be seen to be believed.

• Release Date — May 22, 2022
• Developer — Team Ladybug, WSS Playground
• Publisher — WSS Playground, Alliance Arts
• Genre — Scrolling Shooter
• Steam User Score — 96% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, Nintendo Switch

The resurgence of popularity of the scrolling shooter/shmup genre has led to some incredible new games from indie developers; Gunvein, Blue Revolver, and Crimzon Clover among them. One that’s just as good and only rarely ever gets brought up, though, is Drainus. Drainus is from Team Ladybug, who are better known for some of their excellent indie Metroidvanias like Touhou Luna Nights, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, and this year’s Blade Chimera, and it’s a curious blend of scrolling shooter and RPG that features a similarly eye-catching art style and gorgeous pixel art. It’s a little on the easier side, but that’s arguably a plus when you consider it as a great starting point for anyone interested in getting into the genre.

• Release Date — September 29, 2022
• Developer — Mirari&Co.
• Publisher — Mirari&Co.
• Genre — Metroidvania, Soulslike
• Steam User Score — 78% (Mostly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

The indie Metroidvania is perhaps one of the most saturated genres there is, which has led to there being so many games that go relatively unnoticed by its fans. One that deserves a bit more attention is Dark Light, which blends elements of a traditional Metroidvania with the metered combat and world-resetting checkpoints of a Soulslike (along with some pretty impressive buildcraft) to deliver a challenging and fun post-apocalyptic, horror-tinged experience. It’s not going to blow people away like other, more popular “Soulsvania” hybrids, but it’s nevertheless a fun experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome and offers some fun combat and exploration.

• Release Date — April 2, 2024
• Developer — SoulGame Studio
• Publisher — SoulGame Studio, IndieArk
• Genre — Metroidvania, Twin-Stick Shooter
• Steam User Score — 98% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC

When it comes to indie Metroidvanias that are criminally overlooked, it’s hard to think of a better candidate than Minishoot’ Adventures. Minishoot is the debut game from SoulGame Studio, and it’s made with such love, care, and passion that you’d be forgiven for assuming it came from a AAA developer with a much larger budget. Part The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, part Super Aleste, and part Metroidvania, Minishoot Adventures mixes a wide variety of genres and influences while somehow managing to feel cohesive and satisfying, and it nails the twin pillars of what make any great Metroidvania experience: combat and exploration.

• Release Date — October 30, 2023
• Developer — Kira LLC
• Publisher — Kira LLC, Critical Reflex
• Genre — Action RPG, Soulslike, Dungeon Crawler
• Steam User Score — 90% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC

One of the more exciting developments in indie gaming circles has been the appreciation and fondness for FromSoftware’s PS1-era dungeon crawlers like King’s Field, which has helped pave the way for an entirely new generation of esoteric first-person RPGs with dark and foreboding atmospheres and similar emphasis on combat and exploration. One of the best is Lunacid, which is loved by those who have played it but honestly deserves to be lauded as one of the better indie games ever released, alongside titles like Hades or Celeste. Lunacid is an absolutely gorgeous game that makes the most of its attempts at being authentic to its PS1 inspirations, and it does right by the King’s Field franchise as the honorary standard-bearer for that kind of experience in the modern era.

• Release Date — July 20, 2021
• Developer — Acid Nerve
• Publisher — Devolver Digital
• Genre — Action-Adventure, Metroidvania, Soulslike
• Steam User Score — 93% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — Android, iOS, PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Devolver Digital is a publisher that has made a name for itself by finding the “diamonds in the rough” among indie devs and bringing their titles to the mainstream, but occasionally, the hidden gems they discover don’t get as much recognition as they deserve. Such is the case with Death’s Door, which is every bit as incredible as a game like Hollow Knight. Death’s Door is best described as a Zelda-like Metroidvania with some Soulslike tendencies, and it’s an experience that would appeal to fans of any or all of those different influences. Beyond its satisfying gameplay, though, Death’s Door has a great story, charming characters, and a fantastic sense of humor that help carry it.

• Release Date — September 13, 2023
• Developer — doinksoft
• Publisher — Devolver Digital
• Genre — Action-Adventure, Shooter
• Steam User Score — 86% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, Nintendo Switch

Another excellent indie published by Devolver that deserves more eyes on it is Gunbrella. This curious side-scrolling action-adventure game blends elements of a shooter with a more traditional action-platformer, but it also has some surprising RPG elements and a curiously twisted Lovecraftian narrative that goes to some surprisingly dark places. Despite its pixel art visuals and cartoonish art direction, Gunbrella hides an incredibly compelling and heart-wrenching tale at its center that propels you forward through its short and sweet campaign.

• Release Date — May 24, 2023
• Developer — Studio PICO, Esquadra
• Publisher — Flyhigh Works
• Genre — Action Platformer
• Steam User Score — 99% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Sabotage Studio’s The Messenger is often lauded as one of the best indie approximations of a modern Ninja Gaiden game, but Shinobi Non Grata is just as good and almost completely unknown in comparison. Unlike The Messenger, which transitions into a Metroidvania in its second half, Shinobi Non Grata is a traditional action platformer through and through, and it features some of the best difficulty balancing of any game in the genre; always tough but fair in the early sections and then ramping up to a non-stop thrill ride once you acclimate to the main character’s move set and take on different foes. It doesn’t hurt that Shinobi Non Grata has some of the absolute best boss battles of any indie action platformer.

• Release Date — August 29, 2023
• Developer — Programancer, Retroware
• Publisher — Retroware
• Genre — Action Platformer
• Steam User Score — 86% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Fans of the NES’ more underrated classics like Vice: Project DOOM or Zen: Intergalactic Ninja owe it to themselves to check out a similarly underrated indie game, Prison City. Prison City takes heavy inspiration from some of the best action platformers on the NES to deliver a campaign that feels authentic enough to the era that it could pass as a hidden gem on the console. There’s a lot of eyes on developer Programancer’s next game, The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest, which should hopefully help bring more deserved attention to the excellent Prison City.

• Release Date — May 12, 2021
• Developer — Easy Trigger Games
• Publisher — Coffee Stain Publishing
• Genre — Action Platformer, Shooter
• Steam User Score — 94% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Indie action platformers and run and guns aren’t nearly as prolific as Metroidvanias or action roguelikes, so when one comes around that’s as good as the classics, or maybe even better than them, it deserves our attention. Huntdown is one such game, an incredible run-and-gun experience with “stop and pop” cover shooting, stealth segments, amazing boss fights, and some over-the-top violence that would make games like RoboCop vs. The Terminator proud. Huntdown is one of the absolute best indie games out there, and that more people don’t recognize it as such is practically criminal.