Indie games are something of an obsession of mine at the moment, and there are a few reasons why…
Firstly, you are supporting the little guys. This is something that I think we need to do in this day and age. Corporations are ruining the gaming industry in my opinion, and turning your attention to indie developers not only gives the middle finger to the fat cats that are shovelling their millions into their pockets (at the expense of gamers and the developers that they hire), it also encourages developers and studios to know that there is scope to follow their dreams and make that game that they have always wanted to (which will lead to us getting gaming back!).
Secondly, indie games are absolutely brilliant! The passion that these studios give to their games is very clear to see, and you really feel it when you are playing them. You can almost relate every quirk that you find in the game to an individual, that will actually be excited to know that you are playing their game! The random and sometimes perfectly simple games that you encounter will give you hours and hours of fun!
Thirdly, these games are cheap. Not because they are crap, but because the studios are not greedy and they want you to play their passion projects. Once you start playing some indie games, you will probably become a fan of specific studios and follow them to see what other games they have available, or if they are bringing out a sequel of that game that you were addicted to!
What is an Indie Game?
This question sparks a lot of debate and arguments, so not everyone will agree with what I say here, but it’s what makes the category more appealing to me… An indie game to me is a small studio/developer that hasn’t been corrupted by a corporation that just wants to make a quick couple of quid off of you. Usually it is self funded, or funded without a major publisher.
There are some ‘indie’ studios out there that have almost unlimited funds at their disposal to make games, and to be honest. You can usually tell… To me, ‘indie’ studios that are basically just rich people trying to cash in on the indie craze don’t count. This is where a lot of people argue.
The reason why I don’t usually count the rich kid ‘indie’ studios is that you don’t feel the passion that you do with a small team who are getting stuck in and enjoying the experience of having their own studio and contributing in such a meaningful way. A real indie studio will get butterflies in their stomach when they see how popular their game is and how well it is received. Of course, they are in it to make money, but there is a difference between making money and being greedy. Most indies know that.
What if an indie studio/publisher is bought over by a fat cat?
It’s disappointing when this happens, but it does happen unfortunately… One thing that I will say on this subject is, can you really blame them? The fat cats that see how well your game is doing and see dollar signs in their eyes, then offer you a ridiculous amount of money for it… more than you can imagine… As much as I am gutted when this happens, I don’t hold it against them. The original game they made will still be considered an indie game to me, but any new games won’t.
A recent example of this was the publisher called Playstack, who was an indie publisher that published Balatro (which was created by a solo developer called LocalThunk). In May 2026, Playstack got aquired by a private equity firm calledTPG Inc., who (at the time of writing this) owns 15 different media and entertainment brands, including Fandom, Curse, Screen Junkies, and GameSpot.
Playstack’s CEO Harvey Elliott described it as “a change in ownership rather than a change in who we are,” saying the team and strategy would stay the same… but to me, they are now part of the corporate machine and no longer considered indie. Personally, I will avoid future games that are published by Playstack, in protest!
What are your Indie Recommendations?
Let’s get started! This will be a work-in-progress page, so every time I play a new indie game that I think is awesome, I will update this page! ALSO, if you have an indie game that you think is awesome, please let me know in the comments or via email so that I can try it out!
Balatro
Rogue-lite game developed by LocalThunk (A solo developer) and published by Playstack (now a corporate puppet)
Yes, it’s the game from my example earlier, Balatro! This was really my first obsessive indie game of recent years. I played countless hours on this game and still go back and play it every so often. In essence, this is a poker game, which I know doesn’t sound very exciting, but just trust me on this one!
The game has a lot of features that make this so much fun! There are Joker cards that give you bonuses as you play the game, there are different effects that you can place on specific cards… the strategies that you can come up with are endless!
If I’m honest, I was really sceptical of this game when my brother recommended it to me… I thought it looked like a standard poker simulator, but I am so pleased that I decided to give it a try!
CloverPit
Rogue-lite game developed by Panik Arcade and published by Future Frends Games
CloverPit is actually quite similar to Balatro, in the sense that it looks like a standard gambling simulator and is a rogue-lite game, but it has the same idea of bonuses as Balatro, that makes it so much fun! This game’s story is actually something that really makes it stand out to me. You are basically fighting for your life, by gambling… If you don’t have enough money to pay back your debts by the end of each deadline, you are plunged to your death! You need to keep going until you can escape (no spoilers!).
The dark atmosphere of this game just adds another awesome element to this genre, so check it out!