In general, indie games aren’t comparable to AAA games in terms of graphics and performance but not in terms of mechanics, creativity, or plot. Besides, most indies are a display of creativity and genius. From puzzle games to classic RPGs, indie games have since provided innovation in various genres. Thus, let’s check the Best Indie Games of all Time according to my judgment and general critics.

The top games from indie studios often spark controversy. While some may perceive them as simplistic and dull, we hold the opposite view. To counter this perspective, I've curated a list below to introduce you to essential indie games that are a must-try.

• Release Date : August 29, 2023

• Developer : Sabotage

• Publisher : Sabotage

• Genre : Role-playing game | Adventure

• Platforms : Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

• Metascore : 87

Sea of Stars was probably one of the best indie games of the past year, together with other games such as Lies of P, which also secured a spot on the list. I have a special feeling for Sea of Stars since it is an excellent tribute to classic RPGs, like Chrono Trigger (1995), Final Fantasy VI (1994), or Secret of Mana (1993) that I love so much. Besides, these titles are among the best role-playing games of all time. The result is a beautiful pixel art and turn-based RPG with an incredible story, amazing characters, and satisfying mechanics.

Sea of Stars is an old-fashioned RPG that works incredibly well in 2023. Moreover, it has been an entrance door for gamers who have never played a turn-based RPG before. It is a great adventure from the very beginning to the end, featuring six unique playable characters, each with special abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Besides, you can blend them to create a unique party experience by considering your gameplay style.

Even though Sea of Stars was released in the middle of 2023, at the moment of writing, it is still a hidden gem most players should dig up right now! The visuals are outstanding, the plot is full of intrigue, funny and sad at the same time, and the enemies, oh, the enemies, are incredibly well designed. Undoubtedly, Sea of Stars is a game you need to play.

Key Features:

• A first-class RPG released in 2023 with classic and unique mechanics.

• Superlative pixel art graphics and high-end animations.

• Great plot and soundtrack that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

• Release Date : September 17, 2020

• Developer : Supergiant Games

• Publisher : Supergiant Games

• Platforms : PC, Nintendo Switch, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, iOS 

• Metascore : 93

Nowadays, roguelike games are at their best, and the living proof of this is Hades, an amazing roguelike title featuring procedurally generated dungeons inspired by Ancient Greece and its mythology. Yeah, its name gives it away, but Hades goes beyond and provides us with a great adventure with hack-and-slash mechanics that will blow your mind away.

Hades is played from an isometric perspective, a point of view that many developers have returned to due to its simplicity but high capacity for expression. Models and environments were hand-crafted, and they are incredibly well-animated; thus, the action flows as in just a few games of the genre. Scenarios also have a great visual style, standing out with colors, light particles, blasts, weapon crashes, magic, and multiple other effects that fill the game with life.

But let’s not forget how incredibly entertaining Hades is. It has fast-paced gameplay that doesn’t give you time to rest or even think, featuring a dizzy and vertiginous action with dozens of enemies attacking from everywhere. You must cover all your sides and be incredibly fast to survive underground.

Progression in Hades is remarkable since you unlock weapons and objects to improve your chances of reaching the dungeon exit. Blended with upgrading possibilities, it turns Hades into a kind of action RPG with permadeath.

Key Features:

• A fast-paced indie game with procedurally generated maps and great replayability.

• A unique hand-crafted art style with outstanding animations and expressions.

• A dizzy combat that demands you be the best of the underground world.

Hades US Xbox One/Series CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date : August 30, 2018

• Developer : Sabotage Studio

• Publisher : Devolver Digital

• Platforms : Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

• Metascore : 83

The creators of Sea of Stars bring us The Messenger, an action and puzzle platformer that occurs in the same universe as the first video game in this list. I would even say that The Messenger is a prequel to the laureled 2023 RPG and a title that nurtures the lore of this world.

At first sight, both titles look extremely different –and they are – but they also share multiple features related to the world. However, The Messenger is a side-scrolling title strongly inspired by the classic Ninja Gaiden series and some aspects of Chrono Trigger, the classic RPG I mentioned earlier. This way, The Messenger’s mechanics focus on jumping, advancing through platforms, killing enemies, and discovering secrets. Still, The Messenger is not as easy as most platformers out there!

The Messenger is a brilliant game since it entails several ways of addressing the plot and the structures of levels. The game starts as a simpler and straight platformer and then gives way to an intricate tangle of situations that transform the game into an incredible Metroidvania.

The game also features time travel and backtracking. With unique abilities you learn throughout the playthrough, such as climbing and using a rope dart, you will have to explore past scenarios and discover their secrets.

Key Features:

• A classical platform approach that reminds you of the NES Ninja Gaiden.

• A gameplay that will make you feel like playing an 8-bit and a 16-bit title.

• A dark world you must cross in several periods and with unique abilities.

The Messenger Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date : March 30, 2023

• Developer : Black Salt Games

• Publisher : Team17

• Platforms : Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

• Metascore : 84

DREDGE is the only game in this list that does not encompass fights or an earning-point progression. Actually, it is… a fishing video game. As such, you control a bot amidst a vast sea while trying to catch all kinds of fish.

DREDGE occurs in an open-world archipelago inspired by Lovecraftian imagery, full of deadly and bizarre creatures. The world is affected by a day-night cycle that influences specific actions you can take and the kind of fish you can find.

The night in DREDGE is particularly dangerous since you can fall prey to hallucinations and hazards that can affect the performance of your vessel and the completion of missions. But while crossing the vast land, you can catch underwater items that you can later sell when docking your boat. The received money will be fundamental to improving the performance of your ship, such as more powerful engines, brighter lights, and more appropriate fishing equipment.

Key Features:

• An expansive oceanic open world featuring hundreds of islands.

• A simple but complex gameplay that requires you to take fishing seriously.

• An always-living world with several types of fish, underwater items, and more.

Dredge Global Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date : July 18, 2023

• Developer : Sad Owl Studios

• Publisher : Thunderful Publishing

• Platforms : Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

• Metascore : 84

Viewfinder is a creative title with a unique mechanic: you utilize black and white photographs to modify reality and open new passages through time and space. In this sense, Viewfinder is a puzzle-solving game in which you will have to give free rein to your imagination.

Viewfinder has been universally acclaimed due to this mechanic since the possibilities of interacting with the stage are almost endless; you can open passages, create platforms, join two different rooms, make holes in a wall, and much more. This way, Viewfinder requires you to unleash your creativity and think of how to intervene in the scene to achieve your goal.

Since its early access, Viewfinder has stolen the heart of most players, including mine. Mapping the images contained in photographs to build new layouts and geometries has given rise to a new way of thinking about video games, almost creating a new genre, which includes jewels like Lords of the Fallen.

In general, Viewfinder is an excellent but time-consuming title for gamers like me, who love puzzles and stay for hours looking for the best answer to a problem.

Key Features:

• An innovative gameplay where you modify reality by overlaying images.

• Geometric interactive puzzle-solving mechanics that require you to use imagination.

• Simple but beautiful graphics that help you to understand puzzles and possible interactions.

• Release Date : September 29, 2017

• Developer : Studio MDHR

• Publisher : Studio MDHR

• Platforms : macOS, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4

• Metascore : 88

Cuphead is a universally known jewel in both the video game industry and the animation world. Since it was launched in 2017, Cuphead has been globally recognized and awarded as one of the most interesting and visually appealing video games of all time. And reasons for this abound!

Just like several games mentioned in this list, Cuphead was created by hand, like the old-fashioned and classic cartoons on which it’s based. Indeed, if there is something in which Cuphead stands out over other indie games, it is its reminiscence of classic Disney shorts from the 30s.

Cuphead also has a unique gameplay structure, which is very creative and difficult to find in other games. In Cuphead, you fight directly against bosses without the need to accomplish a previous step or complete an entire level. Okay, there are a few platformer levels in which you need to navigate through a 2D level, but these stages are not as important as boss battles.

Cuphead is one of the best indies of the past decade, a game that still converts common gamers into mad mugs and fans of the franchise. Cuphead also features a TV show, merchandise, and a highly-anticipated second part.

Key Features:

• Beautiful hand-crafted visuals as a reminiscence of classic cartoon characters.

• More than thirty bosses with unique mechanics, powers, and abilities.

• Funny gameplay that you can play solo or with a friend.

Cuphead Global Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date : February 24, 2017

• Developer : Team Cherry

• Publisher : Team Cherry

• Platforms : Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

• Metascore : 87

Hollow Knight has garnered acclaim as one of the greatest Metroidvanias, vying for the top spot alongside titles such as Ori and the Blind Forest, Blasphemous, or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. While I hold the view that Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is the best Metroidvania of all time, that's a topic for another discussion. Nevertheless, it's undeniable that Hollow Knight is an extraordinary game that elevated the standards of indie games to a whole new level.

In the first place, the indie developers of Hollow Knight did an excellent job with graphics since these are hand-crafted, building a full-of-life underground world known as Hallownest. Every design on which the enemies, characters, and bosses are based is incredibly well-designed, featuring great animations that make it impossible for you not to fall in love with this video game.

When the developers designed and created Hollow Knight, they really wanted to be creative, attaining an incredibly well-connected world with several zones, each with unique models, geography, enemies, and a color palette. Creating Hallownest wasn’t easy, but the results turned Hollow Knight into one of the best indie video games of all time.

Moreover, Hollow Knight entails a substantial narrative that keeps most players engaged at the front of the screen. No doubt that fans of Metroidvania and indie titles will adore this video game.

Key Features:

• One of the most incredible worlds recently created: Hallownest.

• Different abilities you unlock over playing to reach new corners of the world.

• An interesting platformer system where your ability decides success or failure.

Hollow Knight Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date : September 19, 2023

• Developers : Neowiz Games | Round8 Studio

• Publisher : Neowiz Games

• Platforms : Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, macOS, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

• Metascore : 83

Lies of P has been determined as an adventure ESRB M, but the truth is that it is much more than that: a game full of action taking place in an interesting world. Lies of P is a soul-like game that took a lot of previous launches of the genre, such as Bloodborne and Dark Souls. However, Lies of P occurs in a Victorian fantasy world where magic and technology advances coexist marvelously and chillingly.

Like most soul-like titles, Lies of P is difficult and has a bulky learning curve. Getting used to enemy attacks will take you hours, as well as improving your stats and getting the gear to face new challenges. 

Imagine you’re playing Dark Souls but in a futuristic environment encompassing deadly wood puppets and robots. Actually, Lies of Pi is a perfect soul-like game with addictive combat mechanics –including parrying and counterattacking– and amazing bosses that will make you tremble with despair.

Regarding rewards, Lies of P has earned 4.5 stars in its Screen Rant review in addition to winning the Mac Game of the Year 2023 award delivered by Apple. Lies of P was also nominated for both Best Art Direction and Best Role Playing Game at The Game Awards.

No matter what type of player you are. Lies of P is a game that probably will change your life forever, as just the best games can do it. You likely will remember it through the years.

 Key Features: 

• A Victorian city known as Krat is an environment full of dangerous puppets, robots, and strange creatures.

• An amazing narrative that can hold its own against major title studio releases.

• Soul-like fighting mechanics that include dodging, melee, and augmentation to improve your power.

Last but certainly not least, gamers! In the current landscape, indie games stand shoulder to shoulder with high-end titles in terms of mechanics, entertainment, and creativity. Without a shred of hesitation, go ahead and download them for a thoroughly enjoyable experience. That's why we're here: RoyalCDKeys makes it easy for you to access the Best Indie Games of all Time.