11 of the best underrated indie games of 2025
Don’t sleep on these beautiful, profound, and hilarious games from the past year.
What counts as an “underrated game” in the year that brought us Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades II, Blue Prince and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? It feels like no game released in 2025 got the time and attention it really deserved, including the aforementioned titles. While no one person could possibly play every incredible indie from this year, there are tons of wonderful experiences out there for every individual gaming style and taste. Our hope is to shine a spotlight on some 2025 indie games that deserved a little more attention and are more than worth your time!
1. Skate Story
Kate’s Pick
“I was never coordinated enough to be a skater, but I’ve always resonated with the spirit and ethos of the skateboarding community. Skate Story takes my hand and thoughtfully brings me into its humorous, tender, and perfectly thought provoking world in the most approachable way. This game is pure poetry, brimming with sincerity, and at the core of its rock solid identity is endless authenticity. Shout out to the accessibility settings for giving this clumsy skater the opportunity to experience a total masterpiece, reminding me that even though my skateboarding and video game experience is small, I still belong here. The music by Blood Cultures and John Fio combined with the twinkly and sharp visuals left me with a tear in my eye and my jaw on the floor.”
Developer: Sam Eng
Publisher: Devolver Digital
2. Wanderstop
Emily’s Pick
“One of the reasons I love indie games so much is that they provide the opportunity to step into someone else’s shoes and see the world from a new perspective. Wanderstop hit me in an unexpected way, by making me feel seen and understood in a way that I didn’t even realize I was missing, maybe giving others the opportunity to step into my shoes for a time.
The game follows Alta, a high achieving professional warrior, who suddenly finds herself unable to fight. She encounters Boro, a jolly and kind owner of a tea shop in the middle of the forest, and accepts his offer to help him out at his shop. At first glance the game could be seen as a take on a shop or restaurant management sim, but I think it’s better described as a burnout simulator. Better yet, maybe a healing-from-burnout simulator. If you can lean into its story and unusual pacing, it’s a deeply beautiful and vulnerable gaming experience that I think we can all learn from.”
Developer: Ivy Road
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Want to learn more? Go listen to our episode covering Wanderstop.
3. Keep Driving
Kate’s Pick
“This dev team summoned every ounce of iconic vibes they could muster and poured them directly into this game. Funnily enough, I recently found a video of myself from early 2025 talking about my most anticipated indie game of the year, and it was Keep Driving. I’m happy to report that it delivered even more than I could have imagined, and it’s pulling in at the very top of my list for 2025. Early 2000’s road trip vibes with fresh and creative turn-based combat that match the actual obstacles you’ll encounter while driving IRL make this game a breath of fresh air. The soundtrack is compiled of licensed tracks by iconic indie rock bands like Westkust, Zimmer Grandioso, Makthaverskan, Fucking Werewolf Asso, The Honeydrips, My Darling YOU! And Holy Now.. If you prioritize the journey over the destination, Keep Driving is for you.”
Developer: YCJY Games
Publisher: YCJY Games
Want to learn more? Go listen to our episode covering Keep Driving.
4. Axyz
Emily’s Pick
“I simply won’t shut up about Axyz and I’m not sorry about it. I love when a puzzle game revolves around an extremely simple core premise, and builds itself up from that foundation, never extending its complexity further than it needs to. Axyz sets up a brilliantly bare bones concept for its puzzle platforming, but don’t think for one second that it will be easy as a result. Some of these levels are so mind-warping that I can’t even imagine the big brains that it took to design them. Puzzle fans better buckle up for this one!! I dare you to put it down once you start.”
Developer: Space Lion Studios
Publisher: Space Lion Studios
Want to learn more? Read Emily’s full review of Axyz.
5. Many Nights a Whisper
Kate’s Pick
“Effortlessly weaving gameplay mechanics into its narrative, Many Nights a Whisper really made a lasting impression on me. Playing as dreamer and hearing from my community as the weight of their wishes rested on my shoulders, I found a really satisfying archery game while also asking myself a lot of questions about what my values are. Thought provoking with a clear entry point, Selkie Harbour and Deconstructeam really nailed this one.”
Developer: Deconstructeam, Selkie Harbour
Publisher: Deconstructeam
Want to learn more? Go listen to our episode covering Many Nights a Whisper.
6. Death Howl
Emily’s Pick
“Death Howl was one of my biggest surprises of 2025. It came out in December, sneaking into this year’s releases at the 11th hour, and had me in a chokehold for several weeks. I had been aware of it since the demo came out, and felt simultaneously curious and skeptical. Could any game deliver on the promise of strategic deckbuilding and tactical grid-based combat, plus souls-like elements and vibes? It seemed like a very tall order.
I don’t know how they did it, but The Outer Zone absolutely nailed every aspect of Death Howl. Not only is the combat deviously challenging and fiendishly addictive, but they also got the souls-like atmosphere dead on. The grotesque and melancholic environments emanate both tranquility and dread. Just writing this has me wanting to pick it back up.”
Developer: The Outer Zone
Publisher: 11 bit studios
Want to learn more? Read Emily’s full review of Death Howl.
7. Consume Me
Kate’s Pick
“My favorite surprise about Consume Me was how challenging it was. The developers expertly translated how difficult it is to be a teenage girl through creative roguelite mechanics. I think this game is mandatory for all of the roguelite gamer dads, so they can see how impossible it actually is for women to live up to society’s expectations of us. Consume Me stayed with me in a way I wasn’t expecting, and it honestly wasn’t as emotionally difficult of a play as I thought it would be. The humor and cute art style really help to ease the occasionally difficult subject matter. I also can’t help but root for our playable character, and I know that many of us saw ourselves in Jenny.”
Developer: Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder
Publisher: Hexecutable
Want to learn more? Read Emily’s full review of Consume Me.
8. CloverPit
Emily’s Pick
“CloverPit has that special sauce that’s hard to put into words but immediately obvious. It went viral earlier in 2025, around the launch of its demo. Clearly it struck a chord with a lot of gamers looking to fill the void that had been left after they finally got bored after dozens and dozens of hours of Balatro. CloverPit takes Balatro-like gameplay and sprinkles some light worldbuilding and horror-adjacent vibes on top.
You find yourself in a metal cell with an ATM, a slot machine, and a dream. A dream of eventually earning your freedom… through gambling! There are 160 “game breaking” lucky charms to aid you in your quest to swing the odds in your favor and eventually escape your endless debt hellscape. It’s clever. It’s addictive. It’s irreverent. It’s exactly what we needed in 2025.”
Developer: Panik Arcade
Publisher: Future Friends Games
9. ILA: A Frosty Glide
Kate’s Pick
“It’s kind of like A Short Hike in the wintertime, and I love how simple the concept is right off the bat. Play as Ila, a young witch looking for her cat, Coco. With her trusty skatebroom, Ila glides along snow covered towns and mountains, and despite some obstacles, there’s a constant sense of softness with no sharp edges to be found. The smooth platforming/flying and gliding on Ila’s ‘skatebroom’ is the perfect mechanical companion to these gorgeous environments, which are, indeed, frosty. Simple on the surface, this world is incredibly detailed and is hands down one of the most gorgeous games I played in 2025, possibly ever.”
Developer: Magic Rain Studios
Publisher: First Break Labs
10. CARIMARA: Beneath the Forlorn Limbs
Emily’s Pick
“I really don’t want to say too much about this game. CARIMARA: Beneath the Forlorn Limbs is a very special experience. I hope you can just trust me on this, given that an average playthrough will take less than an hour of your time. The creepy vibes drew me in, but the story had me singing its praises for many weeks and months since. This is a great game for the horror-curious. If you’re looking for a game that’s less pissing-yourself-from-jumpscares and more telling-scary-stories-around-the-campfire, CARIMARA has you covered.”
Developer: Bastinus Rex
Publisher: CRITICAL REFLEX
11. despelote
Kate’s Pick
“I had to include despelote for its flawless execution, but mostly because it has the best environmental sound design I’ve ever heard in a video game! I was so immersed in this neighborhood and culture, and I think the sound design is a huge part of that.”
Emily’s Pick
“Some games transcend game-ness entirely, in a way that’s hard to put into words. Playing despelote was a deeply moving experience that somehow felt both personal and universal. If you ask me what despelote is about, I’ll tell you it’s about two things: soccer and everything. I might be making this all sound super pretentious, but it’s not. It’s grounded and real. It’s making me cry just thinking about it. I don’t know. Go play this game.”
Developer: Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena
Publisher: Panic
Want to learn more? Read Emily’s full review of despelote.
About No Small Games
No Small Games is an indie game recap and review podcast brought to you by hosts Kate and Emily! They became friends while streaming on Twitch and bonded over their love of indie video games. In each episode of No Small Games, the two will discuss an indie game they both played independently. They’ll compare their experiences: the good, the bad, their most memorable moments of their playthroughs.
Learn more about the podcast and its hosts on the About page.