The Best Indie Games Part 2: 10 Underrated Games

Welcome back to part 2 of The Best Indie Games! If you loved the gems on our first list, you’re in for even more incredible indie experiences. From thought-provoking narratives to chaotic action, this lineup has something for every type of gamer. Let’s dive into the must-play indie titles you shouldn’t miss!

Highlight: Wanderstop

The 2025 release Wanderstop isn’t your typical cozy game. Sure, you’ll be making tea, chatting with travelers, and decorating a small shop in a magical forest, but something always feels a little…off. You play as Alta, a once great fighter who is now stuck running a tea shop, a role she refuses to accept. The core tension of the game comes from the fact that Alta doesn’t want to be here, but she has no choice.

From the creator of The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide, Wanderstop is a narrative-driven experience that uses cozy mechanics like brewing tea, cleaning up, and listening to visitors to explore themes of change, healing, and identity. But unlike most cozy games, this one isn’t about settling in; there’s an underlying sense of restlessness. The shop changes, and customers come and go. Achievements feel cryptic, progress is fleeting, and nothing stays the same no matter how much you decorate or perfect your tea-making skills. It’s a game about learning to let go.

The visuals are stunning, the characters are deeply engaging, and the writing is sharp, emotional, and thought-provoking. While the gameplay loop is simple, Wanderstop is more about the experience than the mechanics. It’s a cozy game that challenges what “cozy” even means. If you love story-driven indie games and don’t mind a little existential unease with your tea, Wanderstop is an absolute must-play.

Foundation

If you’re looking for a city builder that lets you get creative in a laid-back way and without the usual grid-based constraints, you need to check out Foundation. This indie gem takes a fresh approach to medieval city-building, allowing you to develop a village organically. The roads and buildings adapt naturally to the landscape, making each settlement feel unique and alive. One of Foundation’s standout features is its free-building system, which gives you complete control.

Whether you’re designing grand cathedrals, managing production chains, or expanding trade routes, the game balances creativity with strategy. And the best part? It’s a stress-free experience. You can play at your own pace, choosing between structured gameplay goals or a relaxing creative mode where you just build and enjoy the scenery. The game is both engaging and calming, and its cozy, charming art style and beautiful medieval soundtrack make it one of the best indie games we’ve ever played.

💡 Tip: Check out our blog about the best city builders for more recommendations!

News Tower

Would you rather build your own newspaper empire than a medieval city? Then News Tower is the indie game for you. Set in 1930s New York, this tycoon sim lets you build your publication by hiring reporters, chasing scoops, and deciding which stories make the front page. Will you expose corruption and stand for journalistic integrity, or bow to pressure from the mafia and politicians for personal gain? Each decision shapes your reputation and the success of your newspaper.

What makes News Tower stand out is its perfect blend of management and storytelling. Unlike traditional business sims, you’re not just crunching numbers but actively shaping the narrative of your paper and influencing the world around you. Even in Early Access, News Tower offers deep progression, a polished experience, and an addictive gameplay loop. Its jazz-filled soundtrack, charming 1930s aesthetic, and vibrant community make it an easy game to lose hours in.

Rift of the NecroDancer

Rift of the NecroDancer, the electrifying follow-up to Crypt of the NecroDancer, takes all the action we loved about its predecessor and combines it with the lane-based gameplay of Guitar Hero, but with a twist. The notes in this rhythm game aren’t just notes, but enemies with unique attack patterns. Some shift lanes, others take multiple hits, and all of them force you to stay on your toes while keeping the beat.

What makes this game stand out is its sheer variety. The soundtrack, featuring tracks from legends like Danny Baranowsky and Alex Moukala, is an absolute banger. There are multiple difficulty settings, a Remix Mode that shakes up each track with random enemy patterns, and even custom beat maps. Plus, the charming mini-games, sleek art style, and global leaderboards make this game endlessly replayable.

Emberward

The Early Access indie game Emberward takes the classic tower defense formula and adds a fresh and genius twist. You don’t just place towers but also build the battlefield itself using tetromino-shaped blocks. Before each wave, you strategically shape the enemy’s path, forcing them through brutal kill zones or making them take the longest route possible. Every block you place matters, and no two runs feel the same because of the endless creative possibilities.

The towers themselves are equally well thought out. Want to poison your enemies instead of shooting at them? Go for it. Do you prefer drones that hunt down foes? You got it. There’s even a dice-based tower where your damage depends on the luck of the roll—risk and reward at its finest. On top of that, the roguelite elements keep things exciting. In between battles, you enhance your block cards with runes that grant special abilities, from boosting towers to expanding block sizes. Each run unlocks new towers, relics, and talents, making each playthrough feel like progress.

Despite being in Early Access, Emberward is already one of the most polished and addictive tower defense games around. It’s a hidden gem you won’t want to miss!

Peripeteia

If you’ve been craving an immersive sim that throws you into a world of mystery, conspiracy, and absolute chaos, we highly recommend Peripeteia. Set in an alternate-history cyberpunk Poland, you play as Marie, a cybernetic supersoldier navigating a gritty post-Soviet city where every faction has an agenda and survival requires both brains and firepower.

We love the game’s commitment to player freedom. It offers vast, sprawling levels filled with hidden paths, unconventional solutions, and an overwhelming sense of scale. You can climb almost anything, piece together cryptic objectives with little hand-holding, and engage in raw and intense combat. The grungy, lo-fi aesthetic, haunting soundtrack, and open-ended gameplay make Peripeteia a rare gem. It’s challenging, immersive, and often incomprehensible in the best way possible. If you love Deus Ex or System Shock and want something fresh, bizarre, and unforgettable, this game is a must-play.

I Am Your Beast

Have you ever wanted to be John Wick in the wilderness? Then I Am Your Beast is the game for you! This fast-paced FPS puts you in the boots of Alphonse Harding, a retired agent who just wanted to be left alone, but ended up with the entire military-industrial complex hunting him down. Well, it’s their mistake. Armed with brutal firepower and tactical guerrilla skills, you’ll turn the tables on your enemies by using their own weapons and tech against them.

The game’s micro-sandbox levels allow you to experiment, whether you want to climb trees like a superhuman, set deadly traps, or go in guns blazing. Every moment feels dynamic, every kill satisfying. The comic book-inspired visuals make every scene pop with style, while the kinetic typography cutscenes keep the story pulsing with energy, and every track on the soundtrack fuels the adrenaline rush. With over 20 levels, a fully voiced campaign, and high replayability, I Am Your Beast is short, but every second is pure intensity. It’s Hotline Miami meets The Raid, and it’s absolutely incredible.

Graveyard Keeper

If you’ve ever played Stardew Valley and thought, “This is great, but what if I could also run a medieval cemetery and make highly questionable moral choices?” then Graveyard Keeper is the game for you. This pixel-art indie gem takes the cozy farming sim formula and twists it into something hilariously dark, yet strangely addictive. As the newly appointed graveyard keeper, it’s your job to maintain the cemetery, perform autopsies, and, well, get creative with resource management.

Why spend money on proper meat when you have an endless supply of fresh corpses? The game constantly tempts you with ethical dilemmas, from selling questionable goods to taking shady shortcuts in the name of efficiency. Throw in dungeon crawling, alchemy experiments, and a story filled with quirky, often dark humor, and you’ve got one of the best indie games we’ve ever played!

Graveyard Keeper is surprisingly deep and complex. The progression system requires strategy, and the lack of hand-holding means you’ll probably end up looking up a few guides. But if you like management sims with a macabre twist, you need to check this one out. It’s weird, it’s funny, and once you start expanding your questionable business empire, you won’t want to stop.

💡 Tip: Are you looking for games like Stardew Valley? Head over to our article!

Transistor

From the creators of Bastion and Hades, Transistor is a sci-fi action RPG that blends stunning visuals, a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, and deeply strategic combat. It transports you to a sleek, futuristic city where you wield the mysterious Transistor – a weapon infused with the voices of its past owners. The unique combat system seamlessly combines real-time action with a tactical planning mode.

Aside from the gameplay, we really enjoy the atmosphere, which makes you lose yourself in the melancholic game world. The hand-painted art style is beautiful, and the reactive soundtrack evolves with the action. Red, the silent protagonist, is accompanied by the ever-present voice of the Transistor itself, creating a story that’s equal parts intimate and mysterious. The combat, aesthetics, and emotional storytelling make Transistor an unforgettable experience and one of the best indie games.

Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp

If you thought dating in high school was wild, wait until you try finding love at summer camp—especially when your potential partners include demons, witches, and sentient computers. Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp takes everything that made the original game great and turns up the chaos with a new setting, fresh romance options, and an even sharper sense of humor. At its core, Monster Camp is a dating sim that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

You’ll navigate absurd scenarios, make morally questionable choices, and try to win the affection of your favorite monster crush. The campfire mechanic and magical mixed drinks add unexpected twists and ensure no two playthroughs will feel the same. Monster Camp is laugh-out-loud funny, packed with ridiculous moments, and endlessly replayable. You’ll find yourself coming back again and again just to see what kind of wild endings you can unlock (or how many times Dahlia can reject you). This game is a must-play if you love quirky humor, bold storytelling, and pure chaos.

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Do you need more money or want to change the day in Graveyard Keeper? Done. Adjust your movement speed or get more tea in Wanderstop? You got it. PLITCH is safe and legal, and our trainers are always up to date!  

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Happy Gaming!