The indie games of 2022 had some of the most well-known game titles of our generation, like Stray and Neon White. But the year 2023 has the potential to launch even bigger and more amazing titles than the previous year, filling this year with some of our generation’s best upcoming indie game releases.
There’s no denying that the gap between triple-A games and indie games is growing increasingly blurred thanks to modern technology, highly skilled indie developers, and publishers who are much more willing to spend their money to offer indie developers more resources to create bigger games.
That being said, 2023 is definitely going to be a year with a lot of exciting upcoming indie games that will shake the world of gaming, especially with sequel titles to some of the best indie games of all time like Hades II and Hollow Knight: Silksong.
15 Best Upcoming Indie Games This 2023
Here, we’ve compiled 15 of our favorite anticipated upcoming indie games of 2023 that you should definitely look forward to!
Hades 2
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: Early Access – TBA 2023
Developer: Supergiant Games
Genre: Action-RPG, Roguelike Game
The first game and one of the most anticipated indie games of 2023 is Supergiant’s first-ever sequel to their big hit Greek Mythology dungeon crawler, Hades, Hades II.
With the success of Hades, Hades II is easily one of 2023’s most anticipated indie games (if it launches this year). Few roguelikes can claim a story as gripping as their gameplay, but Hades did, setting up its sequel to the highest standards.
This game features a mix of a narrative adventure game as well as a fighting game in one. It follows the story of Melinoë, the Princess of the Underworld, Zagreus’ sister, and the daughter of Hades. With the help of the goddess Hecate and other Gods, she confronts the Titan of Time, Cronus, to rescue her father from imprisonment.
If Hades II is anything like its predecessor, we can expect an amazing story, compelling combat, and an incredible art style. Fingers-crossed that this game will be as hard-hitting, or more, than the original Hades.
Sons Of The Forest
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: February 24, 2023
Developer: Endnight Games Ltd
Genre: Open-world, Multiplayer, Horror-Survival Game
Hoping for a survival horror game? Then you’re going to love Sons of the Forest! Early access was actually released on February 24, 2023, so if you want to try it out, go ahead on Steam!
Sons of the Forest is actually the sequel to the well-known 2018, The Forest. The Forest became incredibly popular with Endnight Games meshing of your usual horror elements in open-world survival gameplay. It gained recognition for its difficult survival elements and intricate mechanics, and it appears that Sons of the Forest raised the bar even higher.
If The Forests’ single-player atmosphere was a bit too much for you to handle, then Sons of the Forests’ multiplayer feature will amp up your experience. By bringing up to eight players into the mysterious and thrilling world of “Sons of the Forest,” you can all brave the different elements and creatures that lurk around you.
A Highland Song
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: TBA
Developer: inkle Ltd
Genre: Adventure, Platformer Game
The next game on our list is A Highland Song. It is a stunning rhythm game that blends rhythm-based platformers with an excellent interactive narrative.
In this rhythm game, you play as a young girl, Moira McKinnon, who runs away from home to go on a journey going up and down hills to reach the sea, a place she only knows through stories she’s heard. Surprisingly, aside from the adventure and rhythm, A Highland Song also features survival elements. As our young girl explores the highlands in hopes of reaching the sea, she must stay alive, surviving the different elements thrown at her during her journey.
It is said that A Highland Song will be coming to the Nintendo Switch and PC, but it is yet to be announced when it will be released.
COCOON
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: TBA
Developer: Geometric Interactive
Genre: Puzzle-Adventure, Platformer Game
The next title, Cocoon, is another of the best upcoming indie games of this year. You embark on an adventure across multiple worlds within worlds in Cocoon, the latest title from LIMBO and INSIDE gameplay designer Jeppe Carlsen.
Cocoon features a less rancid and gruesome puzzle challenge than LIMBO and INSIDE had. The puzzles in Cocoon are tangled up in various realms, which are each contained within distinct orbs that you carry on your back. It will involve you coming into contact with exotic ecosystems left behind by long-gone civilizations, setting out to solve a mystery, and engaging in unusual combat with guardians who defend each world you visit. It is a beautiful puzzle-solving game that you’ll definitely enjoy if you enjoyed Geometric Interactive’s previous games.
When the game launches is yet to be announced, but it will be available on PC, Nintendo Switch, and the Xbox Series X/S.
If you want to read more about INSIDE, you can check out our review here.
Sea of Stars
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: August 30, 2023
Developer: Sabotage Studio
Genre: RPG, Adventure Game
Sea of Stars, a retro turn-based RPG with breathtakingly beautiful pixel art that acts as an indirect prequel to Sabotage Studio’s earlier game The Messenger, is another highly anticipated indie game released in 2023. The magnificent visuals and battle system in this game are reminiscent of well-known titles like Breath of Fire and Chrono Trigger, but with unique tweaks.
Following protagonists Valere and Zale, two Children of Solstice who wield the powers of the sun and moon, are out to defeat the Fleshmancer and his army. The Nintendo eShop is currently offering a demo for this game. The demo has already blown us away with its stunning pixel art graphics, sweeping soundtrack, and amazing character designs.
Lies of P
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: August 2023
Developer: NEOWIZ
Genre: Action-RPG, Souls-like Game
In Lies of P, the story is a reimagined version of a classic legend, Pinocchio’s story, with Pinocchio traveling to a gorgeous, abandoned city in quest of finding Geppetto. However, it introduces a few creative twists to the tried-and-true structure that are inspired by the original material.
In this game, you play as and take control of a mechanoid named Pinocchio, who awakens at a Krat train station that has been overrun by insane creatures and unimaginable evils. The plot will be impacted by lying quests, and given that Pinocchio is a puppet, you will have the ability to swap out body parts to acquire new talents you can use on your journey.
The game’s steampunk environment is filled with opportunities for incredible weapon design, and its narrative may present us with an intriguing take on a tale as old as time.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: TBA
Developer: Team Cherry
Genre: Metroidvania, Action-Adventure Game
Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight: Silksong is probably the most highly anticipated indie game of 2023. The initial installment was the ideal fusion of Metroidvania-style exploration, encouraging gamers to explore the somber environments. However, Silksong will expand on that base while putting an emphasis on pace, intense fighting, and platforming.
Hornet, a character from the original Hollow Knight, now gets to lead her own adventure in this sequel to the well-liked Metroidvania Hollow Knight from 2017. Hornet is kidnapped and sent to Pharloom, a strange nation where she must scale the highest peak to reach a glittering fortress. Overall, Silksong will be a step up from the previously awesome platformer game.
Since Xbox stated that Hollow Knight: Silksong would be released a year after its 2022 Xbox Game Pass reveal, the game’s release date is just a few months away, and we are thrilled to play it!
The Last Case of Benedict Fox
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: April 28, 2023
Developer: Plot Twist
Genre: Metroidvania, RPG, Roguevania, Action-Adventure Game
The Last Case of Benedict Fox is a detective game with Metroidvania-style settings, swift combat, and nightmare-like environments. The detective named Benedict Fox is linked with a demonic companion. (which I find incredibly interesting). The detective in question is looking into two murders and a disappearance.
The disappearance of a murdered couple’s child and a large, dilapidated mansion is the focus of this current case, which players will control to delve into fading memories and search for answers. You’ll come across forbidden ceremonies and gruesome crimes with your demonic companion, who’ll give you access to the thoughts and memories of the recently deceased, wherein their memories appear as actual places and enemies.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox has an incredibly beautiful art style similar to Tim Burton’s. This game’s platforming and combat mechanics, on top of its amazing art style, are beautifully twisted which you’re sure to fall in love with.
The Plucky Squire
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: 2023
Developer: All Possible Futures
Genre: Action-Adventure, Platformer Game
The Plucky Squire will definitely be among the top feel-good games of 2023 because it looks to be a very magical game where Jot, a small but great hero, explores the world outside the pages of his fairytale home. From the two-dimensional world that you know from Jot’s world, you shift to a beautiful three-dimensional world.
Jot’s ability to effortlessly move across dimensions sends you to multiple places with different levels. With this ability, you and your friends inside the storybook get to leave behind your own story to explore the beautiful world beyond. You will experience a variety of adventures as you travel from one dimension to another that combine action, puzzle-solving, and a lot more.
The game will soon be released in 2023 and will be available on the Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and PlayStation 5.
REPLACED
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: TBA
Developer: Sad Cat Studios
Genre: Action-Adventure, Platformer Game
The science-fiction genre consistently makes for intriguing game settings. However, there is a unique, sinister charm to the cyberpunk subgenre.
Throughout its gameplay, REPLACED uses an extravagant aspect ratio to emphasize the grime of its sci-fi dystopia. Here, players engage in free-flowing combat battles against the outlaws of Phoenix City, a ruined city ruined by a horrific nuclear event.
As an AI, you play an entity by the name of R.E.A.C.H. that was forcibly confined in a human body and was attempting to adapt to life as a human while wandering the eerie depths of Phoenix City. With captivating 2.5D pixel art graphics in a gritty universe, it merges the old and the new. The game claims to feature slick combat techniques in addition to its great platforming mechanics.
SEASON: A Letter to the Future
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: February 1, 2023
Developer: Scavengers Studio
Genre: Open-world, Adventure, Mystery, Casual Game
SEASON: A Letter to the Future is one of the very few games that take place before a disaster takes place and destroys the world; it is a pre-apocalypse road trip game. You take on the role of a young girl exploring while riding a bike around everywhere while photographing, documenting, and gathering memories in an unfamiliar world. While playing, you’re going to learn about the backgrounds, cultures, and histories of different characters as you try to figure out exactly why the world is collapsing.
The overall concept of this game is quite unique, and it is one of the most gorgeous games we’ve recently seen. With an exciting and unique game premise, we have very high expectations of this game.
Planet of Lana
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: 2023
Developer: Wishfully
Genre: Adventure, Platformer, Sci-Fi Game
Wishfully, a brand-new indie game company, created the beautifully-drawn puzzle game Planet of Lana. Planet of Lana‘s gorgeous hand-drawn planet appears to be bringing us on an interesting adventure.
You will be taking on the role of a young girl and her faithful pet embarking on a rescue mission on a planet that is rumored to have gone into a state of discord. Their voyage will take gamers through beautifully hand-painted landscapes and challenging battles where the two will have to work together to discover a way to move forward through the game. Their journey will span ages and galaxies.
In Planet of Lana, we will solve puzzles, follow action sequences, and get through covert situations. It will be intriguing to solve the many mysteries that surround its narrative.
Gord
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: 2023
Developer: Covenant.dev
Genre: Adventure, Survival, Strategy, Simulation Game
Gord is a single-player, city-building, adventure-strategy game with evolving societies, ominous forbidden realms, and amazing legendary creatures. The players are tasked with guiding the Tribe of Dawn toward a brighter future in a dark, ruthless fantasy world. The issue is that your path forward is obstructed by hostile communities, homicidal creatures, and malicious entities who do not want you around and are trying to kill you off.
Apart from that, in addition to fending off the various evil forces that lurk in this violent world, players also need to monitor their sanity and their groups as well as they struggle to survive under the pounding force of the dangers that threaten their lives.
Selfloss
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: 2023
Developer: Goodwin Games
Genre: Action-Adventure, Exploration, Puzzle, Platformer Game
A realm of Slavic and Icelandic folklore serves as the starting point for the adventure game Selfloss. You play the character of an elderly man carrying a magical staff who travels through lakes and oceans, battling mythical animals, and assisting those who are struggling by healing their inner selves and souls.
Everything is presented in a lovely low-poly visual style that enhances the game’s ethereal atmosphere. Additionally, the game is very story-driven and will evoke a wide range of emotions because it explores several themes related to your own self-healing. The release of this game has us incredibly pumped.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
Photo Credits to Steam
Release Date: 2023
Developer: Night School Studio
Genre: Exploration, Puzzle Game
The highly successful debut game from Night School Studio, Oxenfree, has a new sequel called Lost Signals. In this game, Riley goes back to her hometown of Camena five years following the events of Oxenfree in order to look into some weird signals from the radio.
The game has a dialogue-driven plot that deals with events of the supernatural, gorgeous visuals, and player-choice-driven gameplay. There are more side tasks, more opportunities to start discussions, and more situations where what happens is influenced by your actions as opposed to your words like in the previous game. It will undoubtedly be another gorgeous game with equally gorgeous visuals.
What is the best upcoming indie game 2023?
It’s often asked, “What is the best upcoming indie game 2023?” Well, in my opinion, Hollow Knight: Silksong will, without a doubt, be the best upcoming indie game of 2023. The original Hollow Knight’s tremendous popularity and acclaim led to it establishing one of the largest followings worldwide and setting the standard for Metroidvanias. And with a sequel in the works, it’s undoubtedly the most anticipated indie title of 2023. Furthermore, it is sure to be among the top indie games of our generation if it lives up to the anticipation it is currently generating.
Wrap UP
That’s a wrap! 2023 is definitely going to be an eventful year for gamers all over the world, as we will be seeing a lot of different, unique, and awesome indie title releases in the next few months. And we are hyped, to say the least!
If we missed any great upcoming indie titles, let us know!
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