Steam has hundreds—even thousands—of different games ranging from indie games to AAA games available on their platform to choose from. So, whether you’re looking for a cute farming game or an action-packed one, Steam definitely has it! You just have to search for one that suits your personal gaming tastes.
But if you’re having a hard time choosing which indie games you want to try out, then we’ve got you! We have curated a list of the 15 best indie games on Steam that you should definitely try! These games range from puzzles, horror-like games, action-adventure games, and even cute farming games. And if you’re looking for a great bonding game that you can play with your friends and family, then we also have one for that!
But before we get to our list, if you’re new to the gaming world, you might ask, “What’s Steam?” Well, we’ll discuss that further down below!
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
What is Steam?
Steam is the best place to look for the best games, play them, discuss them, and even create and publish games. On Steam, you get to access over 30,000 different games that range from AAA games to indie games and everything in in-between.
Not only do you get access to thousands of different games, but you’ll also become part of an amazing gaming community full of gamers. There, you get to meet a lot of gamers, join different groups, form clans, and chat with the new people you meet. You’ll get to form new bonds with people, potentially increasing your friends (or enemies).
Lastly, one of the reasons why Steam is the ultimate online gaming platform is because it allows you to release your game. The collection of tools and services known as Steamworks aids game publishers and developers in making the most of Steam’s publishing capabilities. This is why Steam is a great platform for indie developers and publishers.
Steam has a lot more features that you can check out here.
Our Criteria for the Best Indie Games
- The game should be developed by an independent developer or a small game development company without a huge financial backing
- The game can be published by a minor or semi-large company.
- The game has received some sort of success.
- The game can either be popular or lowkey.
- The game should have at least a 70% and above Metacritic score or the game should have very positive to overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews.
15 Best Indie Games on Steam
Before anything else, take note that the games are in no particular order.
1.Death’s Door
Release Date: July 20, 2021
Developer/Publisher: Acid Nerve/Devolver Digital
Genre: Action-Adventure, Role-Playing Game
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 85%
Steam Review: Very Positive
Looking for a beautiful action-adventure RPG game? Then Death’s Door just might suit your tastes.
In Death’s Door, you play as a small crow who works as a cute reaper. Your job is to collect souls for the Reaping Commission Headquarters. The work becomes interesting when your assigned soul is taken, forcing you to follow a desperate thief to a world where death hasn’t touched it and where things live far longer than they should. It’s now your job to retrieve that lost soul and bring it back where it belongs.
Playing Death’s Door will allow you to venture around the world of the dead, explore that land, and discover different creatures, and the many secrets that lie beneath the veil. This game is an incredibly calm and beautifully designed game that’s perfect for those who want to play a chill game after a long day.
2.Hades
Release Date: September 17, 2020
Developer/Publisher: Supergiant Games/Supergiant Games
Genre: Roguelike, Shooter, Fighting, Action, Role-Playing Game
Other Available Platforms: macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Metacritic Score: 93%
Steam Review: Overwhelmingly Positive
In this game, you will be playing Zagreus, the prince of the Underworld. In the action-packed game Hades, your goal is to find Persephone, your mother in the mortal world, and escape from your father, Hades. In a roguelike dungeon crawler, you will be hacking and slashing your way out of the Underworld.
Each successful attempt you make to escape will help you gain strength and learn more about the plot as the immortal Prince of the Underworld by using your amazing abilities and weapons of Olympus to escape the grasp of your father.
The game features a fantastic story with excellent story development. The gameplay is among the best, and the narrative is much better. Hades is without a doubt one of the best roguelike games. That said, Hades was nominated for almost every game award when it was initially released, showing how good the game is. So, if you’re into action-packed games, then what are you waiting for? Try out Hades now!
3.Inscryption
Release Date: October 19, 2021
Developer/Publisher: Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital
Genre: Puzzle, Horror, Adventure, Strategy, Roguelike, Deck-Building Game
Available Platforms: macOS, GeForce Now, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac operating systems, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 87%
Steam Review: Overwhelmingly Positive
Into horror-like puzzle games? Then you’re definitely going to enjoy playing Inscryption!
Inscryption is a card-based adventure that combines psychological horror, escape-room-style riddles, and deckbuilding roguelike games into one bloody game.
You, the player, wake up in a cabin where an enigmatic game leader has you imprisoned at the start of the storyline. Your goal is to survive his card game full of secrets that are written on the cards and discover how to get out alive.
Inscryption is an incredible horror puzzle game full of twists and turns that never stick to one gimmick to keep you fully immersed in the game. Just like one review on Steam says, “This game is like Shrek; it has layers and talking animals.”
4.Stray
Release Date: July 19, 2022
Developer/Publisher: BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive
Genre: Adventure, Puzzle, Platform, Simulation Game
Available Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Metacritic Score: 83%
Steam Review: Overwhelmingly Positive
Are you a gamer with a huge love for animals, specifically cats? Then Stray is the perfect game for you!
As the title of the game suggests, you play as a stray cat trying to navigate its way around a fortified metropolis filled with robots, machinery, and mutated microbes. So, with the aid of a drone buddy named B-12, you, the stray cat, start out to find your family and get back to the surface.
Stray, in my opinion, is one of the best animal games as of date. It has a beautiful, tragic storyline about an adorable feline just trying to survive the world it was thrown into. Stray includes aspects of action, adventure, and stealth as well as sporadic easy puzzles. Despite the formula’s simplicity, none of these components are out of balance or repeated, which makes the game a great one.
5.Valheim
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Developer/Publisher: Iron Gate AB/Coffee Stain Publishing
Genre: Survival, Action-Adventure, Role-Playing Game
Available Platforms: Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Xbox Series X, and Series S
Metacritic Score: tbd
Steam Review: Overwhelmingly Positive
In the gorgeously dark game Valheim, you must survive whatever is thrown at you. It takes place in a dynamically created purgatory with Viking elements.
The setting of Valheim is a realm where dead Vikings go to establish their suitability for the courts of Valhalla. As such, you, the player, out without anything and quickly learns that in order to enter the Norse Valhalla, they must vanquish the horrors who prowl Valheim.
Valheim is a challenging yet unique game where you start with absolutely nothing, but as you go, you’ll slowly gain the things and skills you need to level up. You learn to survive and fight off the evils that you encounter, which is quite intriguing.
6.Unpacking
Release Date: November 2, 2021
Developer/Publisher: Witch Beam/Humble Games
Genre: Casual, Simulation, Puzzle Game
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, macOS, Linux, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 84%
Steam Review: Very Positive
Looking for a calm, simulation game where you have to unpack and organize your things with an incredible storyline? Then Unpacking is the game you might be looking for!
The zen puzzle game, Unpacking, is based on the everyday experience of taking belongings out of boxes and placing them in a new place. In this game, you are encouraged to design a comfortable home while gathering hints about the life you’re unpacking. The game is a combination of block-fitting puzzles and home décor.
Unpacking is a very calm game where you won’t really get action. I really like this game because you get to see the person’s life through the things you’re unpacking. You’ll see clothes, stuffed animals, books, certificates, and so much more that will let you know what kind of life the person has lived.
With that, if you’re someone who wants an action-packed game, then this might not be for you. However, if you want a game to relax into after a long day, then unpacking will hit the spot.
6.Cult Of The Lamb
Release Date: August 11, 2022
Developer/Publisher: Massive Monster/Devolver Digital
Genre: Strategy, Action-Adventure, Roguelike, Fighting Game
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, macOS, Microsoft Windows
Metacritic Score: 88%
Steam Review: Very Positive
Do you want to play a game where the character you play is a possessed lamb who must establish a devoted cult to appease/pay their debt to an ominous deity who spared their lives? Then Cult of the Lamb will be something you will enjoy.
In Cult of the Lamb, you establish your own cult in a nation filled with fake prophets. You travel to various, cryptic regions to gather a devoted group of forest Followers and disseminate your Word in order to become the sole genuine cult.
This game will really tickle your sense of humor with just the plot. Cult of the Lamb has an incredible storyline that’s really unique, and the cute animals are a definite plus.
8.Stardew Valley
Release Date: February 27, 2016
Developer/Publisher: ConcernedApe/ConcernedApe
Genre: Simulation, role-playing game
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Vita, iOS, Android
Metacritic Score: 89%
Steam Review: Overwhelmingly Positive
You’ll adore Stardew Valley if you’re a sucker for relaxing, RPG, and farming simulation games.
You play as a character that you can customize in Stardew Valley. The game’s protagonist, a former office worker, inherits farmland from his grandfather. With some inherited tools and some cash, you can now set out to begin your new life.
As you progress from a clueless rookie to an experienced farmer, you’ll grade up in five different fields. As you progress, you’ll learn new cooking and crafting methods, get access to other regions, and be able to customize your skills and experience by choosing from a variety of professions.
One of the great things about Stardew valley is that you don’t have to be an experienced gamer to play it. It allows you to learn as you go and became much more skilled as time passes.
To read more about Stardew Valley, click here.
9.Disco Elysium – The Final Cut
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Developer/Publisher: ZA/UM, Humble Bundle
Genre: Role-playing
Platforms: Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 91%
Steam Review: Very Positive
You portray an amnesic police officer who is striving to investigate a murder case in the realistic role-playing game Disco Elysium.
You must use your detective instinct to discover the mystery in this heartbreaking and innovative game. But there’s a catch: to distinguish between what is right and wrong from the murmurs in your head.
Carve your own special pathway through the city. In an open environment truly unique from what you’ve already seen before. You can explore, manipulate, gather information, or even become wealthy. The city of Revachol is yours to take.
You can read more about Disco Elysium – Final Cut here.
10.Among Us
Release Date: November 17, 2018
Developer/Publisher: Innersloth/Innersloth
Genre: Part-social deduction
Platforms: Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Metacritic Score: 85%
Steam Review: Very Positive
Don’t know what to play at your gaming party with friends and family? Then the game for you is Among Us!
In the online multiplayer game “Among Us,” various participants are placed within an alien spacecraft, a galactic headquarters, or a martian outpost. Each player is given a private role, such as an “impostor” or a “crewmate.” If you play as a crewmate, you’ll have to do your tasks inside the spaceship, but at the same time, find out which of your buddies is the imposter. But if you’re the imposter, things can be much more fun because you have to pretend to be a crewmate to avoid getting ejected and slowly “killing” off the crewmates.
You may be asked to complete puzzles and perform tasks to help the crew, or you could be assigned with destroying the system and gradually wiping off the crew members, depending on the position you are given.
When you play this game, your inner sleuth comes out as you try to figure out which of your friends is portraying the imposter
For more details about Among Us, read our article here.
11.Factorio
Release Date: August 14, 2020
Developer/Publisher: Wube Software LTD./Wube Software LTD.
Genre: Action, Real-Time Strategy Game
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, macOS, Linux, Microsoft Windows, Mac operating systems
Metacritic Score: 90%
Steam Review: Overwhelmingly Positive
In the game Factorio, players construct automated factories to manufacture goods of growing complexity in an endless 2D universe.
The game centers on an engineer who crash-lands on an alien planet and must gather materials and establish an economy in order to build a rocket. Since it is a sandbox game, players can continue with the game even after the storyline has been completed.
Create your factory using your creativity, then combine basic materials to create inventive constructions to guard it against the monsters that really dislike you.
12.INSIDE
Release Date: July 8, 2016
Developer/Publisher: Playdead/Playdead
Genre: Adventure, Puzzle, Platform Game
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Mac operating systems, Nintendo Switch
Metacritic Score: 87%
Steam Review: Overwhelmingly Positive
Want to experience the rush of escaping from something quite sinister? INSIDE is a chilling game for you!
Inside is an escape game where you take on the role of a young child and attempt to solve puzzles in a frightening, dreary, and monochromatic setting. INSIDE makes you feel anxious, apprehensive, and desperate to figure out every mystery before the catcher captures you.
From the developers of Limbo comes INSIDE, a delightfully dark, story-driven platformer that blends fast-paced action with moderately difficult puzzles and hidden goodies. It’s the ideal game for anyone who enjoys the rush of hiding, running, and figuring out puzzles to escape perilous scenarios. You’ll feel your stomach churn and flip while playing this game.
Check more Inside details here.
13.Limbo
Release Date: August 3, 2011
Developer/Publisher: Playdead/Playdead
Genre: Action-Adventure, Puzzle Game
Available Platforms: Android, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4,
Metacritic Score: 88%
Steam Review: Very Positive
Looking for a similar game like INSIDE? Then you’ll really like Limbo.
A nameless boy is the main character in Limbo’s plot. In Limbo, he wakes up in the middle of the forest, not knowing what awaits him deep inside the forest. You will have to go through multiple dangers and traps that will kill you if you’re not careful.
The graphics and soundtrack of Limbo are absolutely stunning. Despite being very old, the game has a special charm that is matched by a fantastically eerie environment, good platforming and puzzle elements, and straightforward controls that should be understandable to even the most inexperienced players. So, even if you’re not a hardcore gamer, this game will still be quite easy to understand.
14.Hollow Knight
Release Date: February 25, 2017
Developer/Publisher: Team Cherry/Team Cherry
Genre: Metroidvania
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Metacritic Score: 90%
Steam Review: Overwhelmingly Positive
Love 2D, hand-drawn, darkly themed action-adventure games? Then Hollow Knight is the game you should definitely try out!
As you explore twisting tunnels, ancient towns, and hazardous wastelands, fight corrupted critters and strange bugs, and uncover ancient mysteries at the center of the kingdom, The Hollow Knight will take you on a mystery-filled thrilling journey.
You progress from having no knowledge of anything to gradually taking control of the unknown. Hollow Knight is a gorgeous work of art with gorgeous graphic designs, engaging gameplay, and an even greater narrative to explore.
Read more about Hollow Knight here.
15.Terraria
Release Date: May 17, 2011
Developer/Publisher: Re-Logic/Re-Logic
Genre: Action-adventure, Open-World, Sandbox game
Platforms: Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Wii U, and more
Metacritic Score: 83%
Steam Review: Overwhelmingly Positive
Looking for a calm game similar to Minecraft? Then Terraria might be just up your alley. Terraria is a 2D sandbox game that emphasizes exploration, construction, crafting, combat, survival, and mining.
Terraria has a similar structure to Minecraft, even if there are some differences. The gamers are nonetheless given a sense of adventure, even though there are no significant story elements or challenging tasks to perform.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Steam Good for Indie Games?
Steam is one of the best and most accessible online gaming platforms for not only AAA games but also indie games. This is because Steam helps and allows independent developers to publish their games easily, as opposed to other platforms that require a hefty amount of requirements and money.
What’s The Best Free Indie Game on Steam?
Being that the topic of which is the best free indie game there is on Steam is subjective, meaning that it depends on a person’s preferences, we can’t really say which game is the best. However, I am willing to give my opinion on this topic.
One of the best free indie games on Steam for me is “The Supper.” In this game, you will travel through a gloomy, pixelated world as the inquisitive Ms. Appleton in search of materials to prepare a special dish for her clients in this exploration-based game.
Let us know what free indie game on Steam you think is the best!
Wrap Up
There are a lot of great indie games on Steam, but the ones we’ve listed above are just some of the best of the best among all of the great indie games.
We hope this article helped you find a great indie game to play!
If you’re looking for the best indie games for Switch, you can check out our article about them here.
That’s a wrap! Happy gaming!
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