All triple A games are takin' notes
Timeless stories, innovation
And the memories, that we're makin'"
The term "independent game", or "indie game", generally refers to a video game developed without the backing of a major publisher.
The standard way that new video games get developed, currently, is that a publisher finances a development team to create the game, and the publisher also handles things like publishing the work, promoting/publicizing it, and any intellectual property issues that might come up.
However, some games are not produced this way. Some games are created by developers on their own time and/or cost, and typically published by the developers themselves (where "publish" sometimes just means putting up a web page with a description and a download link). Such games are developed independently of major publisher backing, and thus called "independent" or "indie" games. Indie games are almost always computer games (since software development kits for video game systems can cost quite a bit), are often simpler and/or of smaller scale than typical commercial games, and have less in the way of graphical and sound assets (as there's less money available in development to make highly detailed environments, textures, and such). Of course, this doesn't reflect on quality; the actual quality of indie games ranges from embarrassingly bad to embarrassing the big houses.
Nor does "indie" necessarily imply anything about who developed the game or how it was developed. Cave Story is a labor of love wholly created by a single amateur developer over the course of five years, and its success has been largely due to fans' word-of-mouth promoting, while Bastion was created by a team of several experienced developers who split off from the prominent video game company Electronic Arts and then published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Many indie games have been released as freeware games, since the process of charging people money for the software can be a hassle and rather costly (due to transaction fees for credit cards or PayPal), and furthermore, it's easy to get people interested in your work if you offer it to them for free (and there's no shortage of people looking for free games on the internet), which is especially a good thing if you're an up-and-coming talent wanting to get recognition. Additionally, the recent rise of digital distribution services (such as Steam, most famously) has made it easier for indie developers to receive financial compensation for their work from their fans. Indie games are typically lower-priced than conventionally-developed games, and especially in comparison with big-budget "AAA" (pronounced "triple-A") titles, that are expected to be massive blockbuster hits. In theory, the lower budget and lower risk for indie games also permits more creative risk taking that Executive Meddling would try and change to broaden appeal, whereas failure or even mediocrity of a game can doom a studio tasked with making a multi-million dollar game (even in good economies, statistics of under-performing AAA studios being shuttered or undergoing large layoffs are common, though this varies depending on the region and circumstances)note
In recent years, independent game development has been on the rise, in part due to the success of various notable indie games (most notably Cave Story and especially Minecraft), as well as the greater availability of digital distribution. This is aided by the rise first of laptops then of portable devices such as tablets and smartphones. The smaller games indie studios are capable of producing often run well on these lower powered devices where AAA studios are typically rereleasing their games from five or ten years ago for the same devices.
While mature titles are far from unheard of, many indie games are notable for defying the "kiddie" stigma attached to family-friendly video games and being the most popular and critically-acclaimed aversions to Rated M for Money outside of Nintendo's first-party titles. Some, such as the aforementioned Minecraft, have become Cash Cow Franchises in their own right because of their Multiple Demographic Appeal with kids and adults.
See also Doujin Soft - in Japan the term "indie" refers only to games sold commercially, while "doujin" is used to describe hobby projects that are available for free or sold only at conventions.
There are also Tabletop RPGs known as "indie games", but precisely what that means is up to debate. Almost any definition includes many games not commonly identified as "indie".
- 1001 Spikes
- 10 Second Ninja
- 123 Slaughter Me Street
- 10–103note
- The 4th Wall
- 77p egg: Eggwife
- 80 Days
- Absolver
- ABZÛ
- Adventures of Pip
- Aether
- The Amnesia series
- Among Us
- AMY
- An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs
- Anarcute
- ANNIE: Last Hope
- Anomaly: Warzone Earth
- Antichamber
- Alien Hominid
- Alphabear Two
- Alto's Adventure
- Alto's Odyssey
- Always Sometimes Monsters
- Annalynn
- Anatomy
- ANNO: Mutationem
- The Anton series
- Ape Out
- APICO
- Aquaria
- A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda
- Armello
- Armillo
- The Artful Escape
- The Ascent
- Ashen
- At Least There Is Ceda Cedovic
- Autonauts
- Awesomenauts
- Azure Striker Gunvolt
- Backpack Hero
- Back to Bed
- Back to the Dawn
- Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning
- Bang-On Balls: Chronicles
- The Banner Saga
- Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden
- Barry Steakfries series
- Bastion
- Battle Axe
- BattleBlock Theater
- Battle Chef Brigade
- Battle Racing Stars
- Balacera Brothers
- Balatro
- Bears vs. Art
- Beat Hazard
- The Beginner's Guide
- Beholder
- Bendy and the Ink Machine
- Berserk Boy
- Beyond the Edge of Owlsgard
- Big Bang Mini
- The Binding of Isaac
- BIT.TRIP
- Billie Bust Up!
- Black Knight Sword
- Blade Kitten
- Blade Strangers
- Bleed
- The Bloodstained series
- Bomb Chicken
- Bomber Crew
- Bonesaw: The Game
- Book of Hours
- Botanicula
- Bound by Blades
- Boxbrawl Delivery
- Braid
- Brawlhalla
- Breath of Death VII
- Brigador
- Broforce
- Broken Age
- Broken Reality
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
- Brutal Orchestra
- Buddy Simulator 1984
- The Bunny Graveyard
- Bunny Must Die
- Canabalt
- Cassette Beasts
- Card Shark
- Cats and the Other Lives
- Cart Life
- Carrion
- Castle Crashers
- Cat Girl Without Salad
- The Cave
- Cave Story
- Celeste
- Cepheus Protocol
- C.H.A.I.N.G.E.D.
- Changed
- CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience
- Charlie Murder
- Chicken Police
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Chipmonk!
- Choo-Choo Charles
- Chuchel
- Chzo Mythos
- Clean Asia
- The Cleaner (2006)
- Clockwork Calamity In Mushroom World
- Closing at 2
- Cloud
- Cloudberry Kingdom
- Clustertruck
- Coffee Talk
- The Coffin of Andy and Leyley
- COGEN: Sword of Rewind
- Coil
- Colossatron: Massive World Threat
- Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley
- Conrad Stevenson's Paranormal P.I.
- Constant C
- Contrast
- Cook, Serve, Delicious!
- The Corridor
- Corn Kidz 64
- Costume Quest
- CounterSpy
- The Crackpet Show
- Craz'd!
- Creepy Castle
- CrossCode
- Crossing Souls
- Crossy Road
- The Crown of Wu
- Cruelty Squad
- Crypt of the NecroDancer
- Cthulhu Saves the World
- Cultist Simulator
- Cult of the Lamb
- Cuphead
- Cyber Shadow
- Dandara
- Darkest Dungeon
- The Darkest Tales
- Dark Train
- Darwinia
- Deadburg
- Dead Cells
- Dead End Road
- Deadhunt
- Deadlight
- Dead Nation
- Dead Pixels
- Dead Plate
- Dear Esther
- Death Road to Canada
- Death's Door
- Death's Gambit
- Decarnation
- DEFCON
- Defense Grid: The Awakening
- Dementium: The Ward
- Depression Quest
- Devil Daggers
- Devolver Bootleg
- Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor
- Dicey Dungeons
- Disc Jam
- Disco Elysium
- Discover My Body
- Disc Room
- The Dishwasher
- Divekick
- DLC Quest
- Dofus
- Dome Keeper
- Dominion of Darkness
- Don't Look Back
- Don't Starve
- Doom & Destiny
- Donut County
- Dot's Home
- Downwell
- Dragon Fantasy
- Dread Templar
- Dread X Collection
- Dropsy
- Duck Game
- Duck Season
- Dude, Stop
- Due Process
- DUSK
- Dust: An Elysian Tail
- Dusty Revenge
- Dustforce
- Dwarf Fortress
- Eastern Exorcist
- Edge (2008)
- Ednaldo Pereira Mescladasso
- Eets Munchies
- Election Year Knockout
- El Paso, Elsewhere
- else Heart.Break()
- The End Is Nigh
- Enchanted Portals
- Endless Nightmare
- Endling - Extinction is Forever
- Enter the Gungeon
- Epic Battle Fantasy
- Epiphany City
- Escaped Chasm
- Escape Goat
- The Escapists
- Eternity: The Last Unicorn
- Event[0]
- Eversion
- Ever Hood
- The Everybody Edits series
- Every Day the Same Dream
- Every Extend
- Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
- Everything
- Evoland
- Explodemon
- The EXTRAPOWER series
- FAITH: The Unholy Trinity
- The Fall (2014)
- Fall Guys
- Fancy Pants Adventures
- Fantasy X Runners
- FAR: Lone Sails
- FTL: Faster Than Light
- Fatum Betula
- Fe
- Fearmonium
- The Fermi Paradox
- Fez
- Fight Knight
- The Final Station
- Fireboy and Watergirl
- Firewatch
- Fishgun
- A Fistful Of Gun
- Five Nights at Freddy's
- The Flame in the Flood
- Flappy Bird
- Flinthook
- Florence
- flOw
- Flower
- Fluidity
- For the King
- Foul Play (2013)
- Framed
- Fraymakers
- Freedom Planet
- From Dust
- Frozen Synapse
- Fruit Ninja
- Furi
- Ganryu 2
- The Gardens Between
- Garden Gnome Carnage
- Garten of Banban
- Gato Roboto
- Geneticognito
- Genital Jousting
- Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
- Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams
- Gish
- Goat Simulator
- Gods Will Be Watching
- Golden Light
- Golf With Your Friends
- Gone Home
- The Good Grimace Shake Horror Game
- Gorn: Visceral Reality
- Gorogoa
- Grapple Dog
- Graveyard Keeper
- Grey Area (2023)
- Grey Matter
- Groundhog Day: Like Father, Like Son
- Growing Up
- Griftlands
- GRIS
- Guacamelee!
- Gundemonium Series
- GunFu Fighter
- Gunpoint
- The Gunstringer
- Gylt
- Haiku, the Robot
- Halflightnote
- Half-Minute Hero
- Happy Game
- Happy's Humble Burger Farm
- Happy Wars
- Hard Time
- Hargrave
- A Hat in Time
- Haven (2020)
- Hazelnut Hex
- Headbangers: Rhythm Royale
- Headlander
- Heave Ho
- Heavy Bullets
- The Heilwald Loophole
- Helheim Hassle
- Hellbound
- Hello Neighbor
- Hello Puppets!
- Hellpoint
- Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit
- Henry Stickmin Series
- Her Story
- The Hex
- High Hell
- A Highland Song
- A Hole New World
- Hollow Knight
- Home Safety Hotline
- Hotline Miami
- House (2020)
- House Sitter (2020)
- Hover: Revolt of Gamers
- How to Survive
- Hue
- Human: Fall Flat
- Huntdown
- Hyper Light Drifter
- Hypnospace Outlaw
- I Am Bread
- I Am Dead
- Ib
- Iji
- illWill (2023)note
- Illusion Lands
- I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1NIT!!!1
- Immortal Defense
- IMMORTALITY (2022)
- I'm On Observation Duty
- Impaler
- In Between
- Incision
- Indie Brawl
- Indie Pogo
- Indigo Park
- Indivisible
- INDUSTRIA
- Inked (2012)
- Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
- Inscryption
- INSIDE (2016)
- The Invisible Hours
- Invisible, Inc.
- Iron Brigade
- Iron Lung
- It Steals
- I Wanna Be the Guy
- I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
- Janitor Bleeds
- Jazzpunk
- Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass
- Jishogi
- Joe Danger
- Journey (2012)
- A Juggler's Tale
- JumpJet Rex
- Just Die Already
- Just Shapes & Beats
- Katana ZERO
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Kentucky Route Zero
- Kero Blaster
- Kill It with Fire
- Kingsway
- Klaus (La Cosa Entertainment)
- Knytt Stories
- Kyle Is Famous
- Landfall Archives
- Last Command
- La-Mulana
- The Last Night
- Last Stop
- Later Alligator
- Lawn Mowing Simulator
- Layers of Fear
- Legend (1994)note
- The Legend of el Lobodestroyo Vs. la Liga de los Villanos
- The Legend Of Tian Ding
- Liberté
- Liero
- Lifeline
- Lightmatter
- Lil Gator Game
- Limbo (2010)
- The Lion's Song
- LISA
- Listen To The Wind
- LIT (2009)
- Little Misfortune
- Little Nightmares
- Laika: Aged Through Blood
- LocoCycle
- Lonesome Village
- Lone Survivor
- The Looker
- Loop Hero
- Lorraine
- Lost Home
- Luck be a Landlord
- Luftrausers
- Lugaru
- Lumino City
- LunarLux
- Lunistice
- Lyle in Cube Sector
- Machinarium
- Mago
- Manifold Garden
- Manual Samuel
- Marble Knights
- Mark of the Ninja
- Maquette
- The Maw
- Meadow
- Meatgrinder
- Mercenary Kings
- The Messenger (2018)
- Midnight Fight Express
- Mighty Flip Champs!
- Mighty Jill Off
- Mighty No. 9
- Mika and the Witch's Mountain
- Millika Village
- Mina the Hollower
- Minecraft
- Mini Metro
- Minit
- Minubeat
- Misshapen
- MO: Astray
- Mon Bazou
- Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine
- Monday Night Combat
- Mondo Medicals
- MonsterBag
- Monument Valley
- Moon Chronicles
- Moon Diver
- Mortal Meal
- Mother Russia Bleeds
- Mothered
- Move or Die
- Mr. Shifty
- Ms. Director
- The Mummy Demastered
- Mummy Sandbox
- Mutant Mudds
- Mute Crimson
- My Friend Pedro
- My Sticker Book
- Mystik Belle
- Narita Boy
- Nefarious
- Neon White
- Never Alone
- The Next Penelope
- Nidhogg
- Night in the Woods
- The Night is Grey
- Nighttime Visitor
- Nikujin
- Nin²-Jump
- No Man's Sky
- No Time to Explain
- NOBY NOBY BOY
- Noitu Love
- Norco
- A Normal Lost Phone
- Norrland
- Northgard
- Not a Hero
- Not for Broadcast
- Not the Robots
- Nova Drift
- Nuclear Throne
- Oblitus
- Observation
- >OBSERVER_
- Obusite
- Octodad
- OFF
- Offworld Trading Company
- Olli Olli
- OmniBus (2016)
- OMORI
- OneShot
- Only If
- Ooblets
- Orc Attack: Flatulent Rebellion
- Orcs Must Die!
- Order Up!
- Organ Trail
- Orwell
- Osada
- OTXO
- Outbreak
- An Outcry
- Out There
- Outer Wilds
- Outlast
- Overcooked!
- Overland
- Owlboy
- Oxenfree
- Oxygen Not Included
- Palworld
- Papers, Please
- Papo & Yo
- Paprium
- Paradise Killer
- Party Hard
- The Pathless
- Pathologic
- The Pedestrian (2020)
- Peglin
- Pencil Whippednote
- Penny Arcade Adventures
- Penny's Big Breakaway
- Perfect Vermin
- Phoenotopia: Awakening
- Pigsaw
- Pikuniku
- Pillars of Eternity
- Pinstripe
- Pit People
- The Pixel Junk series
- Pizza Tower
- Planet of Lana
- Please, Don't Touch Anything
- Polyroll
- The Pony Factory
- Pony Island
- Pool Panic
- PopSlinger
- Poppy Playtime
- Potion Permit
- Prismatic Solid
- Prison Architect
- Project Zomboid
- Pronty
- Propagation
- Protect Me Knight
- Prodeus
- Project Arrhythmia
- Proteus
- Pseudoregalia
- Psychosomnium
- Punch Club
- Putrefaction
- Pyre
- Quantum Conundrum
- Q.U.B.E.
- Quilts & Cats of Calico
- QWOP
- Radical Rappelling
- Raid on Taihoku
- Rain World
- The Rakuen series:
- Raskulls
- Read Only Memories
- Redout
- The Red Strings Club
- Reigns
- Relicta
- Retro City Rampage
- Return Of The Obra Dinn
- RiME
- Rivals of Aether
- River City Girls
- Rochard
- Rock of Ages
- Road Redemption
- Roadwarden
- Rogue State Revolution
- RONIN (2015)
- Roots of Pacha
- The Roottrees Are Dead
- RUINER
- Rumu
- Runbow
- Samorost
- Sanctuary RPG
- Sanctum
- The Sapling
- Sayonara Wild Hearts
- Scanner Sombre
- Sea Salt
- Seiklus
- Sequence
- Serial Cleaner
- Serious Sam
- The Sexy Brutale
- Shadow Warrior (2013)
- Shakedown: Hawaii
- Shank
- Shantae
- Shatter
- Shelter (2013)
- Shoot Many Robots
- Shovel Knight
- Shütshimi
- Sigma Star Saga
- SIGNALIS
- Signs of the Sojourner
- Silver Falls
- Skator Gator
- Skullgirls
- Sky: Children of the Light
- Slay the Princess
- Slender: The Arrival
- Sludge Life
- Smashroom
- Solar Ash
- Söldner-X
- SOMA
- Sorry, We're Open
- Soulash
- Soulcaster
- Soul Void
- The Soundodger series
- Specimen Zero
- The Spectrum Retreat
- Speed Runners
- Spelunky
- Spewer
- 'Splosion Man
- Spoiler Alert
- SPOOKWARE
- Squirrel Stapler
- Stacking
- The Stanley Parable
- Stardew Valley
- Stealth Bastard
- Stonks 9800 Stock Market Simulator
- Steambirds
- The SteamWorld series
- Stela
- Sticky Business
- Stories Untold
- A Story About My Uncle
- Strafe
- Stray
- Strange Adventures In Infinite Space
- Streets of Rogue
- Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People
- Sub Rosa (FPS Game)
- Sundered
- Super Amazing Wagon Adventure
- Super Benbo Quest
- Super Cyborg
- Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
- Super Gear Quest
- Super Hexagon
- Superhot
- Super Indie Karts
- Superliminal
- Super Meat Boy
- Super Time Force
- Swallow the Sea
- The Swapper
- The Swindle
- The Swords of Ditto
- Tacoma
- The Talos Principle
- Tamashii
- Tattletail
- Techno Kitten Adventure
- Telling Lies
- Temp Zero
- Terra Nil
- Terraria
- tERRORbane
- Teslagrad
- That's Not My Neighbor
- Them's Fightin' Herds
- There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension
- They Bleed Pixels
- They Breathe
- This War of Mine
- Thomas Was Alone
- Thumper
- Thunderflash
- Time Fcuk
- Tiny Heist
- A Tiny Sticker Tale
- Titan Souls
- Togges
- Torment: Tides of Numenera
- To the Moon
- To the Rescue!
- Touhou Project
- Transformice
- Transistor
- Triachnid
- Triggore
- Trine
- Tunic
- Twelve Minutes
- Two Brothers
- Type:Rider
- Undead Darlings
- Undertale
- The Unfinished Swan
- Untitled Goose Game
- An Untitled Story
- Uplink
- The Upturned
- Uurnog
- Vanish
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
- Venture Kid
- Viewfinder
- Vitamin Connection
- Voidigo
- Völgarr the Viking
- VVVVVV
- Wakfu
- Walk
- The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature
- Wandersong
- This War of Mine
- War of Rights
- Warp
- Warstride Challenges
- Wattam
- Webbed
- Weedcraft Inc
- We Happy Few
- Weird West
- Westerado
- What the Golf?
- What Lies in the Multiverse
- What Remains of Edith Finch
- Wheels Of Destruction
- White Night
- Wildcat Gun Machine
- Windosill
- Windowkill
- The Witness
- Wolf's Gang
- Wonderland Adventures
- World of Goo
- World of Horror
- World to the West
- Wrack
- Wrestledunk Sports
- Wrestling Mpire
- Writhe
- Wuppo
- Xeodrifter
- Year Walk
- YIIK: A Post-Modern RPG
- Yokai Hunter Shintaro
- Yooka-Laylee
- You Have to Win the Game
- Your Only Move is HUSTLE
- The You Testament
- Yume Nikki
- Yuppie Psycho
- Zniw Adventure
- Zombie Driver
- 11 Bit Studios
- [adult swim] Games
- Amanita Design
- Annapurna Interactive
- Badland
- The Behemoth
- Jonathan Blow
- cactus
- Capybara Games
- Terry Cavanagh
- Temmie Chang
- Choice Provisions (formerly Gaijin Games)
- Chucklefish
- Climax Group
- Curve Games
- Daniel Mullins Games
- Dear Villagers (formerly Playdius)
- Devolver Digital
- Dot Emu
- Double Fine
- Drinkbox Studios
- Ebi Hime
- Finji
- Frictional Games
- Phil Fish
- Toby Fox
- Fullbright
- Galaxytrail
- GB Patch
- Giant Sparrow
- Halfbrick Studios
- Heart Machine
- Inti Creates
- Introversion Software
- Killmonday Games
- Klei Entertainment
- Lab Zero Games
- Edmund McMillen
- Team Meat
- Microids
- Motion Twin
- Nicalis
- Nitrome
- Paradox Interactive
- Playdead
- Puppet Combo
- Lucas Pope
- Rain Games
- Raw Fury
- Renegade Kid
- Laura Shigihara
- Studio Élan
- Studio Pixel
- Team17
- Team Cherry
- Tequila Works
- thatgamecompany
- tinyBuild
- Twisted Pixel
- Two And A Half Studios
- Vlambeer
- WayForward Technologies
- Davey Wreden
- Wishes Unlimited
- Yacht Club Games