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For many gamers, independent releases are where things are at. We get it, too: sticking purely with AAA releases can get samey after a while - especially if you're in the market for a specific niche or a genre. Thankfully, indies are where weird stuff happens, and, dedicated to the avid gamer, it's time for 2Game's yearly overview of the best indie games 2021!
Of course, some of our readers will recall that we did something similar back in 2020, and that was a hoot, too. If you're hoping to expand your horizons a tad further still, that ought to be your first-stop shop. Now that we've got it all cleared up, it's also worth mentioning that the games listed below are set up in no particular order. They're all pretty darn great, and we felt that making this a competition would take away from the actual subject matter.
So, whichever of the 10 indies featured here tickles your fancy, you're golden!
The Best Indie Games 2021: Top 10 List
Epic Chef
Cooking games are all the rage nowadays, and for good reason, too! This Epic Chef indie game adds to this already rich repertoire by combining a kind of a mix of life-sim mechanics with ARPG gameplay and, obviously, cooking features. The gist of the game is that you need to become the very best chef in all of Ambrosia - the fantasy land the game is set in. Prepare for a humorous colorful tale and downright epic culinary "combat" against other competing chefs.
- Steam rating: Very Positive
- Get Epic Chef today!
Grow: Song of the Evertree
Song of the Evertree is one of those games that are purpose-built with chill and relaxation in mind. A fantasy village-builder, puzzler, and adventure game, the experience you're getting here is one of sheer delight and joy. Alchemy and alchemical development comes front-and-center here, and you'll need to generate all-new worlds and rejuvenate old ones in real-time. A must-have, if you're into non-violent adventuring with fantastical story elements.
- Steam rating: Very Positive
- Get Grow: Song of the Evertree today!
Forgive Me Father
As of 2021, Forgive Me Father is an Early Access release, but boy is it already one of the finest indie FPS titles of 2021. Taking inspiration from the Souls-like genre and games lie Dark Souls, this Lovecraftian rogue-lite has a phenomenal gameplay loop and a downright unmatched art style and atmosphere. It's a hardcore, brutally-violent shooter that's getting more and more content with each passing update. With the possibility of multiple endings, it was also one of the games that inspired the writing of this list (even if the voice acting is a bit cheesy!), so make of that what you will.
- Steam rating: Very Positive
- Get Forgive Me Father today!
Jars
Whereas most other games attempt to innovate via genre-bending and/or adding oodles of features to already hybridized game models, Jars opts to keep things delightfully simple, instead. This arcade platformer is all about breaking jars, you see. Jars being a possible metaphor for... something. Anyway, what matters here is that Jars tasks you with the breakage of all jars, everywhere. It's a puzzler, for the most part, and a wonderful one at that. Not to mention the impeccable art style!
- Steam rating: Positive
- Get Jars today!
Age of Darkness: Final Stand
Another amazing Early Access project indie game, Age of Darkness presents players with an unwinnable real-time strategy scenario and tells them to survive for as long as humanly possible. The game is similar to They Are Billions in that you need to defend a bastion of humanity against the infinite hordes of undead monstrosities. What's not to like about this premise? The game can render up to 70,000 enemies on-screen at once, and that alone makes for an exciting experience.
- Steam rating: Very Positive
- Get Age of Darkness: Final Stand today!
Lost in Random
Though funded by Electronic Arts, Lost in Random is still simply a sponsored indie-grade title from the small team at indie developers Zoink. This masterpiece of action-adventure gaming delivers a Burtonesque nightmare world where the protagonist (partnered with a die, no less) needs to find her sister, who had been kidnapped by an evil queen. A true delight, trust us on this one.
- Steam rating: Overwhelmingly Positive
- Get Lost in Random today!
Kitaria Fables
Cats are neat! Everyone ought to be able to agree with this premise, we feel. If you find the lack of cat-oriented games kinda sad, Kitaria Fables may well be the way to go. This is a reasonably standard ARPG combat and exploration-wise, its unique conceits come up when it comes to city-building, farming, and NPC interactions. A great choice if you're looking for a cat-centric colorful tale and core gaming experience built by a small, albeit dedicated gamedev studio.
- Steam rating: Very Positive
- Get Kitaria Fables today!
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
Cooperative gamers rejoice! Rogue Heroes is our favorite hotseat multiplayer game of 2021, and not only because it's one of the very few games that still include the feature at all. No, Rogue Heroes is a compelling hack 'n' slash all on its own, featuring both puzzle and combat scenarios in equal measure. In a way, it reminds us of a simpler Magicka experience, and it's really the only new title in this particular niche. Sad, for sure, but at least it's a great game!
- Steam rating: Very Positive
- Get Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos today!
Viscerafest
Viscerafest is an ultra-retro ultra-shooter featuring ultra-violence. In other words, it is lovely. What makes Viscerafest special in the indie FPS category, though, is the fact that it is fully hand-made and manually designed from the ground up. No random-gen nonsense here! Move at the speed of light, collect a metric tonne of goodies, and blow aliens to smithereens. What more could a gamer need in 2021, really?
- Steam rating: Very Positive
- Get Viscerafest today!
CryoFall
Finally, a crucial Early Access success story, CryoFall is a simplified version of RimWorld at its core. It's a wonderfully designed collection of survival game systems and base-building mechanics that mesh together better than most other similar games could ever hope to pull off. On top of that, CryoFall has genuinely great artwork, which is more than could be said about almost every other competitor in the niche. With both PvE and PvP multiplayer available and ready to go, CryoFall is a must-play for fans of the genre.
- Steam rating: Very Positive
- Get CryoFall today!
Closing Thoughts
Of course, we couldn't hope to fit all of 2021's many indie game releases in this article alone. If you'd like to learn about a few more of them, we did prepare more content over the course of the year, with honorable mentions to:
And, of course, indies are hardly the only thing we cover here at 2Game. If you'd like to get the latest scoop on a wider array of gaming projects, here are a few articles to keep in mind:
- Top 20 Best PC Simulator Games as of 2021
- Battlefield 2042 Starter Guide: Solve Bugs, Plan Patches
- Ultimate Gamer Gift Guide for 2021: Holidays Are Coming!
For all other news, you're going to want to stay tuned to our Community Hub. This December, for one, we're planning possibly the biggest, most comprehensive game giveaways you've ever seen. So do check back in when you catch the time. Good luck, and happy gaming!
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