From slapstick mystery game Loco Motive to a beloved mythology roguelike in Hades, these are the 13 indie games to look forward to in 2024.
2024 is looking as stacked as ever when it comes to innovative indie games. From Pokémon-with-guns game Palworld and the highly anticipated follow-up to Hades, there’s no shortage of games to get excited for. There’s so much to look forward to that it can be a challenge to keep track of it all, which is why we’ve put together another list of upcoming indies to add to your to-play list.
The video games created by independent game studios are often a refreshing look into the future of the industry. Elsewhere in the industry, video game companies are consolidating — working on larger projects that cost more money and take longer to create, meaning less risk and more games that publishers know will work. The indie game space is where we see studios breaking from those norms, creating stories and experiences you might not find anywhere else.
What indie games are you most looking forward to in 2024? Drop them in the comments.Palworld
Release date: January 2024
Platforms: Windows PC
I’m sure you’ve seen the trailer for Palworld, which is a game that basically gives Pokémon guns. It’s entering an early access period in January, when players will be able to give its multiplayer survival gameplay and its brutal (yet still cute) world a try. As in Pokémon, you’ll befriend creatures — called Pal — to fight for you while surviving this dangerous world. Apparently there’s farming, building, breeding, poaching, and factory work to dig into. —Nicole CarpenterÉté
Release date: Q1 2024
Platforms: Windows PC
Simply put, Été looks beautiful. It’s a story about a girl taking in Montreal in the summer, and documenting the experience in her watercolor sketchbook. You’ll paint the actual world while also painting on canvas, using collected stickers and stamps to fill out your artwork. It looks like the perfect sort of vacation, with no pressures or stress. I don’t think I’ve seen a game more aligned with my own interests. —NCIndika
Release date: Q1 2024
Platforms: Windows PC
Russian studio Odd Meter announced Indika in 2023, looking to create an arthouse-styled video game set in an alternate 19th-century Russia. The game focuses on the Russian Orthodox Church, something studio founder Dmitry Svetlow told Polygon is “one of the weapons of Russian propaganda.” Because of its themes — and the studio’s outspoken opinion on the Russian war on Ukraine — Odd Meter moved its work to Almaty, Kazakhstan, to finish the game for its 2024 release.
