23 upcoming indie games of 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC

Big studios have many developers and are making a large number of AAA video games. Smaller, independent studios remain at the forefront in terms of story, gameplay mechanics, as well as innovation. These 23 games are among the most anticipated indie releases in 2023.

Some of these games made it into the 2022 roundup, but they were delayed for a year so developers could get their game right and not push them beyond their capabilities. The 2022 roundup was similar to 2021 in that developers are now able to assess how their work is done. Workers at indie game studios, alongside QA workers at bigger studios, led the way in the industry’s unionization movement — a way to ensure there’s less crunch and safer, healthier, and happier workers.

These are the 23 most anticipated indie titles coming in 2023, but we’d love to hear in the comments about the indie games you’re most eager to play.

Venba

Visai Games developer Venba is described as a “narrative cooking game” set in 1980s Canada. The game centers around an Indian mother and requires players to cook and recall lost recipes. It’s a story about “family, love, loss, and more,” the developer wrote on Steam. It goes beyond cooking Venba’s got an incredible art style and a complex story with branching conversations and separate storylines.

Venba It is anticipated that it will be available on the Nintendo Switch WindowsPC will be back in Spring 2023

Thirsty suitors

Falcon Age developer Outerloop Games debuted Thirsty suitors2021 Game Awards. The trailer showed cooking, skateboarding, dating, and “RPG turn-based combat” that was seemingly a part of the dating aspect of the game. Jala is a story about a girl who returns to her tiny, gossipy home. The story will include family, friends and, obviously, ex-partners.

Thirsty suitorsExpected to arrive on Switch PlayStationPlayStation 5, Windows PC Xbox One.. and Xbox Series X in 2023.

Songs of Glimmerwick

Start at Eastshade developer Eastshade Studios, Songs of Glimmerwick mixes music and magic in a role-playing game set in a witch academy — music IsPlayers will be required to know different songs for casting spells. Magic can also happen, and players must learn new songs. There’s also a magic garden, potions, and a mysterious world to explore. It’s not the only magic-school-themed game coming out next year, but it looks to have a unique fantasy world.

Songs of GlimmerwickWindows PC will get it sometime around 2023.

Dordogne

If I only had one word for description Dordogne, I would go with “stunning.” The game has a fantastic watercolor style that instantly drew me to it. The narrative adventure game will have the player engaging in “childhood memories,” according its Steam page. It’s set in the present and the past, and both of those worlds look equally gorgeous.

DordogneIt is planned to be available on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 as well as Windows PCs, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5.

Spirit Swap: Lofi beats to match-3 To

Soft Not Weak’s Spirit Swap: Lofi beats to match-3 To is a rhythm match-three game with a killer soundtrack and a cast of witches and demons — some of whom you can hang out with, get to know, and maybe even date? This is possible in five match-three mode.

Spirit Swap: Lofi beats to match-3 ToWindows PC is likely to get it sometime between 2023 and 2024.

Frank Drake

Frank DrakeIt is said that it’s a modern take on classic novels such as Frankenstein DraculaThis was a world where two people with different schedules were placed in turn.

Frank DrakeAvailable on Mac, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 in February.

Little Bear Chef

We were a bear that ran a bed and breakfast last year. This year, from developer Banana Box, we’re excited to play as a bear who cooks. This game is called Little Bear Chef, and, as the name suggests, it’s about a tiny little bear who cooks in a regular, human-sized kitchen. We don’t know a ton more about the game just yet, but based on the premise alone, we’re eager to see more.

Little Bear ChefNintendo Switch will have it.

Super Space Club

Graham Reid’s Super Space Club is a colorful, lo-fi space combat game — something like Atari’s Asteroids If it was an open-world gaming game.

Super Space ClubWindows PCs will have this feature. Xbox OnePlease see the following: Xbox Series X will be available in 2023.

She The Best of Your DreamsAnd Other

She Dreams ElsewhereAs you might have guessed it, this takes place in a dream. Described as an adventure role-playing game, this indie game has a surrealist vibe — the perfect setting for a bad dream. Mimi Page composed the music.

She Dreams Elsewhere The release is anticipated for Mac, Nintendo Switch (Windows PC), Xbox One and Xbox Series X in 2023. It’ll also be available on Xbox Game Pass.

Terra Nil

Terra NilFree Lives developed this strategy game. It isn’t about commanding and conquering. The player is required to restore wastelands created by procedural processes and give life back into the world.

Terra NilIt will be available on Windows PC in 2023. Steam offers a demonstration.

Afterlove EP

Pikselnesia’s Afterlove EP, Published by Fellow Traveller is a romance sim, rhythm game and narrative adventure. All of that takes place in Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta, with a story about loss and love.

Afterlove EPNintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & Windows PC will have them.

Hollowbody

HollowbodyHeadware Games has developed a survival horror video game that is inspired by the horror of early 2000s. Here’s the premise: You’re a character named Mica, who lives in a futuristic world wracked by decay where you’re “an unlicensed Shipper working for an infamous ring of black market freelancers.” You get stranded in the “exclusion zone” with limited resources, and you’ve got to get out of the sealed-off, horrifying world.

HollowbodyWindows PC users will also be able to use the service.

Troubleshooting

TroubleshootingIf you have ever used an early Windows PC, this interface will be familiar. Jam Rascals, a developer uses the computer’s internal world to make games that focus on Wi-Fi repair and virus hunting. Naturally, you’re a JPEG, and it’s a first-person shooter with puzzles and stacking games involving weird objects, like hot dogs. This game is chaotic but looks good.

Troubleshooting will be available on Windows PC in “springish” 2023.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

Jet Set Radio Tribute Bomb Rush Cyberfunk originally scheduled to release in 2022. However, it was delayed until summer 2023. Developer Team Reptile is focusing on the high-intensity BMX bike, skateboarding, And inline skating gameplay that will all be set to an incredible soundtrack — including works from Jet Set Radio and Jet Set Radio Future Hideki Naganuma is the composer.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk In summer 2023, the Nintendo Switch and Windows PC will have these features.

Season: Letter from the Future

Season: A letter to the future features the story of a young person leaving home for the first time “before a cataclysm washes everything away.” Season is a road trip game, but on a bike — and as with any road trip, it’s important to document everything in recording, videos, and photos.

Season: A letter to the futureOn January 31, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC will have these options.

Superfuse

Superfuse looks like Blizzard’s Diablo series, at least when it comes to the genre — it’s an action-RPG with lots of top-down slashing. However, the artwork style feels and looks like a comic book. Players will take on a “vast conspiracy that endangers all of humanity.”

SuperfuseWindows PC will offer early access to the software on January 31,

Simulacrum Deadeye Deepfake

If Simulacram Deadeye Deepfake’s lo-fi beats haven’t already drawn you in, maybe the gameplay will: “Embody the ultimate cybernetic corporate agent. Learn how to master deadly gunplay, time manipulation and other supernatural skills. Hack computers and people. You can even shoot individual bullets at them. Confront the future, and die trying,” as developer nodayshalleraseyou wrote on Steam.

Deadeye Deepfake Simulation It’s currently available as an early access for Windows PC.

Gestalt: Steam & Cinder

Gestalt: Steam & Cinder’s gorgeous, pixelated world is unrivaled — the steampunk setting is stunningly detailed and full of life. The 2D platforming and combat will be just as important as the “twist-laden narrative,” set in the Steam City of Canaan, a world filled with “dangerous truths.”

Gestalt: Steam & CinderNintendo Switch and Windows PC versions will also be supported

Wonder Box 6000 Elation

Claymation first-person game Elation for the Wonder Box 6000, from developer Digital Tchotchkes, looks kind of like a horror game, but it’s actually about nostalgia (with a whole bunch of horror elements). You play the part of someone searching for an old childhood memory. Look, we’ve all been there.

Wonder Box 6000 ElationWindows PC is likely to get it sometime between 2023 and 2024.

Rusted Moss

Rusted Moss is described by its developer as a “bullet-helly” Metroidvania, and traversal involves swinging around with a grappling hook that’s also your robotic companion. Like any good Metroidvania, exploration is a huge element of the game — and the travel mechanic looks intriguing, too.

Rusted MossWindows PCs will have it by early 2023.

Nine Sols

Red Candle Games’ horror games are well-known Devotion The DetentionBut Nine SolsIt seems to be moving in a completely different direction. Nine SolsThis is a 2D platformer. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice-styled combat. It looks complex and difficult, There are also nine sols Looks stunning with the detailed illustration style.

Nine SolsIt is anticipated to be available on Windows PCs and other platforms by 2023.

Schim

Unique and stylish platforming SchimThis is how you control a small soul that jumps from shadow to shade. Platforming it is part of an enormous puzzle that allows players to guide the shadows of little frog-like creatures back to their human counterparts. It’s expected out in 2023 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC.

SchimIt is anticipated that it will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC by 2023.

Tchia

TchiaThe game, developed by awaceb is inspired in part by New Caledonia (a small island home to the developers). Its main mechanic is “soul-jumping,” whereby the player will be able to transform into different things in the environment — both animal and object — as they explore the beautiful world. Plus, there’s a ukulele that’s fully playable!

Tchia It is anticipated that it will be on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 or Windows PC by early 2023.