The Indie Games You Missed in 2025 — Top Hidden Gems
• Key takeaways:
• 2025 delivered a slew of inventive indie releases across PS5, Xbox, Switch and PC — from surreal dating sims to experimental puzzle and horror titles. • Standouts include Date Everything! (romance everyday objects), Blippo+ (intergalactic channel surfing), Time Flies (speedrunning a fly’s life) and Wheel World (calm bike racing). • Many releases blend genres — narrative horror, match-3 dating sims, and roguelike beat ’em ups — showing indie studios pushing design boundaries.
Why these games matter
Curiosity-driven and surreal experiences
Date Everything!
Available on PS5, Xbox, Switch and PC, Date Everything! turns household items into voiced characters you can romance, offering a fully voiced sandbox that satirizes modern gaming tropes.
Blippo+
On Switch, Playdate and PC, Blippo+ simulates flipping through an alien cable network — a mix of live-action skits and worldbuilding that reveals an off-kilter culture through absurd TV channels.
Time Flies
On PS5, Switch and PC, Time Flies casts you as a fly racing to complete a bucket list in real-world minutes and seconds, turning short play sessions into urgent, delightful speedruns.
Narrative, horror and emotional storytelling
Sorry We’re Closed
This queer survival-horror from à la mode games places relationship dynamics at the center of a neon, 1990s PlayStation-era homage set in London.
And Roger
On Switch and PC, And Roger delivers a compact, emotional narrative with simple art that unfolds a surprising, tragic story about family and memory.
Luto
A psychological horror for PS5, Xbox and PC that channels the dread of PT while exploring grief and the disorientation of loss.
Puzzles, sims and genre mashups
Clues by Sam
A browser-based logic puzzle where only provable answers are accepted — an idealistic twist on deduction that rewards certainty over guessing.
Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To
Soft Not Weak combines visual novel, dating sim and match-three mechanics on Xbox and PC, pairing cozy puzzles with standout character writing.
Lushfoil Photography Sim
On PS5, Xbox and PC, this photography sim is a leisurely, meditative tour of crafted 3D landscapes focused on composition rather than scores.
Action, sports and chaotic fun
BALL x PIT
Available on current-gen consoles and PC, BALL x PIT blends Vampire Survivors-style hordes with Breakout mechanics for intense, visually loud play.
Rematch
Sloclap’s five-a-side football title (PS5, Xbox, PC) captures the pace and tactile thrill of small-team matches more like Rocket League than FIFA.
Wheel World
Published by Annapurna Interactive for PS5, Xbox and PC, Wheel World is a minimalist, feel-good bike racer that emphasizes exploration and simple upgrades.
Where to start
Pick by mood
For laughs and oddity
Try Date Everything! or Promise Mascot Agency for bizarre humor and unpredictable NPCs.
For atmosphere
Play South of Midnight, The Drifter or Sword of the Sea for strong mood, music and visuals.
For quick sessions
Clues by Sam, Time Flies and While Waiting reward short bursts of play and experimentation.
Indie 2025 wasn’t about big budgets — it was about ideas. If you missed these titles, pick one that fits your mood and dive into a year of inventive, boundary-pushing games.
