10 Unmissable Indie Games of 2025 Flying Under the Radar

Indies basically owned 2025. Between Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Hades 2 making a lot of noise at The Game Awards, it was a busy year. But a bunch of sharp, inventive smaller titles slipped under the radar. Here are 10 indies from 2025 that deserve more attention, and yes, some of these are delightfully odd in the best way.

• 1. Ball x Pit

  This is the kind of game you sit down with "just for a minute" and look up three hours later wondering what happened. It is a survival roguelike built around fusing balls (stay with me) to power up a base while you scramble to stay alive. The Ball Fusion system lets you mix and match different ball types for surprisingly deep builds, and progression feels great because every fusion choice actually matters.

  You unlock new characters with distinct skills, experiment with weird ball combos, and push through different regions with fresh enemy types and bosses. It is intense, fast, and way more strategic than it looks. If you chase achievements, this one feeds that brain itch in a big way.

  Developer: Kenny Sun and Friends
  Release date: October 15, 2025

• 2. Fretless - The Wrath of Riffson

  Short, tight, and respectful of your time. Fretless is a rhythm-flavored RPG where turn-based battles hit harder because the music actually matters. You play as Rob, hoarding riffs to take down suit-wearing overlords trying to corrupt music itself. It is earnest without being corny, and the hand-animated pixel art gives it a warm, Saturday-morning-cartoon feel.

  The loop is straightforward and satisfying, the combat pops, and the story hits those feel-good beats without dragging. If you want an RPG that does not waste a weekend, this is the one.

  Developer: Ritual Studios
  Release date: July 17, 2025

• 3. Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree

  If you have ever wanted a 2D side-scrolling Souls-like that lets you build your own hero from the ground up, this is it. You craft a character, pick from six distinct classes, and head into a bleak fantasy world that does not coddle you. Combat is about precision: parry, dodge, block, and weave abilities into custom loadouts as you trek through hostile lands and boss encounters that actually feel bespoke.

  Think Dark Souls vibes, but in a painterly 2D frame. It is gorgeous, tough, and generous with build freedom.

  Developer: Primal Game Studio
  Release date: April 17, 2025

• 4. Keep Driving

  Yes, it is a management RPG about a road trip. And yes, it works. Keep Driving turns the highway into a turn-based puzzle board where you solve obstacles, collect skills, bolt upgrades onto your car, and scoop up strange hitchhikers who bring their own quirks to the ride.

  It leans on a charming pixel look and a soundtrack from Swedish indie bands that fits the mellow, late-night-cruise tone. Multiple endings nudge you back in for another lap, and the whole thing feels refreshingly different.

  Developer: YCJY Games
  Release date: February 6, 2025

• 5. Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist

  A metroidvania that checks every box: crisp traversal, punchy combat, a skill system that rewards experimentation, and a world that is equal parts grim and hypnotic. The 2D art is stellar, the score does a lot of heavy lifting emotionally, and the game actively encourages you to tinker with builds until you break it in fun ways.

  One of the year’s earliest releases and still one of its best in the genre.

  Developer: Adglobe, Live Wire
  Release date: January 22, 2025

• 6. Biped 2

  Platforming shenanigans for solo players or couples who trust each other a little too much. You guide two cheerful robots, Aku and Sila, across inventive obstacle courses. Compared to the first game, this sequel tightens the design and adds more playful chaos. In co-op, each player controls part of the robot, which is exactly as hilarious and scream-inducing as it sounds.

  It is all about coordination, timing, and celebrating the moment you both nail a sequence you failed five times in a row.

  Developer: META Publishing, NEXT Studios, PlayJoy Studios
  Release date: November 5, 2025

• 7. Constance

  Imagine a hand-drawn 2D action adventure that borrows the precision of Celeste and the exploration of Silksong. Constance puts a paintbrush in your hand and lets you sprint, dash, and sketch your way through layered areas full of secrets. Under the stylish platforming is a personal story about mental health, work-life balance, and trying to figure out what matters.

  It is a bit short for the price, sure, but what is here is polished and memorable. Metroidvania fans should not skip it.

  Developer: btf
  Release date: November 24, 2025

• 8. LEGO Voyagers

  Co-op puzzle-platforming with a very literal build button. You and a friend slap together LEGO machines to traverse bright brick worlds that constantly ask you to communicate like adults. It is about creativity and teamwork: constructing platforms, cobbling together goofy contraptions, and turning "we can not reach that" into "oh, that actually works."

  Pure, collaborative problem-solving with a playful vibe.

  Developer: Light Brick Studio
  Release date: September 15, 2025

• 9. Wheel World

  A cycling game with more on its mind than lap times. On the surface, you are racing other riders to win parts and upgrade your bike. Underneath, there is a full campaign about saving the world of Wheel World from collapse and a roomy open world to explore between events.

  When you are not competing, you are meeting oddball NPCs, chasing secrets, and scrounging for upgrades in a striking art style. It is breezy, weirdly absorbing, and easy to lose time in.

  Developer: Messhof
  Release date: July 23, 2025

• 10. Is This Seat Taken?

  A cozy logic game about assigning seats to adorable geometric weirdos with very specific needs. Bus, theater, wherever — you read their traits, figure out what they want, and place everyone so the whole row is happy. No timers, no leaderboards, no pressure. Just clean, satisfying puzzle solving at your own speed.

  Simple idea, great execution, surprisingly sticky.

  Developer: Poti Poti Studio
  Release date: August 7, 2025

Your turn: which 2025 indie got you hooked, and what should everyone else be playing before the year is out?