The enjoyment of working with indies isn’t understanding what you’ll come across subsequent. Yearly brings one thing sudden and pleasant, it doesn’t matter what your style of desire is. The indie-focused teams right here at Sony Interactive Leisure have bundled up a few of their private favourite indie games from the previous 12 months. Listed here are a few of the games that stunned, enchanted, and tickled us in 2025.
Child Steps
Developer: Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy
Writer: Devolver Digital
(*10*)
An irreverent, physics-driven stumble-through-life adventure constructed on these splendidly punishing physics that made Bennett Foddy’s Getting Over It so iconic.
Why we adore it: We had a tough time actually explaining the elevator pitch to our colleagues after we performed it — that is a kind of games you merely must really feel to know. After we handed a controller to SIE’s Sid Shuman and his character instantly slid helplessly down a mountain in the most dramatic approach potential, he broke into that tears-in-your-eyes type of chortle. And it went on for some time. That’s when it clicked for us: the chaos, the tenderness, the humor — all of it is sensible the second you are taking that first clumsy step.
Ball X Pit
Developer: Kenny Solar
Writer: Devolver Digital
A chaotic, neon-soaked arcade blast the place every thing strikes quick, loud, and simply barely unhinged.
Why we adore it: A number of of us received an early take a look at this one from Devolver, and we knew it was sticky when a number of of us on our group discovered themselves compelled to maintain enjoying it lengthy after they’d already completed writing up the assessment. It’s pure, joyful chaos — the type of recreation that grabs you instantly and refuses to let go. And for me personally, seeing Kenny Solar behind this made it even higher. I’ve adopted his work since my early editorial days and beloved his 2016 platformer Circa Infinity. Watching his evolution from these minimalist, mind-bending roots to one thing this loud, playful, and polished — all as a single developer — is extremely cool.
Blue Prince
Developer: Banana Chook Studios
Writer: Uncooked Fury
A surreal, shifting-room puzzle mystery that consistently reinvents itself as you discover.
Why we adore it: There’s nothing higher than a hypnotic, mysterious puzzle recreation that refuses to play by the guidelines, and Blue Prince nails that feeling. A number of of us ended up having the similar sudden expertise with it — though it’s a single-player recreation, it grew to become one thing we performed alongside our companions or mates at house. We’d examine notes, swap theories, and brainstorm puzzle options collectively like we had been a part of some shared secret. That sense of quiet discovery, of unraveling one thing unusual and stylish piece by piece, is precisely what makes this one so particular. It’s fashionable, intelligent, and lingers with you lengthy after you cease enjoying.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Developer: Sandfall Interactive
Writer: Kepler Interactive
A striking, painterly RPG about breaking a prophecy and claiming a future that was by no means purported to be yours.
Why we adore it: The artwork route grabbed us instantly, and the fight hits that candy spot between considerate and cinematic. Such a fantastic recreation with great performing, tight gameplay, and presumably the biggest gaming soundtrack ever. Montpellier-based group Sandfall Interactive wears their inspirations on their sleeve — from European illustration traditions to the emotional arc and iconic gameplay of your favourite RPGs. You possibly can really feel these influences in each character, creature, and brushstroke. It’s daring, stunning, and precisely the type of artistic imaginative and prescient we love.
Despelote
Developer: Julián Cordero and Sebastian Valbuena
Writer: Panic
A grounded, slice-of-life adventure set in early-2000s Quito, capturing a neighborhood—and a rustic—caught up in Ecuador’s historic 2002 World Cup qualifying run.
Why we adore it: Despelote captures a cultural second that meant a lot to so many Ecuadorians, and it does it by small, on a regular basis particulars that really feel extremely private. We had been struck by how intimate it felt. The narrative is a step again in time drawn from the creators’ childhood reminiscences in Quito. The artwork type provides to that impact with a mild, dreamlike high quality that makes the world really feel each actual and surreal. It’s heat, human, and a heartfelt celebration of their folks.
Dispatch
Developer: AdHoc Studio
Writer: AdHoc Studio
A sharp-witted episodic superhero workplace comedy the place you’re not the hero, however the one sending them.
Why we adore it: From the get-go, Dispatch had us hooked: it attracts you in with its vibrant artwork type, razor-sharp writing, and versatile mechanics that fluidly shift from considerate narrative decisions to difficult puzzles and the chaos of superhero dispatch administration. What units it aside, although, is how shortly these larger-than-life characters develop as you play. Beneath the capes and theatrics, they’re full of unusual heat, messy feelings, and a pleasant streak of pettiness that fuels hilarious workplace drama. It’s a refreshing twist on the narrative-driven journey games and tremendous hero content material we’ve all grown accustomed to. Dispatch finds its personal distinctive voice in that area, which is a superhuman feat in itself, and focuses on unmasking the larger-than-life personalities to review the flawed folks behind the costumes. AdHoc reminds us why this style continues to be so compelling.
Hole Knight: Silksong
Developer: Group Cherry
Writer: Group Cherry
The long-awaited sequel to Hollow Knight, delivering sharper motion, richer fight, and a haunting new world.
Why we adore it: Few fashionable indies have had the cultural impression of Hole Knight — it grew to become a touchstone for precision platforming, ambiance, and handcrafted design. Silksong builds on that legacy with the similar meticulous consideration to element that made the authentic so beloved. Group Cherry’s craftsmanship is extraordinary for a studio of their dimension, and as soon as once more, we discovered ourselves utterly misplaced of their world. It’s elegant, formidable, and a reminder of simply how far nice artistry can go.
Lumines Come up
Developer: Improve
Writer: Improve
A modern evolution of the puzzle-rhythm classic, polished right into a hypnotic little gem.
Why we adore it: Improve has been behind a few of the most transcendent puzzle experiences ever made — from Rez Infinite to Tetris Impact — and Lumines Come up carries that similar lineage of arcadey, synesthetic brilliance. They’re merely the finest at what they do. When the visuals, music, and patterns lock collectively, it drops you into that unmistakable movement state the place your mind lastly exhales. It’s fashionable, soothing, and a kind of games we hold “unintentionally” enjoying for an hour.
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yo-Yo
Developer: Pocket Lure
Writer: PM Studios
A stylish, fast-moving action-platformer constructed round a surprisingly deep, yo-yo-based moveset.
Why we adore it: That is a kind of games that feels immediately good the second you contact it. The motion is expressive, the fight has actual snap, and the complete factor radiates persona. We had been impressed by how they took such a easy mechanic and stretched it into one thing with actual depth and momentum.
Sword of the Sea
Developer: Big Squid
Writer: Big Squid
A serene sand-surfing adventure from Matt Nava and the group behind Journey, Abzû, and The Pathless.
Why we adore it: Watching Nava’s creative evolution over the years has been such a pleasure, and Sword of the Sea seems like a fruits of every thing he does finest — motion, ambiance, emotional quiet. It’s already attractive and calming by itself, however what actually elevated the expertise for us had been the refined, progressive touches he layered in. The DualSense haptics particularly add this mild, tactile dimension to browsing throughout the dunes — you’re feeling the world in a approach that’s inconceivable to explain till the controller is in your palms. It’s considerate, immersive, and a kind of experiences that stays with you lengthy after you log out.
Honorable Mentions
- Citizen Sleeper 2
- Demonschool
- Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
- Lodge Infinity
- Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders
- Misplaced Information Bloom & Rage
- Ninja Gaiden Ragebound
- Promise Mascot Company
- Rematch
- The Alters
- The Midnight Stroll
- To a T
- Wanderstop
- Wheel World
These games characterize only a fraction of the unbelievable creativity taking place throughout the indie panorama. We’re thrilled to assist such artistic, genre-defying work and we will’t wait to see what’s subsequent.