Over the last decade, indie games have well and truly arrived in the gaming industry. Going from a small snippet of the market to serious competition for the triple-A scene, indies have risen in popularity considerably. It’s with this spirit in mind that we bring you our list of the best PS5 indie games.
Ranging from walking simulators to 2D throwbacks to some really experimental efforts, our list of the best PS5 indie games will give you plenty of options for your next game of choice without putting quite as much strain on your wallet as the latest big studio effort. So, without any further ado, here are our top PS5 indie games.
The Best PS5 Indie Games
20. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Developer: Ninja Theory
Publisher: Ninja Theory, 505 Games
Awareness of mental illness has become increasingly important to society in recent times, and it’s clear that this was of primary concern to Ninja Theory as they developed Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Playing as Senua, you experience the Viking Age through the eyes of a troubled girl reckoning with a burgeoning psychosis.
While undertaking her journey, players will experience auditory and visual hallucinations that force them to consider what is and isn’t reality. Can Senua truly see the unseen, or is it just her affliction creating believable falsehoods? It’s up to you to decide what is real in this groundbreaking game.
19. The Witness
Developer: Thekla Inc.
Publisher: Thekla Inc.
Following up on one of the original indie hits, Jonathan Blow came back with one of the most challenging puzzle games of all time. The Witness has players simply drawing lines from one end of the board to the other, but how the game dials up the difficulty and complexity of this basic concept makes it a true show stopper.
With mysteries to unfold on the island where the game is set and over 600 puzzles to solve, The Witness makes for a meaty head-scratcher and one of the best PlayStation puzzlers of the last decade.
18. The Sexy Brutale
Developer: Cavalier Game Studios, Tequila Works
Publisher: Tequila Works
Time loops are all the rage in gaming these days, and The Sexy Brutale is no exception. With players taking on the role of a preacher aware of his recurring situation, The Sexy Brutale tasks you with figuring out the mechanics of the loop and saving a bevy of party guests who are about to be systematically murdered.
You’ll have to go through the loop as many times as it takes to save everyone, but as each protected guest reveals new details about the plot and the machinations behind it, The Sexy Brutale only grows more compelling the more you play and uncover.
17. Mark of the Ninja
Developer: Klei Entertainment
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Everyone loves a good stealth game, and Mark of the Ninja’s unique take on the genre is that it’s set in a 2D plane. Utilizing all of the features that make stealth games work, every stage of Mark of the Ninja becomes like a puzzle that players must work through to succeed.
Avoid attention, dodge suspicion, and use all of the tools in your ninja arsenal to pass through the shadows, eliminating or bypassing enemies as you aim for your goal. Using unique light and shadow mechanics, Mark of the Ninja stands out as a one-of-a-kind stealth adventure.
16. Disco Elysium – The Final Cut
Developer: ZA/UM
Publisher: ZA/UM
Games that allow you to succeed without combat are rare indeed, so gamers ought to take notice when a great one comes along. Disco Elysium sets you as an amnesiac detective trying to figure out who he is and what is happening around him in an alternate reality known as Elysium.
Players choose and upgrade abilities and deal with both the positive and negative effects of their choices. While upgrading an attribute may open up new paths, it may also lead to consequences like substance abuse or psychosis.
It’s precisely this unpredictable nature that makes Disco Elysium stand out, and the new Final Cut edition includes full voice acting as well as a few other tweaks and upgrades that make it the definitive way to experience this adventure.
15. Untitled Goose Game
Developer: House House
Publisher: Panic
As anyone with a sibling will tell you, sometimes being a pain is its own reward. Untitled Goose Game is built with this principle in mind. Play as a goose going around the English countryside and causing all manner of trouble as you honk your way through 4 different environments.
Each area contains tons of fun stuff to do and a host of folks to irritate, but it’s the puzzle mechanic that will keep you playing. Using a cause-and-effect design philosophy and offering plenty of laughs along the way, Untitled Goose Game is just an all-around good time.
14. Dead Cells
Developer: Motion Twin
Publisher: Motion Twin
Roguelites are becoming increasingly popular in gaming, and part of that is due to high-quality efforts like Dead Cells. With gorgeous pixel art, a deep RNG system, intense difficulty, and plenty to explore, Dead Cells is like Castlevania meets Risk of Rain meets Dark Souls.
Though Dead Cells can be totally punishing and completing it is a feat in and of itself, the addictive gameplay loop and small-scale upgrades will keep players coming back until they finally achieve that much-coveted victory.
13. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
Developer: Yacht Club Games
Publisher: Yacht Club Games
Shovel Knight was an overnight indie success when it was first released. With its throwback NES aesthetic and charmingly bizarre hero, Shovel Knight has captured the hearts of millions of players. It isn’t just the look that calls back to the NES era, though; key design elements and moves are clear, loving homages to classic games like DuckTales, making the game a real nostalgia trip.
The Treasure Trove edition includes three extra campaigns on top of the original adventure, with players taking on the roles of Shovel Knight villains and utilizing their unique movesets.
To see a game with this much post-release content and support is truly impressive and one of the many reasons why Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is such a great value.
12. Celeste
Developer: Extremely OK Games
Publisher: Extremely OK Games
Another throwback to gaming’s simpler times, Celeste is a delightful 2D platformer with a charming look that belies its intense challenge. Luckily, Celeste also includes many different options that allow players to adjust the game to their strengths and weaknesses, meaning anyone can complete it.
Celeste also explores mental health through its adventure. Set around a girl coming to terms with herself as she attempts to climb a mountain, Celeste is an all-around rewarding and refreshing experience to play. Loaded with metaphors, layered with nuance and mechanically flawless, Celeste stands out from the pack as a near-perfect indie effort.
11. Pyre
Developer: Supergiant Games
Publisher: Supergiant Games
When indie darling Supergiant announced a game that was part classic RPG and part NBA Jam, fans were understandably confused by the prospect. Despite how strange Pyre sounds in theory, the combination is a winning one, making Pyre unlike anything else in the indie scene.
Set amid an underworld of exiles, play a strange fantasy version of basketball in hopes of winning freedom and a return to the society above. With a stirring soundtrack and jaw-dropping visual design, Pyre is a game that will leave a lasting impression on anyone who plays it.
10. Firewatch
Developer: Campo Santo
Publisher: Campo Santo, Panic
The walking simulator continues to impress as one of the most remarkable genres in the indie sphere. Games like Firewatch accelerate and push it further by creating isolating atmospheres for players to explore while unraveling the mysteries around them.
Set in a vast forest, players take on the role of a grieving watchman who must observe his surroundings for dangerous fires. As he bonds with a co-worker via radio and investigates the appearance of a stranger in the area, the world of Firewatch becomes alluring and addictive.
A game well worth playing for the immersion alone, Firewatch is an absolute wonder to experience.
9. Blasphemous
Developer: The Game Kitchen
Publisher: Team17
The intersection between Metroidvania and Souls-like has led to some incredible games over the last decade. Set amid a horrific and brutal landscape of twisted religious imagery, Blasphemous counts itself among this proud brood and sets itself apart through its look, feel, and tone. Imagine Dark Souls III as a sidescroller, and you’ll be part way there.
Deviously challenging, wildly intense, and handcrafted to a tee, Blasphemous isn’t just a blast to play; it’s also got an awe-inspiring soundtrack and some of the best pixel art you’ll ever see. Finally, it’s one of the most metal games of all time, so if that sounds like your kind of thing, definitely give this one a spin.
8. Hotline Miami
Developer: Dennaton Games
Publisher: Devolver Digital
One of the original indie break-outs, Hotline Miami made quite a stir when it first arrived on the scene. A 2D top-down kill fest, Hotline Miami has you kicking down doors, storming your way through buildings, and icing streams of enemies without taking a single hit. That last part is essential, though, because if you do, you’re dust.
Even with this caveat in mind, Hotline Miami is insanely addictive. Its pulsing synth soundtrack helps a lot with that, as players will be bobbing their head relentlessly even when they’re on the 15th try for a level, and its bloody, nasty 80s aesthetic gives it a totally iconic look that will sear its way into players’ minds.
7. Stardew Valley
Developer: ConcernedApe
Publisher: Concerned Ape, Chucklefish
Though there’s been a big old box of farm sims in the past, it was Stardew Valley that brought the genre roaring back to life. Set in a quaint town, Stardew Valley has you managing your small farm as you leave your busy city life behind for the salt of the earth experience of being your own boss and making your own way.
Build relationships with townsfolk, upgrade your home and expand your farm into a real money-making machine. When you get bored of that, you can go to the mine and seek out your fortunes there or do a bit of fishing to pass the day away.
The ultimate relaxing timesink, Stardew Valley is just the game to play if you’re tired of combat and strife in your gaming.
6. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Developer: ArtPlay
Publisher: 505 Games
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is one of those miracle games that only came to be due to massive fan interest and absolute passion on the part of the team behind it. Funded partially through Kickstarter and overseen by Castlevania alum Koji Igarashi, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a modern culmination of many of the best action-RPG/Metroidvania style Castlevania games ever made.
Explore a massive castle as you attempt to stop a mad alchemist from destroying England. Battle monsters, earn new moves and upgrades and fight some of the most extraordinary bosses you’ll ever see in a 2D sphere.
Wearing its influences on its sleeve, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night isn’t just a fantastic experience; it’s a total retro trip brought to life with all of the modern bells and whistles you could ask for.
5. Cuphead
Developer: Studio MDHR
Publisher: Studio MDHR
A great look can be a make or break for your entire game when it comes to the indie realm. Studio MDHR was counting on this when they came up with Cuphead. Gorgeously drawn to resemble the golden age of American animation, Cuphead offers all of the provocative strangeness and crazy imagery of popular animation at its most unhinged.
It’s also insanely hard. Players will run and gun as Cuphead or his brother Mugman, battling their way through one absurd scenario after another as they vie to regain their souls from the devil. It’s as madcap nuts as it is a total blast, and it’s this wild energy that carries it well past the finish line into the realm of classics.
4. Gone Home
Developer: The Fullbright Company
Publisher: The Fullbright Company, Majesco
Arguably the first great walking simulator, Gone Home succeeds by creating an intimate environment for players to explore as they unravel what their family has been up to while they were abroad for an extended period of time. Returning to an empty home that is totally unfamiliar to her, Katie must reckon with the truth behind her family and find out who they are when they’re not presenting themselves for the public eye.
As Katie works her way through the house, uncovering secrets and lies along the way, she finds new comfort in the knowledge of her family as real people and reveals a secret romance that will change everything about how she sees her sister. A brilliant, moving game, Gone Home is a profound emotional experience.
3. Sayonara Wild Hearts
Developer: Simogo
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Now this game is just a wild ride. Set amid a tumultuous break-up in a young girl’s life, Sayonara Wild Hearts uses the passion and fury surrounding the break-up to fuel an adrenaline-powered dream of neon colors, soaring dragons, giant robots, and motorcycle insanity.
Set to a catchy synth soundtrack explicitly produced for the game, Sayonara Wild Hearts ebbs and flows between genres, scenarios, and environments as players swerve, drive, attack, and collect items to the beat. Addictive as hell and totally transcendent, Sayonara Wild Hearts is a game you’ll never forget.
2. Furi
Developer: The Game Bakers
Publisher: The Game Bakers
Few developers have dared to build an entire game as a boss rush, and fewer still have actually managed to make a game worth playing. Despite these odds, Furi emerges as one of the best games of its generation and one of the best PS5 indie games to boot.
Players take on the role of The Stranger, an intergalactic prisoner making his way out of one of the most intense, well-guarded prisons in the galaxy.
With 10 all-time great boss battles at its core and a mysterious narrative that unfolds while The Stranger walks to his next destination, Furi is its own beast altogether. Inspired by the likes of Metal Gear Solid, Dark Souls, Ninja Gaiden, and Mega Man, this head-bopping, sword-swinging, laser-blasting adventure will take everything you’ve got to come out on top, but holy cow, is it worth it.
1. What Remains of Edith Finch
Developer: Giant Sparrow
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
While both Gone Home and Firewatch have taken full advantage of what a walking simulator can do and be, it took What Remains of Edith Finch to evolve the genre. As the last surviving member of the seemingly cursed Finch family, Edith must explore her surreal family home and uncover the stories that led to the demise of each member.
What begins as a hungry girl in her room ends with the player climbing a ship as a sea monster. A tragic infant death becomes a magical symphony, a celebration of life. The quest for meaning becomes an alternate reality for a discontented man. Journey through the heights of childhood imagination and the depths of adulthood drudgery as What Remains of Edith Finch crafts an adventure for the ages and one of the greatest stories ever told.
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