10 Highest-Rated Indie Games of the 2020s

If indie games were born in the century's first decade, and further developed in the second, we can speak of the current one as the period during which they are establishing themselves as a high-quality enterprise.

For years now, independent games have not been experimental projects made in the basement of some thirty-year-old genius's parents, but rather have found significant institutionalization through their consistency and guarantees of quality.

However, today they are more than just another part of the interactive medium, as their capabilities have grown to such an extent that, as demonstrated by the latest honors at ceremonies like The Game Awards, they formally rival major productions in virtually every aspect.

There are increasingly more independent masterpieces, capable of revolutionizing their genres and the industry in general, so it's a great time to analyze where we are and talk about the ten best indie games of the 2020s (so far).

10 Sword of the Sea

Art in Motion

Giant Squid is one of the studios that has contributed most to independent game development since its days as thatgamecompany, having created the impressive Journey and Abzu, as well as the recent Sword of the Sea.

Indie developers constantly remind us of the traditional artistic capabilities they possess, though what this title achieves in terms of visuals and sound is truly worthy of worldwide praise.

Its breathtaking audiovisual composition leaves you enthralled every second, enjoying its stylized movement and platforming mechanics with unparalleled beauty, and reveling in its exquisite connection with nature.

It's a magical experience that quietly evokes unprecedented sensations, demonstrating once more that the work of its creators was never a product of chance, but rather of an unparalleled talent for crafting moving adventures.

9 Sea of Stars

Nostalgia Divinely Redefined

Turn-based games have found a new home in indie titles, which have embraced them in all sorts of variations, but their most notable appearance came in the form of a nostalgic product that revives the classic formula: Sea of ​​Stars.

As this generation's Chrono Trigger, with all due respect to Square's legendary title, it's a sensational marvel that perfectly adapts the feel of traditional adventures to modern dynamism and rhythm.

Sea of ​​Stars achieves a flawless balance between strategy, reaction time, customization, and exploration, creating an absurdly satisfying gameplay loop where progression is faultlessly designed to encourage you to explore every nook and cranny.

With its high verticality, constant scene changes, unpredictable plot twists, and stunning pixel art, it's the new standard that turn-based games must follow to find success, because it's the very definition of a modern classic.

8 Signalis

Taking the Baton from the Greats

Speaking of modern classics, children yearn for the return of the traditional approach to horror games, and nothing exemplifies this assertion better than the success of the magnificent Signalis.

Finding a middle ground between the best of the original Resident Evil and Silent Hill installments, with a prodigious atmosphere, an unpredictable story, tense gameplay with a scarcity of resources, and as much symbolism as humanly possible, it's brimming with the best of both worlds.

Through multiple playthroughs to uncover the entire plot, the enigmatic nature of its universe, pristine level design, and utterly memorable puzzles and boss fights, Signalis takes all the key elements of the genre and executes them flawlessly without hesitation.

Without reinventing the wheel, the game capitalizes on the nostalgia for an era that revolutionized the genre, and it does so with an unmistakable creativity and identity that allows it to stand shoulder to shoulder with the greatest works that came before it.

7 Mina the Hollower

Classical Modernity

Despite its recent release, it's impossible not to talk about Mina the Hollower as one of the indie games that best demonstrate to the world that the talent of developers in this scene can only be truly appreciated through prayer.

Its ability to take the 8-bit aesthetic, with all that it implies in terms of sound, aesthetics, and, above all, gameplay, and imbue it with a cutting-edge depth, variety, feel, and refinement is so vast that you have no choice but to stand up and applaud.

Yacht Club Games has created a journey with enviable emergent gameplay that makes you jump in awe every time you discover a new interaction, secret, NPC, or solution to the motor, cognitive, and spatial challenges it presents.

It's hard to talk about perfect titles, and while it surely has to have some flaws, what I find truly difficult is to say which aspect Mina the Hollower doesn't excel at, because it's a masterful creation in everything it sets out to do.

6 Balatro

Addiction Incarnate

Every generation has its own benchmark that hooks you as if your biological functions depended on playing it, and there's no better alternative to fulfill that function in the current decade than the addictive Balatro.

Even though the discussion surrounding the game has subsided in recent months, LocalThunk managed to create a mass phenomenon whose ability to hook you is only matched by the force of will of those who can stop playing.

It's the kind of title that doesn't let you put it down, no matter how much you try, a situation that arises precisely from its incredibly intelligent audiovisual presentation, which allows you to tolerate spending four consecutive hours moving jokers and playing cards.

Roguelikes are known for their ability to keep you permanently mesmerized, though Balatro borders on the absurd. With so many modifiers, vouchers, bosses, numbers, difficulty levels, decks, builds, and card types, the thought that this was made by a single person still perplexes me to this day.

5 ULTRAKILL

A Shooter for the History Books

It seems unbelievable to say that an indie game developed by a single person that hasn't even left early access yet is among the best shooters in history, but that's precisely the case with ULTRAKILL.

I can't remember the last time we saw a title that exuded such stylization and allowed so much player expression through gameplay, offering impressive shooting and movement mechanics that make you feel intoxicated with power.

The environments, bosses, weapons, and hordes are an idyllic cocktail that compels you to pursue perfection to achieve the best scores, which in turn allows you to discover the deep secrets the game hides for those who manage to fully master it.

It's demanding, satisfying, and spectacular, far surpassing practically all the FPS games released this century. ULTRAKILL is a title for the ages, and to refer to it properly, we must describe it as one of the genre's undisputed kings.

4 Inscryption

Unpredictably Exceptional

A defining characteristic of indie games is their ability to subvert expectations, experiment, and take risks, and these aspects are Daniel Mullins's comfort zone, a developer who reached new heights with the magnificent Inscryption.

While he had already explored similar concepts in Pony Island and The Hex, it's his procedurally generated mystery card game that stands out as his most fun, groundbreaking, and utterly unforgettable work.

Due to its shifts in genre, perspective, aesthetic style, narrative themes, and fourth-wall breaks, Inscryption is so immersive that it feels like traveling to another dimension, one where ideas are limitless and the ability to execute them even more so.

It's difficult to fully grasp the excellence of this work without going into detail and spoiling the invaluable enigmatic aura that surrounds it, but know that there's no other game like Inscryption, and if there is, it's light-years away from its magic.

3 Blue Prince

Placing the Genre on Its Shoulders

Blue Prince

is among those inexplicable games that, no matter how much you play it, analyze it, and try to understand it, it's impossible to truly grasp the witchcraft that must have been used for something like this to even exist.

The puzzle genre has found a modern benchmark in the least predictable space possible, roguelikes, as it offers a fusion of two seemingly antagonistic gameplay styles that, it turns out, can be combined extraordinarily well with enough creativity.

The game boasts enviable inventiveness, with countless impressively intricate puzzles that make you feel like a true genius after solving them through iteration, exploration, and genuine curiosity, which are essential to the point of having to use pen and paper to keep track of everything.

With a magnificent atmosphere and a story full of secrets that make you feel like a child reading a fable, traveling to Mount Holly is captivating like few other titles this century have been, making Blue Prince a masterpiece that emerged from nowhere and that will take many years to surpass.

2 Hades 2

Perfecting a Flawless Formula

Supergiant Games

is a legendary indie development studio, and while I'd spent years thinking Hades was a perfect game that would be hard to surpass, the studio utterly proved me wrong with Hades 2.

While Zagreus' misadventures against his father remain magnificent, Melinoe's battle against time itself raises the stakes in every way, repeating the key elements established by its predecessor but perfectly improving upon them.

More bosses, stages, build variety, characters, talismans, weapons, skins, customization systems, secrets... Hades 2 is more Hades, and while that might suggest stagnation or monotony, the studio managed to avoid any hint of repetitiveness through sheer talent.

It's such a complete experience on so many fronts, including a divine art style and a phenomenal soundtrack, that I struggle to think of a better roguelike, as we could easily be talking about the genre's new god.

1 Hollow Knight: Silksong

The Scene Now Has a Queen

For years, I referred to both Hollow Knight and Hades as the two best indie games of all time, and I find it incredibly curious that both were surpassed in the same year by their successors, which brings us to Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Following Supergiant's philosophy, Team Cherry expanded upon absolutely every single element that made their previous work a flagship of indie development, making it seem like a tech demo in comparison.

Hornet lets us experience an adventure whose magnitude, profundity, and level of detail are even more staggering, with so many areas, gameplay systems, bosses, biomes, and unforgettable songs that, once again, it's very difficult to believe it wasn't developed by a team of hundreds of people.

In both the quantity and quality of content, Hollow Knight: Silksong showcases unparalleled meticulousness, making us perfectly understand why it was delayed for so many years.

I won't make the mistake of saying it's unbeatable again because Team Cherry has already proved me wrong once, though I can say with certainty Hollow Knight: Silksong is the leading contender when it comes to discussing the best indie game ever conceived.