On the one hand, gamers have never been more spoiled, with thousands of games being announced and released every year on multiple platforms. It seems absolutely impossible to keep track of it all, though, with games you've never heard of seemingly popping out from nowhere, especially when exploring the broad world of indie games.

This list is meant to help you out with that impossible task. These 8 indie games look so good, we don't want you to miss out on them. They're all still currently in development, so add them to your wishlist now and keep an eye out for their upcoming launch.

8 Reality Drift

Planned release date: Q4 2025

Not your average racing game, Reality Drift will let you take your microbus on a trip to other dimensions. This racing rougelike from developer Arganoid Industries will take you to worlds inhabited by giant cats, as you enter into hell, into space, then go beyond all of that to someplace even more mind-bending.

You may be wondering why you would want to drive to hell when there's a world of cats you could go to. Well, (per the Steam page) in order to deliver packages to "obnoxious godlike creatures who have nothing but disdain for you," of course! That might not make a lot of sense, but I'd say your expectations are set a little too high, if you think that a game where you drive a 70's style microbus across space and cats should make sense. However, what you can expect from Reality Drift is a unique art style, a rougelike driving loop that looks really intriguing, and hopefully some out-of-this-world surprises along the way.

7 Bionic Bay

Planned release date: March 13, 2025

From among the rest of the games on this list, Bionic Bay stands out as the only one with a solid release date on the books, set to arrive next month (at time of writing) in March. An engaging platformer where you have the ability to control time, Bionic Bay puts you in the sensible shoes of a scientist who has nothing but a teleportation device in hand to try to escape an ancient mechanical world.

With all manner of death around every corner, you'll need to use and manipulate the crazy physics of this world, however you can, to get home safely. While the platforming mechanics seem to be really intriguing, what really makes Bionic Bay stand out is the art design and the look of every scene. It seems like the perfect kind of game to get lost in, and is more than deserving of a spot on your wishlist. If you're really keen to check it out, there's actually a demo you can download to give it a try.

6 MOUSE: P.I. For Hire

Planned release date: 2025

Once the original look and styling of Mickey Mouse went into the public domain, I knew that there would be someone out there ready to make a game that would take the famed mouse and go absolutely buck-wild with him. What I couldn't have expected, though, was for developer Fumi Games to take that 1930's aesthetic and turn the mouse into a private investigator who seems more fond of shooting first, then asking questions if anyone happens to be left standing afterward.

You play as Jack Pepper, a P.I. and former war hero, who begins this gun-blazing adventure when an unsuspecting woman approaches Pepper with what seems to be a routine case. As you may guess, it ends up being anything but routine, unfolding into a deeper mystery that'll have you firing more bullets than you would in Cuphead. Not only does the art and animation in MOUSE: P.I. For Hire look amazing, but the gameplay looks wickedly fun. Hopefully, we'll have an actual release date to look forward to soon, but for now, getting it on your wishlist will have to suffice.

5 SPINE - This is Gun Fu

Planned release date: TBA

The worst part about SPINE - This is Gun Fu right now looks to be the fact that there's not even a release window to look forward to. Otherwise, this game looks like an absolutely insane time. In this cyberpunk setting, you'll step into the combat boots of Redline, a street artist who, if I didn't know any better, seems to be after John Wick's heart with her gun fu abilities.

Developer Nekki's focus on making SPINE - This is Gun Fu a cinematic and action-packed experience makes this game a huge standout on Steam. It also looks leagues above what you'd expect from an indie game in the graphics department. All together, this is definitely a game to keep your eye on as we get deeper into 2025. Hopefully, a release date reveal is on the horizon.

4 Undefeated: Genesis

Planned release date: 2026

The definition of "I'll do it myself," Undefeated: Genesis looks like the Superman game that DC either can't or won't make, which we've all been wanting. From Osaka-based studio Indie-us Games and publisher Chorus Worldwide Games, just one look at the protagonist driving his enemies through a mountain should make you rush to click the 'Add to Wishlist' button.

What makes Undefeated: Genesis extremely promising is that you can actually go play an early iteration of the game right now in a smaller title called Undefeated. The original three members of the Indie-us team released Undefeated on Steam for free, where the Superman influence can be felt even more with its city setting. Obviously, the team is working to improve on the foundation they built with Undefeated, but it's a great way to get a taste of what's to come in Undefeated: Genesis when it arrives sometime next year.

3 Henry Halfhead

Planned release date: TBA

Sometimes, an indie game comes around that just looks so unique, quirky, and funny that it doesn't leave your head. Henry Halfhead, I imagine, will keep consuming at least half of my head until I finally play it. You play as the title character, Henry, who is exactly as described: just half of a head. But he's also everything else that he can jump on. Sort of in a Super Mario Odyssey type of way, Henry makes his bed in the morning by jumping, as just half of a head, onto his pillows. Once he does, his bright eyes pop up in the pillow, and suddenly, you're a pillow. Repeat that with everything else that you can see on the screen, and I can already imagine the puzzle fun that awaits in Henry Halfhead.

The other reason Henry Halfhead is one to watch is because it's coming from a publisher that, in the same way Devolver Digital and Annapurna Interactive gained notoriety, knows how to pick 'em. Henry Halfhead is being published by Popagenda, who previously published indie-darling Toem: A Photo Adventure. Popagenda has also worked on titles, through publishing, marketing, strategy and other services, including Venba, Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure, Little Kitty Big City, Melatonin, Another Crab's Treasure, and Nobody Saves the World, to name a few. Basically, if you see Popagenda is working with a certain game, then it's probably worth keeping an eye on.

2 ExeKiller

Planned release date: 2025

A self-described "retro futuristic western," from a distance, ExeKiller looks like the kind of game where you're jumping into the world of Blade Runner 2049, but scratch the city parts and keep all the countryside and frontier setting. Put another way, if you imagine what Blade Runner and Red Dead Redemption would look like mashed together in a first-person action-adventure game, ExeKiller would probably be right on the mark with what you have in your mind.

Coming from an independent studio in Poland called Paradark Studio, ExeKiller is definitely an ambitious first project, but the team has been consistent with updates through its Discord and socials. Hopefully, we'll have a proper release date to look forward to now that we're properly into 2025.

1 Baby Steps

Planned release date: 2025

If you've ever played Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, then you might already be very aware of Baby Steps. If you haven't played it, you might just know it as the game where half a guy has a hammer and is stuck in a cauldron. But Baby Steps isn't just the next game by Foddy. It's Bennett Foddy, paired with Gabe Cuzzillo and Maxi Boch, the creators of Ape Out, working together to make what might be the funniest, silliest, and most frustrating game ever made.

It did unfortunately miss its original release window for 2024, though hopefully 2025 is the year that we will finally be able to take our first steps as Nate, a pretty giant baby, on an adventure that he is in no way equipped for, but must find a way through anyway.

You can't catch everything, but make sure not to miss these

Like I said at the top, it's impossible to stay on top of every great new game. Undoubtedly there are many different iterations of this list I could've written, but these are the eight that really stand out from the crowd, and there's a good chance you could have missed them when they were first announced. There are probably at least eight other indie games you have heard of, though, among some of the most anticipated games on any list to look for in the near-future. So, alongside the indie games you're already excited about, like Hollow Knight: Silksong and Slay the Spire 2, make sure to also add each of these to your wishlist.