The Best Indie Games of 2026 - You Need to Play Right Now
talha1200The Best Indie Games of 2026 You Need to Play Right Now
Original illustration by Meta Protago — not actual game artwork.
2026 has already been one of the best years for indie games in a long time — a shopkeeping RPG finally hit its full release, a cat-breeding roguelike came out of nowhere, and a Zelda-style throwback is being called a real game of the year contender. Here are the best indie games of 2026 so far, and the ones actually worth spending your money on.
Every September for the past few years has turned into a bit of a graveyard for mid-size releases, and 2026 was no different — plenty of developers pushed their games out of GTA 6's release window entirely. But that hasn't stopped a steady stream of genuinely great indie games from launching all year, sitting comfortably alongside heavy hitters like Ghost of Yotei on PS5. If you want the bigger picture with AAA picks included too, our best PC games of 2026 guide covers those. For now, let's focus on the small studios doing big things.
We picked these games based on three things: how much fun we actually had playing them, how they hold up against everything else that came out in 2026, and whether they're worth buying right now instead of waiting for a sale. No sponsored spots here — just five indie games that earned their place on this list.
Mina the Hollower
Action-AdventureMina the Hollower comes from the studio behind Shovel Knight, and it plays like a lost Game Boy-era Zelda game built for 2026. You control Mina, a mouse adventurer who can burrow underground to dodge attacks and sneak past enemies, while whipping and stabbing her way through a dark, gothic world. It launched on May 29, 2026, for $19.99, and it's already one of the best-reviewed games of the year.
✓ Why We Love It
- Feels like a lost Game Boy Zelda game, rebuilt for modern hardware
- The "Hollowing" burrow ability makes combat and exploration feel fresh
- Jake Kaufman and Yuzo Koshiro's soundtrack is genuinely excellent
✕ Keep In Mind
- Some boss fights are genuinely tough, so it's not the most relaxing pick
- No physical release has been confirmed yet
What sets Mina apart from everything else on this list is how classic it feels while still holding its own against 2026's biggest AAA releases. It took Yacht Club roughly six years to finish, starting life as a 2022 Kickstarter that raised more than $1.2 million from over 21,000 backers — proof that the wait was worth it.
Mewgenics
Tactical RoguelikeFrom Edmund McMillen, the creator of The Binding of Isaac, Mewgenics is exactly as strange as it sounds: you breed generations of cats, pass down their traits and mutations, and send your best fighters into turn-based tactical battles. It launched on PC on February 10, 2026, priced at $29.99, with console versions following on Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S in September 2026.
✓ Why We Love It
- The genetics system means every playthrough breeds different cats
- Turn-based combat has real tactical depth once it clicks
- Huge amount of content for the price if you love long roguelikes
✕ Keep In Mind
- The humor and breeding loop can feel repetitive after many hours
- The tutorial barely explains itself, so expect to learn through failure
Mewgenics is the weirdest and most ambitious pick on this list by a wide margin. The idea has existed in some form since 2012, and after more than a decade of on-and-off development, it reportedly recouped its entire budget within hours of launch — something almost no indie game manages, let alone one about breeding cats.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault
Action RPG / Shopkeeper SimMoonlighter 2 keeps the same day-and-night loop that made the original a cult hit: run a shop by day, price your goods, then dive into procedurally generated dungeons by night to find more loot. After nearly a year in Early Access, it hit its full 1.0 release on September 2, 2026, on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S (day one on Game Pass), and Switch 2, now rebuilt in a full 3D isometric style instead of the original's 2D pixel art.
✓ Why We Love It
- The shopkeeper-by-day, dungeon-diver-by-night loop is still addictive
- The jump to full 3D is a big visual upgrade over the original
- The new hardcore permadeath mode adds real replay value
✕ Keep In Mind
- Newcomers may want to try the original Moonlighter first for context
- Pricing your shop items correctly takes a bit of trial and error
Compared to everything else here, Moonlighter 2 is the safest bet if you already loved the first game back in 2018. It's less about reinventing the formula and more about doing everything the original did, just bigger, prettier, and with more to unlock — you can find the full price and platform breakdown in our Moonlighter 2 release date and price guide.
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike DeckbuilderSlay the Spire basically invented the roguelike deckbuilder genre, and its sequel picks up 1,000 years later with three returning characters (Ironclad, Silent, Defect) plus two new ones (Necrobinder, Regent). It entered Steam Early Access on March 5, 2026, for $24.99, and already includes 575+ cards, 278 relics, and — for the first time in the series — up to 4-player online co-op.
✓ Why We Love It
- Four-player co-op is a genuine first for the series
- 575+ cards and 278 relics give it huge build variety
- Still no microtransactions, which is rare these days
✕ Keep In Mind
- It's Early Access, so expect balance changes and some placeholder art
- Full 1.0 isn't expected until 2027 or later
Unlike everything else on this list, you're buying into an unfinished game here. But Mega Crit has a strong track record — the original Slay the Spire also launched in Early Access before becoming one of the best-reviewed indie games ever made, and this sequel reportedly sold over 3 million copies in its first week alone.
Mixtape
Narrative AdventureMixtape follows three friends reliving flashbacks from their teenage years on their last night together before graduation, with each memory triggered by a different song. It launched on May 7, 2026, for $19.99 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch 2 (day one on Xbox Game Pass), with a licensed soundtrack featuring Devo, Joy Division, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and more.
✓ Why We Love It
- The licensed soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission
- Short runtime means you can finish it in a single evening
- Available day one on Xbox Game Pass
✕ Keep In Mind
- At around 3 hours, it's a one-time experience rather than a replay-heavy game
- Some mature themes mean it's better suited to older teens and adults
Unlike the roguelikes and RPGs on the rest of this list, Mixtape doesn't ask for dozens of hours. It's built to be finished in one sitting, more like a movie than a traditional game, which makes it the perfect pick if you want something different from indie gaming without a huge time commitment.
Quick Comparison
| Game | Genre | Platform | Best For | Our Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mina the Hollower | Action-Adventure | PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch, Switch 2 | Zelda-style exploration fans | #1 Best |
| Mewgenics | Tactical Roguelike | PC, consoles later in 2026 | Deep strategy + dark humor fans | #2 Original |
| Moonlighter 2 | Action RPG / Sim | PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch 2 | Shopkeeping + dungeon-crawl fans | #3 Newest |
| Slay the Spire 2 | Deckbuilder Roguelike | PC (Early Access) | Card game and co-op fans | #4 |
| Mixtape | Narrative Adventure | PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch 2 | Story and music lovers | #5 |
Still to Come Before 2026 Ends
The rest of the year isn't short on indie games to look forward to either. Team Cherry has confirmed a free "Sea of Sorrow" expansion for Hollow Knight: Silksong, which had already sold over 7 million copies by the end of 2025 and remains one of the most talked-about indie games heading into 2026. Cozy sim fans also have Witchbrook on the horizon, a magical life-sim from the publishers behind Stardew Valley that's been on wishlists for years.
It's not just the indie space keeping busy, either — 2026 is also the year everyone finally gets to compare Rockstar's new open world directly against the last one (see our GTA 6 vs GTA 5 breakdown). Between franchises like that and a steady drip of quality indie releases, there's genuinely too much to play right now — which, as far as gaming problems go, isn't a bad one to have.
