Top 18 Indie Games of the Mid-2010s

Genre-defying breakouts, haunting art-house experiments, and pixel-perfect throwbacks that proved small studios could rewrite the rules. Cast your vote!

1. 1
   Undertale

   Toby Fox's genre-bending 2015 RPG where mercy and morality reshape the whole game.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Rocket League

   The 2015 car-soccer smash hit that became a global competitive sensation.
   813pts
3. 3
   The Talos Principle

   A 2014 first-person puzzler weaving philosophy into its intricate challenges.
   665pts
4. 4
   Ori and the Blind Forest

   A visually stunning 2015 metroidvania praised for its art and emotional story.
   664pts
5. 5
   Shovel Knight

   A 2014 retro-styled platformer that revived the 8-bit adventure with modern polish.
   596pts
6. 6
   Firewatch

   A 2016 first-person narrative adventure set in the Wyoming wilderness.
   596pts
7. 7
   This War of Mine

   A 2014 survival game depicting civilians enduring a besieged city.
   517pts
8. 8
   Enter the Gungeon

   A frantic 2016 bullet-hell roguelike dungeon crawler.
   517pts
9. 9
   Darkest Dungeon

   A brutally punishing 2016 gothic roguelike about the psychological toll of dungeon-crawling.
   517pts
10. 10
    SOMA

    Frictional Games' 2015 sci-fi horror exploring consciousness beneath the ocean.
    423pts
11. 11
    Axiom Verge

    A 2015 retro-inspired metroidvania built almost entirely by one developer.
    423pts
12. 12
    Her Story

    Sam Barlow's 2015 interactive-fiction mystery told through fragmented video clips.
    423pts
13. 13
    Stardew Valley

    Eric Barone's 2016 farming-life sim that became a defining indie phenomenon.
    310pts
14. 14
    The Witness

    Jonathan Blow's 2016 open-world puzzle island full of intricate line mazes.
    310pts
15. 15
    Downwell

    A minimalist 2015 arcade descent shooter with gunboots.
    310pts
16. 16
    Inside

    Playdead's haunting 2016 puzzle-platformer follow-up to Limbo.
    310pts
17. 17
    Transistor

    Supergiant's 2014 sci-fi action-RPG with a striking painterly aesthetic.
    172pts
18. 18
    Broforce

    A 2015 run-and-gun action platformer parodying 80s action heroes.
    172pts