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

Undertale

Toby Fox's genre-bending 2015 RPG where mercy and morality reshape the whole game.

1000pts

2

Rocket League

The 2015 car-soccer smash hit that became a global competitive sensation.

813pts

3

The Talos Principle

A 2014 first-person puzzler weaving philosophy into its intricate challenges.

665pts

4

Ori and the Blind Forest

A visually stunning 2015 metroidvania praised for its art and emotional story.

664pts

5

Shovel Knight

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

596pts

6

Firewatch

A 2016 first-person narrative adventure set in the Wyoming wilderness.

596pts

7

This War of Mine

A 2014 survival game depicting civilians enduring a besieged city.

517pts

8

Enter the Gungeon

A frantic 2016 bullet-hell roguelike dungeon crawler.

517pts

9

Darkest Dungeon

A brutally punishing 2016 gothic roguelike about the psychological toll of dungeon-crawling.

517pts

10

SOMA

Frictional Games' 2015 sci-fi horror exploring consciousness beneath the ocean.

423pts

11

Axiom Verge

A 2015 retro-inspired metroidvania built almost entirely by one developer.

423pts

12

Her Story

Sam Barlow's 2015 interactive-fiction mystery told through fragmented video clips.

423pts

13

Stardew Valley

Eric Barone's 2016 farming-life sim that became a defining indie phenomenon.

310pts

14

The Witness

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

310pts

15

Downwell

A minimalist 2015 arcade descent shooter with gunboots.

310pts

16

Inside

Playdead's haunting 2016 puzzle-platformer follow-up to Limbo.

310pts

17

Transistor

Supergiant's 2014 sci-fi action-RPG with a striking painterly aesthetic.

172pts

18

Broforce

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

172pts