2022 Was an amazing year for indie games all around. Honestly, I was surprised it topped both 2020 and 2021 for me as indie games were really able to shine in the spotlight those years due to the Covid-19 pandemic putting a higher strain on bigger game developers. However, I was totally blown away by the amazing selection of titles that found their way to players last year and there’s so much great stuff on the horizon for 2023. Here’s just a short list of games I’m super excited about that are set to come out this year. If there’s any you think I should try please feel free to comment down below!

5. My Friendly Neighborhood

It’s no secret to a lot of people that I’m a huge fan of John Szymanski’s work. I adored Kyle is Famous and was really interested when he announced this brand new Resident Evil meets Five Nights at Freddy’s style game, My Friendly Neighborhood. The demo was released last year and it was amazing to play through. It had the perfect balance of resource management and puzzle solving and combined with the creepy yet goofy aesthetic it utterly engrossed me when it came out. Needless to say, I’m very excited about this game’s release later this year.

4. Hades II

Even if you don’t play that many indie games you’re bound to have played or at least seen the marvel that was Supergiant Games‘ Hades which was fully released in 2020. As someone who isn’t the biggest enjoyer of roguelikes, Hades was a rare expectation. I couldn’t put the game down! The art style and the amazing music by Darren Korb mixed with the incredible narrative and gameplay had me playing Hades both on my PC and on the go on my Nintendo Switch. When Hades II was announced at The Game Awards 2022 I felt that level of hype and excitement I hadn’t really felt since the reveal trailer for Halo Infinite. Everything about the game seems familiar but with, what I can only imagine being, a refreshing new narrative.

3. Replaced

I’ve been keeping my eye on Replaced for quite some time now. Both it and Somerville were shown around the same time and they both struck me as having a very similar vibe. On reflection though, and having played Somerville now, I don’t know if I’m so sure about that. Replaced depicts this really grungy Bladerunner 2049 aesthetic that I love along with an amazing pixel art style. It’s a game I’m going to try and avoid any news on if possible as I’d love to go into the blind.

2. The Last Worker

Similar to Replaced, The Last Worker is another project I’ve been keeping an eye on for some time now. It was hard not to get engrossed by the idea of a VR-centric capitalist critical game. Alongside that, the creator, Jörg Tittel speaks so passionately about the game that it’s hard not to get excited about it. A demo came out last year on PC and it was an interesting narrative experience. I’m hoping for a bit more of the same really when the game fully releases and with it coming to VR it’ll be so much fun to experience the game as intended.

1. Hollow Knight: Silksong

Come on, you knew this was going to be on the list. There hasn’t been a single publication that’s failed to mention Hollow Knight: Silksong as one of the most anticipated games of 2023 and for good reason. Hollow Knight was again a rare expectation for me as I’m not a huge Metroidvania player. Even when I do play them I rarely finish them. Hollow Knight‘s world and art style are just so appealing though that I found myself just enjoying the journey in between the massive boss fights. Easily a day-one purchase for me.

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So, there we have it! That is only five games set to make their way to players in 2023 but damn they are some good ones. There are definitely some I’ve missed out on and if I did please let me know over on Twitter. If you’re interested in hearing about our favourite indie games from 2022 why not check out our latest video below?

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