Games created by smaller independent studios are important to the video game industry as a whole: these are often the places where real innovation takes place, where developers can experiment and play around with story, mechanics and gameplay. There were so many glorious indie games to play in 2021, and 2022 is no different. There are many more exciting indie games to look forward to – many, much more than I could fit into this list.
Some of the games on this list were included in last year’s roundup, but their launches have been postponed to 2022 in another challenging year. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing; 2021 was not just a year of great video games – indie or otherwise – it was also a year in which companies large and small reckoned with the way they worked. Delaying a game while disappointing can help the developers working on it: more time means (hopefully) less stress and helps staff stay safe and healthy as they create their art.
Here are 22 indie titles expected to be released in 2022. As I said, there are way too many exciting games coming and I certainly haven’t mentioned any on this list. I would love to hear about your most anticipated titles in the comments section below.
The garden path
The garden path is a game about the little joys of gardening. Developer carrotcake said it was a game in which players “will discover a long-forgotten garden and help it grow again to attract plant dwellers and curious animal travelers”. It looks totally adorable and comes to Windows PC.
Venba
From developer Visai Games, Venba is described as a “narrative cooking game” set in 1980s Canada. The focus is on an Indian mother, whose players are tasked with cooking and remembering lost recipes. It’s a story about “family, love, loss and more,” the developer wrote on Steam. It looks amazing. It will be released in November 2022
Citizen Sleeper
from In other waters Developer Jump Over The Age, Citizen sleeper is an RPG inspired by tabletop games that takes place in an old space station. “[Citizen Sleeper] It’s about surviving under precarious conditions, about gig work, about living in a body that sometimes feels antagonistic, ”said developer Gareth Damian Martin on Twitter. “It’s also about hope, support and building a life.”
[Disclosure: Nicole Carpenter wrote once for Heterotopias, a digital zine and website created by Citizen Sleeper developer Gareth Damian Martin.]
Call me Cera
A visual novel by Toadhouse Games, Call me Cera revolves around a thought I had a lot in my adult life: How do I make friends as an adult? The full version of the game will be released in 2022, but a demo is available now – One of the vignettes is about the operation of a food stand during Ramadan. Get to Windows PC.
Dordogne
If there is a way to describe Dordogne, I would go with “breathtaking”. The game has an amazing watercolor style that immediately attracted me. The narrative adventure game lets the player immerse himself in “childhood memories” according to its Steam page. It plays in the present and the past, but both worlds look equally great.
It will hit the Windows PC in 2022. Wishlist on Steam.
Series cleaner
There is violence and crime in many video games. Series cleaner is about the people cleaning up the aftermath. It’s a stealth game with a sleek look, comes from Draw Distance in early 2022.
Frank and Drake
Frank and Drake is supposed to be an interpretation of classic novels like Dracula and Frankenstein, takes place in a turn-based world and focuses on two roommates with opposing schedules. From the Appnormals team, Frank and Drake comes for Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Windows PC.
Chinatown Detective Agency
The cyberpunk genre is more than just that Cyberpunk 2077, and you can see that in Chinatown Detective Agency. It takes place in a stylish Singapore in 2032. Developed by Singapore-based developer General Interactive Co., it looks like an interesting future. Like the others on this list it’s coming in 2022.
Ghost swap: Lofi hits Match-3 To
Soft, not weak Ghost swap: Lofi hits Match-3 To is a rhythm match 3 game with a killer soundtrack and a cast of witches and demons – some of whom you can hang out with, get to know and maybe date? All of this takes place in five different match-3 modes.
Mothmen 1966
Mothmen 1966 is described by developer LCB Game Studio as a “pixel pulp” game – a mixture of pulp fiction and low-resolution art in the style of the 1980s. It takes place during the Leonid meteor shower of 1966, when meteors “seemed to fall like rain”. according to NASA. Mothmen 1966 comes to Windows PC and consoles in 2022.
A Shiba story
That Shiba’s name is Sunday, and you’re playing as a newbie dog sitter. From creator Foxdog Farms, A Shiba story is a slice of life game about life with a dog – and it looks very clean and good. A Shiba story comes to Windows PC in 2022.
ValiDate: Fighting singles near you
ValiDate: Fighting singles near you is of course a dating simulator with stylish art and very cute characters. “In the Jercy City area, thirteen struggling singles in their twenties are making their way through the tough trials of capitalism to find meaning in their lives,” developer Vertitable Joy said on Steam. “Contains a touch of love, cosplay and even mediocre mixtapes in the mix.”
Great space club
Graham reids Great space club is a colorful lo-fi space combat game – similar to Atari’s Asteroids, if it were an open world game. It is expected to appear on Windows PCs in 2022, Xbox Series X and Xbox One.
she dreams Elsewhere
She dreams somewhere else, as you may have guessed, was set in a dream. Described as an adventure RPG, this indie game has a surreal atmosphere – the perfect setting for a bad dream. The music, composed by Mimi Page, is perfect.
She dreams somewhere else Coming to Mac, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, and Xbox consoles in 2022.
indulgence
indulgence is about objects; “We keep the property close by,” says developer Joel McDonald. Through these objects, we as gamers can see a woman’s life – her whole life – when the game is in Apple’s App Store, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC
Norco
Norco Developer Geography of Robots describes the game as a “sci-fi Southern Gothic point-and-click adventure”, a glimpse into the “industrial swamps and decaying suburbs of South Louisiana”. The beautiful graphics and music create a haunting view of the science fiction south. It’s over in 2022 on Windows PC.
Terra Nile
Terra Nile is a strategy game from the developer Free Lives, in which the aim is not to command and conquer. Instead, the player must restore procedurally generated wasteland and give life back to the world. A demo is now available on Steam, but the full version is expected on Windows PC in 2022.
Card shark
Card shark is a game of cheating cards as you rise to the top of 18th century French society. Lie, cheat, and steal, but don’t get caught or you’ll find yourself at the uncomfortable end of a blade or a gun barrel. Developed by ruled Studio Nerial, Card shark will be released via Steam on Nintendo Switch and PC platforms in 2022.
Bear and breakfast
What if you run a bed and breakfast but you were a bear? You don’t have to imagine it yourself. Bear and breakfast Developer Gummy Cat promises just that – a “relaxed management adventure game in which you play as a well-meaning bear trying to run a B + B in the forest”. It comes to in 2022 Nintendo switch and Windows PC in 2022.
Afterlove EP
Pikselenesias Afterlove EP, published by Fellow Traveler, is a dating sim, rhythm game, and narrative adventure. All of this takes place in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta with a story of loss and love.
It comes to Windows PC and consoles in summer 2022.
Silt
Silt is a black and white game set in the depths of the ocean – “a surreal oceanic void”. It looks like there is a lot to explore but also tons of environmental puzzles to solve. It is expected to be on Windows PC in early 2022, from developer Spiral Circus.
Thirsty suitors
Falcon age Developer Outerloop Game makes its debut Thirsty suitors during The Game Awards 2021. The exciting trailer featured cooking, skateboarding, and “turn-based RPG combat” that appear to be a part of the dating parts of the game. The story revolves around a woman named Jala who has returned to her small, gossipy hometown. But it looks like family, friends and of course exes play a big role here too.
Thirsty suitors has no release date, but it is expected in 2022.
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