Best Indie Games of All Time — Yourlist

Best Indie Games of All Time

a Yourlist ranking · the crowd decides the order

From pixel-art platformers to genre-defining roguelikes, these indie games redefined what small teams could achieve. Vote for the ones that left the biggest mark on you.

What counts: Ranking reflects a blend of critical acclaim, cultural influence, and lasting player love. 'Best' weighs innovation, quality, and legacy over raw sales. All figures (year, price, ratings) are approximate and sourced from public knowledge.

Minecraft
A blocky sandbox that became the best-selling video game in history, born from one developer's prototype.
Release Year: 2011Launch Price: $27Critical Acclaim: 9.5/10
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Undertale
A subversive RPG about choosing kindness over violence that became a cultural phenomenon.
Release Year: 2015Launch Price: $10Critical Acclaim: 9.3/10
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Hollow Knight
A gorgeous, punishing metroidvania set in a haunting bug kingdom that redefined the genre.
Release Year: 2017Launch Price: $15Critical Acclaim: 9.4/10
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Stardew Valley
One developer's solo-built farming sim that rivals and surpasses the genre's biggest franchises.
Release Year: 2016Launch Price: $15Critical Acclaim: 9.3/10
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Celeste
A brutally precise platformer about climbing a mountain and confronting anxiety, with pixel-perfect design.
Release Year: 2018Launch Price: $20Critical Acclaim: 9.2/10
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Braid
The puzzle-platformer that kickstarted the indie renaissance with its time-manipulation mechanics.
Release Year: 2008Launch Price: $15Critical Acclaim: 8.8/10
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Super Meat Boy
A ruthlessly hard platformer that proved indie games could be both punishing and beloved.
Release Year: 2010Launch Price: $15Critical Acclaim: 8.9/10
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The Binding of Isaac
A twisted roguelike that helped popularize the entire roguelite genre on PC.
Release Year: 2011Launch Price: $5Critical Acclaim: 8.9/10
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Hades
Supergiant's narrative roguelike that many call the genre's high-water mark.
Release Year: 2020Launch Price: $25Critical Acclaim: 9.5/10
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Cave Story
A free indie masterpiece made by one person that predates and inspired the whole modern indie scene.
Release Year: 2004Launch Price: $0Critical Acclaim: 9/10
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Limbo
A monochrome, wordless puzzle-platformer dripping with atmosphere and dread.
Release Year: 2010Launch Price: $10Critical Acclaim: 8.7/10
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Inside
Playdead's eerie follow-up to Limbo, a cinematic puzzle-platformer with a haunting twist ending.
Release Year: 2016Launch Price: $20Critical Acclaim: 9.1/10
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Papers, Please
A dystopian border-checkpoint simulator that turned bureaucracy into gripping moral drama.
Release Year: 2013Launch Price: $10Critical Acclaim: 8.9/10
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FTL: Faster Than Light
A tense spaceship roguelike that spawned countless imitators in the genre.
Release Year: 2012Launch Price: $10Critical Acclaim: 8.7/10
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Terraria
A 2D sandbox adventure that expanded on Minecraft's formula with combat, bosses, and exploration.
Release Year: 2011Launch Price: $10Critical Acclaim: 9/10
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Disco Elysium
A staggeringly written detective RPG with no combat, just dialogue, skills, and existential dread.
Release Year: 2019Launch Price: $40Critical Acclaim: 9.4/10
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World of Goo
A charming physics puzzler built by a two-person team that helped launch the indie boom.
Release Year: 2008Launch Price: $15Critical Acclaim: 8.6/10
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Shovel Knight
A love letter to 8-bit platformers that outshines many of the classics it pays homage to.
Release Year: 2014Launch Price: $15Critical Acclaim: 9/10
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Spelunky
The procedurally generated platformer that codified modern roguelike level design.
Release Year: 2008Launch Price: $15Critical Acclaim: 8.8/10
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Dead Cells
A fluid, fast-paced roguevania that blends Metroidvania exploration with roguelike replayability.
Release Year: 2018Launch Price: $25Critical Acclaim: 9/10
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