The Not-E3, er, Keigh-3, Summer Games Fest featured tons of the best upcoming indie games for PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC. From dedicated indie presentations like the Wholesome Direct to huge stages like the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, indie developers were highlighted throughout the week. In case you couldn’t keep up with the literal hours of presentations, here’s a look at the best indie games shown this year.
PlayStation State of Play
The PlayStation State of Play kicked off the summer festivities with huge first-party announcements but also took the time to highlight No Man’s Sky and Tunic. No Man’s Sky has been out for a while but is getting a nice update for the PlayStation. Tunic will be launching on PlayStation for the first time since its release earlier this year.
No Man’s Sky
PlayStation VR2 support is coming to No Man’s Sky and instead of bringing the game to you, they are bringing you to the game. This game has gotten mountains of additions since its tumultuous release and Hello Games has truly shown how to turn a bad situation into something good. Fly through the stars, explore endless galaxies, and uncover the secrets of the universe.
Tunic
What if Link were a fox? Tunic answers that question with its adorable fox dressed in a bright green tunic. After mountains of praise, this indie is finally making its way to PlayStation consoles on Sep. 27th. It’s a souls-like that draws visual inspiration from The Legend of Zelda series. With deep puzzles, challenging combat, and many secrets to discover, it’ll be a worthy addition to your collection.
Limited Run Games LRG3 Showcase
Limited Run Games brings digital games to the physical marketplace. During their showcase, they showed the mountains of games they’d be bringing to life in a physical format. Indie games especially benefit and are able to get limited physical releases of their games. Here are some best indies you’ll be able to pick up physically.
River City Girls 2
Wayforward’s River City Girls 2 is bringing their butt-kicking action to PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC. You will be able to pick up a physical version of this beat-em-up and enjoy the amazing artwork on your shelf.
Garden Story
On the surface, Garden Story looks like a gardening sim but it is actually a top-down action RPG similar to top-down Zelda games. This game has been available digitally for a while now but will finally be released physically on the Nintendo Switch.
Blossom Tales 2
Keeping in the vein of top-down Zelda, Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince is the sequel to its Zelda-inspired world, Blossom Tales. Set off on an adventure to face the return of the Minotaur King when this game comes physically to the Nintendo Switch.
Upload VR Showcase
Virtual Reality has a growing indie scene and the Upload VR Showcase showed off a lot of games that would be coming to the VR space. The biggest highlight was the VR iteration of Among Us.
Among Us
Lie, betray, and kill your crewmates or try to find the imposter in Among Us VR. Enter the spaceship and perform tasks as if you were actually there. Will you be taken out unsuspectingly, find the traitor, or be the one to destroy the crew when this game lands on the Oculus Quest 2?
Black Voices in Gaming
This presentation featured black game developers and the games they are creating. While many featured the developers themselves and their stories, a few games were only shown in trailers at the end. A big stand-out in this section was Grid Force: Mask of the Goddess.
Grid Force: Mask of the Goddess
Grid Force is a real-time, tactical-rpg packed to the brim with action, strategy, and personality. Play through a story that adapts to your decisions and build a unique team from a large roster of characters for what is sure to be an incredibly replayable experience.
Summer Games Fest
The main show hosted by Geoff Keighley was a great source for huge game announcements. It also featured several indies that are sure to get people excited.