Key Takeaways
- In 2024, a record number of indie games scored 90+ on Metacritic, with 5 titles earning a ‘Must Play’ badge.
- Previous years also had impressive indie game lineups, with 4 games breaking the 90+ mark in 2023 and 2018.
If this year has felt like a good year for indie games, that’s because it is. In fact, according to Metacritic, it’s the best, with more indie games scoring 90+ on the review aggregation site than in any other year.
Five different games scored 90+, earning them the ‘Metacritic Must Play’ badge, a feat that had never been achieved before.
2024 Was The Best Year Ever For Indies
This year, indies have shone, with the following five games achieving a 90+ on Metacritic:
Things started well when, in February, The Game Awards Game of the Year nominee Balatro hooked players with its devilishly moreish Roguelike action. May came around, and Animal Well’s deep and mysterious Metroidvania dropped, getting a perfect score from us at TheGamer.
Then, we were hit by a pair of indie greats in August and September, with Thank Goodness You’re Here and UFO 50 releasing. Finally, in October, the definitive edition of Slay The Princess was released, making it the best way to play one of last year’s highest-rated titles.
Alongside those five, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes and Neva were both nominated for ‘Best Indie Game’ at The Game Awards, and Manor Lords, The Plucky Squire, and Pacific Drive for ‘Best Debut Indie Game’, showing the strength in depth this year had.
It Was Close, Though
While 2024 was the first year five indie games hit 90+, four games have broken the mark in a couple of other years.
Last year, Baldur’s Gate 3 (which is technically an indie game), Against The Storm, Slay The Princess, and Videoverse all scored 90+. 2018, which is widely considered the best year for indie games, also saw four hit 90+, with Hades, Celeste, Hollow Knight, and Into the Breach all doing so.
Who said you need big triple-A games to make a year good?
Balatro takes the classic card game of poker and adds roguelike gameplay, using Joker cards with various abilities to build your deck and attempt to defeat pesky blinds.