Best Indie Games On Xbox Game Pass

Summary

• Indie games on Xbox Game Pass offer innovative and daring experiences that showcase the passion and hard work of small studios.
• Celeste, Amnesia: The Bunker, and Goat Simulator are some of the best indie games deserving of your time.
• Inside, Dead Cells, and Stardew Valley are also standout indie games on Xbox Game Pass, providing immersive worlds and captivating gameplay experiences.

The diversity of games available on the Xbox Game Pass library is a true delight for all who subscribe to the service. And while flashy, triple-A titles are major draws, understated indie games should also garner attention from the masses. These titles provide experiences that are innovative and daring, showcasing what a small studio of dedicated developers can do with passion and hard work.

It is truly gratifying to see these indie games shine like diamonds within the treasure trove of the Xbox Game Pass collection. Read on if you want to see which are the best indie games most deserving of your time.

20

Still Wakes the Deep

The indie space is where the horror genre truly flourishes, and Still Wakes the Deep is an example of this trend. Developed by The Chinese Room (known for making Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture), Still Wakes the Deep takes us to an oil rig in the middle of the tumultuous North Sea. The crew drills too far one day, and Cthulhu-esque hell breaks loose. With stellar vocal performances from the cast to guide you, you navigate through the crumbling rig, looking for a way off for you and your coworkers.

While it’s more on the walking simulator side of things than a puzzler or survival horror, it’s a gripping story that keeps you riveted to the inexplicable terror that’s visited upon you. Plus, if you have any sort of fear about being stranded in the middle of the ocean, the setting is absolutely prime for playing on that anxiety.

19

Sifu

Difficulty is not a prerequisite to be considered an indie game, but if it were, you can bet that Sifu would make the list. This third-person brawler is one of the toughest games we’ve ever played. In it, you are a person whose family was murdered by a group of assassins. Your job is to take them all out, one by one, before you die of old age. The only problem is every defeat you suffer ages you on the spot. And if you’re too elderly by the time you get to the final boss, don’t expect to win easily.

Sifu’s combat mechanics are merciless, but precise. When an opponent lands a hit on you, it has the potential to end your current run. But if you master the fighting mechanics, there is no other game on Earth that will make you feel like a John Wick. Not even an officially licensed John Wick game.

18

Citizen Sleeper

A handful of the games here are remarkable given the creativity behind their game mechanics. The other handful landed on this list due to their incredible narrative, and Citizen Sleeper settles itself solidly in the camp of the latter. The dice-rolling and text-reading that makes up the majority of its gameplay work solidly, but they’re nothing to cry home about. Citizen Sleeper’s story, on the other hand, is just so engrossing, it’s one of those games that will not only keep you up late into the night playing it, but will have you ruminating on its themes and implications long after you’ve finished it.

Without spoiling too much of this seriously awesome story, you play as a “Sleeper” whose body has an impending expiration date that weighs on all of your choices. Every interaction you engage in, every purchase you expend wages on, and every activity that sucks up your precious time, is a hard decision you have to make. And with themes like that, can you blame us for pondering on Citizen Sleeper years after its release?

17

Have A Nice Death

As with most walking simulators, I have a soft spot for roguelites. So almost any game that fits in those genres piques my interest. If you’re like me and you have a fondness for delightful and skillfully made roguelites, then Have a Nice Death is a game to add to your must-play list. Not only does it feature solid combat reminiscent of Dead Cells, it’s absolutely coated in white-collar humor that anyone who has worked an office job will appreciate and relate to.

The narrative stars the Grim Reaper as a worn-down cog in the corporate machine that is life and death. And let’s just say that certain automatic processes have gotten out of control, so Death needs to buck up with a cup of coffee and get his work affairs in order before he and his staff are buried in paperwork and bad management.

The traversal, 2D platforming, is not complicated, and leaves the focus of the game on the combat. You can equip a handful of weapons or spells that assist Death on his journey to take back his company. It’s a short but fun venture that is death-damned delight for fans of the genre.

16

Dead Cells

Full disclosure. We should have added Dead Cells to this list ages ago. But it was one of the many superb indie games that was always on our “to-play” list, never our “have-played” list. But now, we can finally say, at the time of this update, Dead Cells is under our belts and on this list.

Dead Cells is a roguelite platformer that sees you take control of a sentient pile of goop that goes on runs through decrepit dungeons, shadow-filled sewers, and grim graveyards. There’s a loose story behind your runs; a decaying kingdom under siege from some sort of “malaise” and an Alchemist who ran numerous experiments on living beings. But the star of Dead Cells is its combat.

As you go through the game over and over again to varying degrees of success depending on what weapons you pick up, what permanent upgrades you’ve managed to apply, and your knowledge of enemy movesets, you’ll gain a mastery over Dead Cells’ rewarding combat system. You’ll learn which weapons suit your playstyle and which boosts fit these weapons. You’ll learn the timing of when to parry or dodge for each monster. And, most importantly, you’ll learn what the game expects of you.

Another part of Dead Cells that shouldn’t go unmentioned is its humor. There is an understated sense of humor throughout the title that’s perfectly embodied by your little-pile-of-goop-inhabiting-a-body character, who shrugs and shakes their head when they come across something mystifying. So as you play through Dead Cells, wondering why on earth you hadn’t played it earlier, it’s this exact motion that’s your answer.

15

Superhot: Mind Control Delete

Indies are where the creativity and ingenuity of games really shine, and a perfect example of this is Superhot. It takes a relatively oversaturated genre (the first-person shooter) and turns it into something truly unique. The slogan for Superhot: Mind Control Delete is that time only moves when you do. So when you’re placed into various scenarios of geometric-looking enemies approaching, even though your first impulse will be to rush in guns blazing, stopping to take stock of your environment is what will win you the encounter.

In that sense, Superhot almost feels more like a puzzle game than an FPS game. You have to look around, plan where you’ll move, anticipate where bullets will be flying past you as your opponents open fire, and fight back accordingly. As you start out, it’s a bit of a trial-and-error style of play. At least that’s how it was for me.

But as you get used to the measured flow of combat, you’ll soon find yourself mowing through encounters like there’s no tomorrow. And the cherry on top is getting to rewatch the action in real-time clips afterwards. Makes you feel like a total badass. And there’s no other game that accomplishes this quite like Superhot.

14

Firewatch

Firewatch is a first-person 3D narrative experience — that’s walking simulator, if you’re less into verbose nomenclature — that has the player filling the shoes of Henry, who has taken a job as a fire lookout to get a bit of distance from his home life after it takes a series of heartwrenchingly tragic turns. Shortly after arriving at his solitary lookout tower in the middle of the expansive Shoshone National Forest, Henry is contacted by his supervisor, Delilah, via his handheld walkie-talkie. She’s stationed in another tower, but you never really conventionally “meet” other characters in-person, save for a few odd encounters.

Focusing most of the game’s narrative and plot development into such a remote form of communication helps reinforce the game’s contemplative, solitary thematic elements — and it proves quite effective as events around the forest become increasingly unnerving and uncanny. Firewatch is a delightfully off-beat indie experience altogether, and though most of the core “mechanics” simply revolve around choice-based dialogue tree interactions, it never fails to keep you immersed with its flair for visual design and excellent character writing.

13

Cocoon

Made from some of the brains behind Limbo and Inside, Cocoon is a mind-bending puzzle game that exceeds all expectations. It strikes the perfect balance between being challenging and enjoyable, and exhibits how indie games are where innovation is truly taking place.

Personally took me about six hours to complete, but I was spending a lot of time running around trying to find the Moon Ancestors.

Cocoon has you solve a variety of puzzles that revolve around the concept of a recursive world. Even talking about the concept of recursive worlds can be difficult to explain, so it’s a sign of genius that Geometric Interactive not only made this approachable, but built its entire game around it. 2023 is a year where games like Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Starfield came out. And yet, Cocoon outshines them all when it comes to the fascinating gameplay loop that keeps you jumping into (and out of) its worlds.

12

Celeste

Celeste is a game about overcoming obstacles, whether they be facing your personal anxieties or scaling a snowy mountain. This platformer might look like your average, pixelated indie title, but its themes carry the narrative straight into the hearts of players. As a matter of fact, the difficulty of facing these platforming challenges ties in to the difficulty of fighting your inner demons.

Celeste gained widespread recognition, even winning Best Independent Game at the 2018 Game Awards. Though its trials might be daunting, seeing your way through to its conclusion is a reward that goes beyond simply completing a game.

11

Goat Simulator

Goat Simulator takes the wild proposition of playing as a goat and just runs with it in one of the most delightful indie sim games ever made. While it is most definitely not an accurate depiction of what a real goat’s life is like, it is one of the most entertaining “simulator” games available, and it is an utter joy to see it as part of the Xbox Game Pass’ library.

In Goat Simulator, being a goat means wreaking absolute havoc wherever you go. Bleat people into oblivion, lick random objects and carry them with you with your prehensile tongue, or headbutt cars until they explode. All of these activities are valid.

10

Darkest Dungeon

Darkest Dungeon can be summed up quite tersely — it’s Lovecraftian horror as seen through a hardcore roguelike RPG with a killer artistic aesthetic, but that does it a criminal level of injustice. Though RNG can have a heavy hand in dictating its thrills, Darkest Dungeon’s incorporation of a “stress” mechanic that reflects the psychological toll of facing the extraplanar horrors of its dark fantasy world is quite ingenious.

The game’s roster of recruitable heroes can develop fears and phobias stemming from their encounters, or fall to outright madness should their mental threshold be crossed. One needs to weigh the costs and benefits of sending out a well-worn hero not only in terms of blood and gold, but the very sanity of their semi-stalwart adventurers.

9

Inside

Though Playdead initially wowed players with its first puzzle platformer, Limbo, it was its second that truly showcased the polish and prestige of its talent. Inside is a master class in atmospheric storytelling. The young boy you play as never speaks a word. He just continually walks forward, from the left side of the screen to the right. But despite that, you gain a horrific understanding of the world he resides in.

Inside is atmospheric storytelling at its best.

As with most indie titles, Inside is a short experience. However, it’s not one that should be missed. In the relative three hours you spend playing, you’ll experience more emotions than you would in the entirety of some of today’s modern, 20-hour triple-A titles. With zero desire to spoil the narrative, all we can say is that Inside is a classic indie game that bears playing at least once in your lifetime.

8

Vampire Survivors

Look no further than Vampire Survivors if you are at all interested in playing the hit roguelike title that inspired dozens of copycats. The object of the game is exceedingly simple, but it is in Vampire Survivors’ simplicity where its genius lies. All you have to do to play the game is move your little character and watch as their automatic passives slowly but surely demolish the monsters around them.

The more monsters you slay, the more you level up, the more passives you can acquire and upgrade, the more monsters you can slay, and so on and so forth. That’s all there is to it really. But it’s brilliant. It’s engrossing. It can keep you playing for hours on end without awareness of how much time has passed. There’s no way to truly sell Vampire Survivors without first having experienced it. So trust us. Go play it.

7

Escape Academy

It’s an egregious oversight that Escape Academy has not gotten more attention. While it’s a fairly straightforward puzzle experience, the similarities it has with real-life escape rooms makes the game one of the best couch co-op experiences around. You and a partner are students in this prestigious school for “escapists.” While it sounds ludicrous and goofy, the logic and puzzles within the scenarios you have to escape are absolutely perfect.

Nothing feels too hard or too easy. And having a friend beside you for the whole thing improves upon perfection. Escape Academy is an indie game you shouldn’t miss, and it’s also one of the finest cooperative titles to come out.

6

Death’s Door

Death’s Door is a delightful Soulslike game, and while that comparison has made the rounds more times than we can count, it’s there for a reason. You play as a Reaper who must collect the souls of various bosses, and you journey to these bosses by working your way through various lands that are all connected to each other, all while picking up bits of the story by reading item descriptions. Sound familiar?

However, the fighting mechanics of Death’s Door have been streamlined. While the experience is still difficult enough, with a small player healthpool and unforgiving enemies, it still plays a bit like baby’s first Dark Souls. This is by no means a flaw. Death’s Door is delightful, and tells a fantastic narrative even with the minimalist approach to storytelling. And it makes the difficulty inherent to most Soulslikes more approachable.

5

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley became such a sensation over the years following its release that it feels hardly fair to call it an indie title at this point. But there’s no escaping the facts — this charmingly retro farming sim was a solo development project with a meager budget. What really stands out about SDV, beyond its rags-to-riches development story, is the deceptively deep layering of different gameplay mechanics.

The core gameplay loop is, of course, managing and building your farm, but romancing the townspeople results in a sort of dating sim element. Venturing to the mines to fight monsters and plunder riches plays out as a barebones action-RPG reminiscent of retro Zelda titles. And really, this just scratches the surface of the surprisingly chill long-form adventure that’s placed at the fingertips of prospective players.

4

Superliminal

Great indie games are the ones that give zany ideas a chance that triple-A titles usually won’t. Superliminal is a superb example of the magic an indie game can give to players when a unique concept is given an opportunity to breathe. Similar to how Portal taught you to solve puzzles by “thinking with portals,” Superliminal teaches you to solve puzzles by quite literally changing your perspective.

You know how objects from far away can seem small because of the distance? And small items that are held up right in front of your eyes can seem huge? That’s basically the gist of Superliminal’s premise. From distance to shadows to angles, the game tests your ability to think outside of the box. The Xbox Game Pass library is brightened with the inclusion of this hidden gem, and its digestible completion time makes it a more attrBesactive game to try out.

3

Among Us

Among Us is the indie game that took the world by storm. Groups of friends flocked to play this social mystery game, and it’s a trend that persists to this day. Though Among Us started primarily as a mobile and PC game, it has made the move to Xbox consoles, further expanding its player base. Its inclusion on Xbox Game Pass is a definite boon for the indie presence in its library. More people than ever can complete tasks alongside their fellow crewmates, sabotage critical functions on the ship as an impostor, and accidentally eject innocents after heated discussions.

2

Deep Rock Galactic

Space dwarves stripping various intergalactic caves of their precious resources for fun and profit makes for an incredibly enjoyable cooperative multiplayer experience in Deep Rock Galactic. Simply put, this game is a blast — each of up to four players selects an entirely unique character class and plunges into a procedurally generated dungeon alongside their bearded comrades to accomplish a variety of objectives for their corporate overlords while fending off waves of arachnid aliens hellbent on eating them alive. It’s a good time.

1

Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is what happens when a Soulslike meets a Metroidvania and wraps itself up with an adorably gothic art style — magic, in a word. Exploring the world of Hallownest and meeting its surprisingly charming insectoid inhabitants is a remarkably Zen experience, the combat is tense and satisfying, and the setting is entirely compelling. How happily the light Soulslike features marry into this side-scrolling action-RPG adventure can’t be overstated, and it’s entirely worth a whirl for gamers of all stripes.