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Cairn
Developed and published by The Game Bakers—the studio behind Furi, Squids Odyssey, and Haven—Cairn is a third-person survival game centered on climbing a mountain that has yet to be conquered. Cairn has been in development for some time, with its first trailer released about a year ago, and it was recently shown off at Gamescom.
The World of Cairn
Beyond its stunning, atmospheric art style—reminiscent of Firewatch—the small details stand out almost immediately. It’s the little things that make a difference, such as wrapping your fingers due to small cuts and sores from climbing. These subtle but thoughtful details are what set Cairn up for success and help immerse players in the experience.
Image credit: The Game Bakers Cairn takes place on Mount Kami, a peak that has yet to be summited. You play as Aava, a professional mountain climber whose dream is to be the first person to successfully reach the mountain’s summit. The story unfolds over time as you encounter other climbers along your journey and learn more about the history and mystery surrounding Mount Kami.
Image credit: The Game Bakers 
Image credit: The Game Bakers Games like Cairn are what truly define the adventure genre. Too often, “adventure” is assigned to games where exploration and discovery feel secondary. Cairn, however, puts adventure at the forefront, embodying what the genre is meant to be.
The Future of Cairn
I can say with confidence that Cairn is poised for a strong release and a long-lasting future. The game already has over 35,000 followers on its Steam page, and the developers continue to provide consistent updates and patches, showing clear commitment to post-launch support.
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The Gaming Industry Is Releasing Too Many Games
Every day, I find myself scrolling through lists of upcoming game titles, reading reviews, and creating content around some of them. Recently, I came across the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 trailer again on YouTube and decided to search for it on Steam. Instead of selecting the exact game, I opened the search results—and was immediately hit with the sheer number of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-like games available. Not just direct copies, but many clearly inspired by the series.
I’m a big fan of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., so naturally, discovering and playing games with a similar aesthetic and gameplay style is something I look forward to, like the Metro series, for example.
But seeing the overwhelming number of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-inspired games made me pause. If I actually wanted to play all of them, would I want to spend that much money? Would I even have the time? Probably not. I’ve noticed this same pattern with many other titles too. This isn’t new, people have been talking about it for a while—but for me, it really hit when I stepped back and looked at my own Steam library. While it pales in comparison to some, it’s still a decent size. And yet, I felt overwhelmed. It made me wonder: could this be why games don’t feel the same anymore?
As time goes on, more and more people are becoming skilled with technology. Game development is more accessible than ever for those willing to put in the time. Tools like GameMaker and RPG Maker empower almost anyone to start their journey into game development. And don’t get me wrong—that’s an amazing thing.
The downside is that more games are being released than ever before. Thousands launch every single month. Most aren’t great, some are good, and a few are genuinely special. Then you add in how frequently Steam runs sales, and suddenly the backlog grows even faster.
The gaming industry moves so quickly now that it can feel impossible to keep up. Being presented with countless new titles every time you log into your platform can feel overwhelming. I know this doesn’t apply to everyone—especially not casual players who buy one game every few months. But that’s not really my audience anyway.
So how do you prevent that overwhelming feeling? Stop buying into FOMO (fear of missing out) and focus on what you genuinely love about the games you play. The games you’re interested in aren’t going anywhere. That game you want—but you’re still trying to finish Baldur’s Gate 3 for the fifth time—let it sit for a while. The price will go down, and you’ll likely end up with a better experience in the long run.
I’m not saying don’t support developers. I’m saying live within your means and do what’s best for your mental health.
Collecting and playing games is meant to be fun—not something that feels tedious or overwhelming. If you ever find yourself feeling that way, take a moment and ask yourself why you play games in the first place.
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The Grandma’s Boy Game Demonik May Finally Release After 20 Years
The game Demonik was featured prominently throughout the movie. It was a real game in development by Terminal Reality and published by Majesco for the Xbox 360, with marketing tied directly to the film. Unfortunately, shortly after the movie’s release, the studio filed for bankruptcy, halting development.
In case you haven’t seen Grandma’s Boy (which I highly recommend), it’s described as follows:
“Grandma’s Boy is a 2006 American stoner comedy film directed by Nicholaus Goossen, written by Barry Wernick, Allen Covert, and Nick Swardson, and starring Linda Cardellini, Covert, Peter Dante, Shirley Jones, Shirley Knight, Joel David Moore, Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts, and Swardson. The film follows a video game tester who is forced to move in with his grandmother after being evicted from his home, while falling for a woman sent to oversee the production of his video game company’s latest project.”
WikipediaIn a recent TikTok video, Allen Covert mentioned:
“Next year [2026] will be the 20th anniversary of Grandma’s Boy, so I’m trying to see if we can get that game fixed up.”
Seeing Demonik finally become a reality—especially as part of a 20th anniversary celebration for Grandma’s Boy—would be incredible. It’s hard not to get excited, though given the long history of rumors surrounding the game’s release, I’m keeping my expectations in check. Still, if Demonik and/or an anniversary release actually happen, I’ll be first in line.
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Top 10 Indie Games of 2025
Welcome to the first annual IndieLoop Top 10 Indie Games of 2025. Our selections are driven by data—not personal opinion—using measurable metrics such as current player counts, copies sold, and average playtime. This year’s list spans 10 distinct genres, with each category featuring both a winner and a runner-up.
Our rankings are not financially motivated, nor are they influenced by subjective preference. They are based solely on performance and player engagement.
Without further ado, here is our list of the Top 10 Indie Games of 2025.
Action
Dispatch
Dispatch is a superhero workplace comedy where choices matter. Manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero.
You play as Robert Robertson, AKA Mecha Man, whose mech-suit is destroyed in a battle against his nemesis, forcing him to take a job at a superhero dispatch center: not as a hero, but a dispatcher. In charge of rehabilitating a group of ex-supervillains, you must manage your roster while navigating office relationships and rebuilding your suit for a shot at revenge.
Necesse
Build. Quest. Conquer. The infinite procedurally generated world of Necesse is full of mysteries to uncover as you grow your settlement and lead expeditions against pirate kings, dragons, and fallen wizards alike. Will you spend your days crawling through dungeons, searching for treasures and raw materials with which to craft your equipment? Or will you answer the call to adventure, traversing the seas and seeking out great foes to test your prowess? Recruit settlers with particular skills and work alongside them to mine a wide variety of ores, craft gear tailored to your preferred playstyle, and establish a flourishing village.
Adventure
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Discover a vast, haunted kingdom in Hollow Knight: Silksong! Explore, fight and survive as you ascend to the peak of a land ruled by silk and song.
As the lethal hunter Hornet, adventure through a kingdom ruled by silk and song! Captured and taken to this unfamiliar world, prepare to battle mighty foes and solve ancient mysteries as you ascend on a deadly pilgrimage to the kingdom’s peak.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is the epic sequel to Hollow Knight, the award winning action-adventure. Journey to all-new lands, discover new powers, battle vast hordes of bugs and beasts and uncover secrets tied to your nature and your past.
BALL x PIT
BALL x PIT is a fast-paced fantasy roguelite where heroes must find the balls to plunge deeper into a seemingly bottomless pit of monsters. Develop arcane ammunition and resources in pursuit of treasure, recruiting additional heroes to aid you in your perilous quest.
Ballbylon has fallen. After a meteoric and completely unexpected event annihilated the great city, all that remains is an ominous, yawning pit. Treasure hunters from far and wide flock to the city’s tomb to seek their fortune, plumbing the depths in search of Ballbylon’s scattered riches. Few return.
Cozy
Is This Seat Taken?
Is This Seat Taken? is a logic puzzle game where you play matchmaker for groups of hilariously particular people. Each character has pet peeves that make seating them a delightful challenge. Find the perfect spot for each person to unlock new levels in this cozy, silly, and relatable experience.
Window seat or aisle? Booth or table? Lone wolf or life of the party? In Is This Seat Taken?, your mission is to organize groups of people according to their preferences. It’s a cozy, no-pressure logic puzzle game where you’re in charge of who sits where.
Cast n Chill
Cast n Chill is a cozy idle (and active) fishing game where you explore serene lakes, rivers, and oceans. Catch rare fish, upgrade your gear and reel in legendary catches – all with your loyal companion by your side.
Cast n Chill’s a laid-back fishin’ game for folks who’d rather wet a line than break a sweat. Whether yer driftin’ on a lazy lake, pokin’ ’round a winding river, or droppin’ lines in salty blue water, this here’s a game where you set the pace.
Role-Playing
Look Outside
Look Outside is a survival horror RPG set in a single apartment building. A mysterious event turns anyone who looks out the window into grotesque monsters, leaving the world in absolute chaos. Scavenge the building to seek food, supplies, and weapons while encountering strange characters.
Plan tense expeditions outside your apartment as you fend off grotesque monsters dwelling in and around your building. Return to your home with gathered resources and partial answers to your questions to recuperate by playing games, making dinner, crafting tools, and getting to know your neighbors turned allies.
Back to the Dawn
Back to the Dawn is a story-rich RPG set in a high-security prison ruled by factions and buried secrets. Investigate two conspiracies from the inside, gather evidence, and outsmart a system designed to silence you. Make friends (or foes) with fellow inmates and with their help, break out of prison.
A gripping prison escape RPG woven with crime, corruption, and hidden agendas. Step into a maximum-security facility where every inmate has a past—and a plan. You’ll have to fight to survive, investigate, and ultimately break free before the time runs out.
Shooter
Escape From Duckov
You wake from a strange dream to find yourself in the world of Duckov.
Beyond the safety of your base, enemies lurk in every corner. In this seemingly peaceful yet perilous world, you must tread carefully, exploring and scavenging for supplies.
Start your journey as an Average Duck—ordinary stats, one basic gun. Gather all sorts of curious items, build your hideout, upgrade your gear, and struggle to survive in the world of Duckov—until you make it out alive.
Door Kickers 2: Task Force North
Command military Special Ops Teams in gripping tactical combat against a Middle East-based terrorist network.
The sequel to the hit tactics game Door Kickers, Task Force North brings you the best portrayal of modern Close Quarters Combat and Tactics in a video game.
Control Special Operation Units in daring raids to rescue hostages, neutralize and capture terrorists in the fictional country of Nowheraki, Middle East.
Horror
Escape the Backrooms
Escape the Backrooms is a 1-4 player co-op horror exploration game. Traverse 30+ eerie backrooms levels while avoiding entities and other dangers. Try to escape but be warned: survival isn’t guaranteed.
Explore the seemingly infinite expanse of eerily familiar levels in backrooms based on the popular creepypasta lore. Each level features different ways to escape with dangers along the way.
No, I’m not a Human
WARNING. Stay inside. Lock your doors. Close the blinds. Only let humans in. Eliminate all Visitors. An anxiety horror about paranoia in the End of Times.
Sunrise. Twilight of Earth. The world is ending. Acrid auromas of sun-scorched streets fill the air. Blackened corpses gnarled into shapes of agony line streets. Peering outside is enough to scorch eyes from the socket. The only refuge is in the night.
Simulation
Supermarket Simulator
Run your own supermarket! Stock shelves, set your prices, take payments, hire staff, expand your store, handle shoplifters, and design your layout. Purchase goods from online or local markets around town, and personally deliver online orders to your customers.
Design your store, optimizing for efficiency and aesthetics. Determine where products are displayed, manage your aisles, and ensure a smooth shopping experience for your customers.
Tavern Keeper
From the creators of Game Dev Tycoon comes Tavern Keeper, a cozy-chaotic management sim, featuring a powerful decoration sandbox and a magical storybook RPG!
Build and decorate your tavern, hire staff, stock your larder, meet the locals, be the boss and run the show! Whether you keep a cozy neighborhood taphouse or a lean, mean gold-minting machine, the choices – and consequences – are yours.
Rouge
Hades 2
Battle beyond the Underworld using dark sorcery to take on the Titan of Time in this bewitching sequel to the award-winning rogue-like dungeon crawler.
The first-ever sequel from Supergiant Games builds on the best aspects of the original god-like rogue-like dungeon crawler in an all-new, action-packed, endlessly replayable experience rooted in the Underworld of Greek myth and its deep connections to the dawn of witchcraft.
Megabonk
Smash your way through endless waves of enemies and grow absurdly powerful! Grab loot, level up, unlock characters and upgrade to create unique and crazy builds as you fend off hordes of creatures!
Megabonk is a roguelike survival game where you must fight your way through hordes of enemies and bosses in randomly generated maps. Grab loot on the way, level up your character, upgrade your weapons and survive for as long as you can! How far can you make it?
Strategy
Town to City
Break free of the grid in Town to City: a cozy city builder that invites you to create a beautiful and bustling community.
Freely place houses, shops, and amenities and natural elements to delight your residents and encourage new families to move in. As your population grows, so can your ambitions: create multiple towns that can grow alone or thrive together, helping the whole region develop and prosper.
In story or sandbox mode, you’re free to build at your own pace, placing each flower bed with pixel precision, or prioritize growing your economy and developing your town into a thriving city.
Foundation
Foundation is a grid-less, laidback medieval city-building game with a focus on organic development, monument construction and resource management.
Foundation combines free-building tools and procedural generation to create the ultimate organic city-building experience. Assign jobs, create production chains, establish trade. In Foundation, your creations come to life!
Foundation offers various difficulty levels, so you can play the way you want! Choose an Aspiration to discover new ways to play, or just play in Creative mode, relax and enjoy the view!
Hack and Slash
Mortal Sin
Mortal Sin is a chaotic, blood-soaked roguelike where skill is power, and overconfidence is death. Carve through procedurally generated nightmares with brutal melee and flashy, satisfying combos.
Mortal Sin is built around fast, visceral melee combat where every strike matters. Chain slashes, bashes, and kicks into devastating finishers as limbs fly and blood paints the walls. Combat thrives on momentum: move fast, hit hard, and never give your enemies a chance to breathe.
Absolum
Fight as the outcast heroes of Talamh in a fierce battle to retake magic from Sun King Azra’s grasp in Absolum, an original roguelite beat ‘em up by Dotemu.
Crafted with passion by the dream team that redefined side-scrolling beat ’em ups, Absolum mixes top-of-the-class combat action with modern roguelite elements, bringing all the vibes of the fantasy arcade hits of the past into an immersive adventure set in the original world of Talamh.
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December 2025’s Top Indie Games Under $10
Here are our top ten indie games you can pick up for $10 or less this December. Each selection is based on factors such as current player count, wish list numbers, and peak player activity. As always, no developer or publisher has paid for placement on this list.
10. Fantasy Idle Dungeon
In Fantasy Idle Dungeon, hatch and capture rare Jenin, awaken their legendary skills and talents, and experience the joy of leveling up, evolving, and fusing them. Freely customize your gear, assemble an unbeatable adventure team, and claim glorious victories with effortless idle gameplay!
Image credit: Leaves Games 9. Saratoga
Saratoga is a digital implementation of the Saratoga, Volume I of the Great Battles of the American Revolution wargame published by GMT Games and designed by Mark Miklos.
8. Kats Trigger
“Kats Trigger” is a story-driven action game that tells the tale of an otter who lost his family and a stray cat who lost her home.
7. Idlequarium
Idlequarium is a casual simulation game where you raise adorable little fish to earn coins, purchase decorations, and build a fully customized aquarium. The game sits anywhere on your desktop, letting you interact with your live aquarium during work or study breaks.
Image credit: NutsX 6. Coastal Kitchen Simulator
Cook and serve dishes as you run your own seafood restaurant! Unlock new recipes, grow your kitchen with the help of employees, and satisfy every customer’s craving. Expand your reputation, manage resources wisely, and build a seafood restaurant that becomes the talk of the town.
Image credit: Bewolba Studios 5. Wirm
Take a worm on a tiny adventure through this delightfully wiggly physics platformer 🙂
Image credit: Sbug Games 4. Tiny Bunny
Tiny Bunny is a non-linear horror visual novel. Those, who have heard the voice of the forest, are beyond help.
Image credit: Saikono, Sokar 3. Scholar Adventure: Mystery of Silence
Mystery of Silence is a point-and-click adventure where William, a young writer in search of inspiration, enters an abbey shrouded in silence. What William finds within those walls is not just a story to tell, but a secret that should never be discovered.
2. Dogpile
Dogpile is a roguelike deck builder about merging cute dogs into bigger dogs. Play dogs, get money, customize your dogs with special Traits, refine your deck, PLAY MORE DOGS! DOGS!
1. Dunjungle
A 2d action-packed roguelite about a monkey hero protecting the jungle from the rise of a corruptive power. Explore ever-changing dungeons, fight weird enemies and gear up with lots of weapons and relics you can combine for a new experience every run. Explore, fight, die, and repeat!
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Expedition 33 Was Disqualified From the Game Awards Due to Their Use of AI
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 won 9 awards at the annual 2025 Game Awards but, shortly after The Game Awards disqualified Expedition 33 due to their use of generative AI for placeholder assets. These assets where removed in a patch after being discovered by some players before the disqualification. In addition to loosing their Game Awards, they also lost the awards given to them by The Indie Game Awards which was Game of the Year and Best Debut.
This decision has started some heated debates over the gaming industry as a whole using AI in their games and how it should be used if at all. The argument could be made that AI helps speed up production time by offloading basic tasks that would normally take hours. Since there is no regulation on how AI used in the gaming industry, studios are free to use it in any way that way. Marketplaces like Steam do have AI disclosures but this notice is not required.
To me, the easiest way to solve this problem, no matter if you are for or against using AI in games, is to require a disclosure with the penalty of the game being removed from the marketplace if they lie. This way you can pick and choose the games you wanted to play based on that informed decision. You don’t want to support games made with AI? Then don’t, you would have the choice.
Personally I am a fan of AI. When used correctly it boosts productivity and helps me focus on more important aspects of my work. I have a feeling we will start seeing a lot of indie studios use more AI to help produce their games. I’m not saying the whole game should be made with AI or large portions. What I am saying is coding, copywriting, and many other small tasks like this can be offloaded to free up creation time in other areas. That helps small studios tremendously.
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Kitsune’s Path Tower Defense
Developed and published by Torbellino Games with a undetermined release date, Katsune’s Path is described as, “Protect the portals and aid the good spirits in this 2D tower defense game. Stop demons from invading by activating turrets along the paths. As the forest protector, use your speed and strategy to keep peace across the realms, transforming into the legendary nine-tailed fox to fulfill your destiny.”,
Gameplay
The mechanics are familiar to most tower defense games: build towers or turrets across multiple lanes that all lead to a central objective, preventing enemies from reaching their goal. Katsune’s Path follows this formula but presents it with a noticeably cozier vibe.
Don’t confuse cozy with easy. Correctly choosing the right elemental power for each turret is more challenging than it first appears. Each turret must utilize the appropriate damage type for the enemies passing through its lane. Turrets will still attack without the correct element, but they deal significantly reduced damage.
Image credit: Torbellino Games What makes Katsune’s Path stand out within the genre isn’t mechanical complexity, but its art style and the comforting atmosphere it creates. Rather than throwing players immediately into overwhelming hordes of enemies and tough resource management, the game eases you in. I was also impressed by the lack of bugs during my time with it—zero encountered.
Story & Worldbuilding
You play as Zenko, a fox tasked with guarding a portal that guides good spirits to another plane of existence. Your role is to prevent demons from entering the portal by building turrets imbued with elemental powers, destroying them before they reach their destination.
Image credit: Torbellino Games You earn coins by defeating demons, which can be used to purchase additional turrets and upgrades. Alongside this, you wield a trusty staff, allowing you to shower enemies with your own magic. Each demon has specific elemental weaknesses, and this is where the game’s strategy truly shines. Every turret can only use a single elemental power at a time, so careful planning is required to ensure you’re distributing the right kind of spiritual energy where it’s needed most.
Graphics & Audio
The art style is Asian-inspired, featuring bright colors and beautiful backgrounds that appear hand-drawn at first glance, though I can’t say for certain. Regardless, the visuals contribute heavily to the game’s cozy atmosphere.
The audio is mostly spot-on. From the first spoken line, it’s clear that a lot of thought went into the narration. I’m typically someone who turns the music down or off in games to focus on sound effects, but Katsune’s Path left an impression. The background music, however, occasionally reminded me of a slot machine game—not in a bad way, just oddly familiar. A more lo-fi, cozy soundtrack could better set the mood for defending the spirit realm.
Replayability & Value
There are plenty of tower defense games that offer similar gameplay, and Katsune’s Path doesn’t reinvent the genre. That said, within the first few minutes of playing, it’s clear how much care and attention has gone into every aspect of the experience. From the art and soundtrack to the voice acting, each element feels thoughtfully crafted.
Assuming the pricing aligns with other games in the tower defense genre, the value is absolutely there. I’d recommend making a cup of tea, settling into your comfort zone, and preparing to guard the spirit portal from demonic threats in Katsune’s Path when it releases.
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Dark Light: Survivor
Taking place “in a dying multiverse, the Phantom Train is your last hope. Traverse a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk world filled with nightmarish creatures. Experience dynamic shifts between top-down and third-person views, deep customization, and epic battles across universes in this action roguelike survival game.”
This is the second game developed and published by Mirari&Co., following Dark Light, a 2D side-scrolling hack-and-slash platformer set in a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk world.
Gameplay
Dark Light: Survivor is a top-down shooter with the added ability to switch your point of view from a traditional top-down camera to an over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective. This shift significantly changes the gameplay dynamic. The top-down view offers a much wider field of vision, while the third-person perspective adds a level of intensity I haven’t seen in this style of game before.
When entering a new universe, you follow map markers to locate items and eventually the world boss. While it’s possible to head straight to the boss, you’ll more than likely die without spending time leveling up first. I appreciate how abilities and weapons are earned during each run, allowing you to gradually build toward a boss fight. This approach adds meaningful difficulty without forcing you to select a specific difficulty level at the start of a playthrough.
Image credit: Mirari&Co. The levels themselves are fairly wide open, largely due to the game’s top-down design. When switching to the third-person perspective, the lack of environmental detail becomes more noticeable. I can see how challenging it must be to merge these two gameplay styles into one experience—you want enough openness to dodge and attack efficiently, but still maintain an immersive world.
Combat style is a major point here, were you long range is modern firearms while your melee is based on medieval style weapons with elemental forces. This is a great blend of fighting mechanics that I enjoyed a lot see the different types of weapons and how they pair together with your armor and abilities.
Upon death, you’re taken to a staging area where you can purchase passive abilities and upgrades for your hunter. I did notice that when interacting with NPCs, the prompt reads “Trade” even for those who have nothing to offer. The bugs I encountered weren’t significant enough to detract from the experience and feel like these issues will be easily patched in future updates.
Story & Worldbuilding
You play as a Dark Hunter who rides the Phantom Train, built using celestial quantum technology to traverse the multiverse in search of the fabled Elysium. While stopping in different universes to refuel the train, you’ll encounter increasingly powerful enemies along your journey.
Image credit: Mirari&Co. The narratives of the characters you meet are both well-written and fully voiced, with strong emotional delivery that adds depth to the game’s atmosphere. However, it’s not entirely clear how these characters are connected to the Hunter. Are they simply offering aid, or do they play a larger role in the overarching story that has yet to be revealed?
Graphics & Audio
I always appreciate when developers take the time to set sensible default settings—such as disabling motion blur by default—while still allowing players to customize their experience. Before jumping into any game, I usually explore the settings menu, and Dark Light: Survivor offers a solid range of options to tailor your gameplay.
The menu UI does an excellent job of capturing the game’s dark tone. Much of the visual design evokes a Diablo II: Resurrected–style aesthetic, with assets that feel polished overall. That said, some assets noticeably lack the same level of refinement, creating a slight visual inconsistency.
Animation quality is strong for both the player character and enemies, especially given the game’s hybrid camera system. However, in the staging area, I noticed that character movement feels overly fluid, almost as if the character is sliding rather than walking or running.
Image credit: Mirari&Co. For audio testing, I initially played using my Logitech G PRO headset. Enemy attacks and some voice lines sounded distant or slightly muffled. After switching to earbuds, this issue disappeared and the audio felt much more aligned with the on-screen action, another reason I’ve leaned toward earbuds recently. One element that breaks immersion is the Phantom Train itself, which lacks the sound design you’d expect from a massive, otherworldly train. On the positive side, the voice narration from characters who grant upgrades fits the game’s aesthetic extremely well.
Replayability & Value
I’m not someone who believes every game needs co-op or online multiplayer. That said, Dark Light: Survivor feels like it would benefit greatly from a peer-hosted co-op mode. Scaling difficulty with additional players and tackling hordes of enemies together in pursuit of a level boss sounds like a perfect fit for this game. While I understand that adding multiplayer is no small task, it would significantly enhance the experience.
I can easily see Dark Light: Survivor launching at around $20, which feels like a fair price. Additional modes that further increase difficulty, along with passive perks as rewards, would go a long way toward boosting replayability.
Steam discussions are already filled with excited players, and the developers are actively engaging with the community by addressing feedback and answering questions about AI and gameplay systems. This level of communication is always encouraging and is a major factor I consider when evaluating a game’s long-term potential and post-launch support.
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December 2025’s Top Indie Games Under $5
Here are our top five indie games you can pick up for $5 or less this December. Each selection is based on factors such as current player count, wishlist numbers, and peak player activity. As always, no developer or publisher has paid for placement on this list.
1. Nine-Ball Roulette
This will be the most thrilling pool game you have ever played. Join up to 3 of your friends in this exciting pool roulette game! Eliminate each other with pool until only one person is left.
2. This Ain’t Even Poker, Ya Joker
A unique incremental idle clicker where you flip cards to earn money, grow your hand, buy new decks, unlock powerful upgrades, discover new cards, and more. Can you defeat the Jester and escape the carnival?
3. A Game About Feeding A Black Hole
A short incremental game about feeding a Black Hole matter by destroying Asteroids, Planets, and Stars.
4. Backrooms Santa
Backrooms Santa is a singleplayer horror game. Bring back the kids gifts and escape a massive Backrooms maze — while holiday horrors hunt you every step of the way. How fast can you save the kids Christmas?
Image credit: Wilder Tater Games 5. Wild Growth
Wild Growth is a short, action-packed incremental healer game set in a grim Norse world.