Independent games have only risen in prominence and quality over recent generations. It’s led to what is now one of the most active periods of game development that the industry has ever enjoyed, and there are more outstanding games coming out than ever before. Indie games can be special for a multitude of reasons. Chief among them is the abundance of creativity and passion that results from talented developers working around their limitations.
Several indie studios have established a pedigree worth keeping an eye on while others have presented new game ideas that are charming and refreshing. For those reasons and many more, these are just 10 of the upcoming indie games we can’t wait to get our hands on in 2022.
The upcoming indie games we can’t wait to play in 2022
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
A lot of classic game franchises have become dormant over time, but passionate indie studios have risen to take on those mantles. Sega’s Jet Set Radio is one such series, and Team Reptile is stepping into the spotlight to give players a new graffiti adventure. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk‘s goal is to explore an open-world metropolis and earn REP by spraying graffiti as you trick and dance across town. Earning enough REP will allow you to challenge the local crew for control of that neighborhood, which should hopefully provide a challenging reason to make the most of your parkour and graffiti skills.
Movement will be key to making Bomb Rush Cyberfunk live up to its inspirations. Grinding, slides, wall-running, tricks, and more will let players get around in style. The boostpack will even let players get airborne for enough time to paint the town red. With whacky character designs and music from Hideki Naganuma of Jet Set Radio fame, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk could be what Jet Set Radio fans have been hoping to play for years.
Release date: 2022
Sons of the Forest
Whether it’s being surprised by a creeper and losing a makeshift house in Minecraft or being attacked by a Troll in Valheim, survival games have always included something to be afraid of. Sons of the Forest is doubling down on this idea by going all-in on the horror. This upcoming indie game is bringing true open-world, survival horror to genre fans in 2022. Players must navigate a remote island full of cannibals and other monstrosities as they try to craft and survive. The plot centers around a mission to find a missing billionaire, but the game won’t have traditional NPCs or quests. Instead, players are left to their own devices, and this level of freedom could prove difficult, terrifying, and satisfying to overcome.
Endnight Games wants you to be fully immersed in the setting. To that end, it’s including changing seasons and detailed animations for every action, such as breaking sticks to make a fire or physically cutting out windows as you build elaborate bases. The game can also be played cooperatively for those who want to share resources, build defenses as a team, and feel a little less scared.
Release date: October 2022
Planet of Lana
Planet of Lana makes a strong first impression with its bold art direction and fascinating world. The setting is described as a planet that once held a perfect balance between nature, animals, and humans, but it has since changed for the worse. Hundreds of years of disharmony resulted in a faceless army arriving to wreak havoc.
That sounds like a premise ripe for post-apocalyptic undertones. Yet the trailers thus far have depicted a protagonist that is doing her best to avoid conflict and still finds the beauty left on her planet. Famous Composer Takeshi Furukawa is lending his talents to the soundtrack, too. It’s a cinematic puzzle adventure, and if it can cleverly tell a touching story through gameplay alone, akin to say Inside or Journey, we could be in for a memorable adventure fueled by a theme of hope.
Release date: 2022
Midnight Fight Express
Melee-focused beat ’em ups have had a resurgence in recent years, and indie games have been at the heart of that. In Midnight Fight Express, players will take in environments from an isometric viewpoint as they fight across an urban city with multiple distinct levels. The game seems to take inspiration from classic brawlers but injects a faster and more modern pace into the action. Combat is motion-captured which should help it feel smooth to play as well.
The developer has mentioned that Midnight Fight Express will allow players to master various combat systems involving weapons and the environment. Its combat system appears simple to learn but hard to master, and the game will include progression mechanics, such as learning new attacks, unlocking new weapons, and earning new cosmetics. If it can capture the intense feel of a brawler like Sifu while adding its own twists, then Midnight Fight Express could be a big upcoming indie game for beat ’em up fans in 2022.
Release date: Summer 2022
Bear and Breakfast
Bear and Breakfast is a quirky management adventure game that puts us in the fur of a friendly bear, Hank. Hank the bear is just trying to run his own bed and breakfast for tourists out in the woods. As players build up their inn with fully customizable guest rooms, bathrooms, and entertainment, an intriguing mystery concerning the forest will become more clear. It’s a concept that seems perfect for fans of games like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Keeping customers happy will help to build up a positive reputation and attract even more visitors. Outside of the inn, the world will be full of lore, secrets, and quirky NPCs that offer inn-related rewards for quests. If Bear and Breakfast can combine the relaxing vibes of managing a cozy inn with a deeper mystery plot, then it could have a lot of potential.
Release date: 2022
Sea of Stars
Sea of Stars has a lot going for it. Sabotage studio, the team behind The Messenger, is trying to modernize the classic JRPG formula. On the surface, its detailed pixel art style and vivid colors are a joy to look at. When it comes to gameplay, Sea of Stars is trying to be as immersive as possible. Sabotage says it will do this by having no transitions to separate battle environments, seamless environmental exploration, and no grinding.
Turn-based combat will make use of mechanics like syncing the timing of your attacks with the character’s animations for bonus damage. It will also involve combo attacks with multiple characters and a “locks” system that hinders opponents mid-attack by making use of different damage types. Dozens of individual character stories and plots will provide a lot of narrative content that seems to range from serious to comedic. Meanwhile, plenty of side activities could provide fun distractions like fishing, sailing, or playing a tabletop game. Since Sabotage studio made The Messenger, we hope that Sea of Stars will also excel in the musical department.
Release date: 2022
Sommerville
Some of the most memorable gaming experiences are told without any words. This was the case for masterpieces like Limbo and Inside from developer Playdead, and it also could be the case for Sommerville if everything goes to plan. Jumpship co-founder and Somerville Director Chris Olsen is working with the ex-CEO and co-founder of Playdead, Dino Patti, on Sommerville. That influence is instantly apparent when watching the trailer for the game. A muted color palette creates a threatening tone that suits the story of a small family trying to escape from an unknown alien threat.
Players will have to make their family whole again while journeying through a rural landscape filled with perilous terrain. Along the way, we might even get to uncover the mysteries behind the extraterrestrial visitors in a story that the studio describes as the “intimate repercussions of a large-scale conflict.” If it’s anything like Playdead’s games, we might be getting a story that could be interpreted in numerous ways and spark player discussions for years to come.
Release date: 2022
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
The original Oxenfree surprised players with its chilling take on the adventure genre. Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a game that no one expected, and it could build on what made the original unique. Oxenfree II will place us in the shoes of Riley Poverly as she returns to her hometown of Camena to investigate mysterious electromagnetic waves. As in the first game, tuning into ghostly radio signals to manipulate the environment, traveling through time, and communicating with the supernatural will all be crucial. These mechanics must be mastered in order to save your allies from the threat of a cultist group called Parentage.
Dialogue choices will play a huge role, as expected. And Night School Studio looks like it’s improving on the solid system used in the original game. One example of this is that players will now have a walkie-talkie that allows them to freely engage with characters far more often. If the sequel can improve on the puzzles and spooky storytelling, and create choices with true consequences, then Oxenfree II could be a worthy follow-up.
Release date: 2022
Neon White
Neon White is a fast-paced FPS game about taking down demons in Heaven using a card mechanic. Of all the upcoming indie games in 2022, Neon White seems to be no slouch in the creativity department. Players will collect Soul Cards that let them use unique attacks on enemies. Alternatively, they can be discarded to gain special movement abilities. It should hopefully create a more procedural feeling to how levels play out, and that’s important because developer Angel Matrix clearly intends for these levels to be replayed multiple times. Finding shortcuts is emphasized, and gunning for the best speedrun completion times is encouraged.
As the assassin White, players compete with other demons to earn a shot at living in Heaven permanently. Plus, there are mysteries to uncover, including your potential connections to the other assassins. Hopefully, that means Neon White will provide some genuinely fun characters to get to know, but how it factors into gameplay remains to be seen.
Release date: Summer 2022
Little Kitty, Big City
Sometimes, we need a change of pace from all the action and adventuring. Games that focus on playing as animals are a rarer breed, but they represent a chance to see unusual gameplay styles. Little Kitty, Big City fits that description, and its adorable premise about being a black cat lost in a big city could be exactly what the doctor ordered to melt your stress away. Trying to find a way home is the goal of the game, but cats inevitably get distracted, and doing just that could be a fun experience in the urban landscape of Little Kitty, Big City.
Much like Untitled Goose Game, Little Kitty, Big City seems like a cheeky adventure that lets players wreak havoc in highly interactable environments. When players are not letting loose and dropping everything they can off tables, the game will also have animal friends to meet and customizable clothing options too. There’s no doubt cat lovers will get a kick out of getting their kitty to wear cute bunny hats.
Release date: 2022
There are even more upcoming indie games on the horizon that is 2022. Various summer games showcases are nearly upon us, and we can’t wait to see what the industry has in store.
