The 10 Best Indie Games of All Time: A Definitive Ranking

Direct Answer

The best indie game ever made is Hollow Knight (Team Cherry, $14.99 on PC and consoles), a hand-drawn Metroidvania with more than 30 hours of content and a near-perfect critical record. The best value pick is Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe, $14.99), a farming sim built almost entirely by one person that routinely lands in lists of the most-played games on Steam.

This list is for players who want the creativity, risk-taking, and replay value that small studios deliver, usually for under $25. Prices range from $9.99 to $24.99, and every title below is a real, currently-sold game ranked on critical reception, sales longevity, and lasting cultural pull rather than hype.

1. Hollow Knight 🏆 BEST OVERALL

Hollow Knight is a 2D action-adventure (Metroidvania) released in 2017 by Australian three-person studio Team Cherry. It sells for $14.99 on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox, and has sold well past 15 million copies, an enormous figure for an indie title.

What earns it the top spot is completeness. The hand-drawn world of Hallownest holds more than 30 hours of content on a first playthrough, dozens of optional bosses, and a difficulty curve that rewards patience. It carries a Metacritic score in the high 80s to 90s depending on platform, and its soundtrack by Christopher Larkin is frequently cited as one of the best in any game.

This is the pick for anyone who wants a deep, atmospheric single-player adventure. The long-delayed sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, only sharpens the original's reputation as a benchmark for the genre.

2. Stardew Valley 💎 BEST VALUE

Stardew Valley was built almost single-handedly by Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone over roughly four years and released in 2016. At $14.99, it is the value champion of this list: it has sold more than 30 million copies and still receives free content updates years later, including the major 1.6 patch in 2024.

The game is a farming and life sim inspired by Harvest Moon, but with mining, fishing, combat, and relationship systems layered on top. A single save can absorb 100-plus hours without repeating itself.

For the price of a single AAA add-on, you get one of the most generous and lovingly maintained games ever made. That ratio of hours-per-dollar is unmatched.

3. Celeste

Celeste (Maddy Makes Games, 2018, $19.99) is a precision platformer about climbing a mountain that doubles as a story about anxiety and self-doubt. It won Best Independent Game at The Game Awards 2018 and holds Metacritic scores in the high 80s.

The core game is challenging but fair, with an assist mode that lets anyone finish it. The optional B-side and C-side levels are some of the hardest platforming content ever designed. There are more than 700 individual screens to master.

It is the rare game that is both mechanically demanding and emotionally sincere, which is why it appears on so many best-of-the-decade lists.

4. Undertale

Undertale (Toby Fox, 2015, $14.99) is an RPG where you can complete the entire game without killing a single enemy. Built largely by one person, it sold more than 5 million copies and developed one of the most devoted fanbases in gaming.

Its combat blends turn-based menus with bullet-hell dodging, and its branching morality system produces wildly different endings. A full playthrough runs about 6 to 8 hours, with replays revealing new dialogue and secrets.

Its writing, humor, and music made it a cultural touchstone. Few games have inspired as much fan art, music, and discussion per copy sold.

5. Hades

Hades (Supergiant Games, 2020, $24.99) is a roguellike dungeon crawler where you play Zagreus, son of Hades, trying to escape the Underworld. It was the first video game to win a Hugo Award and swept multiple Game of the Year honors.

Each escape attempt is randomized, but the story advances every run through fully voiced dialogue, giving narrative purpose to repeated failure. Expect 20-plus hours to see the credits and far more to finish the true ending.

It set a new standard for how roguelikes integrate story, and its 2024 sequel, Hades II, extended the franchise.

6. Among Us

Among Us (InnerSloth, 2018) is a social-deduction multiplayer game that exploded in popularity in 2020. It is $4.99 on PC and free on mobile, making it one of the most accessible titles here.

Up to 15 players work to complete tasks on a spaceship while one or more impostors secretly sabotage and eliminate them. Rounds last only minutes, and the fun comes from accusation, argument, and deception.

It proved a tiny three-person studio could reach hundreds of millions of players, and it remains a go-to party game.

7. Terraria

Terraria (Re-Logic, 2011, $9.99) is a 2D sandbox adventure often described as a side-scrolling Minecraft. It has sold more than 44 million copies, making it one of the best-selling games of all time across any category.

The game spans crafting, building, exploration, and hundreds of bosses and biomes. The free 1.4 "Journey's End" update added enormous amounts of content years after launch.

At under $10, with multiplayer and effectively endless content, it is one of the most cost-effective games ever sold.

8. Cuphead

Cuphead (StudioMDHR, 2017, $19.99) is a run-and-gun shooter drawn entirely in the style of 1930s rubber-hose cartoons. Every frame was hand-animated and inked, taking the team several years to finish.

It is famous for brutal boss fights and won multiple awards for art and animation. The Delicious Last Course DLC ($7.99) added new bosses and a playable character in 2022.

Its handcrafted look has not been matched, and it stands as proof that distinctive art direction can define an entire game.

9. Slay the Spire

Slay the Spire (Mega Crit, 2019, $24.99) is a deck-building roguelike that essentially created a sub-genre. You climb a spire, building a card deck from random rewards, with four playable characters and enormous build variety.

It holds an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam from hundreds of thousands of reviews. A single run takes about an hour, and the strategic depth keeps players coming back for hundreds of hours.

Its influence is visible in dozens of imitators, and the long-awaited Slay the Spire 2 is in development.

10. Dead Cells

Dead Cells (Motion Twin, 2018, $24.99) is a roguelike Metroidvania ("rogue-lite") with fast, fluid combat and procedurally assembled levels. It has sold more than 10 million copies.

The studio supported it for years with free updates and paid DLC, adding biomes, weapons, and crossover content with other indie games. Runs are quick, deaths are permanent, and the weapon variety is huge.

It blends two beloved genres into something tight and endlessly replayable, capping off a list of indie classics.

Why These Games Define the Indie Era

What unites every title here is that a small team or a single person made design choices a risk-averse publisher would have rejected. Undertale dared you to win without fighting. Cuphead spent years hand-inking 1930s animation instead of using modern shortcuts.

Among Us sat in near-obscurity for two years before exploding to hundreds of millions of players. These are not safe sequels; they are personal visions that found an audience.

The financial story matters too. Because indie studios keep creative control and a larger share of revenue, runaway hits like Stardew Valley (30 million-plus copies) and Terraria (44 million-plus copies) made their creators independently wealthy and funded years of free post-launch support.

That model is why so many of these games keep growing after release rather than being abandoned, and it is why buying an indie game often feels like backing an ongoing project rather than a finished product.

Longevity is the final marker. Every game on this list has remained in active sales and conversation for five to fifteen years. They appear repeatedly on best-of-the-decade lists, inspire imitators, and hold "Overwhelmingly Positive" Steam ratings from hundreds of thousands of players.

That kind of staying power, achieved without a marketing budget to match the major publishers, is the truest measure of an indie classic.

How to Choose

• Want the deepest single-player adventure? Start with Hollow Knight or Terraria for sheer content per dollar.
• Prefer a relaxing, open-ended experience? Stardew Valley is the gentlest entry and the best value at $14.99.
• Love a tough but fair challenge? Celeste, Cuphead, and Dead Cells reward skill and persistence.
• Enjoy replaying randomized runs? Hades, Slay the Spire, and Dead Cells are roguelikes built for hundreds of hours.
• Playing with friends? Among Us is the cheapest and most social pick on the list.
• Care about story above all? Undertale and Hades deliver narrative impact rare for the genre.

FAQ

What counts as an "indie" game? An indie game is made by an independent studio without funding or creative control from a major publisher. The studios on this list range from a single person (Stardew Valley, Undertale) to small teams of a few dozen (Supergiant Games), but all retained full creative independence.

Which of these is the best for a complete beginner? Stardew Valley is the most forgiving starting point because it has no fail state and lets you set your own pace. Among Us is also easy to pick up and great in a group. Both are inexpensive ways to test whether indie games suit you.

Are these games available on consoles or only PC? Nearly all of them are cross-platform. Hollow Knight, Stardew Valley, Celeste, Hades, Terraria, and Dead Cells are all on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch in addition to PC, and most are on mobile as well.

Do these games go on sale often? Yes. Steam, the Nintendo eShop, and console stores run frequent sales, and most of these titles drop 40 to 75 percent during major events like the Steam Summer Sale. Stardew Valley and Terraria sometimes fall under $5.

Bottom Line

For the single best indie experience, Hollow Knight ($14.99) is the standout: a massive, hand-crafted adventure that rivals games costing four times as much. For the most value, Stardew Valley ($14.99) delivers 100-plus hours and a decade of free updates. Either one is a perfect entry point into the world of independent games.

Sources

• Metacritic — game scores for Hollow Knight, Celeste, Hades, and others
• The Game Awards — official winners list (Celeste 2018, Hades 2020-2021)
• Steam — official store pages, pricing, and user review counts
• Hugo Awards (World Science Fiction Society) — 2021 Best Video Game winner, Hades
• Re-Logic and Team Cherry — official developer sales announcements
• Nintendo eShop and PlayStation Store — platform availability and pricing
• IGN and PC Gamer — game reviews and best-of-the-decade features