30 Games That Started as Indie Projects and Sold Millions

Video games have changed a lot in the last twenty years, thanks to independent developers creating games that are just as good as those from big companies. These smaller teams and individual creators could reach players worldwide using online stores, without needing to spend huge amounts on advertising. Many of these successful games started as personal projects or experiments and then became incredibly popular. Here’s a look at some games that began as small indie projects and went on to become huge commercial hits.

‘Minecraft’ (2011)

Markus Persson originally made this game as a personal project, letting players build anything they could imagine in a 3D world using blocks. It quickly became incredibly popular worldwide. Players can explore randomly generated landscapes, collecting resources to build tools and structures. The game has two main ways to play: a creative mode with unlimited resources, and a survival mode where players need to stay alive. After becoming a huge success, Microsoft bought the game for billions of dollars.

‘Stardew Valley’ (2016)

Stardew Valley is a farming game created by one person, Eric Barone, over four years. In the game, you take over your grandfather’s run-down farm and work to rebuild it. You’ll grow crops, raise animals, and get to know the people in town. While inspired by the older ‘Harvest Moon’ games, it includes updated features and the option to play with others. Since its release, the game has become incredibly popular, selling millions of copies on many different systems.

‘Among Us’ (2018)

Among Us is a multiplayer game where players work together… or try to deceive each other! Players take on roles as Crewmates, completing tasks on a spaceship, or as Impostors, secretly trying to eliminate the Crewmates. While the game was first released a couple of years prior, it became incredibly popular during the pandemic, thanks to streamers and online content creators. Its easy-to-learn gameplay makes it fun for players of all ages on both phones and computers.

‘Terraria’ (2011)

Terraria is an action-packed adventure game where you explore and build in a vast, ever-changing 2D world. You’ll gather materials to create buildings and tools, and then use those to battle a wide range of creatures. The game’s day-night cycle changes what enemies appear and how often. Over the past ten years, the developers have added tons of new content, including challenging bosses and diverse environments. It’s become one of the most popular PC games ever made.

‘Undertale’ (2015)

Toby Fox designed this role-playing game where you play as a child who falls into a world below the surface, populated by monsters. Battles are different because you can choose to show mercy instead of fighting to the death. Your decisions throughout the game change the story and how characters react. It has a retro 8-bit look and a popular soundtrack created by the game’s developer. Many people quickly became dedicated fans because the game playfully twists familiar elements of role-playing games.

‘Hollow Knight’ (2017)

Team Cherry created this 2D adventure game, set in the fallen kingdom of Hallownest, hidden underground. You play as a silent knight, journeying through a huge, connected world populated by bugs and brave warriors. The game focuses on challenging combat and careful platforming. The story is revealed through the game’s environments and cryptic conversations with other characters. Its success allowed Team Cherry to start working on a sequel that fans are eagerly awaiting.

‘Rocket League’ (2015)

Rocket League started as a follow-up to an older game called ‘Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars’, created by Psyonix. The game features cars powered by rockets that players use to play soccer with an oversized ball. Its realistic physics engine allows for exciting aerial moves and fast-paced competition. When it launched, Rocket League quickly gained popularity thanks to allowing players on different platforms to play together. Later, Epic Games bought the game studio, recognizing Rocket League’s success as a major competitive esport.

‘Celeste’ (2018)

This platforming game, created by Maddy Thorson and a small team, tells the story of Madeline as she climbs a difficult mountain. It’s known for its challenging gameplay, but also for its heartfelt story about dealing with anxiety and depression. Players will explore hundreds of carefully designed levels filled with tricky obstacles. The game also includes an assist mode, letting players customize the difficulty to fit their skill level. Critics loved its precise controls and moving narrative.

‘Cuphead’ (2017)

Cuphead is a challenging and visually striking action game developed by Studio MDHR. Its unique art style is inspired by classic 1930s cartoons, with everything hand-drawn and inked. Players take on the role of Cuphead or Mugman, battling through tough boss fights to settle a debt with the devil. The game’s lively jazz soundtrack was recorded with a real orchestra. It’s been a huge success, selling millions of copies and even leading to an animated TV show.

‘Hades’ (2020)

Supergiant Games created this action-packed dungeon crawler inspired by Greek myths. You play as Zagreus, trying to escape the Underworld and reach Mount Olympus. Every attempt at escape is different thanks to randomly granted powers from the Olympian gods. Even when you fail, the story continues as you return to the main area. The game has won many awards for its beautiful art style and how well the story is woven into the gameplay.

‘The Binding of Isaac’ (2011)

The Binding of Isaac is a challenging roguelike game created by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl, delving into dark, religious imagery. Players control Isaac, a crying child, as he fights monsters in the randomly generated basement of his home. The game uses a unique dual-stick shooting style, and each playthrough is different thanks to constantly changing items and levels. Over time, the game has grown with expansions and remakes, adding tons of new items to discover.

‘Limbo’ (2010)

This puzzle-platformer, created by Playdead, stands out with its distinctive black-and-white look. Players control a boy as he navigates a perilous world, trying to find his sister. The game challenges you with physics-based puzzles that often require experimentation and accepting frequent failures. Instead of a traditional soundtrack, it uses unsettling ambient sounds to build a creepy mood. It was one of the first popular indie games to succeed on consoles.

‘Braid’ (2008)

Jonathan Blow’s platformer lets players bend time to solve challenging puzzles. You play as Tim, who journeys through different worlds to save a princess and piece together a mysterious story. Each world has unique time-manipulation abilities that change how you interact with everything around you. The game features a beautiful, painted art style and is well-known as a key title in the rise of independent game development.

‘Super Meat Boy’ (2010)

Team Meat created a famously challenging platformer where you play as a cube of meat on a quest to rescue his girlfriend. The game is known for its difficult levels, filled with dangerous obstacles like buzzsaws, and requires players to have excellent timing and control. While the levels are short, they often take many tries to beat. Quick restarts help keep the game fast-paced and incredibly addictive. It quickly became a huge hit when it was released online.

‘Shovel Knight’ (2014)

Yacht Club Games created this retro-style platformer, designed with 8-bit graphics. Players take on the role of a knight who fights enemies using a shovel. The game feels like a classic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) title but with updated game design. It was originally funded by fans through a crowdfunding campaign. Since its release, the main character has made appearances in several other independent games.

‘Stray’ (2022)

Stray is an adventure game created by BlueTwelve Studio where you play as a cat trying to find its way home in a futuristic city populated by robots. You’ll solve puzzles and explore the city, and the game features incredibly realistic cat animations. A helpful little drone buddy joins you, assisting with technology and translating different languages. Its original concept has made it a hit with players on PlayStation and PC, reaching millions worldwide.

‘Valheim’ (2021)

Iron Gate Studio developed this survival game, set in a dark, otherworldly realm drawing inspiration from Norse mythology. Players gather materials to create weapons and build bases while fighting mythical beasts. The game is designed for cooperative play with up to ten players and features a unique visual style combining simple shapes with advanced lighting. It quickly became popular, selling millions of copies soon after its initial release to early access players.

‘Dead Cells’ (2018)

This challenging game blends the best parts of roguelikes and metroidvanias, featuring demanding but rewarding combat. You play as a flawed alchemical creation attempting to break free from a vast, constantly shifting castle island. When you die, you start over from the beginning, but you keep any permanent improvements you’ve earned. The smooth, fast-paced combat encourages players to be bold and use a diverse arsenal of weapons. Consistent updates have kept the game’s community engaged for years.

‘Slay the Spire’ (2019)

Slay the Spire, created by Mega Crit Games, is a challenging deck-building game where you plan your strategy carefully. You pick a character and climb a mysterious spire, fighting enemies with a customizable deck of cards. Winning battles earns you new cards and powerful items to improve your skills. The game features different paths you can take, letting you choose between fighting more enemies or resting to recover. When it was released, it helped create a new style of card game.

‘Vampire Survivors’ (2022)

Poncle created a simple but challenging survival game with retro pixel art. You control a character who attacks automatically and must fend off endless waves of monsters. As enemies are defeated, they drop gems used to level up and unlock better weapons. The game’s objective is to survive as long as possible – ideally for 30 minutes – before the inevitable game over. It quickly became popular thanks to its addictive gameplay and affordable price.

‘Phasmophobia’ (2020)

I’m totally hooked on this game, Phasmophobia! It’s a cooperative horror experience where you and up to three friends play as ghost hunters. We use different tools to figure out what kind of ghost is haunting a place, and it’s seriously scary but also hilarious sometimes – especially when the ghost actually talks back to you using voice recognition! It’s become super popular to watch streamers play, and honestly, playing it in VR makes it even more terrifying and immersive. It’s a blast!

‘Rust’ (2013)

Facepunch Studios created this online survival game focused entirely on staying alive. Players begin with absolutely nothing and have to collect materials to construct shelters and make weapons. The world itself is dangerous, with threats like wild animals and radiation, in addition to other players. A key part of the game involves attacking and looting other players’ bases. It started as a game inspired by ‘DayZ’ but has become one of the most popular survival games on Steam.

‘RimWorld’ (2018)

RimWorld, created by Ludeon Studios, is a sci-fi game where you build and manage a colony on a randomly generated planet. An AI acts as a storyteller, creating unpredictable challenges like pirate attacks or severe weather. The game focuses on the detailed lives and well-being of each colonist, with complex systems affecting their moods and health. It’s been a huge success, selling millions of copies, and has a large, active modding community.

‘Factorio’ (2020)

Wube Software created this game where you build and run automated factories. You’ll gather materials and unlock new technologies to create an industrial base on another planet. As you progress, things get more challenging – you’ll need to streamline your production and protect your factory from alien creatures. The final objective is to launch a rocket. Players love it because it’s deep, complex, and incredibly satisfying to optimize your factory.

‘Don’t Starve’ (2013)

Don’t Starve is a survival game set in a strange, gothic world, created by Klei Entertainment. You play as Wilson, a scientist stranded in the wilderness, and must manage his hunger and sanity while trying to stay safe from the dark. The game is known for its challenging permadeath feature, meaning if you die, you start over. Its popularity grew even more with the release of ‘Don’t Starve Together,’ a separate multiplayer version.

‘Subnautica’ (2018)

Unknown Worlds Entertainment developed this exciting survival game where you’re stranded in an alien ocean. After crash-landing on planet 4546B, you’ll need to dive into the depths to gather supplies and find a cure for a mysterious illness. Unlike many survival games, this one emphasizes exploring the ocean and building underwater vehicles over fighting. The story is revealed through audio recordings and clues you discover in the environment. Players and critics have especially praised the game’s immersive sound and the originality of its underwater world.

‘No Man’s Sky’ (2016)

No Man’s Sky, created by Hello Games, is an adventure game where you explore a vast universe created using special technology. This allows for an almost endless number of unique planets filled with different plants and animals. While the game had a difficult start because it was missing some promised features, the developers have consistently added free updates over the years. These updates included popular features like building bases and playing with others on cooperative missions. Today, it’s celebrated as a remarkable success story in the video game world.

‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ (2014)

I’m a huge fan of Five Nights at Freddy’s! It’s this really creepy survival horror game created by Scott Cawthon where you play as a night guard at a pizza place. The whole thing is you’re watching security cameras, trying to keep these spooky animatronic characters from getting into your office. The catch is you have very limited power, so you have to be smart about when you use the lights and close the doors. It’s gotten so popular, there are tons of sequels now and even a movie!

‘Untitled Goose Game’ (2019)

House House created a playful puzzle game where you play as a goose causing trouble in a quiet English village. The goal is to complete a list of silly tasks, like stealing things and generally being a nuisance. You can honk to scare people and interact with your surroundings. The game quickly became popular online thanks to its funny moments and lighthearted chaos, and it sold over a million copies soon after it came out.

‘Papers, Please’ (2013)

Papers, Please is a puzzle game created by Lucas Pope where you play as an immigration inspector. Set in the bleak, fictional country of Arstotzka, you examine documents and passports, looking for anything suspicious. The game challenges you with difficult choices that impact both your family and the lives of those trying to enter the country. Its distinctive pixel art style creates a grim and unsettling mood. Critics praised the game for its original ideas and emotionally powerful story.

Please share your favorite indie game experiences in the comments.

2025-12-06 09:18