The 16 most exciting indie games for 2026 – from Mina The Hollower to Reanimal

GameCentral takes a look at the most promising indie games for 2026, including successors to Shovel Knight and Little Nightmares.

While the definition of an indie game is blurrier than ever, 2025 was largely defined by studios operating under the independent umbrella. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Blue Prince, Skate Story, Citizen Sleeper 2, and Ball x Pit were just some of the standouts, in a year when many triple-A games stumbled.

GTA 6, Marvel’s Wolverine, and Resident Evil Requiem are just some of the headline, big budget games for this year, but there’s also a massive stack of indie titles waiting to show up the big dogs – several of which have emigrated from last year’s line-up, following delays. 

Even if you discount the carry-overs, 2026’s indie line-up looks just as enticing, with many high-profile developers on the comeback trail. We’ve put together the most promising titles into a digestible broth of text below, to nurse away those festive comas. 

MIO: Memories In Orbit

The Metroidvania genre might be well-worn territory within the indie space, but this atmospheric take from French studio Douze Dixièmes could make a splash in the January lull. It looks like a combination between Hollow Knight and Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown, where you play as an agile robot who is trying to restore memories within an abandoned space vessel.

Release date: 20th January

Formats: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC

Mewgenics

A turn-based tactical roguelite where you breed an army of felines might sound like cosy catnip, but this promises to be a far more twisted, and mechanically dense, endeavour. If you’ve looked at the art style, you’ll be unsurprised to know it’s from Super Meat Boy and The Binding Of Isaac co-creator Edmund McMillen, in what’s his second collaboration with Tyler Glaiel, after The End Is Nigh. 

Release date: 10th February

Formats: PC

Reanimal

If you were disappointed by Little Nightmares 3, the series’ original creators, Tarsier Studios, are hoping to deliver a true successor with Reanimal. It looks like a gnarlier evolution of what we’ve come to expect from their platform horror adventures, albeit with pigs, sheep, and crucially, local and online co-op. 

Release date: 13th February

Formats: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC

Demon Tides

The creators behind the underrated Demon Turf, along with the upcoming Bubsy 4D, are launching their next expressive 3D platformer early in 2026. It’s the third romp for Beebz, after Demon Turf: Neon Splash, but this could be her breakout moment – with refreshed visuals, an expanded scope, and the kind of rhythmic momentum designed for speedrunning sickos. 

Release date: 19th February

Formats: PC (Nintendo Switch TBA)

Mina The Hollower

Yacht Club’s much anticipated follow-up to Shovel Knight was delayed indefinitely last October, but since they claim it’s ‘close to being done’ presumably it will now be released in 2026. It’s a homage to the Zelda adventures on the Game Boy Color and, based on the excellent demo, combines surprisingly tough combat, Castlevania aesthetics, and a novel digging mechanic, to tunnel around its elaborate dungeons and dodge attacks. 

Release date: 2026

Formats: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC

Mouse: P.I. For Hire

If you’ve ever imagined Mickey Mouse as a trigger-happy neo noir detective, Mouse: P.I. For Hire might scratch your very niche itch. It’s a throwback boomer shooter in every sense, where the Steamboat Willie rubber hose style animation meets the freneticism of Doom. For anyone who’s been left wanting after Cuphead, this might be the next best thing. 

Release date: 19th March

Formats: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC

Slay The Spire 2

After it was originally slated for last year, the sequel to Slay The Spire is set to drop (albeit only in early access) in 2026. It’s difficult to tell whether it will land in the same way, after inspiring the modern wave of roguelike deckbuilders, but even an iterative sequel will likely be just as fiendishly addictive as the original. 

Release date: March

Formats: PC

Replaced

Another game severely impacted by delays, most notably because of the Russo-Ukrainian War, is this cyberpunk action platformer originating from Belarus. Replaced utilises Batman: Arkham style combat in a 2.5D space, set in a dystopian version of 1980s America. While it remains to be seen if the gameplay can live up to the cinematic art style, it’s certainly striking.

Release date: 21st March

Formats: Xbox Series X/S and PC

Order Of The Sinking Star

We’ve spoken at length with Braid and The Witness creator Jonathan Blow about his next title, but if you want the elevator pitch: this is a narrative adventure where you manipulate beams, mirrors, and other objects across over 1,000 interconnected puzzles. It sounds intimidating, and based on the difficulty in The Witness, it probably will be – but, as it’s been 10 years in the making, expect a logical thinker on an impressive scale. 

Release date: 2026

Formats: PC

There Are No Ghosts At The Grand

One half hotel revenator sim and one half ghost-busting mystery, this genre-bending adventure is a fascinating concoction of styles – topped off with a ska and jazz soundtrack. The whole game is set within a small open world, with the ability to ride around on a scooter, or take out a boat to discover hidden coves. For a debut game, from Bristol-based studio Friday Sundae, it all looks impressively ambitious. 

Release date: 2026

Formats: Xbox Series X/S and PC

Mixtape

We’ve seen plenty of coming-of-age narrative games (Life Is Strange, Lost Records) recently, but Mixtape promises a more stylised, self aware, edge. It comes with a stack of licensed music as well, ranging from The Cure, Portishead, and The Smashing Pumpkins to Iggy Pop, and stems from the studio behind the acclaimed music-infused platformer The Artful Escape. 

Release date: 2026

Formats: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC

Decrepit

A horror roguelike with Soulslike combat, Decrepit is a familiar amalgamation spun through a first-person lens. How it will convince you to repeat the cycles of terror remains to be seen, but it’s hard not to be curious by the design challenge it presents – especially with no maps or quest markers in sight for each crawl from your prison cell. 

Release date: 2026

Formats: PC

Big Walk

Untitled Goose Game was a critical darling back in 2019, and the developer’s next game is just as surprising. Big Walk is a co-op ‘walker-talker’ built around proximity voice (and text) chat, where you stroll around the Australian outback as a duck-like humanoid, solving puzzles, exploring, and expanding your means of communication through challenges. 

Release date: 2026

Formats: PC

Denshattack!

A trick-based 3D platformer where you control an actual train in a vibrant Japanese dystopia, Denshattack! feels like a long lost title from the Sega Dreamcast. In motion, it looks like a kinetic rollercoaster of colour and effects, but the real test will be whether it can satisfy mechanically too, and outdo every 3D Sonic in existence. 

Release date: 2026

Formats: PC

Neverway

ColdBlood Inc., a studio co-founded by Celeste pixel artist Pedro Medeiros, launches its debut game in 2026. Neverway is a blend of horror, life sim, and role-player, where you have to repay a debt to a dead god on a remote island. Along with the excellent art style, the soundtrack is by Disasterpiece, known for his work on Fez and Hyper Light Drifter. 

Release date: 2026

Formats: PC

Witchbrook

Originally announced in 2018, this witch life sim has been brewing up Hollow Knight: Silksong levels of anticipation within cosy circles. With online co-op for up to four players, impressively detailed pixel art, and a wealth of customisation, Witchbrook’s Stardew Valley-meets-Hogwarts pitch could explode into one of the year’s biggest quiet addictions. 

Release date: 2026

Formats: Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC

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