The 10 Most Influential Indie Games of All Time

Indie Games. For a time, they were considered the salvation of gaming, at a time when major developers were increasingly focused on delivering cut-down products, full of microtransactions and ever more expensive. Indies went against the grain of the moment, daring to use ideas that wouldn't be accepted by large developers because they were "risky" or might "not be profitable".

For years, games have been made by small companies or a few people developing the game independently, without a large studio behind them, but the term "indie" only became popular in 2004, to reflect games made in an artisanal way. So, it's impossible to know which was the first "indie" game released, but it’s possible to know which were the most influential on each console, and that's what we're going to talk about. About independent games that marked their consoles, and if you have any questions, just leave a comment.

But, attention!

For this list, we considered the following: An indie game is one made independently, usually by small developers or teams, without depending on large publishers, maintaining total control over its creation, even if it’s later distributed on commercial platforms.

Therefore, we won’t consider bootleg games that replaced Sonic with Mario or replaced Pikachu with Speedy Gonzales, or anything like that. No pirated versions of famous mascots from one platform on another.

Another detail is the fact that, during the 8-bit and 16-bit era (Master System, NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis), making games was difficult and expensive; after all, it wasn't easy to get a cartridge to put your game in. So, the games presented in this text from that era may not be exactly indie like the others, since information about them is scarce and unreliable. Consider yourself warned!

In the early days of console video games, when hardware limitations seemed to hinder bigger dreams, Adventure appeared, designed and programmed by Warren Robinett for the Atari 2600. The mission is simple: guide a small square avatar through castles, forests, and labyrinths, find the magic chalice, avoid dragons and the 'Bat' that steals objects, and return them to the golden castle. Even with rudimentary graphics, the game introduced revolutionary ideas for the time—connected rooms, enemies that move off-screen, items you carry with you, and the first documented easter egg in video games.

Robinett faced skepticism from Atari management, who thought it’d be impossible to adapt a text-based adventure game to a 4KB cartridge, but he persisted and delivered a working prototype in a short time. During development, he had to deal with the console's limitations and resort to features like screen mirroring and few sprite registers, transforming limitations into design elements through creativity.

Furthermore, Adventure became famous for including one of the first known "easter eggs" in video games: a secret room that reveals "Created by Warren Robinett", as a response to Atari's policy of not crediting its authors. A classic that influenced generations and paved the way for the adventure genre on consoles.

During a time when 16-bit consoles were at their peak, Plok! for the Super Nintendo arrived with colorful visuals and creative mechanics: Plok loses his flag, goes after it, and faces enemies, using his own limbs as weapons — yes, he throws arms and legs as projectiles.

The British developer Software Creations created the game with about 26 people, which was small by the standards of the time. The design combined conventional platforming levels with bolder ideas, such as horizontal shooting levels and surreal environments. Although published by major publishers like Tradewest, Plok! stands out for having its own identity and was praised for its soundtrack and visual style.

The fact that it was developed by a relatively small team, with ideas outside the "Mario/Sonic" standard, gives it an interesting place in history as a cult game of the 16-bit era.

While the mainstream 8/16-bit market was dominated by big names, the curious The Dinosaur Dooley emerged on the Master System, developed by the small South Korean company Daou Infosys as an "unlicensed" title in January 1991.

In the game, the main character, a cartoonish dinosaur, jumps and advances through levels filled with platforms and obstacles, in an adventure that resembles a "pure platformer," but sold outside of Sega's traditional licensing circuit.

The print run was limited, distribution focused on specific markets, and the title remained more of a historical curiosity than a major commercial success. Even so, it shows that there were smaller developers willing to create for home consoles—contradicting the impression that only large publishers dominated that space.

At the end of the 64-bit generation, Glover brought a bizarre and curious concept to the Nintendo 64: you take on the role of a magic glove that rolls a ball through three-dimensional worlds to collect crystals, restore order, and defeat a villainous glove. Developed by the British company Interactive Studios (less well-known among the giants of the time) and published by Hasbro Interactive in November 1998.

Glover mixed 3D platforming with ball physics-based puzzles, changing the pace of what was normal in 3D platformers of the time. The team didn't have the same budget as the big studios developing Mario or Donkey Kong, which led the design to focus on originality instead of "more of the same". Despite not achieving the commercial success of the bigger studios, Glover gained cult status and shows that, even on consoles with high budgets, smaller studios came up with different ideas.

Released for the PlayStation in 1997, Tomba! (also known as Tombi in some regions) features a pink-haired boy named Tomba who arrives on an island infested with evil pigs to recover his grandfather's stolen bracelet. Developed by the Japanese studio Whoopee Camp, a small team by Sony standards, the game mixed platforming, adventure, exploration, and side quests in a 2.5D environment that was innovative for its time.

Critics praised its humor, lighthearted design, and freedom beyond the standard "jump to the end of the level" approach. Despite not having huge sales, Tomba! is now remembered as a cult classic, and the special edition for modern consoles itself shows the affection that the niche has for it.

With the explosion of smartphones, Doodle Jump was developed by the small team at Lima Sky and released on March 15, 2009, for iOS. In the game, you guide "TheDoodler", a creature that jumps indefinitely across platforms, tilting the device to move, picking up power-ups like propeller hats, jetpacks, and rockets, while avoiding pits and UFOs.

The simplicity of the concept, the accelerometer-based controls, and the explosion of downloads (millions of copies sold) made it an indie phenomenon on mobile, proving that tiny teams could reach a massive audience. Development was fast, but the delivery of addictive and easy-to-understand mechanics made Doodle Jump a successful model for independent mobile games.

In the mid-seventh generation of video games, Braid emerged as a paradigm of a "serious indie game" for consoles. Created by Jonathan Blow, who self-financed it over three years, and with art by David Hellman, it was released via Xbox Live Arcade in August 2008. The premise is familiar: a hero seeks to rescue a princess, but we use time manipulation to solve puzzles and dismantle platform design conventions.

Blow used the project as a critique of the games of the time, worked almost alone, and delivered something with a unique and profound identity. Braid won critical acclaim, proved that a small team could make history, and became a benchmark of the indie movement—not only as a "big studio alternative", but as its own artistic expression.

When the word "indie" became commonplace in game development, along came Super Meat Boy, developed by Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes with TeamMeat. Released in October 2010 for the Xbox 360 via XBLA, the game features extremely challenging platforming, deliberate retro design, dozens of fast-paced levels, constant deaths, and instant restarts.

You, a skinless (or rather, fleshless) boy who leaves a trail of blood wherever you go, must rescue your girlfriend, a tofu cube girl, kidnapped by a villain in a giant robot. The team practically lived off the project, working with a limited budget, and its commercial success showed that indie games could compete in terms of visibility on consoles. Super Meat Boy received media attention and became a symbol of the golden age of indie games dominating digital stores.

Moving on to the current generation, Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania developed by just three people at the Australian studio Team Cherry, released in 2017 for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 (among other platforms). You take on the role of a silent knight exploring the underground world of Hallownest, defeating creatures, unlocking powers, and discovering secrets in a dark and atmospherically rich environment.

The game impresses with its hand-drawn art, soundtrack, coherent world, and by-the-book indie design: few resources, a lot of talent, and an independent digital release that won over millions of players and critical acclaim. Hollow Knight shows that, in the current generation, there’s still room for small teams to tell great stories.

Finally, Celeste, released in January 2018 for PC, Switch, PS4, and other platforms, tells the story of Madeline climbing a mountain while confronting her inner demons. Developed by the Canadian studio Matt Makes Games (a small team), the game combines refined platforming, emotional narrative, and accessible challenge.

Celeste has been critically acclaimed, received numerous awards, and tackled serious themes like anxiety and depression, demonstrating that indie games don't need to be just about addictive mechanics, but also vehicles for expression. Its pixel art, carefully orchestrated level design, and the developers' honest mission place it among the great indie games of the current generation.

In the early 1980s, the Atari 2600 was already experiencing a period of saturation: dozens of small studios were trying to profit from any idea that would fit on a cartridge, often lacking even minimal quality.

It was in this scenario that companies like Mystique and PlayAround emerged, becoming known for releasing games with "adult themes", something unprecedented for home consoles.

These titles, such as Custer's Revenge, Beat 'Em & Eat 'Em, Bachelor Party, and X-Man, were made by tiny teams without Atari licenses, which technically places them within the definition of indie productions. They used improvised tools, reverse engineering, and parallel distribution—selling directly through catalogs or stores that were willing to risk having them on their shelves.

These developers worked outside the official system, without technical support, assuming all the financial and creative risk. The intention was to shock and generate curiosity, not so much to innovate in gameplay.

Even so, they represent a raw portrait of what it was like to make an independent game before the term "indie" existed: without a budget, without authorization, and with total control over the final product. The problem is that the flood of low-quality releases—added to these controversial titles—helped tarnish the image of home video games.

In 1983, the American market collapsed: the famous video game crash. Shelves were full of bad, unsold games; the public lost confidence, and several companies closed their doors, including small ones that survived on alternative releases.

The "adult games" ended up becoming a symbol of a period of exaggerations and lack of control, but also of extreme independence—a time when anyone with technical knowledge could try to release their own game without asking anyone's permission.

Even though they’re remembered negatively, they show that the seed of independent production already existed there: small teams, unsupervised creativity, and the courage (or madness) to face the market on their own.