Last updated on December 15, 2025
If you’ve been feeling like big releases are starting to blend together, that’s usually a good sign, you’re ready for games that take real chances, try weird ideas, and actually surprise you. And 2026 is shaping up to be a strong year for exactly that. In this roundup of indie games 2026, I’ve picked upcoming titles that look exciting not because they’re huge, but because they’re bold, charming, and full of personality. Think fresh mechanics, unforgettable vibes, and those projects that make you stop mid-trailer and go, “Alright… I need this on my wishlist.” If you want a head start on what not to miss next year, let’s dive in.
- Witchbrook
- Replaced
- MOUSE: P.I. For Hire
- Subnautica 2
- Reanimal
- Slay the Spire 2
- Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss
- Fallen Tear: The Ascension
- Super Meat Boy 3D
- Out of Words
Witchbrook
Witchbrook is an upcoming life-sim and social RPG from Chucklefish and Robotality, launching in 2026 on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox. You’ll settle into Mossport, a charming little city where everyday routines sit right next to spells, secrets, and the occasional mystical spirit, all while you build friendships, fall in love, and work your way toward graduation.
Replaced
Replaced is a 2.5D action-platformer from Sad Cat Studios, published by Coatsink and Thunderful, landing on Windows and Xbox Series X|S on March 12, 2026. Set in a dystopian, alternate 1980s America, you play as R.E.A.C.H — an AI unwillingly stuck in a human body — juggling platforming, environmental puzzles, and slick “free-flow” combat where well-timed dodges and parries build into brutal special moves. The hub area also sounds like a nice breather: a place to poke around, meet people, and pick up side quests when you want more than just the main story.
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire
MOUSE: P.I. for Hire is an upcoming first-person shooter from Fumi Games, published by PlaySide Studios, and it’s currently set for March 19, 2026. The big hook is the “rubber-hose” cartoon look, loosely inspired by those early Mickey-era character designs, but underneath the vintage animation vibe it’s still a proper FPS — just with a playful, punchy tone that people have compared to a weird Cuphead-meets-shooter mashup.
Subnautica 2
Subnautica 2 is the next action-adventure survival entry from Unknown Worlds, and it’s heading into Early Access in 2026. This time you’re stranded on a brand-new planet, and for the first time in the series you won’t have to face the deep alone: it supports solo play or co-op for up to four players. The early footage teases new vehicles, fresh creatures and biomes, plus a nastier twist — a current-like mechanic that can literally pull you away — and there’s also the long-awaited DNA modification system, letting you tweak yourself for new abilities.
Reanimal
Reanimal is an upcoming horror adventure from Tarsier Studios, published by THQ Nordic, set to launch on February 13, 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S. It blends survival horror, stealth, and cinematic platforming as you follow a brother and sister trying to escape a twisted version of home while racing to save their three friends. You’ll sneak, explore, solve environmental puzzles, and eventually unlock a boat that opens the world up in a more nonlinear way — and it works solo or in two-player co-op (local or online), with the second character handled by AI if you’re playing alone.
Slay the Spire 2
Slay the Spire 2 is Mega Crit’s follow-up, set about 1,000 years after the first game — same tower energy, but a different era. It was first shown at The Triple-i Initiative showcase on April 11, 2024, and it’s still planned for Early Access, now pushed to March 2026 after originally being talked about for late 2025. Development-wise, it also took a turn: it started out in Unity, but the team rebuilt it from scratch in Godot after the whole Unity pricing controversy. And judging by the trailers, the sequel seems a lot more “alive” moment to moment — with more reactive animations for both your character and the enemies — while still keeping familiar faces around (like the Merchant, Snecko’s Eye, and a few other recognizable bits from the original).
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss
It’s 2053, and the world is getting louder about the occult — not in whispers, but in full-on, can’t-ignore-it events. With resources running dry, corporations push deeper into the Pacific… and accidentally start poking at something ancient. You play Noah, sent to investigate missing miners, with an AI companion named Key at your side, descending into R’lyeh itself: a massive, maze-like sunken city that feels more like a prison than a ruin. The deeper you go, the more the game leans into that classic Lovecraft pressure — not just fear of what’s out there, but the slow, creeping sense that your own mind is slipping.
Fallen Tear: The Ascension
Fallen Tear: The Ascension goes for that classic “big adventure” feeling, but with a sharper edge: you’re not just fighting monsters, you’re pushing back against gods that clearly don’t deserve the title. You play as Hira, a kid with a missing past and a lot of questions, and the people you meet along the way actually matter because bonding with them opens up new skills and tools for the journey. The hand-drawn look is a huge part of the charm, and the world isn’t just pretty scenery either, it shifts and reacts to what you do, which makes exploration feel a bit less predictable.
Super Meat Boy 3D
Super Meat Boy 3D is Team Meat (with Sluggerfly) taking that same “tight, brutal, one-more-try” platforming and throwing it into full 3D, with a spring 2026 release planned for PS5, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S. You’re still Meat Boy, still trying to save Bandage Girl from Dr. Fetus, except now the levels are built to kill you from more angles: saw blades, shredders, toxic mess, the whole factory-from-hell package.
Out of Words
Out of Words is a co-op platform adventure from Kong Orange and WiredFly, published by Epic Games, first shown during Summer Game Fest 2025. You play as Kurt and Karla in Vokabulantis, a strange, storybook-like world where the levels are built around two-person teamwork: physics puzzles, timing-heavy platforming, and little interactions that only work when you’re actually in sync. It supports couch co-op and online cross-play, and the stop-motion look is the real eye-catcher — everything has that tactile, handmade feel, from ancient catacombs to clay-like skyscrapers, like you’re running through a miniature set that came to life.
