There were a lot of weird and wonderful indie games to see in 2020, and I’m happy to report that there are many more to keep an eye on in 2021.
Looking at the next games was exciting. There are so many interesting, strange and beautiful games to look forward to in the new year. All the games on this list are scheduled to come out in 2021, each equally ambitious in achieving its goal. We have some detective noir thrillers, a little teenage anguish and some hand-drawn delights.
Of course, these are not all the incredible indies that will be released in 2021 – there are simply too many to list. We will continue our coverage of indie games to play in 2021 and would love for you to share the games you are looking forward to seeing in the comments below.
Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance
From developer Rocket Adrift, Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance it’s about a shy and clumsy teenager looking for love in the 1990s. It’s a dating and visual romance simulator, where players – like the main character Stella – befriend a bunch of cryptid teenagers: a fairy, a talking velociraptor and a bigfoot. It is described as a teen drama from the 90s, and it seems so; it has everything from dramatic phone calls, making out sessions and cassette tapes. The art style also looks incredible.
Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance is coming in early 2021.
Saturnalia
Saturnalia is a stylish survival horror game that will hit the Epic Games Store in 2021. The game takes place in Sardinia, Italy, in 1989, in an old village with a frightening ritual – and people disappear every year. What stands out most is Saturnaliaart style of. I didn’t see anything like it!
Saturnalia will arrive at the Epic Games Store in 2021.
She Dreams Somewhere else
She dreams elsewhere, as you may have guessed, occurs within a dream. Described as an adventure RPG, the indie game has a surrealist vibe – the perfect setting for a nightmare. The music, composed by Mimi Page, is perfect.
She dreams elsewhere is coming to the Mac, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC and Xbox consoles in 2021.
Goodbye Volcano High
Canadian developer KO_OP is working on Goodbye Volcano Hight, a narrative game about a bunch of school-age dinosaurs as they are discovering life with graduation coming. It is described as a cinematic game “about the end of an era and the beginning of a love story”.
Goodbye Volcano High is coming to Windows PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2021.
Season
Season, from developer Scavengers Studio, was recently announced during the Game Awards 2020, and was one of the event’s standout games. The game looks like a wonderful atmosphere, with a woman collecting memories of a beautiful and mysterious world.
Season is coming in 2021.
Nuts
Nuts is a game about squirrel watching. It has a very distinctive art style – it looks amazing. Upon observing these squirrels, the player will “discover the secret that the curious creatures are hiding”. Personally I am very cheered up.
Nuts will be released in 2021 on the Windows PC.
Turnip boy commits tax evasion
The name says it all – Turnip boy commits tax evasion. There are puzzles, harvests, battles, but above all, no tax. “Overthrow a corrupt plant government,” according to the Steam page. Who doesn’t like that?
Turnip boy commits tax evasion in 2021, on the Nintendo Switch and on the Windows PC.
Chinatown Detective Agency
Of course, we have a great cyberpunk video game released in late 2020. But there’s more to it, and you can see that in Chinatown Detective Agency. It takes place in 2032 in a stylish and futuristic Singapore. Created by developer General Interactive Co. of Singapore, it looks like an interesting future.
Like the others on this list, it will be released in 2021.
Venba
From developer Visai Games, Venba it is described as a “narrative cooking game”, set in Canada in the 1980s. It is centered on an Indian mother, with players in charge of cooking and remembering lost recipes. It’s a story about “family, love, loss and more,” wrote the developer on Steam. It looks incredible.
It will be released in November 2021.
SkateBird
Tony Hawk Professional skater 1 + 2 held me for a while, but the skate game I’m in really looking forward to is SkateBird, from developer Glass Bottom Games. Birds on skateboards! Birds! In! Skateboards!
You can put the game on the wish list on Steam now, but it’s also coming to Nintendo Switch and other consoles.
30XX
The colorful world of 30XXit seems fast and intense, and has a fantastic soundtrack. It looks a lot like Mega Man X, but according to the developer, it has the “reproducibility of a modern Roguelike”. Co-op is also available. If you liked 20XX, you will also like this game.
You can add it to your wish list on Steam.
Mundaun
I was impressed with Mundaun’s visuals since it was announced. The game is drawn in pencil, telling a horror story “set in a dark and isolated valley in the Alps”. Aesthetics are certainly enough to attract people, but the story and gameplay make this a game to watch.
From the developer Hidden Fields, Mundaun is available for wish list on Steam.
ANNO: Mutationem
Another game in the cyberpunk style, ANNO: Mutationem comes from developer ThinkingStars and publisher Lightning Games. It has a really cool style – a mix of 2D and 3D graphics.
Wishlist ANNO: Mutationem on Steam.
Chaotic era
From the developer BOBBY, Chaotic era it looks super-stylish – a black and white interstellar real-time strategy game. “Take the role of a hyper-advanced AI system designed by one of the largest (and now extinct) megacorporations in humanity,” said the developer. “Land the Earth’s last escape ship in a new world and rebuild human civilization from scratch.”
It is coming to Apple iOS devices.
Hot Pot for One
When it is safe to do so, the first restaurant I will visit in my local hot pot. Instead, I’m eating a hot pot with my partner at home and I’m looking forward to trying the virtual version when Hot Pot for One comes out next year.
It is coming to the Windows PC.
Backbone
Many detective-style noir games will be released in 2021, but Backbone stands out. From developer EggNut and published by Raw Fury, Backbone shows you playing as a raccoon detective named Howard Lotor. The pixel art style is fantastic and I can’t wait to try this stylish point-and-click adventure game.
Check it out on Steam.
Model
I played Model at PAX East in 2020, and we’re looking forward to its release date. The game first appeared in 2011 at the Game Developers Conference, and its ingenious design was an instant success. Finally, it is a complete game, based on an innovative and interesting puzzle style.
Model is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC.
Travel book
The developer Might and Delight describes Travel book as a “unique social RPG experience that doesn’t hold your hand”. It is set in a fairytale world open for exploration – “with no overarching goal and no real beginning or end” – where the player creates his own journey.
I am curious to see how the multiplayer elements will be released when this is released for Windows PC in 2021.
Dordogne
If there is a way to describe Dordogne, I would go with stunning. The game has a fantastic watercolor style that immediately attracted me. In the narrative adventure game, the player engages in “childhood memories”, according to the Steam page. It is set in the present and the past, but each of these worlds is equally beautiful.
It will arrive on Windows PC in 2021. Make a wish list on Steam.
Cup of tea
Cup of tea Teacup stars, a very shy frog. The lunatic world is full of other animals to find and many puzzles to solve. It has a fantastic aesthetic, presenting the healthy journey of finding herbs to make tea.
See more information on Steam.
Tunche
Another beautiful hand-drawn game, Tunche is a hack-and-slash roguelike through the Amazon jungle. It has a cooperative mode for four players and looks like a lot of fun. “Choose one of five characters, master your skill sets and ultimate abilities, defeat epic bosses and unlock the secrets of the mysterious Amazon jungle,” wrote developer LEAP Game Studios on Steam. “The game is centered on high-risk, high-reward combat and features a ‘stylish’ rating system.”
The game will hit consoles and the Windows PC in March.