11 Indie Games on My 2023 Wishlist

Is it surprising that I started finding even more game reveals 30 minutes after publishing my second "10 best things" article? Or that some of them were Xbox games that didn’t make the cut for the big showcase but got put into a smaller ID@Xbox indie sizzle reel?

Because yes, that did happen, and now I've got a whole bunch of other stuff to talk about.

These aren’t big games, or even games that will attract wide audiences. But I’ve become an indie-focused gamer in recent years. In fact, I’m more likely to buy the games on this list than most of the ones included in my “best of” list or my Xbox showcase recap.

But even though I’m excited for all of these titles, I'll keep this post short. Here are 10ish bonus "quick hits" that are mostly suited for indie gamers.

Author’s note: To be clear, not all of these games are launching on Game Pass, or even coming to Xbox right away. But half of them are coming to Game Pass, and looking up those games is how I stumbled across most of the others on this list. So that’s why I gave ID@Xbox a shout-out with the cover image for this post!

Under the Waves

Although Under the Waves was announced last year, it never got much publicity. (At least, I never heard or saw anything about it) And that’s a tragedy, because it instantly became my favorite game shown outside the Xbox showcase.

I’m currently listening to a radio drama about an underwater research base. (It’s called “Derelict,” if you’re curious; it’s honestly as well-made and polished as an HBO show.) And given my love for ABZU and even Subnautica, there’s something about undersea games that pulls me in. Under the Waves looks like it’ll add a supernatural or maybe even psychological horror element, combining the deep-sea exploration with a gripping narrative.

Viewfinder

Watch five seconds of this trailer and you’ll see some pretty clear parallels with The Witness. Kim and I enjoyed The Witness, but never beat it because of how complex the puzzles became in the later sections. While Viewfinder looks more difficult with its “take and use photos to change the world” mechanic, the game still seems like something worth trying.

Author’s note: This is another game that was announced by Sony but then got lost behind bigger PS5 game reveals. Maybe I should go dig around and see if I can find any other gems that way…

Lamplighter’s League

Okay, this one is a game I’ve known about for a while. It’s gotten a lot of publicity this year, including a featured issue of GameInformer Magazine. Lamplighter’s League is the latest game from Harebrained Schemes, developer of the recent Shadowrun trilogy as well as BattleTech — two games with excellent storytelling and RPG systems, even if they didn’t resonate with me.

Lamplighter’s League is very clearly an XCOM-like, but set in an Indiana Jones-y setting of fighting off cultists while searching for ancient artifacts. Gameplay looks to lean into the narrative elements more than XCOM, too. But the best news is that it’s launching in Game Pass.

Airborne Empire

At some point in the last few years, I stopped reviewing every game I played. Even though blogging has dropped a few positions as far as my list of priorities goes, there are a few games that could very well earn a review (and probably a replay) at some point in the future.

I adored Airborne Kingdom. In fact, it ended up fueling an intense worldbuilding project that is still ongoing. So seeing the announcement of Airborne Empire announced (which was teased in the credits, but never overtly stated) is really exciting news for me.

Earthless

Okay, I have absolutely no idea what Earthless is. But this trailer was maybe the coolest of the week, so I did a little digging.

According to the publisher's website, Earthless is a "sci-fi, roguelike deckbuilder where humankind has been thrust into the cosmic wind on a fleet of starships captained by you." I like the Battlestar Galactica concept, so I think I'll keep an eye on it.

Sand

Here's another example of a game that is still a mystery but captivated me anyway. (That's why I paired them together.) The trailer shows nothing about what Sand will be, but honestly, that was some outstanding worldbuilding work by the developers.

Author's note: Okay this wins the award for most unusual premise. According to PC Gamer, Sand is a "dystopian open-world survival [game] set in an alternate future where the Austro-Hungarian empire discovered interplanetary travel on the eve of World War I."

The Invincible

This looks like one of those deeply immersive exploration games that always interests me…but never actually gets purchased. I can't promise things will be different with The Invincible, but this is the second year that I've been impressed by it, which has to be worth something. (After all, it ended up on this list!)

One thing I really appreciate is the visual style. Pairing hyper-realistic graphics with stylized textures is very, very smart. It hides the fact it’s an indie game and should also look good, even a few years from now.

Altered Alma

Altered Alma looks like it's straight out of the old Comix Zone game I remember my uncle playing on SEGA Genesis.

Author's note: I just saw it'll have dating sim elements but play as a Metroidvania set in cyberpunk Barcelona. That's a…unique combination, for sure.

Harold Halibut

Why does stop motion appeal to me? That is a mystery I don't fully understand. For some reason Harold Halibut (a handmade point-and-click adventure game) won its way into my heart, and it’s been on my watchlist for over 2 years without so much as a peep from the developers.

It was exciting to see it get mentioned in the ID@Xbox sizzle reel, and even more exciting to learn that the game’s coming soon and releasing directly into Game Pass.

Sea of Stars

I have a lot of "blind spots" in my gaming history. (I actually started writing about that a few months ago; it seems like an interesting topic and conversation starter.) One of the bigger spots is games that came out in the 90s, and specifically RPGs, even though those titles make up the foundation of my favorite genre.

In recent years, developers have started making games to pay homage to the classics. It’s especially common in the indie space where there are less expectations to deliver big-budget games with photorealistic graphics.

The team at Sabotage Studio went after the 2D action platformer with their first game, The Messenger. Now Sea of Stars looks set to recreate the magic of Final Fantasy or Chrono Cross…and it's launching in Game Pass!

Baldur’s Gate 3

Is this a new game? No.

Did I see anything new and surprising? No.

But as Baldur's Gate 3 approaches its official launch date, it's looking more and more like something I should play with Kim (which is how we played Divinity: Original Sin).

While I missed a lot of classic Japanese RPGs, isometric Western RPGs from the 90s and early 00s were some of my first "grown-up" games. I know Larian Studios' take will be much different from BioWare's classic PC games, but my gut still says this could be a great co-op adventure for us to tackle together.

I think this is the last of my highlights…but never say "never" at this point, right?

As we move fully into the summer, I've seen quite a few of these games with free demos on Steam. It's the perfect way to test the water and see if a game is a good fit. I'm not as much of a PC gamer as I used to be, but it's hard to go wrong with a free, curated demo.

I'm curious which (if any) of these games stuck out to you. Or maybe you have your own list, based on trailers you've seen or reactions for content creators you trust. Feel free to share your thoughts

And as always: Keep on gaming, even when life gets in the way.