--- description: We’re living in the golden age of indie video games. Here are five great indie games worth playing right now. title: 5 Video Games You've Never Heard Of But You Should Be Playing image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 5 Video Games You've Never Heard of But You Should Be Playing by [Matthew Gault](/author/matthew-gault/) ## Matthew Gault Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 10, 2019 4:44 PM CUT by [Matthew Gault](/author/matthew-gault/) ## Matthew Gault Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 10, 2019 4:44 PM CUT Big-ticket games [like _The Division 2_](http://time.com/5552303/division-2-review/ "undefined") and _Sekiro_ are great, but sometimes you might be in the mood for something a little different — and maybe a little cheaper, too. Thankfully, we’re living in the golden age of [indie video games](http://time.com/5531065/nintendo-switch-indie-games/ "undefined") that you can download right to your console or PC for a pittance. Here are five great indie games worth playing right now: ## **_Baba Is You_** Puzzle games are more fun when you get to break the rules. _Baba Is You_ developer Hempuli Oy understands that, because _Baba Is You_ is all about changing the rules of the game in your favor to win. The setup is simple—players take control of Baba, a cute little 2D animal, and try to reach to a flag. If Baba touches the flag, the player wins the game. In doing so, Baba has to navigate around walls, push rocks, avoid drowning in water, and dodge jellyfish. What sets _Baba Is You_ apart is players’ ability to change the rules of every puzzle. Scattered around the maps are simple noun and adjective statements such as, well, “Baba Is You,” “Flag Is Victory,” and “Wall Is Stop.” Like the rocks Baba can push around the map, Baba can move these noun and adjective statements around and change everything on the game map. In one map, an impenetrable wall circled the flag I needed to grab for victory. I moved the sentence fragments around to create “Wall Is You.” Suddenly, I had full control over every wall on the map. I scooted the wall to the side, collected the flag, and won the game. On another map, I changed the win condition to read “Baba Is You and Victory” and instantly won the map. Players navigate a _Super Mario World-_style overworld of 200 different puzzles in _Baba Is You_. As the game progresses, it adds more complications and elements for the player to manipulate, until, at the end, I was juggling a dozen different noun and adjective statements, desperately trying to figure out the best way to break the world and achieve victory. [Available on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/736260/Baba%5FIs%5FYou/ "undefined"), [itch.io](https://hempuli.itch.io/baba "undefined"), and the [Nintendo Switch](https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/baba-is-you-switch "undefined"). ## **_Risk of Rain 2_** Few good things in life come without a little risk. That’s one of the principles behind _Risk of Rain 2_, a 3D sequel to the classic 2D role-playing game from 2013\. In _Risk of Rain 2_, players land on a hostile alien world and set off to master it. Each planet is procedurally generated, and the longer a player survives, the harder the game gets. Like _Dead Cells_ or _Dark Souls_, players will die a lot in _Risk of Rain 2_. But every death reveals something new about the world. The longer a player survives and the more they explore, the more they’ll unlock new character classes, weapons, abilities, and information. The game world resets with every death, but unlocked character classes stick around between runs — so even when you die, you’re always progressing. Mercifully, players don’t have to take on the game alone. _Risk of Rain 2_ comes with a multiplayer mode in which up to four players can team up. A meditative soundtrack, tough but fair challenge, and low price come together to make this indie darling easy to recommend. _Risk of Rain 2_ [is in early access on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/632360/Risk%5Fof%5FRain%5F2/ "undefined"), and is set for console release in 2020. ## **_Hypnospace Outlaw_** Do you miss the old internet? You know the one I’m talking about—that pre-millennium cyberspace where every other website was a hamster dancing to MIDI music, GeoCities and Angelfire ruled the day, and every site was “under construction.” _Hypnospace Outlaw_ asks you to return to those wild and innocent days of the internet and police them. It’s 1999 and everyone surfs the ‘net while they’re asleep using tech called a Hypnoband. You’re a content cop — a volunteer who browses the mean screens of the Hypnospace looking for infractions. On the surface, things are sublime, but the darkest corners of Hypnospace hold strange secrets. _Hypnospace Outlaw_ is a brilliant parody of both 1999 internet culture and modern day paranoia. I interacted with Hypnospace through a fake desktop, complete with an email app, garbage box, and Winamp-style music player. My first case was simple: track down images that infringed the copyright of a cartoon fish owned by a Disney-like megacorporation. I felt bad when I shut down a fan site, but I was rewarded for the task with a new skin for my music player. As _Hypnospace Outlaw_ progressed, I found myself taking on stranger tasks and uncovering grotesque mysteries just below the surface of its idyllic cyber utopia. Who, exactly, is spreading shock imagery like a virus? What is cool punk and why is its music so catchy? Where can I find a recipe for Granny Cream’s Hot Butter Ice Cream? To answer these and other mysteries, enter the world of _Hypnospace Outlaw_ _._ _Available on PC and Mac via_ [_Steam_](https://store.steampowered.com/app/844590/Hypnospace%5FOutlaw/ "undefined")_._ ## **_Detention_** A horror game from Taiwanese studio Red Candle Games, _Detention_ is set in the 1960s amid Taiwan’s “White Terror,” a nearly four-decade period of martial law during which nearly 4,000 people were executed. Students Wei and Ray fall asleep at their high school, and wake up to find that everyone has evacuated the building to avoid an incoming tsunami. Finding the exits blocked, Wei and Ray decide to wait out the storm. Then things get creepy. _Detention_ is a side scrolling adventure game in the _Monkey Island_ tradition. You’ll wander the school’s halls, click on objects, work puzzles, and avoid spooky monsters as you uncover the mystery of the haunted building. What sets _Detention_ apart is the way it mixes traditional Chinese mythology, buddhism, and the horror of history to tell a heartbreaking and terrifying tale. [Available on PC](https://store.steampowered.com/app/555220/Detention/ "undefined"), [PlayStation 4](https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/detention-ps4/ "undefined"), and [Nintendo Switch](https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/detention-switch "undefined"). ## **_Ape Out_** Apes, ultra-violence, and jazz make _Ape Out_ special. The story is simple: you play as an ape attempting to escape captivity. Each level begins with a bright orange ape busting out of a cage and ends in carnage and blood for the ape’s captors. The goal is also simple: smash and grab (the game’s only two buttons) your way through guards to escape the randomly generated levels. The ape is fragile, but strong. He can only take one or two shots from his human tormentors before he’s dead and the level starts all over. But strength and smarts will keep clever players alive. Human guards are as fragile as the ape, who can punch his victims into bloody goo or rip them limb from limb. The ape can even grab hold of guards to use as human shields before hurling the bullet-riddled body into still more enemies. _Ape Out_ is a simple game with a striking art style and music that elevates the experience. The player’s view is isometric and 2-D—you’re always staring down at your ape as if you’re helping him navigate a foosball table. The colors are simple and muted. The ape is a large orange outline, the guards vibrant white, and the blood garrish pools of crimson. Over this chaotic gore, a jazz soundtrack drums and thrums in response to the players actions. Cymbals and drums mix up the music, reacting as the ape slaughters his captors, giving each level a unique rhythm and a soundtrack that’s different every time. [Available on PC](https://store.steampowered.com/app/447150/APE%5FOUT/ "undefined") and the [Nintendo Switch](https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/ape-out-switch "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/"},"headline":"5 Video Games You've Never Heard of But You Should Be Playing","datePublished":"2019-04-10T16:44:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:52:01.567Z","description":"Don't let these sleeper indie hits fly under your radar","url":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/","keywords":["Tech","Video Games","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Matthew Gault","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/matthew-gault/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/","name":"5 Video Games You've Never Heard of But You Should Be Playing"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Baba Is You - Release Date Trailer - Nintendo Switch","description":"Baba Is You - Release Date Trailer - Nintendo Switch","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/suYapF05/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-04-10T16:17:41.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/suYapF05.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/","duration":"PT1M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Risk Of Rain 2 – Early Access Launch Trailer","description":"Risk Of Rain 2 – Early Access Launch Trailer","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/OX61SV8L/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-04-10T16:18:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OX61SV8L.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/","duration":"PT2M18S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Hypnospace Outlaw Trailer","description":"Hypnospace Outlaw Trailer","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/WbiBZ9VG/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-04-10T16:17:51.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WbiBZ9VG.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/","duration":"PT1M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Detention - Gameplay Trailer","description":"Detention - Gameplay Trailer","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/0AnLSP76/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-04-10T16:13:13.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0AnLSP76.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/","duration":"PT1M","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Ape Out - Unleashed Gameplay Trailer","description":"Ape Out - Unleashed Gameplay Trailer","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/0rJvpMqk/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-04-10T16:13:38.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0rJvpMqk.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/","duration":"PT1M19S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5567494/best-indie-video-games/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```