15 Top Indie Games You Must Try on Your New PS5

Embark on a mesmerizing aquatic journey in this serene adventure game where you play as a lone diver, exploring vibrant underwater environments, solving puzzles, and even befriending a great white shark. The ocean is divided into unique zones, from lush coral reefs to eerie ancient ruins filled with alien technology. Without a single word spoken, Abzu delivers a touching narrative across its brief but powerful two-hour experience.

Ashen is a tough action RPG, with its combat and level design drawing heavy inspiration from Dark Souls. However, unlike many other “soulslike” games that mimic FromSoftware’s somber tone and visual style, Ashen stands out with its vibrant settings and endearing NPCs, offering a friendlier journey. Combat may be demanding, but the game introduces an innovative “ambient multiplayer” system, where players can seamlessly join forces to help each other. If no players are around, AI companions step in to assist you.

Blasphemous stands out as one of the most visually captivating games in recent memory, featuring stunning (and often disturbing) pixel art inspired by Spanish Catholicism. Players venture through the decayed medieval world of Cvstodia, gathering potent relics that unlock new combat and exploration abilities, open up fresh areas, and help defeat the grotesque bosses scattered throughout.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is the latest release from renowned game designer Koji Igarashi, famed for his work on the Castlevania

series. Following the signature “Metroidvania” style, Bloodstained invites players into an expansive, interconnected world, where they can uncover powerful upgrades, hidden paths, and plenty of secrets. Fans of Igarashi’s earlier titles will also recognize familiar music and art direction, as well as numerous nods to Castlevania, including easter eggs throughout.

In this quirky first-person adventure, you play as an unnamed journalist investigating mysterious disappearances on Snaktooth Island, a strange place inhabited by edible creatures called “Bugsnax”—half bug, half snack. With over 100 Bugsnax to discover and document, you’ll meet a cast of oddball characters, complete side quests, and search for clues that unravel the island’s many bizarre mysteries.

At first glance, Celeste is a challenging 2D platformer with vibrant pixel art and an unforgettable soundtrack. However, the game’s deeper narrative serves as a powerful metaphor for personal growth and overcoming adversity. Through a series of carefully designed, bite-sized levels, players control Madeline as she climbs a towering mountain, confronting both external and internal obstacles. While Celeste can be difficult, optional difficulty settings ensure players still feel the sense of accomplishment that comes from conquering each stage.

Chicory is a charming 2D adventure where you control a dog with a magical paintbrush, embarking on a journey to bring color back to a gray world. Players explore beautifully hand-drawn levels, solving puzzles, helping various NPCs, and collecting items to customize their dog’s artist ensemble. Beneath its cute exterior, Chicory delivers a heartfelt message about the joy of creating art for self-expression, not for fame or perfection.

This multiplayer 4v1 survival horror game pits four survivors against a lone killer. The survivors must work together to complete various objectives while evading the killer’s pursuit in order to escape. The game offers 18 unique maps and a diverse cast of survivors and killers, including iconic characters from beloved horror franchises like Resident Evil, Evil Dead, Scream, and others.

Frostpunk takes place in an alternate history where volcanic eruptions have cast the world into an endless winter. The gameplay combines city-building elements reminiscent of Sim City, with survival, social management, and diplomacy mechanics that fit the frozen post-apocalyptic world. Players must shield their citizens from the brutal cold and other dangers, all while working toward various technological, social, or financial objectives depending on the scenario or gameplay mode.

Hollow Knight is a testament to the power of small teams, crafted by just two developers. This 2D Metroidvania unfolds in the crumbling kingdom of Hollownest, a vast underground world teeming with adorable, yet tragic bugs. The game world is expansive yet meticulously varied, ensuring that each area, boss battle, and NPC feels unique, all brought to life with stunning hand-drawn animations and an enchanting soundtrack.

Moonlighter explores the life of RPG shopkeepers when the heroes aren’t around. During the day, you manage your shop, selling treasures to passing adventurers. At night, you delve into dungeons, exploring ever-changing caverns, battling monsters, and collecting loot to stock your store. This captivating blend of genres creates an innovative and rewarding gameplay loop, making it one of the best rogue-lite action RPGs in recent years.

As the latest recruit of the Outer Wilds Ventures, you find yourself exploring a mysterious solar system caught in a time loop, where the sun explodes into a supernova every 22 minutes. Rather than wiping everything out, this cataclysmic event resets both the solar system and the player to the start of the game. Outer Wilds incorporates real-world astrophysics to depict the various anomalies across its planets. Through your exploration, you’ll unlock new methods to navigate the planets as you work to prevent the supernova and end the endless time loop.

World War I isn’t a typical backdrop for video games, especially not for charming adventure titles like Valiant Hearts: The Great War. This is not a traditional shooter or action game; instead, it’s a side-scrolling narrative adventure where you control a diverse cast of characters, each from different backgrounds and allegiances, whose lives intersect during the course of the war. While the game avoids graphic violence, it doesn't shy away from the brutal realities of war, using its cartoony art style to contrast moments of intense conflict, creating a powerful anti-war message.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter follows Paul Prospero, a private detective and occult investigator, as he delves into the mysterious disappearance of a young boy named Ethan Carter. Players guide Paul, using his unique abilities to uncover hidden clues scattered throughout the intricately designed town of Red Creek Valley. Along the way, Paul interacts with the spirits of the recently deceased who may hold crucial information about Ethan’s fate. Although The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a haunting game with clear influences from pulp horror, it avoids cheap jump scares. However, players sensitive to graphic crime scenes may want to proceed with caution.