2018 is looking pretty good for AAA games already and we’ve not even hit February yet. But what about the indie scene, the games you might not be aware of but probably should be.

Don’t worry, I’m here to help you with a big ol’ list of indie games that I really think you should be keeping an eye on and that ‘should’ be released in 2018. There’s no particular order and I’m just going to  put in as many as I can think of, so you might want to grab a cup of tea or coffee or whatever your beverage of choice is because you could be here a while.

My Friend Pedro

Release: TBC 2018

My Friend Pedro is a violent ballet about friendship and imagination where players strategically bounce bullets off frying pans and jump through windows in slow motion.

Ori and the Will of the wisps

Release: 2018

Sequel to the critically acclaimed Metriodvania is back with a brand new story, setting, stunning score and challenges for you take on.

Deep Rock Galactic

Release: 2018

The co-operative Dwarven Mining game where you and three others will face off against a whole host of alien bugs as you mine for the riches held within the planet Hoxxes.

Little Devil Inside

Release: TBC 2018

Little Devil Inside is an engaging 3D action adventure RPG game where you’re thrown into a surreal but familiar setting with humans, creatures and monsters to interact with, learn and hunt – journey, survive and discover the world that exists beyond.

Below

Release: Who knows… 2018 hopefully…

Below is an adventure game viewed from a top-down perspective. You play as a tiny warrior exploring the depths of a remote island. The game is about exploration the island and trying to survive.

Abandon Ship

Release: Q1 2018

Pirates, tactical combat, exploration, mythical creatures and strange cults are all here.

Hell Let Loose

Release: Closed Beta Q1 2018, Early Access Q2 2018

Hell Let Loose is a platoon-based realistic multiplayer first-person shooting game for PC set during the Second World War.

Far Lone Sails

Release: Q1 2018

Traverse a dried-out seabed littered with the remains of a decaying civilization. Keep your unique vessel going, overcome numerous obstacles and withstand the hazardous weather conditions. How far can you make it? What will you find?

The Last Night

Release:2018

Humans first knew the era of survival. Then they knew the era of work. Now they live in the era of leisure. Machines have surpassed human labour not only in strength, but in precision, intellect, and creativity. The fight for survival doesn’t mean food and water, but a purpose for living.

Hunt: Showdown

Release: Early 2018

Savage, nightmarish monsters roam the Louisiana swamps, and you are part of a group of rugged bounty hunters bound to rid the world of their ghastly presence. Banish these creatures from our world, and you will be paid generously—and given the chance to buy more gruesome and powerful weapons.

The Occupation

Release: 2018

The Occupation is a politically driven, first-person, narrative game set in 1980’s North-West England in which you play as a whistle-blowing journalist. The next 4 hours will determine the outcome of the act and the future of the country. Events happen in real-time and you must make decisions based on the evidence surrounding you. Is the cost of an extreme action outweighed by the cause of the greater good? You are the reporter. You decide the narrative.

Flotsam

Release: 2018

Survive in a feel-good apocalypse world. Manage your drifters as they try to survive in a harsh ocean world, where everything is trying to eat you or sink your town to the depths of the sea! You’ll need fresh water, sea food and scrap to make sure your drifters can make the best of this wet situation.

Battalion 1944

Release: 1st February

Battalion recaptures the core of classic competitive shooters & refines the ‘classic’ FPS feel for the next generation. Focusing on 5v5 infantry combat, where precise flick shots with your Kar98, covering fire with your Thompson and fluid movement are key to clutching every round for your team.

Dead Matter

Release: Est Feb 2018

Dead Matter is a true sandbox survival horror. Players will fight to survive in a zombie-packed, post-apocalyptic world that fosters whichever play-style fits you best. Settle down and defend your home from outside threats with an expansive crafting and barricading system, cultivate and live off the land, or branch out, explore, and scavenge whatever vehicles, weapons, and food you may find in a zombie-plagued Alberta – alone, or with your friends.

If they pull this off, it could be a really good game!

Post Scriptum

Release: Spring 2018

Post Scriptum is a first-person simulation shooter that provides an authentic WWII combat experience. Focusing on historical accuracy, large scale battles, a difficult learning curve and an intense need for cohesion, communication and teamwork.

Dead Static Drive

Release: Sometime in 2018 possibly…

A horror road-trip adventure through a desolate small-town world.

GTFO

Release: 2018

GTFO is a hardcore 4 player cooperative game, with a focus on team play and atmosphere.It features procedural gameplay scenarios through its Expedition Director, edge-of-your-seat suspense, team based puzzle solving and high intensity combat.

4 player co-op games seem to be having a bit ‘moment’ right now and GTFO has thrown itself in the mix. Bring a change of pants!

Ooblets

Release: 2018

Ooblets is a farming, town life, and creature collection game inspired by Pokémon, Harvest Moon, and Animal Crossing. Manage your farm, grow and train your ooblets, run a shop, explore strange lands, battle wild ooblets and other ooblet trainers, and unlock the mysteries of Oob.

BattleTech

Release: Early 2018

Take command of your own mercenary outfit of `Mechs and the MechWarriors that pilot them, struggling to stay afloat as you find yourself drawn into a brutal interstellar civil war.

 

Untitled Goose Game

Release: 2018

It might not have a proper name yet, but it still looks like it could be pretty good fun! Be a goose and cause mischief.

Tunic

Release: Might actually be 2019, but you should still keep an eye on it

Tunic takes inspiration from classic Zelda games in this visually stunning 3D isometric RPG adventure where you take on the role of a cute little fox. Explore the wilderness, discover spooky ruins, and fight terrible creatures from long ago.

A Way Out

Release: 23rd March 2018

A Way Out is an intense and exclusively co-op adventure game where characters break out of prison and continue beyond. Technically might not be Indie as it’s published by EA, but it is being developed by a smaller studio – Hazelight who made Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons

Frostpunk

Release: 2018

Frostpunk is the first game of society survival. In an ultimately frozen world, people develop steam-powered technology to oppose the overwhelming cold. The city ruler has to manage both the inhabitants and the infrastracture the citizens live in.

Into the Breach

Release: “When it’s finished” But probably 2018

Control powerful mechs from the future to defeat an alien threat. Each attempt to save the world presents a new randomly generated challenge in this turn-based strategy game.

Felix the Reaper

Release: 2018

Felix The Reaper is a romantic comedy about the life of Death. It’s brought to you on PC as a 3D shadow manipulation puzzle adventure game of dance, dying people and dangerous love.

Fimbul

Release: Q3 2018

Fimbul is a single-player comic-book, action adventure. Set in the final winter before Ragnarök, The Fimbul Winter. You play as an old berserk, travelling to Jötunheim to fulfill his destiny, battling Trolls and Jotuns to reclaim an ancient artifact that might, just might save Midgard.

Black Future 88

Release: 2018

Climb a procedural tower in an alternate version of 1988 to kill its insane owner. Then do it again, and again until it kills you. A constantly evolving world, influenced by other players.

My Time in Portia

Release: It actually came out the other day!

Start a new life in the enchanting town of Portia! Restore your Pa’s neglected workshop to its former glory, grow crops, raise animals, befriend the towns quirky inhabitants and uncover the mysteries this charming post-apocalyptic land has forgotten!

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Release: 13th February 2018

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a story-driven open-world RPG that immerses you in an epic adventure in the Holy Roman Empire. Avenge your parents’ death as you battle invading forces, go on game-changing quests, and make influential choices.

 

Griftlands

Release: Early 2018

In Griftlands, everything is negotiable: money, loyalty—even morality. Choose your character and make your fortune. Griftlands is the next game by Klei.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2

Release: Q1 2018

The sequel to the critically acclaimed Vermintide is a visually stunning and groundbreaking melee action game pushing the boundaries of the first person co-op genre.

Ashen

Release: 2018

Ashen is an action RPG about a wanderer in search of a place to call home. There is no sun and the natural light that exists comes from eruptions that cover the land in ash. This is a world where nothing lasts, no matter how tightly you cling to it.

There you have it! A huge list of amazing looking indie games that should be coming in 2018. Got any others? Let me know!

-Will