With so many fantastic games on Xbox Game Pass, we wanted to select some of the best indie games to help you pick something to play.
With so many titles on Xbox Game Pass, you might not know where to start! It is hard to find exactly what a game is about based on the tiny thumbnail preview you are given when searching the store. This might mean you often find yourself playing the same Xbox games, but there are so many different titles out there for you to discover and take a look at.
If you have an Xbox but do not have Xbox Game Pass, you should consider picking it up. There are a few different options: the console option gives you hundreds of games to play on your box console specifically, with new titles added often, as well as extra discounts on the Xbox store. The PC pass, on the other hand, gives you loads of games on your PC that come out on Xbox, with updates added all the time. If you use your box and your PC, you can go for the ultimate package, which gives you games to play, refreshed each month, on PC, console and mobile, while giving deals on Xbox games to purchase, in-game perks on several big games, and much more. Often, you can trial the Xbox Game Pass for one of your currency (dollars, pounds, etc) a month, for the first month.
Now that we have got that all out of the way, it is time to look at the best indie games on Xbox Game Pass, so that you can get playing some amazing console games.
Unpacking
Unpacking is a bite-sized narrative game released in 2021 by Witch Beam that is told through the items you find while unpacking boxes. Each of these objects tells a story as you arrange them, revealing a life as you organize your new place.
“Just like with packing, you get to see pieces of that personality come forward in all of the items you’ve kept over the years. Opening up a box can be a real trip for your memories, but here, you’re getting introduced to the person you’re playing as. What sorts of things do they enjoy? What do you feel you can learn about them by all of the things they’ve packed away. The game explores that sense of discovery that comes from going through your things, and the flood of memories that comes up when you’re moving. Plus, it also just feels nice to see how you can decorate these places!”
Read our previous Unpacking coverage.
Moonglow Bay
Moonglow Bay is a fairly new title, released in 2021 by Bunnyhug and Coatsink. This slice of life-style game has a large world with a lot of exploring and adventure to do – but notably features older characters than most other games in this category.
“Learning to fish with a rod, traps, and nets, as well as doing so in all kinds of temperatures and conditions, would make for some lonely work all by yourself, wouldn’t it? Thankfully, the game features drop-in/out co-op, so a pal can join you on your sea travels. Can’t hurt to find double the fish while out catching, to be honest. And since you’re fishing in a video game, you only get the good parts of fishing (spending time with friends) and not the bad parts (being eaten alive by insects, actually having to go fishing).”
Moonglow Bay is a favorite of ours; you can read our full review of Moonglow Bay or check out our list of the best slice of life indie games which features this game.
Kill it with Fire
Kill it with Fire was released in 2020 by TinyBuild. One of the main draws into this game is just how ridiculous it is in concept, where you find yourself burning down entire rooms just to get rid of spiders (Editor’s note: This a perfectly reasonable thing to do).
“Kill It With Fire is, unsurprisingly, a very silly game that’s as much about dealing with the consequences of your overzealous methods as it is about squashing spiders. So, go wild with your methods and cause as much trouble as you like. Beats having spiders crawling on your face when you sleep.”
Read our previous Kill it with Fire coverage.
Atomicrops
Atomicrops is a twin stick shooter that originally launched in 2019, published by Raw Fury. This game is best known for being something completely different from ordinary farming simulators, with a focus on action, mutated crops, and interesting townsfolk.
“I don’t normally find farming sims all that engaging. Something about pretending to do all of this manual labor and veggie tending isn’t my style. Apparently if you throw guns and mutated animals into the mix, you catch my attention, though. Juggling blasting your foes while planting and tending to your garden gets tense quite quickly, creating a tight loop of things to do. My mind was always racing as I played, making for a solid mixture of two very different play styles that somehow worked really well together”
Watch our Atomicrops first look.
Boyfriend Dungeon
Boyfriend Dungeon is a narrative dating simulator that was released in 2021 by Kitfox Games. It is best known for having the ability to date weapons and create some interesting relationships as these weapons come to life.
“These various enemies represent some of your personal hang-ups, loaning the combat a connection to your character’s personality along the way. Not that your own feelings won’t become apparent as you start navigating dating life with the various weapon folks that live in town (which have a variety of personalities, not all of which are good). It’s a frank look at the trials, warmth, dangers, and comforts that can be found while looking for someone you like, giving a robust look at everything that comes with trying to find yourself while finding someone for you. It can be a lot at times, but the game’s charm and humor help make things easier to accept when the story goes to some dark places.”
Read our previous Boyfriend Dungeon coverage.
Donut County
Donut County was released in 2018 by Ben Esposito (we had a great talk with him about the game, too). It is a fun physics game about consuming everything with a hole in the ground. As your hole becomes bigger, you can swallow up more stuff, eventually dragging everything underground.
“Donut County has players helping BK the raccoon in their quest to drop all of their friends’ stuff into holes. This will net them some fabulous prizes for some reason, although you’ll have to answer for trashing your buddies’ things. That’s getting a bit ahead of things, as you’ll need to figure out how the hole works, first. Not that it’s complicated, as you just have to devour objects in steadily-increasing sizes to grow the hole.”
Read our full Donut County feature.
Forager
Forager was first released in 2019, after being made for a game jam, by HopFrog. It’s a semi-idle game that has enough going on to keep you engaged and captivated while evolving a world and gathering resources.
“Despite being labeled as an idle game, I’ve never stopped when playing Forager. There are always some more items to collect, something to smelt, something to plant – anything to keep you working on your islands. With the amount of other objects and creatures popping up, there is always something to discover. This bit of discovering and figuring out what to do is a big part of the joy I find in Forager, and in my mind, makes it unlike any other idle game I’ve played.”
Read our full Forager review.
Moonlighter
Moonlighter came out a few years ago, aiming to tickle anyone who loved retail jobs and stabbing monsters. In it, you have to creep through dungeons for saleable goodies, hopefully surviving long enough to bring them to your store shelves to sell later on.
“Moonlighter tasks the player with opening and running a shop. To keep that shop stocked up (and because our shopkeep dreams of being a hero more than being a retail grunt), you’ll need to head out into an array of dangerous dungeons, choosing from an array of weapons and fighting styles to use against the creatures you find within. If you live, you’ll likely bring home some high-priced goodies to sell. If you don’t, your shop may be a little bare-bones for a while.”
Read our previous Moonlighter coverage.
Going Under
Going Under was released in 2020 by Aggro Crab and Team17, and is best known as a wacky, silly dungeon crawler that draws from office culture for its procedural workplace-based mayhem.
“You’re an unpaid intern! How lucky! Think of all the experience you’ll have to add to your resume from the time you spend combing through the ruins of broken companies! In the world of Neo-Cascadia, failed businesses become devoured by the earth, becoming sunken dungeons filled with the angry former employees who were duped into working for these places. Likely also for ‘the experience.’ Maybe you should be a bit more worried about your current job.”
This game is a real favorites of ours, being one of the top games of PAX East. Read our full Going Under review.
Hypnospace Outlaw
Hypnospace Outlaw was released in 2019 by Jay Tholen. It’s a real nostalgic throwback to dial up computers and strange areas of the internet, done up as a sort of puzzle/mystery game.
“Well, unless that someone gets lost in the incredible depth of sites that the developers have created for Hypnospace Outlaw. For those who used the internet in the 90’s, this game will be a near-painful look back at the pixellated messes we used to look up. The music, appearance, and general vibe are all a journey back to the internet’s humble beginnings, and are a staggering achievement when one just starts wandering among the many, many sites that are available. Which is nice when you’re feeling a twinge of guilt for picking on someone for liking an old cartoon.”
Watch our Hypnospace Outlaw first look.
PHOGS!
PHOGS! was released in 2020 by Bit Loom Games and Coatsink. This game is a curious and whimsical multiplayer title where you and your friend both control sides of the same dog long dog. It’s a fun and silly adventure where teamwork will be vital.
“Big, colorful places full of toys and devices to play around with await our goofy, snake-like dog friends. Red and Blue, the two sides of this long, stretchy dog, can each be guided by a friend as you tug and bark your way through each area. You’ll need to coordinate your efforts to do most tasks, seeing as you’re connected. Even if you can’t quite both stay on task, though, it just kind of feels right when you look at those silly dog faces. You just can’t get mad at them.”
Read our previous PHOGS! coverage.
Got any personal favorite indies you’ve found on Xbox Game Pass? Let us know in the comments or on our socials!
About The Author
Great choices! I need to get round to trying Kill It With Fire.
My personal pick of the indie games I’ve played on GamePass recently would be Lonely Mountains: Downhill, it really caught me by surprise with how much I’ve been enjoying it.
I keep hearing ridiculously good things about it. Sounds like I really need to finally try it!