There were a lot of weird and amazing indie games to look forward to in 2020, and I’m glad to report that there’s a lot more to watch in 2021.
It was exciting to look through these upcoming games. There are so many interesting, weird and beautiful games to look forward to in the new year. All the games on this list are expected to appear in 2021, each of which is equally ambitious to achieve its goal. We have some detective thrillers in noir style, some teen ranks and some goodies by hand.
Of course, these are not all the wonderful Indies that will appear in 2021 – there are simply too many to mention. We are continuing our coverage of indie games to play in 2021, and I would like you to share the games you are looking forward to in the comments below.
Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance
From developer Rocket Adrift, Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance is about a shy, awkward teenager looking for love in the 1990s. It’s a date simulator and visual novel, where players – as the main character Stella – make friends with a bunch of cryptic teenagers: a fairy, talking velociraptor and a bigfoot. It is described as a teenage drama from the 90s, and it looks like it; it has everything from dramatic phone calls, thinning sessions and cassettes. The art style also looks amazing.
Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance comes early in 2021.
Saturnalia
Saturnalia is a stylish survival horror game coming to the Epic Games Store in 2021. The game takes place in Sardinia, Italy, in 1989, in an old town with a creepy ritual – and people disappear every year. What stands out the most is Saturnaliasee art style. I have never seen anything like it!
Saturnalia comes to the Epic Games Store in 2021.
His Dreams Elders
She dreams elsewhere, as you may have guessed, takes place within a dream. The indie game is described as an adventure role-playing game, and has a surreal atmosphere – the perfect setting for a bad dream. The music, composed by Mimi Page, is perfect.
She dreams elsewhere comes to Mac, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC and Xbox consoles in 2021.
Goodbye Volcano High
Canadian developer KO_OP is working on it Goodbye Volcano Hight, a narrative game about a bunch of dinosaurs in high school, while finding out life with the graduation ceremony. It is described as a movie “about the end of an era and the beginning of a love story.”
Goodbye Volcano High comes to Windows PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2021.
Season
Season, from developer Scavengers Studio, was recently announced at The Game Awards 2020, and it was one of the most notable games of the event. The game looks like an atmosphere wonderful, with a woman collecting memories of a beautiful, mysterious world.
Season come in 2021.
Neute
Neute is a game about watching squirrels. It has a very distinct art style – it looks amazing. If he watches these squirrels, he will ‘discover the secret that the curious creatures hide.’ Personally I am very excited.
Neute will be out on Windows PC in 2021.
Raap Boy commits tax evasion
The name says it all – Raap Boy commits tax evasion. There are puzzles, crops, battles, but most of all no taxes. ‘Break down a corrupt vegetable government’, according to the Steam page. Who does not like it?
Raap Boy commits tax evasion in 2021, on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC.
Chinatown Detective Agency
Sure, we have a huge cyberpunk video game at the end of 2020. But there’s more to the genre, and you can see it in Chinatown Detective Agency. It takes place in 2032 in a stylish, futuristic Singapore. Created by developer General Interactive Co., located in Singapore, looks like an interesting future.
Like the others on this list, it’s coming in 2021.
Venba
From developer Visai Games, Venba is described as a ‘narrative cooking game’ set in Canada in the 1980’s. It focuses on an Indian mother, with players tasked with cooking and remembering lost recipes. This is a story about ‘family, love, loss and more’, the developer wrote on Steam. It looks incredible.
It appears in November 2021.
SkateBird
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 held me out for a while, but I’m the skateboard game really looking forward to is SkateBird, from developer Glass Bottom Games. Birds on skateboards! Birds! On! Skateboards!
You can wish for the game now on Steam, but it also comes to Nintendo Switch and other consoles.
30XX
The colorful world of 30XXlooks fast and intense, and it has a fantastic soundtrack. It looks a lot like Mega Man X, but according to the developer, it has the “playability of a modern Roguelike.” Cooperative is also available. If you like it 20XX, you will also like this game.
You can add it to your wishlist on Steam.
Mundaun
I’m impressed with Mundaun’s footage since it was announced. The game is drawn in pencil and tells a horror story “in a dark, secluded valley of the Alps.” The aesthetic is definitely enough to draw people in, but the story and gameplay make it a game to watch.
From the developer Hidden Fields, Mundaun is available on wishlist on Steam.
ANNO: Mutationem
Another cyberpunk style game, ANNO: Mutationem comes from developer ThinkingStars and publisher Lightning Games. It has a very cool style – a mix of 2D and 3D graphics.
Wish list ANNO: Mutationem on steam.
Chaotic era
From developer BOBBY, Chaotic era looks super stylish – a black-and-white interstellar, real-time strategy game. “Take on the role of a hyper-advanced AI system designed by one of humanity’s largest (and now extinct) mega-corporations,” the developer said. “Land Earth’s last escape ship on a new world and rebuild human civilization from the ground up.”
It comes to Apple iOS devices.
Hot pot for one
If it’s safe to do so, I’ll visit the first restaurant in my local hot pot. Instead, I eat hot pot with my partner at home, and look forward to experiencing the virtual version of it Hot pot for one coming out next year.
It comes on Windows PC.
Backbone
There are many detective-style noir games to appear in 2021, but Backbone stand out. From developer EggNut and published by Raw Fury, Backbone you played as a raccoon private eye named Howard Lotor. The pixel art style is fantastic, and I can not wait to try out this stylish down-and-click adventure game.
Watch on Steam.
Model
I played Model in 2020 at PAX East, and eagerly awaits its issue date. The game first appeared at the Game Developers Conference in 2011, and the ingenious design was an immediate hit. Ultimately, it’s a complete game, based on an innovative and interesting puzzle style.
Model comes to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC.
Book of Travel
Developer Might and Delight described Book of Travel as a “unique social role-playing experience that does not hold your hand.” It takes place in a fairytale world open to exploration – ‘no overarching purpose and no real beginning or end’ – where the player creates his own journey.
I’m curious to see how the multiplayer elements play out when they appear on Windows PC in 2021.
Dordogne
If there is one way to describe Dordogne, I will go along with a beautiful way. The game has a fantastic watercolor style to which I was immediately drawn. According to the Steam page, the player is engaged in ‘childhood memories’. It plays out in the present and the past, but each of the worlds looks equally beautiful.
It’s coming to Windows PC in 2021. Wish it on Steam.
Teacup
Teacup stars Teacup, a very shy frog. The whimsical world is filled with other animals to meet and many puzzles to solve. It has a fantastic aesthetic, with the wholesome journey of finding herbs to make tea.
See more information on Steam.
Tunche
Another beautiful hand-drawn game, Tunche is a cut-and-stripe roguelike through the Amazon jungle. It has a four-player co-op mode and looks like a lot of fun. “Choose one of the five characters, master their skills and ultimate abilities, defeat epic bosses, and unravel the secrets of the mysterious Amazon jungle,” LEAP Game Studios wrote on Steam. “The game is centered against high-risk high-reward battles and has a ‘stylish’ grade system.”
The game is coming to consoles and Windows PC in March.