Updated: The 26 best indie games on PC and consoles

Introduction

Update: At number 18 on our list, we’ve added the spiritual successor to cult-classic PC games Myst and Riven from Cyan Worlds.

No one can agree on exactly what the definition of an indie game is. Some combination of a small studio, a weird idea and no publisher is the nearest we can get to agreement. But – to paraphrase Potter Stewart – you know one when you see it, and we’ve picked out the best indie games, plus a few that we’re eagerly anticipating.

We admit this is a somewhat foolhardy exercise, as so many great indie games are released each day – and each game’s community is so rabidly aggressive that to pick out highlights is like dipping a hand with a cut pinky into a shark tank and waiting.

So, to be clear: we don’t expect that you agree with this list, and we admit it’s purely subjective. If you want to evangelize on what you think are the best indie games, you can share your favorites in the comments section below.

Joe Osborne, Kane Fulton and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article