this post was submitted on 24 May 2026
111 points (94.4% liked)

Linux Gaming

25962 readers
292 users here now

Discussions and news about gaming on the GNU/Linux family of operating systems (including the Steam Deck). Potentially a $HOME away from home for disgruntled /r/linux_gaming denizens of the redditarian demesne.

This page can be subscribed to via RSS.

Original /r/linux_gaming pengwing by uoou.

No memes/shitposts/low-effort posts, please.

Resources

Help:

Launchers/Game Library Managers:

General:

Discord:

IRC:

Matrix:

Telegram:

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Hello, i was wondering if there are any good indie games on steam to try out. Can be free or paid, i don't mind if there's no native linux build either (i play stuff with wine/proton anyways lol) and i don't mind the genre. I've been thinking of trying something new as of recent so i thought i might ask it here.

Thanks!

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Zamboni_Driver@lemmy.ca 5 points 16 hours ago

nope sorry, none.

[–] bmebenji@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 23 hours ago

Caves of Qud. I’m still on the fence about whether or not I like the perma-death mode, but the writing is fantastically poetic and it’s clear the systems of interactivity in the game world are expansive beyond what I could ever hope to really comprehend.

[–] whotookkarl@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 18 hours ago

Baba is you for a fun puzzle game, moving around words to build rules that affect the game world

[–] tomato666@feddit.nl 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Not seen Spelunky2 in this list. It's a quite hard rogue like platformer, but procedurally generated.

Also Noita (I think this is an indie?). Again procedurally generated game, but the map is bigger than expected. Wand programming at its finest

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 3 hours ago

Noita is like Spelunky on acid

[–] ColdWater@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago
[–] olafurp@lemmy.world 36 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I play indie games a bunch, here's my shortlist:

  • Factorio (factory builder)
  • Enter the Gungeon (bullethell top down shooter)
  • Slay the spire (rougelike deckbuilder)
  • Subnautica (underwater exploration/survival/base building) - nr 2 is in early access, publisher deal with Krafton so good for the devs they fucked up trying to get out)
  • Megabonk (rougelike auto-shooting, 3d vampire survivors type)
  • Outer Wilds (space mystery exploration)
  • Chants of Senaar (language decoding)
  • Return to the Obra Dinn (forensics)
  • Dave the Diver (dive fishing/sushi serving)
  • Celeste (2d platformer)
  • Neon White (speedrunning FPS)
  • Papers Please (soviet style document checking)
  • Cuphead (metroidvania)
  • Magic Archery (very short and solid incremental, free and unmonetized, very rare)
  • Inscryption (deckbuilder)
  • Schedule I (drug dealing sim)
  • Hollow Night (2d platformer Soulslike)
  • Hades (roguelite)

All of them are good and they're mostly different types of games. All are tons of fun to play and most of them have a very charming art style (schedule I, and Megabonk Notably lacking there)

Out of these the absolute favorites are Factorio, Outer Wilds, Return to the Obra Dinn.

Side note, very important you stick with Outer Wilds until you find a major secret, people sometimes bounce off it and miss out on a once in a lifetime gaming experience.

[–] fragrantvegetable@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Can confirm that Outer Wilds and Return of the Obra Dinn are amazing games unlike anything I've had played before. Though both needed some time before it clicked for me. Subnautica, Celeste, Hollow Knight, and Hades are solid games too.

I'd also like to mention Soma (a horror game I still often think about) and the two Ori games (metroidvanias with incredible soundtracks).

[–] Trail@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

If you liked Obra Dinn, I really like The Roottrees are Dead which was very similar but kind of different.

[–] fragrantvegetable@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Thanks for the recommendation. That looks interesting. Added to my wishlist. Hope there's not too much typing or it might get tiresome on the steam deck.

[–] Trail@lemmy.world 1 points 19 hours ago

Well you can highlight text to search for, instead of typing, but still I wouldn't really recommend it for the deck I guess. Maybe with the trackpads simulating a mouse, but I haven't tried it to see how it feels. I played it on a pc proper.

[–] sunnyjim@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 day ago

My partner and I played Roottrees together and I think it might have been our favourite game ever. We really enjoyed The Case of the Golden Idol too which scratches a similar itch (though I would love for them to make a Roottrees sequel)

[–] katze@lemmy.4d2.org 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I could never get into Outer Wilds; had no clue what to do and the space controls are really wonky.

[–] fragrantvegetable@sopuli.xyz 1 points 23 hours ago

I can completely see why the gameplay might not be for everyone. I don't remember struggling with the spaceship controls but maybe I just got used it it. If you ever want to give it another go I'd suggest exploring the starting planet first, then maybe go to the moon, and then explore the other planets. You don't need to visit stuff in a particular order and are sort of led by your own curiosity. Though there's a logbook in your spaceship for collecting clues which also gives some pointers where to go next.

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Magic Archery (very short and solid incremental, free and unmonetized, very rare)

If you like incrementals look at the Gnorp Apologue. Very well designed and the presentation is top tier. Good enough to have spawned new 'Gnorp-like' games:

Dwarf Eats Mountain is very gnorp-like, it just released so the balance is a little rough but the dev is very active (there's been 4 updates in the past 3 days).

Journey to Incrementalia same idea, it does a good job on having unique troop 'builds' due to the synergies between different types of units and the prestige upgrades.

Honorable Mention: Tower Wizard, more standard incremental but well done.

[–] rtxn@lemmy.world 87 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Are there any good indie games on the world's largest video game store? I dunno, are there any leafy trees in the Amazon?

From what I've been playing: Stardew Valley, Factorio, Vampire Survivors, Derail Valley, A Hat In Time, Project Wingman, Frostpunk 1 and 2, Portal 2 (technically self-published), Signalis. Voices Of The Void will eventually have a Steam release. All of those games work well on Linux.

[–] sakphul@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Vampire Survivors

My addition to Vampire survivor is Brotato

[–] Mistic@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

In addition to Vampire Survivors:

Holocure

[–] SolarPunker@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 day ago
[–] Brummbaer@pawb.social 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Pompeii: The Legacy

Another take on roman inspired city builders. It's in early access but already really playable.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2632240/Pompeii_The_Legacy/

Metropolis 1998

City builder inspired by sim city 2000 with pixel graphics. The interesting thing here is that you can plan and decorate the houses you build. So it's a bit of simcity / sims mix with retro graphics

Currently only a demo is available.

https://www.yesboxstudios.com/

[–] Eyck_of_denesle@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Recommend me some good city builders that are not rome or europe themed. :)

[–] Brummbaer@pawb.social 2 points 1 day ago

The only one I can think about is Pharao.

There was a re-release recently

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1351080/Pharaoh_A_New_Era/

[–] Gonzako@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Our adventuring guild: Tactics game full of flavour and min-max potential about getting a run down "guild of adventurers" from near extinction to a world class power

[–] Reshirams_Rad_Slam@mastodo.neoliber.al 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] Gonzako@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Ur Adventuring mom

[–] yakko@feddit.uk 2 points 1 day ago

Someone else on Lemmy recommended Arco, and I've been enjoying the demo. Might buy!

[–] lazynooblet@lazysoci.al 15 points 2 days ago (3 children)

This must be a troll post. So many indie games on Steam

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Sacah@aussie.zone 1 points 1 day ago

Vanguard Galaxy is a cool space sim, mine, salvage, run missions. Gives me offline Eve Online vibes. Amazingly cheap for the content it already has. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3471800/Vanguard_Galaxy/

[–] rescue_toaster@lemmy.zip 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] msage@programming.dev 5 points 2 days ago

Hey, finally found someone else who knows the game :D

[–] NathanDerWeise@feddit.org 16 points 2 days ago

Rimworld. Does have a native Linux port. It's a colony simulator in space. 2D. It you have a lot of control over your colony, you can micro manage everything. I have over 1000 hours in the game.

[–] enbiousenvy@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I've been enjoying En Garde!

[–] yakko@feddit.uk 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh shiiiiiit this looks so cool! It's everything I liked about Sekiro but with all the happy brain chemicals added back in.

[–] enbiousenvy@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

yea it's fun & hard, but very satisfying. it also has arena mode for more replayability

[–] yakko@feddit.uk 2 points 1 day ago

It looks so charming. Like the twitchy edge of Nidhogg in 3D, but with prop comedy.

[–] SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'm sure you've heard of this one already, since the internet can't stop talking about it, but Hollow Knight and Silksong are both phenomenal games.

I've also got to mention one of my personal favorites, Book of Hours (and it's predecessor, Cultist Simulator). Weather Factory's style is... unique to say the least, but if you love them you'll really love them.

Also Balatro. Another one that I'm sure you've heard of because it has taken the internet by storm.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Kenshi

Caves of Qud

Entropy Zero / Entropy Zero 2

MINERVA

Squad

Road to Vostok

Citizen Sleeper / Citizen Sleeper 2

Risk of Rain / Risk of Rain 2

Terra Invicta

Ghost Song

Sifu

... and if you have an inkling toward the OG 'walking simulator'...

Dear Esther: Landmark Edition


I am mostly confident that all of those are either self published or published via what was at least at the time of original release of the game, a fairly small indie publisher.

EZ and EZ2 are technically mods for HL2 but they are pretty darn good and then quite good, respectively.

Dear Esther and MINERVA are also HL2 mods.

Squad is basically the old Project Reality mod for Battlefield 2, but made in Unreal Engine by at least originally about 75% of the old PR mod team.

Anyway, I tried to pick some games that are indie, but are not as well known, largely due to not being cutesy.


EDIT

Forgot this one:

If you want a tank combat simulator game, on approximately the same level of fidelity of a flight simulator:

GHPC / Gunner, Heat, PC!

For when you finally get tired of Warthunder/Gaijin's bullshit, lol.

I guess technically you could describe the ARMA games as 'indie' in that they are self published, but they're also fucking huge, and ARMA is basically the consumer grade version of the military simulators they literally sell/lease to real world militaries.

Also, I would say Disco Elysium, but at this point, you should pirate it, after all the bullshit the publisher has done.

(which is arguably the more cannonically accurate way to play the game, if you haven't yet)

[–] Tundra@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 days ago

songs of syx, couldnt stop playing that, just started dredge aswell

[–] Switorik@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Any genre is pretty wide open but I'll list some of my most played.

  • Oxygen not included
  • Hydroneer
  • Abiotic Factor
  • Raft
  • Planet crafter
  • Against the storm
  • Graveyard keeper
[–] SaraTonin@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Noita is very cool, very deep, and has a tonne of content. It’s common for people’s first win to take about 100 hours, if they watch/read guides & the wiki

And I say first win, because the community calls getting your first win “the tutorial”. It’s 10% or less of the total content in-game

Two things that make it stand out: firstly, it’s hard. The community calls it “wizard death simulator”. That doesn’t mean that it’s not fun even at the start or that you can’t become ridiculously powerful, just that you will suck when you first start playing

Secondly, it’s not a metaprogression game which gives you the illusion of progressing by unlocking things or bumping up your stats. Killing bosses does unlock spells, but none of them are “if I find this at the start I’ll melt enemies”. They’re more “if I find this halfway through a run it might be fun to experiment and see what weird kind of a wand I can build”

Trailer: https://youtu.be/0cDkmQ0F0Jw

Tell me that doesn’t look sick

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] mortalblade@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago

I play this game called Deadeye Deepfake Simulacrum a little while back. It's a weird sorta immersive sim type game. You hack computers and shoot people and a bunch of other stuff as a cyborg corporate agent/debt-slave. It was cool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G7rHJ8g3ng

[–] binarytobis@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (3 children)

You know, I always loved Supraland and I never hear people talk about it. The gameplay is a little like Zelda in concept, but the puzzles are a lot more satisfying and it’s essentially set in the Lego movie.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] probably_spork@piefed.zip 3 points 1 day ago

Check out Tunic

[–] Cassa@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 days ago
[–] als@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 2 days ago

I've been playing a lot of Parkitect recently, which is self-published

[–] ricdeh@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Space Haven

[–] eleijeep@piefed.social 5 points 2 days ago

Could you please use the cross-post feature instead of making 4 separate posts in future? Thanks.

load more comments
view more: next ›