Best Xbox 360 Indie Games: Top 10 Picks - Indie Game Culture (2022)

The Xbox 360 was one of the most revolutionary (and one of the most popular) consoles ever made. We usually only think of a system’s generational fortitude as being tied to the graphics potential or a particular exclusive AAA release or two, but what most defined the 360 was its uncompromising focus on online features.

Cementing consoles as a viable online gaming platform with the original Xbox (which spiritually succeeded the SEGA Dreamcast’s efforts), this was the console that doubled down on the first fully-fledged, paid online service in the form of Xbox Live: a subscription that made playing your favorite indie games and chatting with your friends an effortless endeavor.

While these features formed the backbone of the service, they were not the only perk. Along with a stream of exclusive video content, the 360’s iteration of Xbox Live also brought the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA).

It represented a streamlined method for smaller development studios to deliver their titles to console gamers, and later down the road, Microsoft even extended the feature to include the smallest of developers under the category of Xbox Live Indie Games.

The 360 defined my gaming years as a teenager, and one element of that sentiment is owed to how the console blossomed my love for indie games. Undoubtedly, the indie industry would not be where it is today without the foresight of Microsoft in the late 2000s, and this is the era we’re here to talk about today.

From monumental successes to one-man development teams, presented here are the games from the time that I consider the best of the best — fantastic titles in their own right and pioneers of a sector of the industry that has immeasurably enriched the medium.

Bottom Line Up Front

As stated above, this article provides a rundown of the best indie experiences to come out of the 360’s reign: games of all types and styles united under the umbrella of the Xbox platform. Whether you’re interested in platformers, shooters, co-op titles, or addictive puzzle games, I’m certain there will be something for you here.

While some of these games have since been taken off the Xbox 360 platform — most notably those that were part of the now-discontinued Xbox Live Indie Games service — those games can still be played today on Steam. Given the age of these titles, as well as having graphics that were not demanding even for the time, anyone with a computer should be able to run them.

If you were to play only one of these titles to get a flavor for the era, I’d go with Trials HD. It’s still as bombastically fun as it was in 2009, and it played a huge part in invigorating the system’s zest for indie games.

My Picks at a Glance

If you’re just after the games and want to skip the nostalgia trip, here are each of my best Xbox 360 indie games at a glance!

1. Trials HD | Red Lynx | 2009: The ultimate, physics-based, 2.5D stunt bike escapade: and one of the best selling, most highly revered Xbox indie games of all time.
2. Braid | Number None inc., Hot Head Games | 2008: One of the first games to wholeheartedly exploit the creative freedom of the platform and run with it. Braid’s blend of mind-bending, time-shift gameplay, as well as tricky platforming, made for a truly novel experience.
3. Castle Crashers | The Behemoth | 2008: The best-selling Xbox Live Arcade game of all time and one of the most chaotically fun co-op beat-em-ups you’ll ever play.
4. Limbo | Play Dead, Double Even | 2010: This is the title that showed the world that horror could work on a 2D plane: chilling environments mixed with clever puzzles make Limbo unforgettable.
5. Apple Jack | My Owl Software | 2010: Sometimes, you’re just looking for some simple, relaxing, 2D platformer fun, and Apple Jack provides that experience in spades.
6. Geometry Wars 2 | Bizzare Creations | 2008: A stunning, fast-paced take on the arcade hit Asteroids. If you’re a twin-stick shooter fan, this is an essential title.
7. Total Miner | Studio Forge LTD | 2011: Unabashtedly a Minecraft clone but unique and robust in its own right, Total Miner provided a decidedly cheaper option for fans of the Minecraft style.
8. Dust: An Elysian Tale | Humble Hearts, Limited Run Games | 2012: Featuring as possibly the most ambitious title on this list, Dust was made by only one person. It’s a Metroid-style romp through a beautiful, anthropomorphized fantasy world, and I’m still astonished every time I go back to it.
9. Fez | Phil Fish | 2012: Fez was one of the first games to use the now relatively common trope of playing with perspective. A brilliant puzzler in its own right, its 8-bit art style was also new for the time.
10. Super Meat Boy | Team Meat, Blitworks | 2010: There are a ton of uber-difficult, instant-respawn platformers about these days, but Super Meat Boy is the OG — it’s also still one of the best.

What Is Considered an ‘Indie’ Game, anyway?

The idea of the indie game (at least, as a term to describe a definite sector of the industry) was mostly a new concept when the 360 was in its heyday. We owe the rise of the humble indie title to the power of the internet; between the emergence of Steam, PSN (PlayStation Network), and the Xbox Live Arcade, game development became accessible to anyone and everyone.

I define indie gaming loosely in the criteria below, but where the 360 is concerned, there were actually two types. Both feature in this list.

On one hand, we had the more established studios: small teams that made games without the usual creative restrictions of large publishing companies — but often utilizing their support in some capacity.

Then there were the even smaller games: those designed most often by only one or two people. These games were considerably cheaper than the already cheap traditional indie game, and you’d buy them using Microsoft points (now a relic of the past).

These titles were the product of a program that was fittingly titled ‘Xbox Live Indie Games’: a library of games created through the use of Microsoft’s own development software: XNA. With the freeware tools included in the downloadable XNA package for PC, the idea was that anyone could learn to code, design, and publish their own titles.

It was, in my mind, the coolest feature to come out of the ‘New Xbox Experience’ program from 2008 (a huge overhaul to the brand which introduced the skeleton of the dashboard we have today along with a host of new features).

It was all very forward-thinking stuff, and while Steam was the platform that truly opened the flood gates for independent game development, the prospect of having these types of games on consoles wasn’t a thing before Microsoft did it.

So, without further ado, let’s delve into the best the console had to offer!

(Video) TOP 25 XBOX 360 LIVE INDIE GAMES

Criteria

Here’s a quick rundown of the criteria I used for choosing games for this list:

No AAA titles: this should without saying, but then again, the term ‘indie’ can be difficult to define. For this list, the simplest way to define an indie title is what it is not.
For those unaware, AAA games are your $50 titles — those with a huge budget, a large team, and the financial backing and direction of a major publisher. For this list, I decided it was best to categorize the games on the basis of being AAA or not — but also to include games that fit the traditional indie style even if their development involved large publishers.

Companies like Microsoft and Activision did have a hand in publishing some of these games but, in the beginning, they played a crucial part in getting the ground running. Some involvement from big publishers was often a necessity for the indie games of the 2000s, whereas now this sector of the industry is much more self-sufficient.

Usually, their involvement was only within the scope of solving logistical problems in getting these games onto consoles. For this reason, I’ve allowed some leeway.

No re-releases of old games: While the Xbox 360 was home to a ton of brilliant re-releases of classic games, I won’t be featuring those on this list. Only original titles will be included.

They don’t have to be 360 exclusives: There are a couple of timed exclusives on this list. To exclude titles that made the 360 platform so fun on account of their now non-exclusivity would be wrong — and besides, the only way to play some of these originally exclusive games today is through other platforms.

1. Trials HD | Red Lynx | 2009

For my friends and I, I don’t think there was as popular an indie game as Trials HD: the off-the-wall stunt bike sim that epitomized the addictive nature of pick-up-and-play indie titles. Brutally difficult — and often brutally violent — Trials was released as part of the annual Summer of Arcade event.

The premise was simple — reach the end without dying. It’s a goal as old as the hills, but you’ll be remiss for thinking you’ll have an easy ride. Each course in Trials offers an incredibly creative and clever excursion through physics-based death traps. You’ll satisfyingly fling yourself through the most impossible of loop-de-loops, 360 spin over flaming piles of melting rubber, and jump distances only the most clinically insane riders would ever dream of.

The more you progress, the more complex (and ingenious) each track becomes. The game taps into that “just one more go” mentality more than any other game I’ve played, and when you’ve finally completed the main tracks, there’s no greater satisfaction.

The end doesn’t truly spell the end, either. Along with DLC, Trials HD offered a ton of awesome game modes in the form of the aptly titled skill mode: these mini-games featured tasks such as keeping your balance on a spherical ball as it rolled to the goal — or intentionally blowing yourself up in the most spectacular fashion you could muster. But most crucial to the game’s lasting appeal were the intuitively designed visual leaderboards.

Whenever you jumped into a game, you could see how well your friends had done. Their high score and the time they’d beaten the level in were displayed on the screen as you rode. In a similar way to how you’d compete against a ghost car in a racing game, not only would you be doing your best not to die, you’d also be trying desperately to achieve the bragging rights of having beaten your friends so you could show off at school the next day.

2. Braid | Number None inc., Hot Head Games | 2008

Anyone familiar with the Xbox 360’s indie scene back in the day will remember Braid: the platformer-puzzler with crazy time-bending mechanics.

Braid was touted as a very important game when it was released. Not only was it right at the forefront of the 360’s foray into indie games, but it was also one of the first games of its type to re-ignite the discussion of games as art. Games having unique artistic merit is, in my mind, irrefutable, but back then, we didn’t have a huge collection of indie titles that uniquely expressed the artistry of the medium.

Where AAA releases tended to hinge on exploiting trends of the time, Braid was one of the first examples of the out-of-the-box game design we see frequently today. Its novel use of a rewind feature to solve intricate puzzles was totally new, and it re-defined what a 2D puzzle game could be. Pair this with a wonderfully weird art style and similarly surreal soundtrack, and you have one of the most evocative indie titles of a generation.

I specifically remember reviewers of the time being perplexed by what Braid was offering, and it’s so interesting to look back at those reviews now, with the style being long-established at this point, and reminisce about what this unassuming little game accomplished.

3. Castle Crashers | The Behemoth | 2008

Even if you never touched the Xbox Live Arcade tab when you had a 360, you’ll have undoubtedly noticed advertisements for Castle Crashers plastered across your dashboard at some point. This co-op beat-em-up was the best-selling title on the XBLA platform — and with good reason.

It managed to bring back a style of play that, at the time, was mostly relegated to the retro gaming space. Castle Crashers combined the advancements of online gameplay with the addictive, cathartic action of the arcade.

(Video) The Final Days of Xbox 360 Indie and the best games to buy on the platform – Part 1

The game struck a balance between depth and simplicity: the button combos didn’t overwhelm the player and made the mastery of what was on offer rewarding; RPG elements were included and provided a satisfying progression system without bogging down the action. There were also a ton of characters to unlock to keep you coming back, and as with most of these games, the leaderboards were of utmost importance.

For those new to the concept of online gaming, and for those wanting a more casual entry point to the world of Xbox Live, Castle Crashers was the perfect game. It thrived off of the hilarity of fighting through increasingly chaotic battles with your friends, and it echoed the ethos of the 16-bit co-op titles many enjoyed as kids. This was the return of the genre, aimed at both new and old fans, and it was glorious.

4. Limbo | Play Dead, Double Even | 2010

Typically, indie games of the era had a mostly light-hearted, arcade-like feel to them, but Limbo was a sure exception. Playing as a lonesome, somber-looking kid in a truly horrifying world, Limbo’s part puzzle, part platformer gameplay was a love letter to all things macabre; it stoked the fires needed to show the world that simple, 2D indie games could actualize horror just as well as their AAA counterparts.

I remember the first time I played Limbo. It was one of those rare occasions in gaming of having experienced something truly unique. Specifically, I recall how impressed I was at how the game’s grainy, subtractive art style managed to convey such chilling emotions.

Limbo epitomized the concept of environmental storytelling. There’s no spoken dialogue, and we know very little about our protagonist or what’s actually going on at all — this emphasizes the overwhelming sense of danger, and equally so, the way the game makes you feel small and helpless in a nightmarish world ensures tentative exploration.

But this title isn’t all atmosphere; there are some brilliantly designed puzzles to think through, and while you’ll no doubt die hundreds of times trying to beat them, it’s all worth it for the jaw-dropping payoff of the finale.

5. Apple Jack | My Owl Software | 2010

Apple Jack is a platformer, and Apple Jack has an apple for a head. Having looked back at this title for the first time in years, the memories of not only this game but also others from the program came flooding back. The XNA developers kit had a certain look and feel about it — crisp, almost glossy visuals with vibrant primary colors. Apple Jack was synonymous with this aesthetic, and the gameplay was similarly embossed with the XNA style.

This was a straight-up-and-down, Super Mario Brothers 2 style platformer. If you just wanted some classic (difficult) 2D platforming action, Apple Jack had you covered; it seamlessly blended tricky puzzles with tight, appealing platforming, and it featured a brilliant soundtrack to boot.

The game represented everything great about the now sadly defunct Xbox Live Indie Games platform, and thankfully, you can still play it. Apple Jack and its superb sequel are sold as a bundle on Steam. The sequel is more of the same, and in this case, that’s certainly not a bad thing.

6. Geometry Wars 2 | Bizzare Creations | 2008

If Trials HD represented a sort of spiritual successor to the arcade ethos, Geometry Wars 2 was a direct evolution. With clear inspirations from the 1980’s arcade classic Asteroids, the game was arguably responsible for kickstarting the popularity of twin-stick shooters.

Under a neon backdrop of firework explosions and infused with an incredible techno soundtrack, Geometry Wars 2 was an additive, mesmerizing, and timeless experience. I must have put a couple of hundred hours into the game myself and, judging by what I saw in the leaderboards at the time, it had a similar effect on everybody else.

This was the Asteroids premise on steroids. The main game mode had the player placed into a square grid, and the gameplay was archetypal arcade thrills. You needed to stay alive amidst an ever-escalating barrage of colorful enemies as to rack up a score that wasn’t going to embarrass you in front of your buddies!

Like the majority of indie games on this list, it was a very accessible title despite its difficulty. The twin-stick controls — one stick to move and the other to shoot — were intuitive to anybody, and the stunning graphics, despite their simplicity, drew people in.

Alongside the main Evolved game mode, some of the most fun I had with the title was with the extra stuff. In varying capacities, these modes would restrict the player to bore new challenges. I’ll never forget the countless hours I spent playing alongside my dad in the addictive Pacifist mode.

A third game in the series was developed in 2010, and while that game added a lot of new content, I think it lacked the addictive simplicity of its predecessor.

7. Total Miner | Studio Forge LTD | 2011

Total Miner is one of many (many) Minecraft clones that came from the Xbox Live Indie Games program. Eerily reminiscent of the age of the DOOM clone (an onslaught of DOOM style games that piggy-backed the success of the game in the mid ’90s), for a time, all that seemed to be popping up on the platform were titles attempting to imitate Minecraft’s building and crafting mechanics.

(Video) The Final Days of Xbox 360 Indie and the best games to buy on the platform – Part 3 (Extra Time)

Most were pretty bad, but Total Miner was, for all intents and purposes, the real deal. Perhaps most importantly to my friends and me, it was way cheaper! Total Miner could be had for mere change at the time, and we played this game a lot. I specifically recall the first time I ever pulled an all-nighter being on this game; my friend and I decided to take it upon ourselves to spend the entire night (and morning) building a towering medical castle.

The building mechanics felt just as solid as Minecraft’s and, just like that title, the game is being continually updated and improved upon to this day.

It’s now become a Steam favorite, but its humble beginnings were born out of the Xbox platform.

8. Dust: An Elysian Tale | Humble Hearts, Limited Run Games | 2012

In retrospect, Dust: An Elysian Tale was an exemplar of the ethos of the indie game. With beautiful, hand-drawn animation, sublime music, and unique, detailed world design, it was hard not to fall in love with this anthropomorphized fantasy land. Moreover, the entire thing was made by one person — you don’t get much more indie than that.

Dean Todrill’s magnum opus was praised as a rare example of grand individualistic effort: it symbolized how accessible game development had come, and the fact that such a feat could be accomplished at all was amazing. Its story was heartfelt; its combat was fluid; its art was exquisite.

This game was the first time I’d come to truly appreciate the beauty of 2D games. While I’d enjoyed the likes of Sonic and Mario on the Megadrive or SNES, Dust showed me an evolution of the concept of 2D world-building. It had a seamless quality to its world and its gameplay resembled that of an anime or classic Disney movie — a concept we’ve seen realized many times since but that was original for the day.

Also impressive were the fully voiced characters. Todrill left no stone unturned, and it’s clear from interviews with him post-release that it was one hell of a tough process. This game will go down in history as one of the most extraordinary indie triumphs.

9. Fez | Phil Fish | 2012

While the monetary constraints of AAA can lead to tired tropes, indie games tend to have a proclivity for indulging wacky concepts. Fez was the poster boy for that sentiment when it launched in 2012.

It ingeniously merged a 2D, 8-bit art style with the framework of 3D game design to create some superbly designed puzzles. Part platformer and part puzzle game, it was the player’s job to navigate towers of increasing complexity — but it was your camera skills, rather than your platforming skills, that paved the road to success.

Fez is based on perspective. While the initial camera angle may prove useless to your progression, changing it reveals new pathways. In true fashion, the game took a simple idea and exploited it to the extreme. The perspective tricks lend themselves to some of the most fantastically designed puzzles I’ve ever played through, but above all, FEZ was a proof of concept.

We take retro-style games for granted these days, but in 2012, there wasn’t anything that managed to use the aesthetic as a gameplay quirk quite like this game. The simple, yet beautiful art style made navigating the often complicated puzzles a joy — the crisp lines and essentialized color pallet leaving no room for ambiguity. It was brilliant in every sense of the word and the inspiration for countless modern indie games.

10. Super Meat Boy | Team Meat, Blitworks | 2010

I couldn’t write a list covering the best 360 indie games without mentioning Super Meat Boy, could I? Another key entry so far as defining the indie platform, Super Meat Boy can be credited for popularising the return of uber-difficult platformers. It’s difficult to see something like Celeste existing without Team Meat and Blitworks setting the crucial groundwork.

Meat Boy’s girlfriend has been captured, and it’s the player’s job to navigate a most ridiculously treacherous assortment of platforming challenges and bosses to get her back. The game’s quirk isn’t simply its brutal difficulty, though; it encourages trial and error by presenting the player with unlimited lives and near-immediate reloading into the action.

One of the most memorable features of the game comes when you complete a level — every death during that level (and there will be many) is replayed on-screen simultaneously in what is a spectacular splattering of blood.

It’s a very difficult game but in the best possible way. I spent countless hours playing this back in the day, and I’m certain this is the title responsible for the shredded state of the analog sticks on the 360 controller I still use.

FAQ

Answer: While the majority of developers seem to have moved their games over to the Steam platform, some, unfortunately, died with the service. Each game in this list can be bought and played today, but there are some games that were dropped by the developers and never re-released.

Answer: Surprisingly, yes! all the games featured (with the exception of the XLIG titles) can still be purchased on the console’s store.

Answer: While Microsoft has seemingly no plans to retire this ability, it may be prudent to get the games on Steam if you have a PC. The 360 is an exceedingly old console at this point, and if you’re into the social side of gaming, the majority of players will be on PC.

(Video) The Final Days of Xbox 360 Indie and the best games to buy on the platform – Part 2

Conclusion: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

I hope this list gave you some context and history of what made the Xbox 360 a seminal platform for the mighty indie game. Above all, I hope it provided you with some awesome titles you’ve never heard of and has revitalized your zest for the medium.

Microsoft has continued to support indie developers ever since, and love them or hate them, we have a lot to owe the Xbox for its ingenuity in this space. The platform’s library is a microcosmic time capsule representative of the most pivotal, ingenious period of modern gaming, and I’m thoroughly thankful to have experienced it during the heyday.

Linden Garcia is a video game journalist from the U.K. He’s covered everything from reviews, news, interviews, guides and editorials across a wide variety of websites and magazine publications. He’ll passionately defend the Dreamcast as the greatest thing to ever happen to gaming, and spends most of his time these days devotedly enlightening people on the internet as to why Titan Fall 2 was the better choice than Battlefield on that fateful October of 2016.

What was the first successful indie game? ›

Minecraft was considered an indie game during its original development, and was one of the first titles to successfully demonstrate this approach to funding.

Is Minecraft a indie game? ›

Minecraft is the definition of a decade-defining game. While it initially came out in 2009, its full release wasn’t until 2011, and in the years that followed it became the most successful indie game of all time.

Is Xbox Live Arcade still available? ›

With Xbox One, Microsoft has decided to forgo placing different types of games in different channels. As such, Microsoft have discontinued use of the “Live Arcade” moniker, instead grouping all types of games (would-be Arcade titles, retail, and Indies) together.

How many games does Xbox have? ›

This is a list of Xbox One games planned or released either at retail or via download. There are currently 2946 games on both parts of this list.

What indie game should I play? ›

9 Indie Games Everyone Should Play Through Once, According To…

Spiritfarer. …
The Stanley Parable. …
Thomas Was Alone. …
Outer Wilds. …
Hotline Miami. …
Stardew Valley. …
Terraria. …
Hollow Knight.

What is the most sold indie game? ›

Minecraft. 4JStudios.
Rocket League. Psyonix.
Terraria. Engine Software.
Stardew Valley. ConcernedApe.
Castle Crashers. The Behemoth.
Cuphead. StudioMDHR.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. Mediatonic.
Valheim. Iron Gate AB.

Are indie games still popular? ›

Indie games have risen in popularity this year among all types of gamers, including hardcore players. The rise of indie titles may be attributed to the rising popularity of Steam, which offers its users a huge library of titles from independent developers.

What AAA games means? ›

The term “AAA Games” is a classification used within the video gaming industry to signify high-budget, high-profile games that are typically produced and distributed by large, well-known publishers.

Do indie games make money? ›

Indie games do make significant income. At the bottom 25% of games released, they make less than $300. The median income for indie games is slightly under $3,800. The top 25% of games will make around $35,000.

What is the imposter game called? ›

Among Us is a multiplayer game where between four and 10 players are dropped onto an alien spaceship. Each player is designated a private role as a “crewmate” or “impostor.”

Is GTA 5 a AAA game? ›

Is GTA 5 an AAA video game? That’s a resounding yes. Not only is this a hugely popular and impressive game, but the budget for GTA 5 was also a mind-blowing $265 million.

How many people make a AAA game? ›

The market for games is driven by hits, which is why Ubisoft is willing to put so much work into each release.

Why are indie games better than AAA? ›

Many AAA games are rushed, leading to bugs and unpleasant gameplay. On the other hand, indie developers take their time in crafting the game to perfection. No one’s rushing indie developers to finish the game. Indie studios don’t take sales for granted, which means the game has to be amazing upon release.

What was first Xbox Live game? ›

Xbox Live launched in November 2002. Servers for the two launch titles, MechAssault and Unreal Championship, were flooded with eager fans. The service remained stable for the most part, which is a feat even by today’s standards.

How many Xbox 360 arcade games are there? ›

The following is a list of the 612 games released on Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade service for the Xbox 360 sorted alphabetically by title.

Is Happy Wars 2 player? ›

Split-screen play permits up to 4 players to enjoy Happy Wars together on the same Xbox One console. This is ideal for sharing Happy Wars fun with family and friends!

What is Xbox most popular game? ›

The best-selling game on the Xbox is Halo 2, first released in the United States on November 9, 2004. It went on to sell over 8.46 million copies worldwide.

Is Xbox game pass free? ›

The only way to get a free subscription is to take advantage of trials. There are also special bundles that offer Game Pass access at a discounted rate. These deals can save you some serious money, so be sure to check them all out.

How many GB does a Xbox One have? ›

Xbox consoles come with either a 500-gigabyte (GB) or a 1-terabyte (TB) internal storage drive. Most of this space is available for games and apps, though some is reserved for saved games, console software, and other system functions. So, even with no games installed, you won’t see the full 500 GB or 1 TB free.

Which console is best for indie games? ›

Although the Nintendo Switch has some of the best AAA titles, the system has become known as an indie machine to many. The portability of the Switch and Switch Lite makes them ideal for some of the best indie games, and dozens of small developers seem to love releasing their games on the hybrid console.

Why are indie games popular? ›

“Indie games are popular because they can take creative risks that are much greater than those AAA studios can. This means that you can get some truly innovative (and often deeply meaningful) games about a wide range of topics.”

Where can I find good indie games? ›

Apart from scrolling through Steam, we compiled a list of the best ways to discover cool indie games.

YouTube.
Warp Door.
Reddit.
Itch.io.
Local Events.

What is the most downloaded game? ›

Android: top 50 games of 2022 so far

Rank	Game	Combined score for downloads & revenue
1	Roblox	169
2	Candy Crush Saga	143
3	Coin Master	130
4	Evony	96

46 more rows

Who is the most successful indie game developer? ›

Mojang. It’s the big one. With over 200 million copies sold, Minecraft is not only the best selling indie, but the best selling game ever, at least at the time of publishing. As of the end of 2021 they had a mind-blowing net worth of 1.7 billion dollars.

What video game makes the most money? ›

The highest-earning video games in 2020 (premium titles)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – US$1.91 billion. …
FIFA 2020 – US$1.08 billion. …
Grand Theft Auto V – US$911 million. …
NBA 2K21 – US$889 million. …
NBA 2K20 – US$771 million. …
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – US$678 million. …
Animal Crossing; New Horizons – US$654 million.

How long do indie games take to make? ›

The straight forward answer is, you might spend anywhere between 3-13 years before you get a completed product that is ready for the market.

How many indie games are there? ›

Indie game releases on Steam

Overall, there are now over 60,000 games on Steam. Only c. 2,000 of these have been made by large studios with hundreds of employees and large marketing budgets.

Are indie games good? ›

Indie games have stunning artworks and visuals that are rarely ever seen in AAA games. Indie developers are constantly pushing the envelope and exploring uncharted territories. You can try some beautiful indie games like Ori and the Blind Forest and Hyper Light Drifter.

What does CNP mean in Roblox? ›

Copypaste/Copy and Paste/CNP/Ctrl-C + Ctrl-V/C&P – A derogatory term used to describe a specific aesthetic trend of female avatars heavily influenced by contemporary hip-hop, emo, and e-girl/boy culture.

Is rdr2 a AAA? ›

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the embodiment of what AAA means, with its attention to detail second to none. Rob, steal, and fight for survival across America’s heartland in the Wild West era.

Is Pokemon a AAA? ›

AAA games are often the most culturally relevant video games because of their massive marketing campaigns–with titles such as the Call of Duty and Pokemon series becoming household names.

Why do most indie games fail? ›

Indie games fail sometimes because of a poor marketing strategy: Either the team didn’t build an audience or didn’t find a way to interest the gaming world enough to make it play the game. The second reason comes from the game itself: The lack of game design skills or the level of immersion is too low.

How do I sell my indie game? ›

3 ways to sell your indie games

Sell via platforms for gamers. Some of the most popular distribution platforms include Steam, Desura, and GOG. …
Sell to business. As opposed to gamer’s distribution platforms, developers can also sell their games to wholesale and retail businesses. …
Sell via your own website.

Is it hard to be a game designer? ›

Game development is very hard. Many projects have begun, but only a tiny percentage of them are completed. You may need to spend months debugging unusual quirks, dealing with unanticipated edge situations, and fine-tuning the whole system.

Is Among Us OK for 7 year olds? ›

Should kids play Among Us? Among Us is an engaging and social game, and it can be a fun way for kids to connect with friends. The Apple Store suggests Among Us is appropriate for kids aged nine and up, due to infrequent cartoonish violence and horror themes.

Is Among Us safe for 6 year old? ›

Common Sense Media rates the game as good for ages 10+ (and it tends to be conservative in its age recommendations). Since the game is easy enough to learn and fun for adults too, you may want to try playing as a family first to see how your kid manages before letting them play online with friends.

Is GameToons kid friendly? ›

A number of channels with sizeable subscriber counts have taken to producing colorful cartoons featuring the cult characters in storylines with telenovela-esque twists and turns. They have innocent names, like GameToons, Game My, and 888 Animations—though their content is far from being kid-friendly.

Is fortnite a AAA title game? ›

Sadly, to many Fortnite is a triple-A game. Not because of the graphics or anything, but because they love it. The term AAA is not used to signify what it means anymore. AAA means a game that had a large team and a massive budget i.e Watchdogs, GTA, REAL AAA games.

What is AAA NFT game? ›

What are AAA NFT games? AAA is an identifying trait of games produced by large publishers that have a large budget for their production. These games are often regarded as the absolute best in terms of their gameplay and visual appeal. In traditional gaming, some examples of this are Call of Duty, GTA, and The Witcher.

Is Warzone triple-A? ›

We are creating an all-new, AAA mobile experience that will bring the thrilling, fluid and the large-scale action of Call of Duty®: Warzone™to players on the go.

Can 1 person make a AAA game? ›

Can one person make an AAA game? Making an AAA game alone would be incredibly difficult, as it takes hundreds of people to create an AAA game . However, Bright Memory is made by a single developer and is the closest game on this list to a AAA studio quality video game.

How much does a AAA game cost? ›

AAA games are the big-budget games that large studios and publishers typically make. The average AAA game takes about four years to develop, with an average cost of about $80 million and higher.

Is Genshin a AAA? ›

Genshin Impact developer opens new Canadian studio for AAA game in paranormal world | Eurogamer.net.

What’s the opposite of indie games? ›

Indie games are usually made by companies with less than 30 people, and some are even made by less than five people. On the other hand, AAA games are made by much bigger companies, usually with hundreds of employees.

Can you make AAA games in unity? ›

Unity supports the application of both large-scale AAA games and 2D mobile games.

What defines AAA vs indie? ›

The games which receive big monetary backing are called “AAA”, and those with more modest budgets are considered “indie”.

Who is the richest indie game developer? ›

Is Undertale the best indie game ever? ›

Undertale is one of the best games in recent years and possibly the best indie game that’s ever been released. It may not have the looks of a AAA title, but its original gameplay, funny cast, perfect music, and fantastic storytelling make for a tale to remember.

Is miHoYo an indie? ›

miHoYo started as an indie developer in 2011 when they published FlyMe2theMoon, a “simple but unique” ‘slide to play one button control’ anime-themed fantasy action flying game. It was released for free on the Apple App Store on September 28, 2011 and currently has an average 4.8 star rating.

Is FNAF a indie game? ›

The world of indie horror game has been redefined by the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise, whose influence can be seen in numerous other games. In 2014, the first Five Nights at Freddy’s released and took the indie horror gaming scene by storm.

Do indie games make money? ›

Can you get rich making games? ›

Although it may take years of hard work, it is possible to become rich as a game designer. However, many professional video game designers admit that their career is not the most stable. While a successful game may make you a millionaire overnight, your next game may not provide the same results.

Is Undertale a horror game? ›

UnderTale may not have seemed like a horror game at first glance, but the way it teaches the player to care for its inhabitants, and the permanent consequences to the cruel actions you take within it, made me feel a frightening horror at myself and my own actions.

What is the imposter game called? ›

Among Us is a multiplayer game where between four and 10 players are dropped onto an alien spaceship. Each player is designated a private role as a “crewmate” or “impostor.”

How long is Elden ring? ›

Elden Ring is a massive, sprawling, open-world game that can indeed be beaten in 30 hours, as SpeedRunners have made abundantly clear, but for the average player, Elden Ring will take anywhere from 40-60 hours to complete its main campaign.

How old is miHoYo CEO? ›

Although Liu Wei is only 25 years old, he has established his own game-developing team miHoYo for almost three years. With a huge passion for ACG (Animation, Comic and Game), the team has paved the way to entrepreneurship.

Why did miHoYo change their name? ›

The Reasons Behind the Name Change

As previously mentioned, the main reasoning for this name change is for miHoYo to move beyond the confinements of game development and delve into a much wider portfolio of different technologies and business fronts.

What was the bite of 87? ›

The Bite of ’87 was an event that occurred in the Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 restaurant in 1987. it allegedly caused the loss of the frontal lobe of the victim’s brain. Mangle is the main animatronic of accusation.

Is Chuck E Cheese like FNAF? ›

The popular Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise is currently trending on Twitter due to some screenshots of news stories describing incidents at one Chuck E. Cheese restaurant that are shockingly similar to the first game in the animatronic horror series. However, these stories are simply not true.

Was FNAF based on a true story? ›

Cheese being an inspiration for the Five Nights at Freddy’s games is detailed in the following Game Theorists video, where they draw some eery similarities between the backstory of the games and a real-life tragedy that occurred at a Chuck E. Cheese’s location in Aurora, CO in December 1993.

Videos

1. Best indie games on Xbox Series X and S 2022 2. Xbox 360 – My Top 10 Favorite Indie Games 3. My Top 10 Xbox One Indie Games of 2017 4. Rand’s Top 10 Xbox One Indie Games of the Year (2016)!!! @ID_Xbox 5. Great Indie Games from E3 2016! (Indie Games Searchlight) 6. ID@Xbox Top 6 Indie Picks

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