Every day, new indie games are released. Some of them pick up momentum over time and turn into huge phenomena, like Minecraft or Stardew Valley, but others seem to hit the big time out of nowhere. The causes are different, but the result is the same: a small game that suddenly explodes into a sensation.
We take a look at some little indie titles that suddenly became a huge deal, seemingly overnight. They went from zero to a hundred in record time and while some haven’t managed to sustain the interest over time, others have become firm favorites and continue to thrive.
Untitled Goose Game began as a joke after someone at developer House House sent around an image of an angry-looking goose. The resulting conversation ended up as this simple but incredibly engaging game where you control a goose and go around stealing a collection of items and annoying people in a small town.
It’s simple, cute, family-friendly and utterly chaotic. Just being able to run around honking for no reason and hoarding stolen items is far more enjoyable than you’d expect. The joy quickly spread thanks to the game’s incredibly memeable and silly gameplay, which was re-posted enmasse to spread the word. And the word was Honk.
Fall Guys took off in a big way at launch in August 2020. It’s a battle royale with a difference, allowing 60 players to go head-to-head on an assault course resembling something from Takeshi’s Castle or Wipeout. Its vibrant, unique and playful style is shown in the ragdoll physics and silly costumes you’re able to wear.
Those wanting a break from the battle royale shooters, while still being able to battle on a large scale, flocked to the title. The desire for socialisation and silliness at the time meant this game rose rapidly as players threw themselves into the easy-to-play but difficult-to-master challenges.
Phasmophobia is a horror game that sees you explore haunted houses and look for clues that help you identify the ghosts within. You have access to a range of ghost hunting equipment which you may improve over time, and most importantly the ability to recruit friends through online co-op.
While exploring the haunted locations, ghosts can and will one shot kill you. Any time you accidentally disturb a spirit, then you’d better get your running shoes on. If you fail to run or hide in time when you’ll be jump scared by your sudden and inevitable death.
Sleuthing and screams were a combination irresistible to social media, as well as to streamers. The combination meant that Phasmophobia experienced a large influx of new players as word spread about how much it is to go ghost hunting with friends, especially if they don’t make it back to the van.
Among Us was another indie game which benefited from the events of 2020. However, it was actually 2018 when this simple game of deception and deduction launched to a mostly uninterested audience. It wasn’t until streamers and content creators discovered how much fun they could have that it really took off.
A crew is launched into space, but there is at least one impostor in the midst who must kill the other players before they can complete the ship’s maintenance tasks. Crew members must complete all the tasks or find the impostor and eject them, while impostors must sabotage the ship and slay the crew.
Among us also has a variety of hats and pets available. Gamers love a silly outfit!
Groups of friends were pitched against each other, spinning elaborate tales as they tried to get away with murder. The game’s simple concept but devious edge gave way to a tonne of memes, fan art and content which skyrocketed the title’s popularity as another unique way to play games with friends online.
Lethal Company is a game that almost cherry-picks factors that viral successes have in common. Unique art design. Check. Ability to hear your friends scream. Check. Comedic elements. Check. Memeable creatures. Check. Most importantly, these are combined with gameplay that keeps players interested.
Streamer uptake due to these features has helped, but many are diving into Lethal Company for the laughs and the screams. The first-person co-op horror sees you exploring weird alien worlds and trying to survive the lethal trip to collect materials for your employer. Just watch out for, well everything.
Cuphead was first noticed thanks to aviral video of Gamesbeat’s Dean Takahashi failing miserablyat the tutorial while at Gamescom. Dean poked fun at himself for struggling to master the game under the pressure, never expecting the floodgates it would open, as players flocked to both mock him and to look into the game he was playing.
Cuphead itself is a notoriously difficult platformer with hand-drawn retro graphics inspired by 1930’s animation, with a cute exterior and sinister interior. The bosses and encounters are unique, the premise and controls simple, the difficulty lethal and the experience nostalgic. It’s a great game which capitalized on its place in the spotlight thanks to its engaging design.
4Palworld
When Palworld was first unveiled, its legally distinct but familiar monster-catching mechanics and ‘Pals’ earned it the nickname ‘Pokemon with guns’. At first, this was a meme and the game was regarded as a bit of a joke. It was seen as a rip-off but people were interested enough to pay attention.
Memes, Pal designs and an eternal lingering question about lawsuits kept it in the spotlight enough for it to blow up hugely.
It was released straight to Xbox Game Pass and also had a low price point elsewhere, making it very accessible. As players took a chance on it, especially on Game Pass, word got round that it was incredibly fun to play. It had a familiarity to it for sure but enough was different about the mechanics involved in finding and capturing pals that players took to it quickly.
Unpacking does exactly what you’d expect from the title. The cosy title involves unpacking a series of boxes and placing the items into different rooms in what turns out to be a puzzle game with a uniquely told story. The combination of the simplicity and the challenge of finding the correct places for each item, combined with the unexpected narrative helped make Unpacking a success.
Social Media was the catalyst for this one, with videos uncovering the storyline told without words, and the feeling of closeness you get to an unseen character simply through unpacking boxes of their belongings. It’s cozy, zen-like and unique, a combination which shot it to success.
Balatro is a unique game which is a poker-themed deck-building roguelite. It has so many genres that the description along had people intrigued. You combine poker hands and joker hands to best your opponent in a series of rounds. Card mechanics keep the game fresh feeling and entertaining, meaning many players can’t resist playing just one more hand.
A playable demo was enough to get a lot of people hooked. When combined with a series of streamers praising the title, and others taking part in a successful invitational tournament the game’s profile was raised significantly, and its gameplay mechanics rocketed it to the top of many a game of the year list.
1Schedule 1
Schedule 1 started climbing the charts after its gameplay was spliced into short videos and uploaded onto social media. Combine this with exposure from streamers playing the demo and suddenly a whole lot of people looking for a game to satisfy the itch while waiting for GTA 6 saw a solution.
The open-world title sees you journey from small-time drug dealer to crime Kingpin as you build your nefarious empire from the ground up. You must avoid the law, eliminate the competition, and generally commit a lot of crimes. It has a more humorous side than you’d expect yet offers a unique experience that’s seen it take off faster than a drug mule at customs.
