Best Indie RPG Games of the Last Decade

In 2021, the global gaming market amounted to 178 billion U.S. dollars, and the numbers won’t decrease anytime soon. It’s impossible for gamers not to know about the biggest gaming companies, like Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox. But another interesting side to the video game industry is the indie RPG games market.
Indie games also tap into different game genres, especially RPGs. It might be easier to recognize indie RPG games from big gaming companies, but there are actually many that make it to the top. In this article, let’s understand what indie games are and focus on the RPG genre. You’ll realize just how much potential indie game developers have in creating new and innovative games!

Key takeaways:

• Indie games are created by small, independent game developers and studios.
• RPGs or “Role-Playing Games” are a popular game genre with at least seven types, including sandbox, tactical, and MMORPG.
• Indie RPG games are some of the most unique and exciting games in the gaming industry. Many of these games are just as good as, if not better, big-budget RPGs from big gaming companies.
• Some of the best indie RPG games of the last decade include Divinity: Original Sin II, Hades, and Disco Elysium.
• New indie RPG games get published yearly, meaning there’s always something new and exciting for gamers to try out. The indie RPG game market has much potential for growth, especially with the rise of indie game developers.

Table of Contents:

• What Are Indie Games?
• What Are RPGs?
• List of Best Indie RPG Games
• CCCI – Quality Video Game Services

An indie game is developed by an independent video game developer without financial support from a publisher. It means indie game developers have more creative freedom to experiment with innovative gameplay and graphics.

Apart from the creative freedom that being an indie developer entails, developers also have more control over their game’s destiny. They can choose how to distribute and market their games. Independent game developers also don’t follow the crunch culture. “Crunch culture” refers to the long and excessive hours that some video game developers work. It is often done to meet tight deadlines set by publishers or investors.

Despite the marketing challenges and limited resources, many indie games have broken records and received critical acclaim. Some of the best indie games of all time include:

• Celeste
• Stardew Valley
• LIMBO
• Minecraft
• Undertale
• Hollow Knight

It’s not surprising how indie games have taken the gaming world by storm. With their creativity, risk-taking, and innovative gameplay, indie games offer something different that big-budget games don’t always provide. One significant factor in every indie game’s success is marketing, which we will dive deeper into later.

Let’s head to the other half of this article’s heart. RPGs, or roleplaying games , are a type of video game where players control a character in a virtual world. The character gains strength and power by completing tasks, battling enemies, and leveling up. Players can often choose what type of character they want to control, such as a wizard, warrior, or thief. The player then determines how the character will grow and evolve.

There are at least seven types of RPGs:

1. Video game console
2. Single-player
3. Massive multiplayer online
4. Action
5. Sandbox
6. Tactical
7. Roguelike

All types offer different ways to experience an RPG. For example, action RPGs focus on real-time combat, while tactical RPGs have players thinking carefully about each move they make in battle. And regardless of RPG type, hundreds and thousands of RPGs have been considered the best of all times. Some of these include:

• Chrono Trigger
• Final Fantasy VI
• Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn
• Pokémon Yellow
• World of Warcraft
• Planescape: Torment
• Secret of Mana
• Diablo II
• Vagrant Story
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

RPGs are best for gamers who enjoy spending time in virtual worlds, leveling up their characters, and completing quests. These games often have complex storylines and can be quite addictive!

RPGs are some of the most immersive and captivating games out there. Imagine combining that characteristic with the creative freedom that indie developers have. The result? Some of the most unique and interesting indie RPGs that you’ll ever come across. Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best indie RPGs of the past decade.

Divinity: Original Sin II is a tactical RPG released in 2017. The game is set in the world of Rivellon, where players take control of a custom character. The game sold 700,000 copies a month after its release.

Hades is a roguelike indie RPG released in 2018 from Supergiant Games. The game is set in the Greek underworld and has the player take control of Zagreus, the son of Hades. The game was nominated for several Games of the Year awards and won Best indie Game at The Game Awards 2020.

Disco Elysium, released in 2019, is set in the city of Revachol and has players take control of a detective who suffers from amnesia. The game won several Game of the Year awards from different publications.

Curse of the Dead Gods is a roguelike indie RPG released in 2020. The game has the player take control of an adventurer who explores temples filled with traps, enemies, and treasure. Difficult gameplay loop? This game has mastered it!

Barbearian, released in 2018, is an RPG that “feels” different. According to GameRant, gamers enjoy “high-octane, action-packed gameplay”, especially in this game that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Rogue Legacy 2 is a roguelike indie RPG released in 2020. The game has the player take control of a character who explores procedurally-generated dungeons. The game is a sequel to the 2013 indie hit Rogue Legacy.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is a tactical indie RPG released in 2018. The game was nominated for and won several awards, including Best RPG 2018. Players of this game get to be the Watcher and explore the Deadfire archipelago.

Released in 2017, West Of Loathing is set in the old west and has stick figures for characters. It’s a game that makes gamers laugh while they’re adventuring and questing. It was awarded the Best Comedy Game in PC Gamer’s 2017.

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is an indie RPG released in 2019. The game has the player take control of a team of three bugs who quest to obtain everlasting life. GameRant describes the game with paper-like aesthetics and uses turn-based combat.

CrossCode is an indie action RPG released in 2018. Stylized as an old-school SNES game, the game is set in the future with Lea as a character playing the MMORPG “CrossWorlds.” Gamers have to solve puzzles and fight their way through the game.

The gaming world will never run out of excellent indie RPG games. In fact, new indie RPG games keep on coming out each year! As we mentioned earlier, one of the biggest challenges for indie developers is the marketing and promotion of their games. If you’re an indie developer, it’s high time to know that CCCI is more than ready to work with you.

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Regardless of genre or creator, games only get big when they’re available to the masses. As an indie game developer, you can tap into more markets through CCCI’s game translation services. How? We translate and localize games into multiple languages so players worldwide can understand and appreciate your work!

Our game translation and localization services aim to help indie developers reach a wider audience. We also want to help players connect with the game content they’re playing. We translate and localize to over 30 languages, expanding your indie game’s reach while ensuring that the original message and intent are retained.

CCCI also offers game customer support so you can focus on developing new indie RPG games. The more connected you stay with your fans, the better your indie game’s chance of becoming a hit!

We know the indie game development process is never easy. But with CCCI by your side, you’re on your way to success! What are you waiting for? Contact us now, and let’s talk about your indie game project.