Best Xbox Indie Games

Thumper (Xbox One)

We were first exposed to Thumper's terrifying rhythm game antics in all-encompassing VR form but this one loses none of its appeal when played on a normal TV setup.

A rhythm game with a good deal of horror at its core, Thumper takes players on a rollicking rollercoaster ride through some truly twisted scenery as its amazing soundtrack pulsates and thunders along in time to some wild onscreen visuals. Piloting your little metallic beetle through this hellscape may be quite intense at times but the game is also surprisingly forgiving in how it lets you make errors and continue along during levels which are bookended by some great big abstract bosses.

In terms of its visuals, soundtrack and super slick and addictive gameplay, Thumper is a thoroughly class act that draws you into its mesmeric world and doesn't let go until it's all done and dusted.

• Xbox Game Pass? No

Tunic (Xbox Series X|S)

We've been waiting impatiently for the arrival of Andrew Shouldice's sublime action-adventure ever since we first clapped eyes on it a couple of years ago, and now it's finally here and on Game Pass!

Tunic is a fantastically clever adventure with an exquisitely designed world to explore. It's a great big Zelda-esque puzzle-box to probe and prod at as you progress through a story that's got just the right amount of mystery and intrigue about it to keep you hooked in. This one's a surprisingly big, surprisingly challenging experience that's absolutely one of our favourite games of 2022 so far.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Undertale

We're pretty sure there aren't many players out there by now who haven't at least heard of Toby Fox's sublime Undertale.

A wonderfully well written and surprisingly subversive take on retro RPGs, it may assume a certain level of prior experience with the genre but, even without this, Undertale is still a constantly surprising and devilishly clever good time. This is a game that toys with genre expectations and conventions, mocks and twists gameplay tropes, deviates from the norm, serves up delightfully difficult puzzles, a cast of wonderfully weird characters and an unexpectedly weighty story. Oh, and the soundtrack absolutely rocks. If you've yet to try it out, get onto Game Pass and treat yo'self!

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Unpacking (Xbox Series X|S)

Witch Beam's Unpacking is all about...well...unpacking, funnily enough. Not so much a puzzle game, this is more of a meditative experience, if you choose to play it that way, a wonderfully relaxing little game that gives you creative freedom to chill into the rhythm of simply unpacking boxes of possessions into rooms however you see fit.

There's a rather touching narrative that develops over the course of proceedings, your protagonist's possessions changing as time passes, and the whole thing just feels and sounds wonderful, the simple act of placing objects made satisfyingly tactile and addictive. There's some light challenge here and there in how you're presented with objects to stow away, but overall this an experience about doing it your way, playing with the tools and unpacking how you want to. A unique and beautiful thing and one of favourite experiences of 2021.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Untitled Goose Game (Xbox One)

Honk!

A puzzle/stealth game that's inventive, charming, goofy, hilarious and now available to play in two-player couch co-op, Untitled Goose Game is an absolute blast of non-stop silliness.

If the idea of being a complete and utter Benny Hill-style nuisance appeals to you, this is the game you've been waiting for. Scaring pensioners, stealing people's property and flinging it into a lake, eating someone's lunch, creeping up behind folk to give them a ruddy great big "HONK!" and more besides, Untitled Goose Game is one of our favourite indie romps of the past few years, a properly fun time that's packed full of inventive puzzles and funny situations to throw yourself into.

• Xbox Game Pass? No

Vampire Survivors (Xbox One)

Vampire Survivors looks like such a basic and throwaway game when you first see the screenshots, but play it even just once, and we think there's a good chance you'll be hooked. This is an extremely addictive roguelite bullet shooter in which your goal is to survive as long as possible, and it proved to be one of the best Xbox exclusives of 2022.

In our review of Vampire Survivors at Pure Xbox, we praised it as the potential "indie game of the year":

"It’s ideal for short and longer sessions, is incredibly accessible with simple controls, and there’s plenty of depth once you get familar with each character - with skill combos and weapon evolution that allows you to enhance your character's power in all sorts of exciting ways."

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Weird West (Xbox Series X|S)

Wolfeye Studios, the crack dev squad put together by former Arkane founder Raphael Colantonio, served us up an absolute banger of an action-RPG in March of 2022 with Weird West, a rootin' tootin' slice of western action with a delightfully warped twist.

The DNA of the likes of Dishonored, Prey and Arx Fatalis can be keenly felt in the array of powers you have at your disposal in this isometric adventure, an adventure that gives you a ton of choice in how you proceed and react to enemies as you blaze a trail through its excellent and refreshingly challenging campaign.

As we said in our 9/10 review, this one is "a slick and addictive action-RPG that delivers a top-notch narrative alongside some delightfully chaotic combat in a world that absolutely oozes atmosphere."

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

What Remains of Edith Finch (Xbox One)

If you're looking for something a bit more emotionally challenging, then What Remains of Edith Finch not only has one of the best indie narratives we've experienced, but one of the best in gaming as a whole. It's ideal going in knowing as little as possible here, but it's essentially a narrative driven adventure that delves into some dark and deeply personal subject matter. Despite that, it somehow never feels bogged down by the weight of its story, instead constantly finding fresh new ways to surprise and delight its players. We highly recommend checking this one out, even if you're not sure it's gonna be your cup of tea, it feels like a truly important game - and you can even finish it in a single sitting for maximum effect.

• Xbox Game Pass? No

Windjammers 2 (Xbox Series X|S)

French indie developer DotEmu has been on quite the run recently, with the flawless Streets of Rage 4 and excellent Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap just two of its most recent releases. Now they've gone and served us up an absolutely superb sequel to the 1994 classic, Windjammers.

Windjammers 2 cleverly and carefully adds a host of new gameplay mechanics to the original game's carefully balanced Pong/Street Fighter-style action, resulting in a game with even more pick up and play arcade goodness to sink your teeth into. With a brand new hand-drawn art style - very much in the same vein as Streets of Rage 4 - replacing the pixel characters of old, this is one sleek and slick revamp that manages the seemingly impossible in refining and improving upon a 28 year old Neo Geo classic.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes