Ranking The Best Five Indie Studios in 2024
Best Indie Game Studios in 2024
Who is the best indie game developer in the world?
You could obviously make a subjective list about the best indie studios around, but that would ruffle a lot of feathers and you would never be able to create a list that everyone could agree on. What if we made that list objective? What if we ranked these studios based on their history of producing high quality games and their consistency?
Back in 2021, we created this list for the first time using the same metrics and since then, there have been an overwhelming amount of amazing indie experiences, which makes this list a lot different from the first time around. It’s not a hyperbole to say that every year feels like the golden age of indie games.
Who Is The Best Indie Game Studio?
The term indie casts such a wide net across the gaming industry. You have some indie studios that are only a few people like Mega Crit who made Slay the Spire and on the other hand you have a studio like Larian Studios, who recently made Baldur’s Gate 3, who are technically independent, but are closer to 450 employees. This is a chasmic difference, but for this list, we are going to try and adhere to the more classical term by using the smaller indie teams that are below 100. Hopefully, this will keep the list tight and focused on the lesser known teams making amazing experiences.
We examined over “50” of the best and brightest indie game studios, made sure they were eligible based on the rules we laid out and then rated them against one another to find out who are the top five indie game studios. Before getting into the list, let’s go over the rules.
Rules
Rule 1: The studio must be independent and privately owned. While this might sound strange, there are plenty that seem like small indie studios but are owned by much bigger corporations like Campo Santo being owned by Valve, Night School and their recent acquisition by Amazon, and Klei who were acquired by Tencent.
Rule 2: No one hit wonders! We are only going to be including studios with at least two games developed. This would eliminate a studio like Team Cherry who have been hard at work on the ultra anticipated Hollow Knight SilkSong, but as of right now have only have Hollow Knight on their portfolio.
Rule 3: The studio needs to be fairly active, which means that only studios with at least two games over the past calendar decade will be included. Although a decade might sound like a long time, developing games is a long and slow process that takes many years to fulfill the original vision. This means a studio like Playdead won’t be included since Limbo came out in 2010.
Rule 4: There will be a recency bias. This means that the last effort means the most and carries more weight towards the studios final score as this is more indicative of the studios current skillset. This will be achieved by adding a slight multiplier to the most recent release score by 1.1.
Rule 5: This list will be console focused meaning that the release of a game needs to be on multiple platforms. This means that no exclusive, VR, mobile or PC only games will be included.
Rule 6: Only Studios under 100 people will be considered as any bigger and you technically outgrown your indie competition and should now judged against bigger studios.
Rule 7: DLC is a slippery slope and as such, only fully numbered sequels or different games will count. This would mean that Dead Cells from Motion Twin would only be one release and Studio MDHR will only have one release on this list since The Delicious Last Course was just an add on. Both require the base game to play.
Rule 8: No collaborations. This means that a studio like Yacht Club Games won’t be eligible because they have only release one full game in the past decade that has been solely developed by themselves. Their last two games: Shovel Knight Dig and Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon were collaborative projects.
Rule 9: The game must be a big enough release that it has over 25 critic reviews. This would mean that Deltarune wouldn’t be applicable because it only has 12 reviews likely due to its length and only being release in small chapters.
Rule 10: Possibly the most important rule of them all. People are human, mistakes happen and it’s almost guaranteed that we missed a studio or forgot to remove or add a game from a studio based on the rules.
Golden Age of Indies
All it takes is one amazing game to take a studio from unknown to top of the list or another excellent game in the portfolio, which means that this list could be very different a year from now, but at the start of 2024…
HERE ARE THE TOP FIVE INDIE STUDIOS IN GAMING TODAY
Worthy Mentions
Heart Machine
Looking at the list, it seems pretty accurate, thanks to some of the formulas that were put into place to create an objective list of the best indie studios. The biggest issue that I have with the list and the score that I disagree with the most is Heart Machine getting a 168.7, which would not only keep it out of the “Top 5”, but would also put the studio around 15th on the list, which seems very out of whack.
This is why it’s an objective list and not subjective because, Heart Machine would easily be part of my Top 5 Indie Studios. Hyper Light Drifter is one of my favourite games of all time and Solar Ash deserved slightly better than the average 77 review score in my opinion. It was a big departure from Hyper Light Drifter in some ways, but in many ways was had a lot of the same elements including an incredible vast and desolate world, stunning visuals, excellent traversal, fantastic music and amazing set pieces. The good news is that their new game Hyper Light Breaker will be hitting early access in 2024 and looks to take the best of Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash. Unfortunately, since Solar Ash would still count alongside their new game, they likely won’t make the list, no matter how good Hyper Light Breaker is, which is why I mention them here.
Top 5 Indie Game Studios
Cellar Door Games - 5th Place (179.9)
Rogue Legacy came out back in 2013 and was near the tip of the spear for the roguelite genre. It softened the harshness of the roguelike genre and added in some overarching progression that remains from run to run and subsequently saw a slew of games follow in its footsteps. Hades, Dead Cells, Returnal and Slay The Spire just to name a few of the more prominent ones.
But before there was Rogue Legacy 2, Cellar Door released Full Metal Furies. This is an ARPG that is playable in either solo or co-op. It has a review average of 82, Steam recent reviews are strong, but like most, I missed this game and the studio referred to it as “a pretty massive failure”
Similar to a bands second album, RL2 includes more of what the fans wanted. More traits, spells, classes, biomes, monsters, equipment, rooms, secrets, story and just about everything else you could ask out of a sequel. There is always the discussion about game sequels and if more of the same is enough. Usually the answer for most people is yes, but in the case of Rogue Legacy 2, it was a lot more of the same, but almost every aspect was improved upon.
Rogue Legacy 2 is fairly simple. Explore, find treasure, make progress and die. Pick a new heir, upgrade your manor, upgrade your vendors, and then pay Charon all your remaining gold to return to the castle. That’s it, nothing revolutionary, but every aspect is fun and rewarding. It captures that special quality of wanting to do just one more attempt. You always feel like you are moving forward thanks to the Quest Log by updating in the background when you find or complete goals.
Extremely OK Games - 4th Place (185.2)
What used to be Helix Games became Matt Makes Games and is now Extremely OK Games, which is bold pivot to make after the critical success of Celeste and TowerFall, but the decision obviously shows how the studio has grown over the years from the ideas and talents focused around one person to a much more team oriented approach.
TowerFall obviously didn’t gain much attention when it was initially released as an OUYA exclusive, but it would soon be released for PlayStation about a year after and then many other systems soon after. It was on console that it gained a warm critical reception and a decent fan following with good success for an indie title. Polygon named TowerFall among the decades Top 25 games, which is high praise considering all the amazing experiences over the decade.
As much success as TowerFall earned, it wasn’t until Celeste that Matt Makes Games was truly put onto the map as a studio to watch. In 2018, Matt Makes Games released Celeste. A extremely tough, 8 bit platformer about a girl who must scale a mountain and all that gets in the way as a metaphor for dealing with depression and anxiety.
It was a very refreshing and awakening story about the struggles of mental health, while at the same time as having great visuals, excellent soundtrack and a near perfect level design. The levels became increasingly challenging, but always within reach of the skills the game provided you. Celeste also won Best Independent Game at The Game Awards while also being nominated for Game of the Year, alongside games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War.
When I first saw, Earthblade, I wasn’t as blown away as I was hoping to be, when the first footage was finally shown from the makers of Celeste. EXOK games have created very high expectations due to their most recent release being a huge success. Celeste was one of the best games of 2018.
Even though I wasn’t enthralled by the reveal of Earthblade, the studio easily gets the benefit of the doubt after Celeste. It also doesn’t hurt that this time around EXOK games is moving into the metroidvania genre. When you combine the genre change, the quality of their last game and the story that will likely be the focus of Earthblade, there is a lot to look forward to
Sabotage Studios - 3rd Place (185.9)
When trying to create a hybrid game that blends retro and modern influences, most developers stray too far towards the two possible sides of the spectrum. The first is by changing too much, which ultimately leads to a game that just uses the IP and doesn’t evoke the same memories of the original. The second is by not changing enough, with a result that feels stuck in the past with limitations and surface deep gameplay. Sabotage Studio are now proven masters of walking the tightrope between both past and present after two excellent games filled with incredible journeys.
Sabotage Studios jumped onto the scene back in 2018 with the retro action platformer, The Messenger. It was clear that this wasn’t just another attempt to cash in on the retro craze as The Messenger showed a studio deeply passionate about the games of yesteryear, but intelligent enough to make the right modern touches. Fans of the original Ninja Gaiden were in heaven with responsive controls that put it in the same class as Celeste and Hollow Knight, 8 bit soundtrack, witty writing and of course “the moment” halfway through the game that displayed Sabotage were a studio to watch.
Sea of Stars feels like reliving an RPG memory from the 90’s as it proudly wears it’s influences on the sleeve with combat and exploration inspired by genre classics like Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG, but also draws inspiration from adventure games of the era including Link To The Past with character abilities, dungeon exploration and puzzles that are always fun to solve as you aren’t bound to the grid.
Sea of Stars is another shining example of how Sabotage have quickly become the masters of making retro feel modern and one of the best indie studios around with their ability to transcend genres. Story, art, level design, score, sound direction, combat, progression, puzzles, exploration, pacing, boss fights and every other element in the game are done to perfection. Sea of Stars was our indie game of the year in 2023.
In the documentary about the making of Sea of Stars, it sounds clear that Sabotage is going to continue on the path of making amazing hybrid games that blend retro and modern. As for what genre their next game will be, that is anyones guess, but it sounds like they are happiest when they are challenging themselves with new ideas.
Supergiant - 2nd Place (187.3)
Easily one of the most consistent studios on this list, and easily everyones favourite indie darling studio, especially after Hades, Supergiant Games have made a great name for themselves in just over ten years since they were founded in 2009. Bastion, Transistor, Pyre and Hades have established Supergiant as an elite indie studio. Although the first three entires are all variations on the action RPG formula, it wasn’t until Hades that Supergiant explored a new genre that made the studio a household name.
Hades took the roguelite formula, added a deep level of story telling that unfolds upon each run and this was unlike anything the genre had seen before. The main reason for doing another run wasn’t about unlocking a new weapon or skill, instead it was to learn more about Zagreus and everyone else. It has been said a thousand times already, but the games combat felt responsive and crisp, the story was engrossing, and the design gave the player plenty of freedom.
Hades spent nearly two years in early access where it refined its systems, expanded the story and sold nearly 700K copies during this time. Following this, Hades released as a timed exlcisuve for the Nintendo Switch, which was yet another excellent choice by the studio. According to GameSpot within just the first three days of the full release of the game that coincided with the launch on the Switch, Hades had sold over a million copies.
Hades wasn’t just a commercial success as it was also a critical success that would go on to win many awards including Game of The Year from many different award shows and at The Game Awards, won the Best Indie Game and Best Action Game. Hades 2 is supposedly landing in early access in Q2 2024, and looks to build upon the already amazing foundation, but this time you are the immortal princess of the underworld. Expecting anything less than spectacular from Supergiant would be wrong at this point.
Moon Studios - 1st Place (190.3)
Moon Studios is known for their work on the fantastic Ori series. Ori and the Blind Forest was a diamond in the rough that was known as the Xbox One generation. Blind Forest oozed with excellence at every facet of the game. It was visually stunning and easily one of the best looking Metroidvania of all time thanks to an amazing art direction and art style. The world was alive with the background being as important as the foreground.
Ori and the Blind Forest was much more than just a visually stunning game as the score and the gutwrenching story worked harmoniously. Despite its cute looking protagonist, Ori and The Blind Forest was emotionally rich. The art and story would be wasted if the gameplay wasn’t outstanding, but it was. The controls and level design were near perfect, the pacing always kept you engaged and the set pieces that were spiced throughout were a true spectacle to watch, even if you had to do them multiple times.
It was released during the Xbox One generation when Microsoft had stepped away from revealing exact sales data, but the founder of the studio told GameSpot that the game was profitable within a week of release, which led to a sequel and a bump in size from the studio as they ballooned from around 20 people to about 80 based on the success of The Blind Forest.
Ori and The Will of The Wisps didn’t quite make a big splash like the first game, which seemingly came out of nowhere but it was another exceptional Metroidvania that added enough new elements and a fresh story to be worthy and was among the short lists for best game of the year. It was a great swan song for the Xbox One as it released just mere months before the Xbox transitioned to a new generation.
Moon Studios upcoming game, No Rest For The Wicked, is a big depature from the Ori series they have become known for. Wicked is a souls like ARPG that looks to put their spin on the genre. The studio has said “after redefining the metroidvania genre, our next goal is to revolutionize the ARPG genre”.
Looking Ahead to 2025
Looking at the final list, it seems pretty accurate. These are the top five indie studios that are churning out high quality titles. If this was my list, and there were no rules to follow, I would slightly alter the order a bit and I would include Heart Machine in the place of Cellar Door Games. I loved Rogue Legacy 2, but Heart Machine isn’t making games, they are making experiences.
Looking forward, Supergiant will likely make a strong attempt for the top spot with the upcoming release of Hades 2, which will likely review closer to the scores of the original. However, Moon Studios won’t be a pushover for top spot as No Rest For The Wicked already has glowing previews.
The other big change that might happen with the list is that teams that have only had one game in the past decade or at all might make a strong case for the top five or even the top spot. Motion Twin delivered one of the best indie games of all time with Dead Cells, which has an 89 average, and long anticipated sophomore game, Windblown is due out in early access at the start of 2024. Acid Nerve had a huge hit with Death’s Door, which was released in 2021 and there is a slight chance they release a new game in 2024. It’s been a long time since we have heard anything from playdead. In 2016 Inside was released to critical acclaim and with their transition to 3D, its hard to imagine anything but excellence. Lastly, is 2024 the year for Team Cherry to finally release Silksong? All signs would indicate yes, and if that’s the case, they would find a spot in the top five almost undoubtedly.
There are so many amazing indie experiences happening all the time and I can’t wait to see how different this list might be in 2025. With all of the potential for indie games in 2025, the top of this list is going to be very crowded and just goes to show how many amazing indie studios and games are constantly happening.
Studios Considered
Moon Studios - Ori and The Blind Forest (88) + Ori and The Will of The Wisps (93x1.1) = 190.3
Supergiant - Pyre (85) + Hades (93x1.1) = 187.3
Studio MDHR - Only Cuphead
Mossmouth - Only Spelunky 2 in the past decade
Thatgamecompany - Too BIG
megacrit - Only Slay The Spire
team meat - Super Meat Boy Forever 70. Dr Fetus 76x1.1 = 153.6
mediatonic - Epic Games Owned
Team Cherry - Only Hollow Knight
Giant Squid - Abzu (82) + Pathless (78x1.1) = 167.8
House House - Push Me Pull You (75) + Untitled Goose Game (80x1.1) = 163
Matt Makes Games (EXOK) - TowerFall (84) + Celeste (92x1.1) = 185.2
Yacht Club - Shovel Knight: Pocket dungeon and Dig were collaborations
Capybara Games - Below (75) + Grindstone Switch (87x1.1) = 170.7
Hazelight - A Way Out (79) + It Takes Two (89x1.1) = 176.9
Hello Games - No Man’s Sky (83) + The Last Campfire (83x1.1) = 174.5
Ghost Town Games - Overcooked (80) + Overcooked 2 (81x1.1) = 169.1
Drinkbox - Nobody Saves The World (79x1.1) + Guacamelee 2 (85) = 171.9
illfonic - Ghostbusters (70x1.1) + Predator: Hunting Grounds (60) = 137
Thunder Lotus - Sundered (76) + Spiritfarer (83x1.1) = 167.3
Klei - Owned by Tencent
Thekla - only one game in last decade, witness
Mobius Digital - only Outer Wilds
Playdead - only one game released in past decade
Studio Jumpship - Only Somerville
Campo Santo - owned by Valve
Night School - Owned by Amazon.
Mossmouth - only Spelunky 2 in last decade
Toby Fox - Undertale 92, Deltarune - not enough critical reviews
Subset Games - Faster Than Light - not on console
New Additions
Arrowhead - Helldivers 81, Helldivers 2 82x1.1 = 171.2
Sabotage Studios - Messenger 88, Sea of Stars 89x1.1 =185.9
Game Kitchen - Blasphemous 77, Blasphemous 2 84 =169.4
sloclap - Absolver 75, Sifu 81 = 164.1
Daniel Mullins games - The hex 81, Inscription 85 = 174.5
Passtech Games - Curse of the Dead Gods 78, Ravenswatch - Still Early Access
Heart Machine - Hyper Light Drifter 84, Solar Ash 77 = 168.7
digital sun games - Moonlighter 81, MageSeeker 78 = 166.8
dodge roll - Enter Dungeon 82, Exit 78 = 161.2
Cellar Door - Full Metal Furies 82, Rogue Legacy 2 89x1.1 = 181.8
Acid Nerve - Titan Souls 74, Deaths Door 85 = 167.5
Red Hook - DD 84, Darkest Dungeon 2 82 = 174.2
Larion - Too big
Dennation - Only Hotline Miami 2
Wishfully Studios - only Planet of Lana
Geometric Interactive - Only Cocoon
Rundisc - Varion 70, Chants of Sennar 85 =163.5
Ska Studios - Salt and Sanctuary 84, Salt and Sacrifice 72 =163.2
Housemarque - Too big and owned by Sony now
Massive Monster - Adventure Pals 77, Cult of The Lamb 82 =167.2
Roll7 - Owned by Private Division who is owned by TTWO
Jump over the Age - In other Waters 79, Citizen Sleeper 82 = 169.2
Wishes Unlimited - The Wandering 82, Chicory 88 = 178.8
Croteam - owned by Devolver Digital
Shiny Shoe - Monster Train 86, Inkbound Early Access
Motion Twin - Only Dead Cells, soon to be Windblown
Free lives - Gorn 77, Terra Nil 82 = 167.2