Steam Next Fest October 2026: Our standout indie picks
Steam Next Fest is always a dangerous event for the wishlist. You go in planning to sample a couple of demos, maybe find one or two games worth keeping an eye on, and somehow end up with a dozen new tabs open and a rapidly growing list of things you now desperately want to play. […]
When the lyrics fight back: Talking Tied to the Beat with Javier Lianes García
Plenty of games ask you to fight to the rhythm. Tied to the Beat has a slightly stranger proposition: what if the actual words in the song started messing with you too? Created by solo developer Javier Lianes García under Lianes8 Studio, Tied to the Beat is a music-driven arena survivor where players take control […]
Dashing through the design: Talking DashBreaker with SageLab
Sometimes the most interesting part of indie development is watching a game realise it wants to be something different. DashBreaker began with a very clear hook. Inspired by the sweeping missile trails associated with Itano Circus-style action, it put players in a tiny craft surrounded by homing projectiles and asked them to read the patterns, […]
Dominus Gladiatus brings brutal gladiator management to PC and consoles on November 5th
Running a successful gladiator school sounds difficult enough before you remember that your employees have an unfortunate habit of being killed at work. Developer Brain Seal Ltd and publisher PlayWay S.A. have announced that Dominus Gladiatus will launch on 5 November 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch. The ancient Rome […]
Best indie games like Pokémon to play in 2026
Pokémon has been making us wander into long grass and throw balls at unsuspecting wildlife for three decades now, so it is hardly surprising that plenty of indie developers grew up wanting to put their own spin on the formula. The good news is that the monster-taming genre has become much more interesting than simply […]
Fast fingers, faster facts: Talking Zip Blitz with George Burgess
There is knowing the answer, and then there is knowing it quickly enough to actually earn any points for it. Zip Blitz is built around that distinction. Created by George Burgess, the daily trivia game serves up five rounds of ten questions, with just 15 seconds to answer each one. The rounds become progressively nastier […]
Artist spotlight: Talking Obsession with Lance Prince – Attraction, instability, and building something of your own
Independent music is about considerably more than uploading a track and hoping an algorithm decides to be generous. For North Jersey artist Lance Prince, the music sits at the centre of something he is trying to build for himself: recording, engineering, visual content, live performances and, increasingly, spaces where other creatives can get in the […]
Rolling back into the past: Talking Lost Ball with Knut Ryager
More than a decade is a long time to leave a ball lost. Back in 2013, Norwegian developer Knut Ryager’s original Lost Ball won Game of the Year at the Norwegian Game Awards. Now he is returning to it with something considerably more ambitious than simply polishing up an old project and putting it on […]
ENDIX November 2026 lineup revealed with THQ Nordic, 505 Games and over 50 games
ENDIX is reopening its virtual doors this November, and the fully digital gaming expo has revealed a strong lineup of publishers and indie developers for its latest edition. Running from 6–8 November 2026, the free PC event will feature more than 50 games across themed halls, rooftops, and dedicated publisher areas, with THQ Nordic, Bohemia […]
Memory, machines, and making the past interactive: Talking STENHOUSE with Bill Rectangle
Games are far from the only place where independent creators are finding ways to tell personal stories. STENHOUSE: Growing Up in Edinburgh and Beyond is an independently written and published memoir by Michael Judge, writing under the wonderfully difficult-to-forget pen name Bill Rectangle. It looks back at growing up in Stenhouse and wider Edinburgh through […]