Upcoming Indie Games to Get Hyped for in 2023

by Mike Alexander / Lists, Articles / 23 Jul 2022

There’s a general malaise that sets in every time a year comes to a close. There are undoubtedly things that weren’t accomplished, things you have to do before the end of the year and the unavoidable stress that the holidays bring.

However, there are also plenty of reasons to be excited about the upcoming year, especially if you’re a gamer. 2023 promises to bring a ton of awesome games and new developments across the industry, things that even the most passive gamer will be looking forward to (looking at you, Hogwarts Legacy). While we sit around the fire and prepare for the future, let’s take a look at these Upcoming Indie Games to Get Hyped For in 2023.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

Jet Set Radio fans, rejoice! The wait for another game that even comes close to emulating the thrill of extreme skating through a cel-shaded sci-fi world will finally be over soon. Team Reptile, the Mad Lads behind Lethal League and Megabyte Punch are doing double duty as both developer and publisher, which means Bomb Rush Cyberfunk should be every bit as stylish and well-polished as their earlier games.

We can’t wait to tag walls and pull off tricks to music by the legendary Hideki Naganuma again, and we probably won’t be alone in shutting ourselves in for a few days when Bomb Rush Cyberfunk skates onto PC and Nintendo Switch in the Summer of 2023.

Palworld

I don’t think anybody will be able to forget the first impression Palworld made earlier this year. What felt like a spoof trailer or prank is actually a completely real game, and it’s bringing its madness to gamers everywhere in 2022. Collect Pokemon-like creatures, turn them into slaves for your devious machinations, and even use them as a shield in intense gunfights.

That’s right, these pocket monsters will take a bullet for you. How willing they are to do that though is certainly a matter for debate. Team up with your friends and use your combined stable of monsters to craft and survive an inhospitable world in Palworld, coming to PC sometime in 2023.

Witchfire

The developers of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter are finally almost ready to release their next game after almost nine years of radio silence, and this one is unlike anything they’ve made before. It’s called Witchfire, and it is an FPS with an eldritch horror twist. Arm yourself with dark magic-imbued weapons and use their powers to destroy all manner of demons and other beasts. Your ultimate goal is to be freed from a curse that has plagued your life, and the only being that can remedy it is a witch… that you’ll set on fire… Witchfire!

Witchfire looks like an FPS that will fill 2023 with action and terror, and it won’t be much longer until we can try it. The game is set to be launched into Early Access in 2023, with a full release to follow at a later date. That’s no problem for us, the sooner we can blast demons with a magic revolver, the happier we’ll be!

Lies of P

Pinocchio had a pretty big year in 2022. After decades of no one caring or even thinking about him, he got both a live-action film by Disney, and a stop-motion feature film from the mind of Death Stranding’s Deadman himself, Guillermo Del Toro. His trajectory to stardom is set to continue in 2023, with Neowiz Game’s Lies of P.

This Dark Souls-inspired third person action game puts you in the synthetic skin and clockwork gears of an alternate reality Pinocchio. As the aspiring real boy, you will fight all kinds of evil automatons in a city that looks like it exists right next to Yharnam, and equip yourself with modifications and new body parts that give you special moves and abilities. Fight for your humanity when Lies of P cuts its strings in 2023.

Dredge

To round out our list of indie games, we have a nice, relaxing fishing game. Everyone loves fishing right? That’s why it is included in just about every MMO and survival/crafting game. There is nothing like sitting on the water, enjoying the silence, and waiting for your next big catch.

You can do all of that in Dredge! Oh, there is something else you need to know however. Black Salt Games and Team17’s cozy fishing game also features an unrelenting atmosphere of dread, nightmarish creatures, and a terrifying mystery to uncover. But you can just fish in between all of those things so it’s probably fine… unless your boat gets destroyed by a sea monster. Watch out for shallow reefs and krakens when Dredge sales onto Nintendo Switch and PC as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles in 2023.

Mike Alexander

Mike has been playing video games since he was able to hold a controller, having been fascinated by Sonic 2 on his mom’s Sega Genesis. That fascination and passion for the art form has grown exponentially nearly 30 years later, and he doesn’t see that fading away anytime soon.
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