15 Free Indie Games You Should Check Out

It's been a long month. You're probably tired of (still) plowing through The Witcher 3 or The Witness and ready for something new but, hey, bills and an empty bank account strike because of course they do. Well, lucky for you, we're here with some rad free games you should check out. Here are 15 of the best PC indie games that won't cost you a dime to download and play.

Sven Co-op

Sven Co-op started out as a Half-Life mod that let players play through the game cooperatively. Now, 17 years of dedicated support and development later, the mod has been released as its own fully-fledged game on Steam. The perfect game if you're looking to lay the beatdown on some monsters with other players.

You can grab Sven Co-op here.

Emily Is Away

Emily is Away is a short, touching interactive experience about heartbreak and falling in love on the internet. It's a nice little story that doesn't take that long to play.

You can get Emily is Away here.

Naut

Love space? Bouncing? Convertibles? Yeah, then you should check out this quirky and colorful sci-fi adventure.

You can download it here.

PIONEERS

PIONEERS is a gorgeous looking game that's also quite complex and enjoyable to play. You lead a group of travelers across new lands in search of treasure and a way to leave their mark on history. The game's still in development but it's more than worth checking out the current build since it's free and there's plenty to do.

You can download PIONEERS here.

Oh...Sir!

Oh...Sir! is a local multiplayer game where the goal is to beat your foe into submission with insults. It's a great, fun little game if you've got a friend over and are looking for something to do. No singleplayer or online multiplayer though (not yet, anyway).

You can grab Oh...Sir! here.

The Expendabros

The Expendabros is a tie-in game from Free Lives, the developer of Broforce, that's a over the top action game more than worth the time it takes to download and play regardless of whether you like the films or not. It's challenging, fun, and definitely amusing.

You can download The Expendabros here.

Plangman

Plangman is billed as a game that "blends hangman and platforming" but that doesn't do its weirdness justice. Check out its delightful trailer:

You can download Plangman here.

Relic Hunters Zero

Look. The pitch for Relic Hunters Zero is that it's a game about "shooting evil space ducks and evil space turtles with tiny cute guns." Nothing I can say is going to top that. That said: it is a pretty fun game that plays like a gentler version of Nuclear Throne.

You can grab Relic Hunters Zero here.

Be sure to check out the rest of our picks by heading over to the next page.

You Have To Win This Game

YHTWTG is a ridiculously difficult platformer with a nice 80s aesthetic that lends the game visual charms galore. Seriously though, you're gonna die a lot. Don't say I didn't warn you.

You can download You Have To Win This Game here.

Off-Peak

Off-Peak falls under the umbrella of weird experimental stuff that's hard to define but whatever the heck it is, it's creepy. Probably the closest I've seen a game get to achieving David Lynch's mixture of horror and the surreal without outright aping and paying homage to his works like Swery's (great) games do.

You can download Off-Peak here.

The Desolate Hope

The Desolate Hope is a game developed by Scott Cawthon. You might know that name since he developed a little series called Five Nights at Freddy's. The Desolate Hope is a different breed than FNaF though, with you playing a walking coffee pot robot taking care of several computers being ravaged by viruses. It's a strange but compelling game, mixing action platforming with JRPG and bizarre sci-fi.

You can download The Desolate Hope here.

A Dark Room

A Dark Room came to prominence last year when it was released as a paid mobile app. However, the game's also playable for free in a browser and it's pretty darn good, one of the better text adventures to show up in years. You play as someone waking up in a dark room only capable of stoking a fire at first. As ADR goes on, the player is able to gain more abilities and explore the world, metaphorically as well as literally lighting up the darkness.

You can play A Dark Room here.

the static speaks my name

The static speaks my name is a spooky first-person exploration game about a dude who's obsessed with a painting. Creepy. Takes about 10 minutes to play.

You can grab the static speaks my name here.

Cry Of Fear

Cry Of Fear is the second Half-life-mod-turned-free-standalone-game on this list and, like Sven Co-op, it's a mod that was in development for several years. It's also pretty darn spooky and one of the more impressive total conversions out there with a unique setting and a plethora of effective jump scares.

You can grab Cry of Fear here.

Dwarf Fortress

So you like systems huh? Games that punish you harshly? Hi, let me introduce you to your newest addiction: Dwarf Fortress, a ridiculously complex game that's half-management, half-roguelike. You're probably going to fail a lot in this game, but that's okay because in Dwarf Fortress nothing lasts forever.

You can download Dwarf Fortress here.

Know any great free indie games we didn't mention here? Let us know in the comments below.