51 Independent Games Festival winners

The Independent Games Festival (IGF) is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. Originally founded in 1998 to promote independent video game developers, and innovation in video game development by CMP Media, later known as UBM Technology Group, IGF is now owned by Informa after UBM's acquisition.

Alien Hominid is an independently developed run and gun video game developed by The Behemoth. The game was developed from an Adobe Flash game originally released on Newgrounds in August 2002. O3 Entertainment released the game for PlayStation 2 and GameCube in North America in 2004, whilst ZOO Digital Publishing released the game in Europe for PlayStation 2, Xbox, mobile phones and Gizmondo in 2005. A port for the Game Boy Advance, co-developed by Tuna Technologies, was also released in Europe in 2006. A high-definition version titled Alien Hominid HD was released for Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade service on February 28, 2007. A re-imagination, Alien Hominid Invasion, is in development for Windows, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.

Antichamber is a first-person puzzle-platform game created by Australian developer Alexander "Demruth" Bruce. Many of the puzzles are based on phenomena that occur within impossible objects created by the game engine, such as passages that lead the player to different locations depending on which way they face, and structures that seem otherwise impossible within normal three-dimensional space. The game includes elements of psychological exploration through brief messages of advice to help the player figure out solutions to the puzzles as well as adages for real life. The game was released on Steam for Microsoft Windows on 31 January 2013. A version originally sold with the Humble Indie Bundle 11 in February 2014 added support for Linux and OS X.

Audiosurf is a puzzle rhythm game created by Invisible Handlebar, a company founded by Dylan Fitterer. Its track-style stages visually mimic the music the player chooses, while the player races across several lanes collecting colored blocks that appear in sync with the music. The game was released on February 15, 2008 over Steam, a few days after winning the Independent Games Festival 2008 Excellence in Audio Award, heavily influenced by the soundtrack composed by Pedro Macedo Camacho. The full version was for a long time only available for purchase through Steam, but was later released as a retail product in Europe, by Ascaron. Audiosurf was the first third-party game to use Valve's Steamworks technology. The Zune HD version was also released as Audiosurf: Tilt. The sequel, Audiosurf 2, was released to Steam Early Access in 2013 and was taken out of early access in 2015.

Bad Milk is a puzzle video game developed by New York City-based developer Dreaming Media, the working name of brothers Ted and Mick Skolnick. It was originally released in November 2000 for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. Created entirely in Macromedia Director 7 and intended to be an art game, the game features a number of puzzles involving full motion video and audio clues. It won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the 2002 Independent Games Festival, as well as the award for Innovation in Audio.

Bang! Howdy is an online free-to-play, hybrid turn based and real time strategy game created by American company Three Rings Design. It was originally released on December 1, 2006 after public beta testing by Grey Havens, a non-profit organization founded by several former employees of Three Rings. In 2008, the game reached a milestone of 500,000 players as reported on Three Rings' website.

Botanicula is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. The game was released on April 19, 2012, for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The game was later ported to iOS and Android.

Braid is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Number None and considered an indie title. The game was originally released in August 2008 for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. Ports were developed and released for Microsoft Windows in April 2009, Mac OS X in May 2009, PlayStation 3 in November 2009, and Linux in December 2010. Jonathan Blow designed the game as a personal critique of contemporary trends in video game development. He self-funded the three-year project, working with webcomic artist David Hellman to develop the artwork. An anniversary version is planned for release in early 2021 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Mac, and Linux with updated graphics and developer commentary.

Brainpipe: A Plunge to Unhumanity is an action video game developed by Digital Eel for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and handhelds and was released on December 24, 2008. The game received "Excellence in Audio" award at Independent Games Festival 2009.

Cart Life is a simulation video game developed by Richard Hofmeier using Adventure Game Studio for Microsoft Windows released in 2010. The game was added to Steam in March 2013 but later removed when Hofmeier released the full source code for free. The game is designed on a pixel-grid in grayscale, with minimal detail, to better allow the player to deduce the mood of each of the three vendor characters.

Castle Crashers is a 2D indie-game style hack-and-slash video game developed by The Behemoth. It features music created by members of Newgrounds. The Xbox 360 version was released on August 27, 2008 via Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. The PlayStation 3 version was released in North America on August 31, 2010 and November 3, 2010 in Europe via the PlayStation Network. A Microsoft Windows version, exclusive to Steam, was announced on August 16, 2012. The game is set in a fictional medieval universe in which a dark wizard steals a mystical crystal and captures four princesses. Four knights are charged by the king to rescue the princesses, recover the crystal, and bring the wizard to justice.

Before Your Eyes is a 2021 adventure game developed by GoodbyeWorld Games and published by Skybound Games. It was released on Microsoft Windows on 8 April 2021. The game is noted for its use of eye-tracking technology in its story telling, being a full imagining of the team's previous project Close Your, which was funded through a Kickstarter campaign.

Closure (video game)

Closure is a puzzle-platform game developed by American programmer Tyler Glaiel and artist Jon Schubbe with music and sound by Chris Rhyne. Originally available as a Flash game on the website Newgrounds, a full version of the game was later released for Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, and PlayStation Network in Spring 2012. A Linux port was included in the Humble Indie Bundle 7 in 2012.

Cortex Command is a two-dimensional side-scrolling action game developed by Swedish studio Data Realms since 2001.

Darwinia is a 2005 real-time tactics and real-time strategy video game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It is the second game developed by Introversion Software, and is set within a computer environment that simulates artificial intelligence. It received favourable reviews and won three awards at the 2006 Independent Games Festival. A multiplayer sequel, Multiwinia, was released for Windows in 2008. Darwinia and Multiwinia were released together as Darwinia+ for the Xbox 360 in 2010.

Desktop Tower Defense is a Flash-based tower defense browser game created by Paul Preece in March 2007. The game had been played over 15.7 million times as of July 2007, and was one of Webware 100's top ten entertainment web applications of 2007. Desktop Tower Defense is available in an English, Spanish, German, French, or Italian interface. In May 2009, a commercial Nintendo DS version became available.

Dofus is a tactical turn-oriented massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Ankama Games, a French computer game manufacturer. Originally released solely in French, it has since been translated into many other languages. The game includes both pay-to-play accounts offering the full experience and free-to-play accounts offering a more limited amount of content. Its success has led to the marketing of spin-off products, such as books, art, comics and a movie released in 2016. It has also led to the development of two continuations: Dofus Arena, released at the beginning of 2006, which is an alternative "tournament" version of Dofus; and Wakfu, a continuation of Dofus. The game has attracted over 40 million players worldwide and is especially well known in France.

The Dream Machine is an episodic point-and-click adventure game developed and published by Cockroach Inc. The main themes of the game are dreams and voyeurism. The game is built by hand, using materials such as clay and cardboard. The game consists of six chapters released between December 2010 and May 2017. The game was nominated for an Independent Games Festival Visual Excellence award in 2011. The game is available on Windows and Mac OS X.

Everyday Shooter is an independent video game developed by Jessica Mak.

Far Gate is a video game released for Microsoft Windows. It was developed by Super X Studios and published by Microïds. The gameplay consists of 3D space-based real-time strategy, and allows players to play as any of three distinct factions employing different units and structures. It was one of the first video games to offer fully 3D space-based real time strategy.

Fez is an indie puzzle-platform video game developed by Polytron Corporation and published by Trapdoor. The player-character Gomez receives a fez that reveals his two-dimensional (2D) world to be one of four sides of a three-dimensional (3D) world. The player rotates between these four 2D views to realign platforms and solve the game's puzzles. The objective of the game is to collect cubes and cube fragments to restore order to the universe.

Fire and Darkness is a cancelled three-dimensional real-time strategy video game developed by Singularity Software. The game consists of a player controlling one of two factions, and their main mission is to defeat the enemy faction to secure the planet's resources. Its development started in 1996 and lasted for three years, with developers working mostly on summer. Although the project was incomplete, it became the first game to win the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival of 1999. The development team invested time, but no money into the project. However, the game was later cancelled indefinitely. There has since been unlikely plans of a future port, using a modern engine.

Gish is a 2004 platform game developed and published by Chronic Logic. After eight months in development, it was released in May 2004 to a positive reception. A sequel, Gish 2, was canceled. The game became open-source software in May 2010 and received a 15th-anniversary update in January 2020.

Helsing's Fire is a 2010 puzzle video game developed by Ratloop and published by Clickgamer.com. The protagonist, monster hunter Van Helsing, and his assistant Raffton battle Dracula and his minions by revealing monsters using a torch and defeating them with tonics. Developed over the course of 6 months by Ratloop co-founder Lucas Pope and programmer Keiko Ishizaka, the game was originally designed to be a roguelike action game, but eventually turned into a puzzler.

Heroes of Newerth (HoN) is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game originally developed by S2 Games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The game idea was derived from the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne custom map Defense of the Ancients and was S2 Games' first MOBA title. The game was released on May 12, 2010, and re-released as a free-to-play game on July 29, 2011. On May 5, 2015, Heroes of Newerth development duties passed to Frostburn Studios, with the development team moving over to the new company.

Insaniquarium is a 2001 virtual pets simulator video game developed by Flying Bear Entertainment and published by PopCap Games. Before PopCap Games's involvement, the game was a web-based Java game released in 2001. The game was made downloadable by PopCap Games in 2004 and was ported to mobile devices in 2006 and 2008 by Glu Mobile and Astraware respectively. Insaniquarium has the player maintain a tank full of fish while protecting it from alien attacks.

King of Dragon Pass is a 1999 strategy simulation fantasy video game published by A Sharp. Set in the fictional world of Glorantha, the player controls the fate of a barbarian clan settling in the dangerous frontier region of Dragon Pass.

Machinarium is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. It was released on 16 October 2009 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, on 8 September 2011 for iPad 2 on the App Store, on 21 November 2011 for BlackBerry PlayBook, on 10 May 2012 for Android, on 6 September 2012 on PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network in Europe, on 9 October 2012 in North America and on 18 October 2012 in Asia, and was also released for PlayStation Vita on 26 March 2013 in North America, on 1 May 2013 in Europe and on 7 May 2013 in Asia. Demos for Windows, Mac and Linux were made available on 30 September 2009. A future release for the Wii's WiiWare service was cancelled as of November 2011 due to WiiWare's 40MB limit.

Metamorphabet is a 2015 interactive video game developed by Vectorpark.

Minecraft is a sandbox video game developed by the Swedish video game developer Mojang Studios. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before fully releasing in November 2011, with Jens Bergensten then taking over development. Minecraft has since been ported to several other platforms and is the best-selling video game of all time, with over 238 million copies sold and nearly 140 million monthly active users as of 2021.

Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine is a stealth and action video game released in 2013 for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and the Xbox 360, and in 2019 for the Nintendo Switch. All releases of the game were developed and published by Pocketwatch Games, with the exception of the Xbox 360 version, which was published by Majesco Entertainment. The Nintendo Switch edition is titled Monaco: Complete Edition.

N is a freeware video game developed by Metanet Software. It was inspired in part by Lode Runner, Soldat, and other side-scrolling games. It was the first of the N series, followed by N+ and N++. N won the audience choice award in the downloadables category of the 2005 Independent Games Festival.

Nidhogg is a side-scrolling two-player fighting video game developed and published by Messhof. Players duel with swords in a pixelated environment. The game was commissioned for the New York University Game Center's annual multiplayer show, and was revised and demoed at private events over the next four years before its final release. It won Indiecade 2013's Game Design award and the 2011 Independent Games Festival's Nuovo award. It was released for Microsoft Windows on January 13, 2014, and later ported to OS X, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita. Critics praised the feel of the gameplay and its balance, but considered its single-player mode unsatisfying. Messhof released a sequel in 2017 with a higher resolution art style and additional weapons and arenas.

Night in the Woods is a 2017 single-player adventure video game. It was developed by Infinite Fall, a studio founded by game designer Alec Holowka and animator/artist Scott Benson, and published by Finji.

Oasis is a turn-based strategy video game developed by American studio Mind Control Software and published for Microsoft Windows by PlayFirst in April 2005. Konami released a mobile phone port in 2006 and Electrified Games released an iPad version, renamed as Defense of the Oasis, in 2010. On August 25, 2020, the iPad version was published on Steam. Oasis is a casual game set in ancient Egypt that combines Civilization-style strategy and puzzle gameplay. Oasis "has been described as Civilization meets Minesweeper".

Outer Wilds is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive. It was first released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 in 2019, with a planned Nintendo Switch port release in December 2021. The game features the player character exploring a solar system stuck in a 22-minute time loop, which ends as the sun goes supernova. The player continually repeats this cycle by gaining knowledge, which is retained, that can help them on later loops. Outer Wilds received critical acclaim and won several awards, including for game of the year. An expansion, Echoes of the Eye, was released in 2021 to positive reviews.

Papers, Please is a puzzle simulation video game created by indie game developer Lucas Pope, developed and published through his production company, 3909 LLC. The game was released on August 8, 2013 for Microsoft Windows and OS X, for Linux on February 12, 2014 and for iOS on December 12, 2014. A port for the PlayStation Vita was announced in August 2014, and was then released on December 12, 2017.

Paratopic is a 2018 first-person horror video game, released for Linux, macOS, Windows, and Nintendo Switch. The game uses a graphical style reminiscent of 32-bit era graphics. Later that year, a "Definitive Cut" edition added new locations and objects. Paratopic won the "Excellence in Audio" category at the 2019 Independent Games Festival Awards.

Puzzle Pirates is a massively multiplayer online game developed by Three Rings Design. The player takes the role of a pirate, adventuring on the high seas and pillaging money from roaming enemy ships. The mechanics of Puzzle Pirates are driven by puzzles. For example, to effectively sail a ship, players must play puzzle games representing work at the sails for speed, pumping bilge water to remove it from the ship, and carpentry to fix any damage the ship may take.

Return of the Obra Dinn is an adventure and puzzle video game created by American video game designer Lucas Pope, and published by Japanese studio 3909. It was his second commercial game, following 2013's Papers, Please, and was released for macOS and Microsoft Windows in October 2018 and for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One a year later.

RoboBlitz is an indie puzzle action video game for Microsoft Windows through Steam and the Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade. The game was developed by Naked Sky Entertainment and released on November 7, 2006. It was the first Unreal Engine 3 game alongside Gears of War to be released.

RocketBowl is a sports game developed by LargeAnimal and published by GarageGames, released November 4, 2004 for Windows. The game features a retro-futuristic 1950s theme. It was also released on the Xbox 360 for Xbox Live Arcade on September 10, 2008.

Samorost is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. The first game of the Samorost series was released in 2003 for free on the Amanita Design website. Two sequels were released, Samorost 2 in 2005 and Samorost 3 in 2016. The game was remastered and released on May 20, 2021, for Windows and macOS for free. iOS and Android ports were also made.

Samorost 2 is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. Released for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux on 8 December 2005, the game is the second video game title in the Samorost series and the sequel to Samorost. In November 5, 2020 the game received an update with enhanced visuals, brought fullscreen support & replaced level codes with a level select system. This version also received IOS & Android ports.

A Short Hike is an adventure video game by Canadian indie game designer Adam Robinson-Yu. It is an open world exploration game in which the player is tasked with reaching the summit of a mountain to get cellphone reception. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux in July 2019, for Nintendo Switch in August 2020, and for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2021.

Skyrates was a browser based massively multiplayer online game with a focus on sporadic play in a persistent world. It was in open beta. The development team was initially composed of students from the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University. Players controlled anthropomorphic characters and purchased a variety of aircraft to fly to different areas called Skylands, taking part in combat and trading as they did so. There were over 19,500 registered characters as of October 2012, and there were generally between 30 and 200 people online at any one time.

Spartan is a computer wargame developed by Slitherine Strategies in 2004. The game is set in ancient Greece and Asia Minor. Spartan is a turn-based game; however, when armies encounter each other in battle the game switches to real time combat available in both 2D and 3D visuals. Most reviewers were positive about the extent of simulated real history present in the game but were critical of how timid the AI is which hampered the playing experience.

Terminus is a space-flight role-playing action video game by Vicarious Visions. It was released in 2000 for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Apple Macintosh. Terminus won awards in the 1999 Independent Games Festival for "Technical Excellence" and "Innovation in Audio".

Umurangi Generation is a first-person simulation video game developed by Origame Digital and licensed to and published by Active Gaming Media Inc. in English speaking territories, and published by Playism for Japanese and Chinese localization. Umurangi Generation was released for PC on May 19, 2020. A set of DLC levels titled Umurangi Generation Macro was released on November 7, 2020. A Nintendo Switch port including the Macro DLC was released on June 5, 2021.

Wild Earth is a safari video game and motion simulator ride by Super X Studios. The player photographs 30 types of animals as a photojournalist in Serengeti National Park. Ubisoft published the game as Wild Earth: Photo Safari for Microsoft Windows and Xbox in November 2006. Majesco later published a Wii version, Wild Earth: African Safari, in 2008. The game was also installed as a motion simulator ride in multiple American zoos. It won several awards including the grand prize at the 2003 Independent Games Festival.

World of Goo is a puzzle video game developed and published by independent game developer 2D Boy. The game was released on Microsoft Windows and Wii platforms on October 13, 2008, with releases on Nintendo Switch, Mac OS X, Linux, and various mobile devices in subsequent years. A physics-based puzzler, World of Goo has the player use small balls of goo to create bridges and similar structures over chasms and obstacles to help other goo balls reach a goal point, with the challenge to use as few goo balls as possible to build this structure.