Games created by smaller independent studios are important to the video game industry as a whole: they are often the spaces where real innovation occurs, where developers can experiment and play with the story, the mechanics and the game. gameplay. There were so many glorious indie games to play in 2021, and 2022 is no different. There are many more exciting indie games to look forward to – many, many more than I could possibly put on this list.

Some of the games on this list were included in last year’s roundup, but their launches have been pushed back to 2022 in another challenging year. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing; Not only was 2021 not just a year of big video games – independent or not – it was also a year that businesses large and small relied on the way they did business. Delaying a game, while disappointing, can help the developers working on it: more time (hopefully) means less crisis and helps employees stay safe and healthy while creating their art.

Here are 22 indie titles slated for launch in 2022. As I said before, there are far too many exciting games to come, and of course, I haven’t mentioned one in this list. I’d love to hear about your most anticipated titles in the comments below.

The garden path

The garden path is a game about the little pleasures of gardening. Developer carottecake said it was a game in which players “will discover a long forgotten garden and help it grow back to attract plant inhabitants and curious animal travelers.” It looks absolutely delicious and is coming to Windows PC.

Venba

From the developer Visai Games, Venba is described as a ‘narrative cooking game’, set in 1980s Canada. It centers around an Indian mother, with players tasked with cooking and remembering lost recipes. It’s a story about “family, love, loss and more,” the developer wrote on Steam. It looks amazing. It will be released in November 2022.

Citizen sleeper

From In other waters developer Jump Over The Age, Sleeper Citizen is a role-playing game inspired by tabletop games, set in a former space station. “[Citizen Sleeper] is to survive in precarious conditions, to work on concerts, to live in a body that sometimes seems hostile to you, ”developer Gareth Damian Martin said on Twitter. “It is also a matter of hope, of support and of building a life.”

[Disclosure: Nicole Carpenter wrote once for Heterotopias, a digital zine and website created by Citizen Sleeper developer Gareth Damian Martin.]

Call me Cera

A visual novel by Toadhouse Games, Call me Cera focuses on a thought that I have had a lot in my adult life: how can I make friends as an adult? The full game was released in 2022, but a demo is now available – one of the thumbnails is about running a food stall during Ramadan. Come to Windows PC.

Dordogne

If there is a way to describe Dordogne, I would go with “stunning”. The game has a fantastic watercolor style that immediately caught my eye. The narrative adventure game engages the player in “childhood memories,” according to its Steam page. It takes place in the present and the past, but these two worlds are equally beautiful.

It will arrive on Windows PC in 2022. Add it to Steam.

Series cleaners

Lots of video games have violence and crime in them. Series cleaners concerns people who cleanse the after-effects. It’s a stealthy game with an elegant look, which will be released in early 2022 from Draw Distance.

Frank and Drake

Frank and Drake is said to be a version of classic novels like Dracula and Frankenstein, taking place in a turn-based world and centered on two roommates with opposing schedules. From the Appnormals team, Frank and Drake is coming to Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Windows PC.

Chinatown Detective Agency

There is more to the cyberpunk genre than just Cyberpunk 2077, and you can see it in Chinatown Detective Agency. It takes place in 2032 in an elegant Singapore. Created by Singapore-based developer General Interactive Co., it looks like an interesting future. Like the others on this list, it’s coming in 2022.

Spirit Swap: Lofi beats in Match-3

Sweet not weak Spirit Swap: Lofi beats in Match-3 is a match-3 rhythm game with a killer soundtrack and a bunch of witches and demons – that you can hang out with, get to know, and maybe date someone? It all takes place among five different match-3 modes.

Butterflies 1966

Butterflies 1966 is described as a “Pixel-Pulp” game from developer LCB Game Studio – a mix of 1980s-style pulp fiction and low-res art. It takes place during the Leonid meteor shower of 1966, where meteors seemed to “fall” like rain, ”according to NASA. Butterflies 1966 arrives on Windows PC and consoles in 2022.

A story of Shiba

This Shiba is called Sunday, and you play as a beginner dog sitter. From creator Foxdog Farms, A story of Shiba is a slice of life game about life with a dog – and it looks very clean and good. A story of Shiba arrives on Windows PC in 2022.

Validate: Singles struggling in your area

Validate: struggling singles in your area is, of course, a dating simulator with elegant art and very cute characters. “Located in the Jercy City area, thirteen struggling singles in their twenties navigate the tough trials of capitalism to find meaning in their lives,” developer Vertitable Joy told Steam. “Includes a dash of love, cosplay, and even mediocre mixtapes into the mix.”

Super Club Space

Graham reid Super Club Space is a colorful, lo-fi space fighting game – something like Atari’s Asteroids, if it was an open world game. It’s slated for 2022 on Windows PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One.

She Dreams Somewhere else

She dreams elsewhere, as you may have guessed, takes place in a dream. Described as an adventure role-playing game, this indie game has a surreal vibe – the perfect setting for a bad dream. The music, composed by Mimi Page, is perfect.

She dreams elsewhere is coming to Mac, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC and Xbox consoles in 2022.

Hindsight

Hindsight concerns objects; “Property we hold nearby,” according to developer Joel McDonald. Through these objects, as a gamer, we can examine a woman’s life – her entire life – when the game hits the Apple App Store, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC in 2022.

Norco

Norco Developer Geography of Robots describes the game as a “Southern Gothic point and click sci-fi adventure,” a look at the “industrial swamps and decaying suburbs of southern Louisiana.” Gorgeous visuals and music create a hauntingly sci-fi view of the south. It will be released in 2022 on Windows PC.

Terra Nil

Terra Nil is a strategy game from the developer Free Lives, where the goal is not to command and conquer. Instead, the player must restore the procedurally generated wastelands and bring the world back to life. A demo is available now on Steam, but the full release is expected on Windows PC in 2022.

Shark Card

Shark Card is a game about cheating cards while ascending to the top of 18th century French society. Lie, cheat and steal, but don’t get caught or you might find yourself on the uncomfortable end of a blade or gun barrel. Developped by reign Nérial studio, Shark Card will arrive on Nintendo Switch and PC platforms via Steam in 2022.

Bear and breakfast

What if you ran a bed and breakfast, but were a bear? You don’t have to imagine it yourself. Bear and breakfast Developer Gummy Cat promises just that – a “relaxed management adventure game where you play as a well-meaning bear trying to manage a B + B in the woods.” It arrives in 2022 on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC in 2022.

EP Afterlove

by Pikselnesia Afterlove EP, published by Fellow Traveler, is a dating simulation, rhythm game and narrative adventure. It all takes place in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, with a story about loss and love.

It is coming to Windows PCs and consoles in the summer of 2022.

Silt

Silt is a black and white game set in the depths of the ocean – “a surreal ocean void”. It seems like there is a lot of exploration, but also tons of environmental puzzles to solve. It is scheduled for early 2022 on Windows PC, from developer Spiral Circus.

thirsty suitors

The age of the falcon Outerloop Game developer debuted thirsty suitors during the Game Awards 2021. The exciting trailer showed cooking, skateboarding, and “turn-based RPG combat,” apparently part of the game’s dating portions. The story centers on a woman named Jala who returned to her small talkative hometown. But it looks like family, friends, and of course exes will play a big part here as well.

thirsty suitors doesn’t have a release date, but it’s slated for 2022.