October 2026 offered a rich lineup of indie games, blending spooky Halloween treats with heartfelt stories and genre experiments. From a cozy-but-creepy trucking adventure to a cinematic road trip across decades, here are the 10 best indies you may have missed.
Cozy Horror and Road Trips
Truckful (Pocketpair Publishing) merges cozy driving with dread, following Dredge's formula but adding hidden paths and a spooky forest. It begins as a simple delivery story, but driving, upgrading, and exploring soon require survival skills, making it one of October's underrated treats.
Forever Ago (Annapurna Interactive, developer Third Shift) is a heartfelt cinematic story about Alfred, a man on a road trip through America's outdoors, covering loss, regret, hope, and redemption. It's a beautiful single-player tearjerker that presents a familiar story in a way only games can.
Genre Twists and Sequels
Poly Fighter offers a lo-fi fighting game with a roguelike mode, where your fighter grows stronger and learns new moves. It's easy-to-learn 1-v-1 bouts without online lobbies or tag partners, appealing to casual fans.
Suri: The Seventh Note is a puzzle-platformer where you play as Arja, restoring the rhythm of an island by learning patterns and moving to the beat. Combined with evolving skills, it's a stylish platformer for rhythm lovers.
Goodboy Galaxy found its home on Nintendo Switch 2 after releasing on Steam and GBA emulation. This wholesome side-scrolling adventure in a sci-fi world features 16-bit visuals and exploration, evoking early 00s nostalgia.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 (developer Auroch Digital) retains the pixelated visuals and slick shooting of the original, adding two playable characters with different toolsets. It's a bigger, gory sequel that satisfies across multiple planets.
Horror and Rhythm Hits
Terrible Lizards is a first-person horror game set in a rundown dinosaur museum, blending parkour with B-movie FMV collectibles. It's ingenious, hilarious, and terrifying.
Silver Pines (Team17) merges survival horror and Metroidvania, casting you as a detective investigating a mysterious town, fighting undead creatures, and searching for a missing person. It's one of the year's most notable Metroidvania adventures.
Ratatan revives the rhythm-action of Patapon as a spiritual successor, adding online multiplayer for a more competitive experience. It's a worthwhile evolution of the classic.
End of Abyss is a bite-sized isometric horror Metroidvania with shades of Inside and Limbo, guiding a young combat technician through a derelict compound. Despite some confusing map design, it's guaranteed to give a scare.
