Five indie games that might have flown under your radar this week

February has some of the biggest games of the year being released, but there's no shortage of notable indie games coming out all the time, including these five.

Matt Buckley

February 19, 2025 13:46

Source: Hakababunko, Don't Nod, Hammer & Ravens

Over the last week, a handful of indie games have had a promising launches on Steam. I don’t blame you if they flew under your radar, this month includes some of what might end up being the biggest games of the year, like Avowed, which launched this week (read our review), and Monster Hunter Wilds which is set to launch at the end of the month. If those games aren’t quite what you’re looking for, there’s probably a smaller game that will fit the bill.

You might have missed some great indie games on Steam this week
Dawnfolk
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
Urban Myth Dissolution Center
Mind Over Magic
Ale Abbey

You might have missed some great indie games on Steam this week

Next week is the first of 2025’s Steam Next Fests, a time where game developers release a demo for their upcoming game to grow interest and excitement. So, if you enjoy indie games, make sure to keep that on your radar for next week. There are plenty of great demos already available in preparation, but starting on February 24th, Steam will be swamped with great demos to try. For now, though, here’s some indie games that are already fully released.

Dawnfolk

Dawnfolk, from solo-developer Darenn Keller, had a great first week. This roguelite strategy city-builder sold ten thousand copies in the first five days of its release last Thursday. It’s also earned 95% positive reviews from over two hundred users on Steam. For a developer that decided to leave AAA development at Ubisoft to pursue his own passion project, this is the kind of success you hope for.

This creative, tile-based city-builder invokes a minimalist design where the player slowly expands the realm the rule over by lighting up the darkness. Collect resources through simple mini games, make difficult choices about how to react to disasters, and uncover the mystery of the monoliths that cast the world into shadow. Dawnfolk has a free demo available now on Steam, and is still 15% off its full price of $14.99 for the next twenty hours if it seems like something you’d like to check out.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

From the original Life is Strange developers, Don’t Nod, comes the first part of their two part narrative adventure game, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. So technically, it’s just Bloom that’s out now, Rage will come later this year on April 15th. This game just released yesterday, but with Don’t Nod’s history of noteworthy games, it’s not surprising that it’s catching some attention. It currently sits at 90% positive review scores on Steam out of three hundred and fifty players.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage follows the story spanning 27 years, from 1995 to 2022. Revisit the fateful summer of ’95 with four young high-school friends when something unexplainable forever changed them, and they agreed to never speak of it again, until now. Build bonds with friends, play in a punk band, and maybe romance? Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is available now on Steam with a 10% off introductory offer, but is also available on consoles as well.

Urban Myth Dissolution Center

For another narrative driven game that involves supernatural mysteries and puzzles, check out Urban Myth Dissolution Center from developer Hakababunko. The game has been out for just one week, but has already racked up over a thousand reviews on Steam with 89% of those reviews being positive. This game also has a free demo available on Steam so you can try before you buy.

The head of the Urban Myth Dissolution Center recruits you to help solve a variety of cases. Everything from cursed relics to dimensional anomalies. This game has a striking art style, a mostly white and blue color palette, with brighter colors providing striking accents in the right moments. Players will have to investigate crime scenes, research victims and suspects, and face strange, frightening, and unexplainable situations. Urban Myth Dissolution Center is available now on Steam also with a 10% off introductory offer, but is available on consoles as well.

Mind Over Magic

From developer Sparkypants, comes a unique management sim in Mind Over Magic. Since launching last Wednesday, Mind Over Magic has found a strong audience for an indie game already. It has over 2,500 reviews on Steam with 88% of those reviews being positive. At the time of writing there are also even more players in-game, with over 2,600.

Players will have to build and optimize their own cursed magical academy built upon an underground dungeon that could hold the cure. Encounter mighty relics, fight off dangerous monsters, and turn young upstart wizards into master mages. Equip useful items and powerful artifacts as the students go on expeditions into the underground dungeon to try to end the curse. Mind Over Magic is available now on Steam. There are no current plans for a console release, but it is in consideration.

Ale Abbey

Last but certainly not least, is Ale Abbey from developer Hammer & Ravens. This game stands out from the list as the only one in Early Access at this point, but that has not stopped it from turning heads after its launch yesterday. While it only has seventy-one reviews at the time of writing, they are 92% positive. But what makes Ale Abbey stand out is its unique brewing mechanic.

In Ale Abbey, the player is managing a monastery that brews ale. It seems simple and casual enough at first glance, but the trick is that there are no pre-made recipes. The game’s Steam description calls it “a canvas for true beer alchemists.” Will you discover a recipe for a tasty ale that turns you into a tycoon or will you just brew something gross? There’s only one way to find out. Ale Abbey is available in Early Access on Steam, and does also have an introductory offer of 10% off.

There is no shortage of great indie games these days, so if you are getting tired of big-budget titles, there might be one or two exciting indies that flew under your radar. Hopefully you found something interesting in this list, but if not look forward to more indie highlights in the coming weeks!