Photography adventures, chaotic sheepherding and other new indie games worth checking out
Plus, indie game Star Wars: Galactic Racer is an absolute blast.
Introduction to Indie Gaming
Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. As always, we're serving up some new games you can hop into this weekend, as well as some that are coming your way in the months ahead. First, though, a look at a terrific game you'll be able to play in just a few days.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer
It's a little strange to think of Star Wars: Galactic Racer as an indie title given that it's based on one of the best-known entertainment properties on the planet. Still, publisher Secret Mode broke off from Sumo Group last year and developer Fuse Games is a new studio that includes former Burnout and Need for Speed developers.
The DNA of those franchises is all over this thrilling racing game. Fuse made smart use of the roguelite structure to avoid making the races too repetitive despite the game's limited scope — my only real complaint is that there aren't enough tracks and planets as it stands. Crash too often or fail to stay ahead of the pack in an eliminator race, and that could spell the end of your run.
Players will enjoy Galactic Racer from the outset, though it may take a couple of runs to properly understand how to craft an effective build and manage the dual boosting system. Things start clicking once the speeder bike is unlocked, as its tight cornering abilities fit many playstyles (podracers are also available later).
There's so much to like here. Fuse wove an effective, fittingly pulpy story into the campaign, which features random encounters with foes and potential allies. Parts of your ship can sustain damage that apply a negative effect that you won't be able to remove until you can get to a mechanic. There are hundreds of possible upgrades, so you'll have plenty of ways to modify your racing machine, which you can enhance with permanent stat upgrades between runs.
Most importantly, the races are an utter joy. From kicking up red minerals on Crait to make it harder for opponents behind you to see, to zooming through the skeletons of much larger ships on Jakku, the course design is spot on. You'll have to manage environmental effects like burning, which makes it harder use your boosts, and acid that temporarily corrupts your abilities. The crashes, of which you'll see many, are spectacular. Best of all, Fuse did a tremendous job of capturing the sense of speed.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is out on Steam (Windows), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on October 6 for $60. It might just be a game of the year contender, even before multiplayer races are considered.
(*I spend a lot of time considering which games can be labeled as "indie" since it's such a nebulous term. The remaster of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that arrived this week fits the bill too!)
Indie Game News & Updates
There's been a lot of news this week, so we'll quickly note a few items. Sifu is coming to iOS and Android on October 12, expanding its reach to more players on mobile platforms.
Coffee Stain held its first Big Break Showcase, which featured several game reveals and updates for existing titles. For instance, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor will hit PS5, Switch and Switch 2 on October 7. The first paid expansion for Satisfactory is on the way too. The Core Values DLC will add new biomes, creatures and buildings as it takes players underground.
I attempted, again 🌊#dressmaker pic.twitter.com/698CvzDVEK — VIA (Commissions Open) (@Eviarnilla) September 30, 2026
Elsewhere, I've loved seeing all the incredible garments that Dressmaker players have been sharing. It's been really nice to see that game resonate so well and creative folks making such gorgeous dresses.
Toem 2
Developer: Something We Made Publishers: Something We Made, Popagenda Platforms: Steam (Windows, Mac, SteamOS/Linux; Steam Deck Verified), PS5, Switch, Switch 2Price: Usually $20, with a 15 percent discount until October 13 (PlayStation Plus required for the PS5 discount)
If you're looking for a game to relax into this weekend, Toem 2 might fit the bill. The sequel to 2021's Toem: A Photography Adventure puts an upgraded camera in your hands with some new attachments to help you solve its puzzles. There's a fresh cast of characters to meet and help out. As you complete quests, you'll fill a journal with stamps that act as both a reminder of your journey so far and a way to open up the next region.
There's some platforming here too — you'll make your way around the environments to find hidden paths and vantage points where you can take some great snaps. The first game is a real charmer, and the follow-up seems like another fine way to spend a few hours.
Tiny Flock
Developer/publisher: No Brakes Games Platforms: Steam (VR only), Meta QuestPrice: Usually $19, with a 21 percent discount on Steam until October 13
The studio behind the enormously successful Human Fall Flat is back with more physics-based chaos, but Tiny Flock looks like a much cuter game. The aim here is to herd a small flock of sheep across diorama-style levels. You can move objects to form bridges and smash through environments to create new pathways, as you can interact with everything in the environment. The Meta Quest version has handtracking and passthrough support as well.
Tomas Sakalauskas, the CEO and cofounder of No Brakes Games, stated, "After the success of Human Fall Flat, and some early VR experiments along the way, we wanted to set ourselves a new challenge, so we thought we'd try something that made use of all of our favorite features from VR, like tactile physics, two-handed interactivity and the interesting gameplay verbs you get to play around with in the space." He added that he wanted to make a game his whole family could enjoy, with his child even designing puzzles and recording voice lines during prototyping.
Keep Driving
Developer: YCJY Games Publishers: YCJY Games, Kepler Ghost Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Switch. Already available on SteamPrice: $18
This roadtrip RPG (or should that be caRPG?) met a very positive reception when it debuted on Steam last year, and now it's available on consoles. Mod support just went live in the Steam version too.
This is a management sim set in the early 2000s in which your character drives across the country to attend a festival. You'll have to overcome challenges, such as sheep blocking the road, using a spin on turn-based combat. Perhaps you'll pick up hitchhikers and work odd jobs on your journey. You can customize, repair and upgrade your vehicle too. There are multiple endings, and it's said to take between one and four hours to see each one.
Keep Driving is currently 30 percent off on Steam until October 8 as part of the Autumn Sale.
Endless Rails
Developer: Studio Monoblok Publishers: Studio Monoblok, Maple Whispering Limited Platform: Steam (Windows; playable on Steam Deck) Price: Usually $7, with a 30 percent discount until October 13
Endless Rails is a mashup of survivors-style action and a tower defense game. In this roguelite, you'll take charge of auto-firing drones that are protecting a moving train from enemies. At each station, you can upgrade your drones and train, including by merging cars and their attributes in the latter case. You'll keep that loop going until the train comes to a sudden, permanent stop. Before you jump into your next run, you can unlock some permanent upgrades.
Studio Monoblok designed Endless Rails with short play sessions in mind. The journeys between stations will only take around 20 to 30 seconds each. It could be a good fit for Steam Deck.
Dog in the Machine
Developer: Studio Chahut Publisher: Goblinz Publishing Platform: Steam (Windows, Mac) Price: Usually $18, with a 20 percent discount until October 13
Here, we have a turn-based tactical roguelite that looks like Into The Breach, except you control a robot dog. The AutoDog that you take charge of is trying to escape a "dystopian mecha-city" and get back to its humans, who are in exile. The mechanical pup will need to overcome a raft of enemy guardians to make it out.
Each stage is designed to help players set up chain reactions that damage multiple enemies in a single turn. A preview of moves is available before committing. Players can spec out their AutoDog on the fly during a run, combining tricks into powerful combo moves.
Seikyu Let's Go
Developer: Ace Entertainment Publishers: Logoi Games, Ace Entertainment Platform: SteamRelease window: Q4 2026
For our second photography adventure game in this edition, here's Seikyu Let's Go. This is a co-op spinoff of Tales of Seikyu, a farming life sim that debuted a few months ago. For this one, the developers took inspiration from games like RV There Yet? and Big Walk, as well as Japanese folktales.
You and up to three of your friends can hop into a camper van and explore a world that features minigames, quests, activities (such as go-karting and pickup basketball), puzzles and a host of characters to meet. Your crew will have to navigate some tough terrain and you might have to hop out and give the motorhome a push from time to time. Aside from the occasional snake that might nip at your crew, it looks quite charming.
A Game About Digging A Hole Together
Developer: Mi'pu'mi Games Publisher: Rokaplay Select, Shochiku Platforms: Steam, Epic Games Store, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox for PC, Switch 2. It'll be available on Game Pass
After the first game sold over a million copies, a co-op sequel was a logical next step. In A Game About Digging A Hole Together, you'll be able to team up with as many as three friends. You'll tunnel into a beach with new tools to find fresh secrets and items that you can sell in order to upgrade your gear.
The original game was created as a side project in just a few weeks by solo developer Ben B., one half of the team that made Solarpunk. Ben used a voxel system that was originally crafted for that game but scrapped to create A Game About Digging A Hole. This time around, Ben handed over the reins to Mi'pu'mi Games, which rebuilt the code of the original game in order to add features like crossplay. Embracing multiplayer could bring even more folks to the sequel.
Grave Seasons
Developer: Perfect Garbage Publishers: Blumhouse Games, Solo Game Platforms: Steam, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Switch Release date: March 9, 2027
Perfect Garbage and Blumhouse Games have once again delayed Grave Seasons, which is now set to arrive in March.
This farming sim features a malevolent being killing locals, turning it into a murder mystery game. Developers crafted multiple campaigns with different residents as the killer, offering high replayability.
Something is Wrong With the Library
Developer: Strange Scaffold Publishers: Strange Scaffold, Frosty Pop Platform: SteamRelease window: fall 2026
Many organization games have emerged recently, tasking players with arranging various items on shelves. Something is Wrong With the Library offers a unique take on this genre.
Strange Scaffold is an anti-AI studio with a terrific track record, and it often brings fun twists to popular genres. In this particular game, you'll be organizing books in a library. However, a billionaire who has reshaped a small mountain town into a tech hub has been murdering unhoused people and placing the corpses in the walls. As a result, the library is now haunted.
Something is Wrong With the Library features thousands of actual book titles to organize using the Dewey Decimal System. Each playthrough offers a different set of tomes, and Strange Scaffold has teased elements like "the Drowning Room" and a "tower of flesh."
