Summary
These games may be Game Pass’ bread and butter, but they’re far from being all it has to offer. With over 300 games available, plenty of indie gems slip through the cracks, but here are a few that are definitely worth your time.
Updated on July 27, 2025, by Dennis Moiseyev:As much as Xbox Game Pass is for having an extensive catalog of Triple-A caliber games and first-party exclusives, new and classic indie games also constantly circulate in and out. Since this list was last updated, some of these have unfortunately left Game Pass. But not to worry! There are some new indie arrivals that are just as unmissable and now included here.
12A Little To The Left
A Little to the Leftis an excellent and sweet little puzzle gameabout keeping things organizedand similar in its cozy aesthetics to games likeUnpacking. The added twist here is that there’s a cute, mischievous cat that can mess things up for you to keep the puzzle-solving more unpredictable and engaging.
From arranging glasses to shuffling stacks of books, sorting a variety of pasta shapes, and organizing your batteries and toolkits, the organization and pattern puzzles are all tied to household objects and are designed to feel relatable.So if you need something relaxingafter playing a more intense title on Game Pass, say Amnesia: The Bunker, don’t scroll a little to the left or the right of this one!
Check out our4/5 star review of Cocoon!
If the indie platformers Limbo and Inside from Playdead stuck out to you and filled you with a sense of eerie wonder,Cocoonis an excellent follow-up game as it’s created by none other than Jeppe Carlsen of Geometric Interactive. Carlsen was, of course, the former lead gameplay designer at Playdead for those two games.
However, you shouldn’t expect it to be a fully identical experience, and you might even prefer Cocoon more overall. This game features an eye-popping visual style and comes with an intriguing sci-fi story set on a mysterious planet with puzzle-platforming mechanics tied to orbs that can teleport you to new levels,all based around a tiny creature emerging from a cocoon.
Check out our4/5 star review of Inkulinati!
This is the indie game to give Obsidian’sPentimenta run for its money on Game Pass. While Pentiment is an RPG more focused on a mystery and investigation-themed story,Inkulinatiis a turn-based strategy roguelite gametaking place right on the pages of a medieval manuscriptas you and your enemies work on it in real time.
In a time in gaming where it seems likeit’s hard to find something unique and original, the idea of Inkulinati alone makes it a worthwhile gem, and then the execution is also well-designed. The neatest elements include seeing the actual hands of characters moving across the screen to draw in new enemy Beasts during combat and the writing being filled out as the gameplay advances to record the actions that were just done.
9Open Roads
Open Roads isa mother-daughter road trip adventure gamethat itself might’ve gotten lost somewhere along the road due to its delays and rocky development, but it’s arrived on Xbox Game Pass at last! It stars Booksmart and No One Will Save You’s Kaitlyn Dever and The Americans and The Diplomat’s Keri Russell and comes from a team formerly of Fullbright, the studio behind the indie greats Gone Home and Tacoma.
Like its previous games, Open Roads creates a new mystery premise that will play with different art styles,such as hand-drawn 2D illustrationsin a 3D game world, and deliver some excellent writing and story beats. Set in the nostalgic atmosphere of the early 2000s, Tess and Opal Devine uncover a family secret of hidden treasure sending them on an emotional trip down memory lane.
Check out our4/5 star review of Sea of Stars!
While the JRPG scene might be dominated by Triple-A developers like Square Enix and Atlus, you’re in for a treat with indie gemSea of Starsfrom Sabotage, which not only won The Game Award, but we here at TheGamer declared itone of the best indie games of 2023! It’s the high fantasy and pixel art graphics you love fromOctopath Travelerwith a focus on sea travel, so what’s not to enjoy?
The game tells the story of the Children of the Solstice, who have the power of Eclipse Magic to put an end to the villainous forces of the alchemist known as The Fleshmancer. The use of vibrant colors in the environments is among the most compelling aspects of the game, as well as its spin on retro turn-based mechanics.
Check out our4/5 star review of Harold Halibut!
If you’re curious about what it would be like if Wes Anderson ever got a chance to design a game, it would probably be somewhat along the lines of the atmospheric stop-motion underwater adventure gameHarold Halibut. The entire premise and art direction is like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou meets Isle of Dogs and Fantastic Mr. Fox, with a dash ofStray.
This is a game that speaks to precisely why we have games as a medium, to push the boundaries of what can be seen and done. It’s a weird, unique, humorous, and fulfilling science fiction tale with an original use of stop-motion, giving you a whimsical glimpse into the perspectives of citizens aboard a sunken spaceship called the FEDORA I on an alien planet.
6Norco
Check out our5/5 star review of Norco!
Another game with beautiful pixel art graphics, and a dystopian narrative is Geography of Robots’ Norco, winner of the inaugural Tribeca Games Award. A point-and-click adventureset in an alternate future dystopian Louisiana, the game places you in the shoes of Kay, who returns to her hometown after the death of her mother.
Discovering that her brother is missing, Kay must track him down by exploring the decaying town and the sinking swamplands around it. Your search uncovers a multigenerational mystery, blending the genres of Southern Gothic and science fiction to create a memorable experience. An engaging modern take on classic point-and-click puzzling, Norco is full of rich, lived-in environments you’ll want to explore fully.
Check out our4.5/5 star review of Return to Monkey Island!
Beloved buccaneer Guybrush Threepwood is reunited with series creator Ron Gilbert for the first time in over 30 years inReturn to Monkey Island, with a new art style to boot. Facing off once more against the ghost pirate LeChuck, you’ll race to finally uncover the secret of Monkey Island before the villain can do so.
The point-and-click pirate’s return has been a long time coming, and Gilbert’s Terrible Toybox has delivered on fans' high hopes with the latest installment. Time hasn’t dulled the series' sharp writing style, and re-entering Mêlée Island will feel like a welcome home for fans of the series. With a modernised user interface and an intuitive hint system, the Return to Monkey Island is undoubtedly a triumphant one.
Check out our4.5/5 star review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge!
The turtles are back in a gloriously retro beat ‘em-up based on the 1987 animated series, featuring their original voice actors.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revengeis an enjoyable romp with options for couch co-op or online multiplayer, and the choice to play in an Arcade Mode with a limited amount of lives, or a more easy-going Story Mode.
Each ninja turtle,alongside additional playable characters Master Splinter, April O’Neil and Casey Jones, boasts a unique play style which you’ll use to your advantage to defeat familiar enemies from the villainous Foot Clan including Bebop and Rocksteady, Krang, and Shredder himself. With tons of optional challenges and collectibles, Shredder’s Revenge is a joy for completionists and casuals alike.
You awaken in a dungeon with no memory. You are a failed alchemic experiment, and soon discover both that you can possess corpses, and that you cannot die. The bodies you possess, however, are very much perishable. Death means starting again from zero, so combat mastery is a must. Despite this, permanent upgrades are unlockable as in most roguelike games.
Dead Cells’ gameplay is a combination of the procedurally-generated dungeons characteristic of roguelikeswith the action and exploration of the Metroidvania genre. The combat, often compared to a two-dimensionalDark Souls, offers equal challenge and reward, with a variety of weapons to choose from and numerous builds to try as you fight your way through a shifting labyrinthine kingdom.
