If the last Xbox game you played was an AAA first-person shooter or a Need for Speed game, it’s time to think outside the box. When was the last time you explored Xbox’s catalog of indie titles? With so many great indie games out there, choosing what to play can be a challenge. We’ve rounded up nine of our favorite Xbox indie games to get stuck into this year. Which will you play first?

1. Oxenfree

Oxenfree has a Stranger Things vibe and a soundtrack that you’re going to want to save to your Spotify playlist. Released for Xbox One in 2016, there’s a sequel, Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals, though you’ll need to play it on Netflix, Switch, or PS4/5, as it’s sadly not coming to Xbox. The original game is available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S and is on Game Pass.

In this supernatural mystery, you play as teenager Alex. When Alex and her stepbrother Jonas host a sleepover with friends on a spooky abandoned military island, a ghostly gate opens and time as we know it changes.

With an immersive narrative, great witty writing and humor, plus an intelligent conversation system, the choices you make in Oxenfree shape what happens in the game. The main story should take just over four hours to complete, but if you’re a completionist, expect to spend up to 13 hours ticking off everything that needs to be done.

2. Tunic

With its cute, colorful art style, isometric adventure game Tunic sees you take on the role of a small fox exploring a world packed with secrets to uncover, enemies to battle, and challenges to face. It’s designer Andrew Shouldice’s first game, developed over seven years and released in 2022, and is one of our favorite Xbox indie games right now.

There’s a great mix of combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving in Tunic, so whatever you’re into, there’s something to suit your gameplay style. The world is pretty big, and there are plenty of mysteries to uncover that ensure this small fox on a big adventure is never bored. All-in, it should take around 12 hours to complete the game.

Tunic is available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S and is also included with Game Pass.

3. Somerville

If the art style in Somerville looks familiar, that’s because developers Dino Patti and Chris Olsen formerly founded Jumpship, the studio behind indie hits Limbo and Inside. The dark, moody atmosphere, minimalist design, and cinematic art style of Somerville hits all the right notes for a post-apocalyptic puzzle game.

You play as the father of a family who must guide his loved ones to safety after aliens invade earth. Like Limbo and Inside, there’s a puzzle-solving element to the game as you navigate landscapes patrolled by these alien machines and creatures, with an emotionally-engaging narrative focused on the family’s story. You’ll need to be creative and think outside the box to solve puzzles and survive the invasion.

The story, atmospheric soundtrack, and striking visuals of Somerville ensure it’s a must-play indie game this year. It’s available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S and included with Game Pass.

4. Gone Home

Gone Home is one of our favorite Xbox indie games of all time, and it’s easy to see why. This walking simulator/first-person exploration game is set in 1995, when the game’s protagonist (you) returns home after a year abroad. Something’s not quite right, though. As you explore your Arbor Hill home you’ll find out what happened to everyone and what exactly is going on.

This is a story-driven adventure that’s all about the unfolding narrative. There are laugh out loud moments, spooky moments, and touching moments that will stick with you long after the game’s end credits roll. Gone Home may be a short experience at around three hours, but it’s a genre-defining game that fans of this type of game can’t afford to miss.

You can play Gone Home on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

5. Firewatch

From one walking simulator to another, Firewatch boasts a similar art style and story-driven gameplay to Gone Home. This time, you’re a fire lookout named Henry who has escaped their messy personal life to work in the Wyoming wilderness. Your only communication with the outside world is with your supervisor, Delilah, over your hand-held radio.

Your only job is to keep the wilderness safe and look out for smoke from wildfires — but something strange happens to draw you from the lookout tower out to explore the stunning wilderness, and things will never be the same again. Every choice you make matters here as it has the power to build or break relationships and shape the story.

Firewatch has become an almost cult classic, and calling this first-person mystery game a walking simulator doesn’t really do it credit. It’s definitely a game that fans of the genre need to play, and even if you’ve never played this type of game before, it’s easy to be sucked into the story. It’s available to play on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S and right now it’s included with Game Pass.

6. Hades

Supergiant’s action roguelike Hades has a firm following even among those who have never enjoyed roguelikes before. Winner of numerous Game of the Year awards, its colorful art style and design, intriguing narrative, and engaging, dynamic combat help it stand out from the crowd.

You play as Zagreus, son of Hades, the god of the Underworld, from where you must escape to reach your mother, Persephone, on the surface. You never die in Hades — well, you do, but each time you’re reborn for another chance at escape, and you’re stronger, faster, better equipped and with new abilities each time.

Hades’ narrative is packed with figures from Greek mythology, from Zeus to Poseidon and Athena, with gorgeous hand-drawn art, a beautiful soundtrack and full voice acting to enhance the gameplay. Procedurally-generated levels mean each playthrough is unique, with an opportunity to choose your weapons and combat style.

You can play Hades on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

7. Outer Wilds

It’s not often an indie game gives us open-world exploration, but if you’ve ever dreamed of exploring distant planets, Outer Wilds is the Xbox indie game for you. Mobius Digital’s open-world adventure has an engaging narrative where you play as an astronaut who wakes up to discover they’re trapped in a 22-minute time loop.

Your objective? Explore the solar system, uncover the time loop mystery, and piece together its significance. The story here takes a non-linear approach, encouraging independent exploration that will see you uncover clues, ancient alien artifacts, and mysteries to shape the narrative.

Explore the vast solar system at your own pace — but don’t forget everything resets after that 22-minute time loop! The game’s atmospheric sound design, open-world exploration, and innovative storytelling has seen it win several well-deserved awards.

Outer Wilds is available to play on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S and is a must-play Xbox indie game for fans of the open-world genre.

8. Celeste

With a deep, heartfelt narrative that explores themes of mental health and personal growth, Celeste is far from your average indie platformer, as evidenced by its numerous awards. Developed by indie studio Maddy Makes Games and released in 2018, it features an original soundtrack and relatable, immersive narrative.

You play as Madeline, a young woman who must climb Celeste Mountain while facing a series of mental and physical challenges. Along the way, you’ll learn about yourself, confront inner demons, and come to terms with who you are and your purpose in life. The levels feature a good mix of difficulty and responsive controls, ensuring Celeste is a fun rather than frustrating platform adventure, while the pixel art, vibrantly colored scenes, and well-developed characters draw you into the game.

Celeste is available to play on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S and is also included with Game Pass, in case you needed another reason to subscribe!

9. What Remains of Edith Finch

We’re finishing this list with another of the team’s favorites. What Remains of Edith Finch bears a lot of visual similarities to Gone Home and is developed by Giant Sparrow, the studio behind The Unfinished Swan. The game’s story-driven adventure/walking simulator style is immediately familiar to fans of the genre, yet the depth of the narrative stands out.

Set in Washington State, you play as Edit Finch, exploring your family home and trying to figure out why you’re the only family member left alive. As you uncover stories, you’ll experience the last day of each new family member, with the story ending with their death. The first-person perspective and differing tone of each story make it hard to resist being drawn into the game.

What Becomes of Edith Finch is available to play on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

Indie games bring something a little different to the table from your typical AAA titles, and we hope you enjoy playing these games as much as we did! If you need any more inspiration for what to play this year, why not check out our roundup of the top 13 horror games to play, or the top 14 fighting games on Xbox?