The 8 Indie Games From SGF 2026 That You Can’t Sleep On

Summer Game Fest has become one of the biggest events of the year in the gaming industry, serving as a massive showcase for some of the biggest upcoming releases across all sorts of platforms. While a lot of the oxygen in the room is taken up by the biggest publishers and their newest games, that doesn’t mean there aren’t also undersung gems filling the building.

A mix of expansive MMO sci-fi creations, bold adventures, and tight platformers, the indie gaming space made available for members of the media who attended the event represented the scope and ambition of the modern gaming landscape. Part of the joy of getting to attend events like that is that you get to highlight some of the games that might otherwise be overshadowed. Across SGF 2026, here are the indie titles that we can’t stop thinking about.

Grave Seasons

I’ve been beating the drum for Grave Seasons for a while, and the preview at SGF did little to quell my excitement for Perfect Garbage’s horror/farming sim hybrid. Brought to life through gorgeous pixel art design and compelling world-building, the demo brought players through their initial move to the seemingly idyllic rural community of Ashenridge. Players immediately get to work clearing their farm and planting some early crops before a murder shakes the town to its core.

The subversive take on a farming sim like Stardew Valley is effective because it feels authentic, speaking to the depth that the farming, dating, and life-sim elements of the game have been given. Conversely, the dread felt by players as they see the gruesome corners of the island and the terrible secrets of their new neighbors manages to be a charming gothic exercise and an effective horror game. Grave Seasons is a delight, with just enough teeth to really get sucked in.

Developed by Perfect Garbage and published by Blumhouse Games, Grave Seasons launches on August 14 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Croak

Croak is a charming 2D debut for Woodrunner Games that centers on a clever reimagining of the classical platforming mechanics. Focusing on the Frog Prince, Croak follows his efforts to explore a charming forest environment full of dangers, secrets, and challenges. The main mechanic centers around your lengthy tongue, which the Frog Prince can use to attach to walls and propel himself off at faster speeds. The platforming is crisp thanks to tight controls, with the pretty fun platforming challenges feeling fair but difficult.

In the best moments of the demo provided to ComicBook courtesy of Woodrunner Games CEO Max Petroff, Croak evoked memories of getting absorbed into the charming world of early Nintendo platformers, with the same kind of cute touches that help the game stick out. That’s all bolstered by a genuinely impressive hand-drawn art style. Sharing a creative DNA with other modern riffs on retro platformers like Cuphead, Croak is a solid showcase for the developer that will scratch a lot of nostalgia itches.

Developed and published by Woodrunner Games, Croak launches on PC sometime in 2026.

Hela: Of Mice & Magic

Hela: Of Mice & Magic is an ambitious and soft-hearted adventure that feels like The Secret of NIMH version of It Takes Two. Up to four players work together as a group of aides for an aging witch, helping her improve the lives of the people and wildlife around them. This largely takes the form of environmental puzzles, adding a bit of natural challenge to the missions, but they all have such a whimsical emotional core (like helping push away a musician’s bad vibes) that it’s hard not to be charmed by it.

It’s a very impressive showing from Windup, with an effectively serene forest setting that’s a joy simply to explore. Hela: Of Mice & Magic might be an ideal multiplayer game for players who loved the big, expansive worlds of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom. While there isn’t combat to speak of (outside of some encounters with predators that I didn’t see in the preview), the sense of natural exploration that made Breath of the Wild so satisfying is reflected in Hela’s charming setting.

Developed by Windup and published by Knights Peak, Hela: Of Mice & Magic is set to launch sometime in 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the Nintendo Switch 2.

Mr. Records

Taking place largely in an old man’s imagination as he listens to music, Mr. Records is simple, streamlined, and instantly addicting. Players play as George, a music aficionado who finds himself listening to records and letting himself wander through the landscapes they create. Mr. Records is largely a timing-based platformer, with the player constantly moving to the right and tasked with dodging obstacles in tune with the music. It’s an inherently charming premise, especially as George’s performance (and growing collection at his record shop) gives him a chance to strike up some pretty charming dynamics.

The trick to the Glee-Cheese Studio game is that the art design, soundtrack, and gameplay are so tight that each level is a delight. It was hard not to just keep repeating levels during the SGF demo, trying to get that perfect score on each level. Mr. Records is the kind of simple but refined experience that’s going to be hard to put down once you get it going.

Developed by Glee-Cheese Studio and published by Wired Productions, Mr. Records currently does not have a release date scheduled for its PC release.

Seed

“Sims-vilization” was an offhand joke I made while checking out Klang Games’ Seed. As the demo went on and I realized just how in-depth the game’s world and the characters within it were, however, I started to think it might just be an accurate description of the wildly ambitious MMO. Seed places players onto the distant world of Avesta and tasks them with creating their own place in the world — and that can take a lot of different forms.

The truly massive life-sim featured an entire thriving community, with an in-game economy, government, and civilization defined by player actions and choices for their characters. The CPU of the characters played out with a surprising amount of awareness, even commenting on players interacting with them in some clever ways. With even more elements (like war) on the horizon, Seed has the potential to become a new obsession for fans of games like The Sims and Civilization.

Developed and published by Klang Games, Seed will launch into Early Access on Windows, macOS, and Linux on July 21, 2026.

N Plus Infinity Times Two

Launching in 2004 in the days of Newgrounds and flash games, N was a freeware platforming game that became an icon of that distinct era in indie gaming — which makes N Plus Infinity Times Two a really exciting addition to our multiplayer libraries. Designed as a fast-paced and hyper-competitive series of platforming challenges, N++ is easy to learn and hard to master. Fall damage, rockets, and mines complicate the barebones challenges, making it an ideal level playing field for players who really only have running and jumping at their disposal.

During a preview at SGF, I got to take part in two multiplayer sessions against three other players, with a race to collect points and a game of keep away where getting tagged causes you to explode. The simplified visuals are charming in their retro appeal and vivid enough to stand out amongst themselves, while the tight control and surprising challenge are perfectly reflective of the previous N games. Metanet’s indie platformer has been a backbone of the indie gaming space for over twenty years now, so the prospect of putting all those honed skills to the test against your friends is exciting for any platforming fan.

Developed and published by Metanet, N Plus Infinity Times Two is scheduled to launch in 2027 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

My Arms Are Longer Now

One of the strangest games on display at Summer Game Fest this year, My Arms Are Longer Now is a goofy take on the puzzle genre that has to be seen to be believed. In the short demo made available to players at the event, My Arms Are Longer Now saw players use their impossibly long arms to sneak around to steal a briefcase. The arm wraps around poles, extending and stretching, and just being weird to look at.

The goofy sense of humor baked into the experience is clear from the art design and writing, which feels at home with Adult Swim shows like Smiling Friends. However, the actual environment puzzles in the carriage proved intriguing enough to present some potentially clever possibilities. While the game will need to maintain that goofy sense of humor and clever level design for the whole experience, My Arms Are Longer Now was a surreal and silly title that seems great for puzzle fans.

Developed by Toot Games and published by Jackbox Games, My Arms Are Longer Now is scheduled for a 2026 release on Windows and macOS.

Stars Reach

One of the most ambitious titles on display during the SGF weekend, Stars Reach wants to reinvent what the MMO is. Legendary game designer Raph Koster is the mastermind behind the game, whose experience in the MMO space with games like Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies makes him an ideal figure to help construct the ultimate sci-fi sandbox. The game challenges players to explore the galaxy and make their own communities, reshaping the environment with mining techniques and contending with alien invasions and natural threats.

The game is doing a lot of things at once, presenting players with the chance to live out any sci-fi exploration fantasy they can imagine thanks to a litany of career paths and specialties. In thirty minutes alone, I fought off an alien invasion, explored a volcano, mined an asteroid, and flooded a town with a makeshift waterfall. There’s also a good deal of exploration and adventure baked into the premise that speaks to the ambition of the team. It’s a huge swing by Playable Worlds that, if it manages to connect, could reinvent what the MMO means in the current gaming space.

Developed and published by Playable Worlds, Stars Reach is currently in early access on PC.