Eyes afraid, hands playing — the best indie horror games of 2025

2025 has come and gone, leaving us with many cool horror games from independent developers and small teams. Among them were both old-fashioned games inspired by masterpieces of the distant past and original projects claiming to be innovative. While some game developers experimented with lo-fi and churned out modest entertainment for a couple of hours, others worked hard on bold ideas. These are the kinds of projects that make us love the indie scene for its greater creative freedom, unlike the AAA segment. That's why we're offering you our top indie horror games. Here are the 12 most interesting and unusual projects from 2025, in our opinion — one title for each month of the past year.

Butcher's Creek

Release date: January 23, 2025 Developer: David Szymanski Platform: PC What makes it special: VHS aesthetics and snuff film atmosphere Why it's in the top: A combat system reminiscent of the interactive thriller Condemned, cold basements where people are tortured, and a deranged protagonist who kills crowds of maniacs with whatever means are at hand. A short but intense project from indie publishing star New Blood Interactive, which has had a hand in such hits as DUSK and Iron Lung. The gameplay is lively and minimalistic, and the atmosphere is reminiscent of Manhunt — nasty, daring, and elegant in its own way.

• Blood-stained walls endlessly press down on your inner claustrophobe, while the figures of villains in pitch darkness, speckled with analog "grain," are eager to gut someone's carcass.
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Slender Threads

Release date: 07.02.25 Developers: Blyts Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch What makes it special: point-and-click, horror mixed with humor Why it's in the top: A charming Argentinean quest game, made in the best traditions of the genre — with puzzles, dialogues, and absurd humor. In this story, an ordinary salesman under our sensitive control will investigate a series of mysterious murders in a small coastal town. The plot has plenty of both paranormal elements and banal human vices.

• Not at all! Slender Threads is a case where horror coexists harmoniously with comedy, and the cartoonish appearance, reminiscent of a diorama, only emphasizes the parodic tone of the work. Just like in the timeless classics from the LucasArts video game division — Day of the Tentacle, the Monkey Island series, and the like.

Look Outside

Release date: 03/21/25 Developer: Francis Coulombe Platform: PC What makes it special: cool pixel art and surprises around every corner Why it's in the top: It would seem to be a horror jRPG from an amateur developer. A typical project that companies like Devolver Digital often take under their wing (in fact, they oversaw the release of Look Outside). In reality, we have a non-linear game full of secrets, in which you must explore an apartment building engulfed by evil. At the same time, you have to satisfy your worldly needs, communicate with the deranged inhabitants of this surreal microcosm, and try to understand what happened on the street that makes looking out the window now deadly dangerous.

• Narrative omissions coupled with the feeling that an invisible timer is always chasing you. Every outing is like wandering through a confusing maze.
• Every outing is like wandering through a confusing maze.

White Knuckle

Release date: 04/17/25 Developers: Dark Machine Games Platform: PC What makes it so addictive: the drive on the verge of a nervous breakdown Why it's in the top: Because we love megastructures! And because this climber "simulator," despite its gameplay mechanics that are far from the basics of survival horror, gets on your nerves just as much. Climbing higher and higher through the bowels of a huge industrial complex, you not only need to react quickly and hold on tight to every ledge, but also use your limited climbing equipment wisely. A solid and promising "early access" game — with a twist and truly tense.