13 Indie Games To Be Excited During August 2025
As I struggle to keep up with the sheer volume of indie game releases, August (and very late July, for those who announced after my list went live) is proving to be yet another month for some hidden gems and small-scale masterpieces. Last month, we got our hands on the bite-sized but profound Time Flies, a bird-centric deckbuilding roguelike to give Balatro a run for its multipliers with Birdigo, as well as the pulsating pulp noir point-and-click, The Drifter, all of which had glowing reviews from us.
Moving into this month, however, we have a proper eclectic bunch to go through. If it’s a stellar stop-motion digging adventure you’re after, we’ve got you covered. Maybe a handful of horrors pulling from different genres and fears? That too. Or perhaps you want to start your own shop; there are surprisingly a couple of them too. No matter what you’re into, this list is for you, so without further ado, here are 13 indie games to be excited about during August 2025:
Mashina by Tahla and Jack Co – 31st July 2025
From the brilliant minds behind Judero comes a much deeper adventure. Mashina, much like the developer’s previous title, is a game where its world is entirely designed through stop motion creation and animation. You play as the titular Mashina, a miner who’s digging deep to repair the world. The gameplay is split into two distinct styles: the underground is a 2D collectathon adventure that sees you hunting for rare materials, and the overground, a vibrant 3D world that’s free to explore.
This one is already out, so you don’t have to wait to get your hands on this, and I implore you to do so. Currently, Mashina is only on PC.
Steam | Bluesky (Jack) | Bluesky (Talha)
Time Flies by Playables – 31st July 2025
A review for the site is up for this one, and spoiler alert: it’s very good. Time Flies turns your current location’s average lifespan into mere seconds for the fly you play as, as you try to do everything on your bucket list before kicking that same bucket. It’s hard to call it a roguelike, but it has that do everything in one go element that derives from the genre, giving the player a puzzle to piece themselves in order to complete it.
It’s a 1-bit adventure that’s equal parts silly and profound, as you take on many journeys as a fly, figuring out how to complete the bucket list. From getting drunk to going out in a blaze of glory, Time Flies is a small but mighty indie game that everyone should check out. It’s out now on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Heartworm by Vincent Adinolfi – 31st July 2025
I’ve been following this one for a few years, so I’m excited to say that this is now out. Solo-developed by Vincent Adinolfi, Heartworm is as about as much of a homage as it can be to ’90s survival horror. Featuring a mixture of fixed camera angles and over-the-shoulder perspective, unique photo camera-based combat and classic puzzle solving, Heartworm looks to be a perfect ode to the ’90s era.
You play as Sam, obsessed with the recent deaths of those close to her. This drives her to scour the internet, participating in forums and uncovering uncanny stories; unveiling the mystery of a house on top of a hill with a connection to the afterlife. The next step for Sam is to investigate, despite no one ever coming back after visiting the house, forcing her to face the consequences.
Static Dread: The Lighthouse by solarsuit.games – 6th August 2025
Likened to Papers, Please! with a Lovecraftian twist, Static Dread: The Lighthouse sees you working in the position of a lighthouse keeper. You’ll be assisting boats on the rough seas to come to shore, maintaining the lighthouse’s machinery to keep it up and running, as well as potentially succumbing to the whispers of the unknown, causing hallucinations and paranoia.
Miles was thoroughly impressed with the demo during Steam Next Fest, and we can’t wait for the full release. It’s a first-person jaunt into potential insanity, as your choices will affect you and the people around you. Static Dread: The Lighthouse will release on PC.
1000 Deaths by Pariah Interactive Inc. – 7th August 2025
1000 Deaths is a blistering 3D platformer with an emphasis on story. Run, jump, dash across walls, floors and ceilings as the gravity reorients itself constantly. With four characters to play from, your choices define its gameplay mechanics and follow them from birth to death. Featuring over 45 levels, Speedrun incentives and a wacky cast of characters to meet, 1000 Deaths looks like a platforming Ren & Stimpy on acid. The game will release on PC and later on PlayStation 5.
Ritual of Raven by Spellgarden Games – 7th August 2025
Ever played a farming sim and thought someone else should be picking up what you plant? Ritual of Raven has got you covered. The game is a story-based farming sim, but you don’t do the farming yourself. It’ll see you enchanting Arcana Constructs to grow a magical herb garden. In this world, different practices of magics live side by side, but the portals to connect these different magics went terribly wrong during the ritual.
Whilst you’re creating a farm, you’ll be befriending neighbours, utilising your enchanted deck of cards to do the grafting, and closing the portals that are causing trouble in the village. Ritual of Raven will release on Nintendo Switch and PC.
Öoo by NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi – 8th August 2025
From the developers of ElecHead comes a new, exciting platformer. Öoo sees you playing as an explosive caterpillar where you use bombs in creative ways to solve the game’s platforming puzzles. Öoo is understated but full of colour, clever brainteasers and only takes a few hours to complete. It looks to be a short but sweet puzzler with cute, mysterious levels to explore. Öoo will release on PC.
Skatehouse by Tyler Ray Games – 11th August 2025
Every skater has a core memory of at least one visit to their local skate shop. It’s a rite of passage to pick your board, grip it and come back to the shop two weeks later because you’ve snapped it on a 10 set. Skatehouse is a shop sim that’s been lovingly curated and designed to give you a chill business experience.
Express your creativity by setting up completes, selling them on and displaying some of your finest works. There are no customers or business mechanics to keep you doing the fun part, you just design your shop, sell the boards you make and turn it into a place you’d go to, for all your skating needs. The game will release on PC.
OFF by Mortis Ghost – 15th August 2025
OFF was notably one of the inspirations for Toby Fox’s Undertale, so it makes sense for this off-beat RPG Maker indie gem to get its re-release, and knock it out of the park for a new audience. Considered as one of the most influential RPGs of the last 20 years, OFF has you playing as the Batter, as he seeks to purify the strange world haunted by spectres.
The brains behind the ghostly operation is The Judge, a cat with an uncanny smile, who guides you through this haunted world. Featuring timer-based combat and brainteasing puzzles throughout the overworld, OFF delivers that classic SNES-style RPG with something a little more strange, giving it its cult status. OFF will release on PC and Nintendo Switch.
Sword of the Sea by Giant Squid – 19th August 2025
Developers Giant Squid can take me anywhere with their games. They have a knack for creating some of the most visually striking and fun-to-explore worlds in the modern gaming landscape. They must have heard how much I enjoy their games, because they’ve only gone and decided to give Sword of the Sea’s protagonist a sword to skate/surf on.
Inspired by classic skateboarding and snowboarding games, Sword of the Sea sees you surfing across a whole manner of environments. Huge wave-like sand dunes, bodies of water to slide across and natural structures that look a bit like a skatepark. You play as the Wraith, resurrected in the Necropolis to take on a journey to unveil the ancient sea buried underground. Like every Giant Squid game, exploration and discovery will be the main pillar here, and I cannot wait to get lost again in one of their worlds. Sword of the Sea will release on PlayStation 5 and PC.
Discounty by Crinkle Cut Games – 21st August 2025
Discounty is unlocking the memories I have of my time playing Habbo Hotel and selling “furni”. I don’t know if it’s the art style or the attention to designing your shop, but if I can haggle a good trade and make lifelong friends/enemies doing it, then count me in. Discounty is a life sim meets shopseller RPG that sees you managing your own discount supermarket.
After moving to the rundown town of Blomkest to help your Aunt run the supermarket, you’ll soon realise not everyone wants you to succeed. Design and organise the shop your way, manage stock levels, strike trade deals and work the checkout, all whilst ingratiating yourself within the community. Discounty will release on PS5/4, Xbox Series X|S & One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Kill The Music by Nikko Nikko – 21st August 2025
Kill The Music is a rhythm action roguelite that sees you beating the snot out of hordes of enemies to the beat. You play as Roxie, as her music venue has burned down, with her friends under death’s control. Defeating bosses and progressing the game will reveal more of Roxie’s tragic backstory, and learn how the music venue came to be.
Build up your combo and consume it with hold attacks, collect spirit energy from defeated enemies and pull off a face-melting solo. The game is an autobattler, but pressing the button to the rhythm will charge your attacks to be even more formidable. Kill The Music will release on PC.
Vlad Circus: Cure of Asmodeus by Indiesruption – 26th August 2025
Part-prequel, part-sequel to Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness, Vlad Circus: Curse of Asmodeus is a continuation of the circus’ story told from a new perspective. Playing as Vlad Petrecu’s brother and circus co-founder this time around, you will travel back to where it all began and discover the memories you probably should have left behind.
I had a great time with the first game, its macabre pixel art renditions of the twisted world Indiesruption were sublime, the classic survival horror-style puzzles were engaging, and the story was grim in the best way possible, so I’m hoping for the same here. My big problem was that there wasn’t enough of it to satiate my morbid appetite, but not even two years later, and we have a sequel, so consider me delightfully surprised. Vlad Circus: Curse of Asmodeus will release on PS5/4, Xbox Series X|S & One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Let us know what indie games you’re excited to pick up from this list. It’s worth mentioning that every game’s release date is subject to change, and as always, you can reach out to us at hello@fingerguns.net, or on our socials if you have indies to showcase for September. Until next month!
For more News on Indie Games and more click here
Make sure to follow Finger Guns on our social channels –Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, Spotify or Apple Podcasts – to keep up to date on our news, reviews and features.
If you enjoyed this article or any more of our content about indie games, please consider our Patreon.
