2025 has not been lacking for massive timesink games, and December isn’t getting any easier with games like Metroid Prime 4, Demonschool, Unbeatable, and Routine. Of course, as a responsible gamer you’re finishing out your 2025 backlog before buying anything else – right? Just in case you’re about to fall off the wagon, here’s five indie games releasing this December that have likely flown under your radar.
1. Little Rocket Lab
Little Rocket Lab is an automation strategy game from debut Canadian studio Teenage Astronauts. In it, you’ll slowly transform your own backyard into a vast outdoor factory in the hopes of finishing your late mother’s dream of building a rocket ship. Explore town, help the locals by building more contraptions, and enlist their help to get your dreams to the stars! It’s Phineas and Ferb meets Factorio in a crossover I didn’t know to ask for. There’s a demo available as well, so no excuse for any other automation fiends like me not to dip in right now.
Steam | Nintendo eShop | Xbox Store
2. She’s Leaving
If cozy isn’t your vibe, perhaps you’ll find something a little more thrilling in first-person survival horror game She’s Leaving. This debut game from British indie studio Blue Hat puts players into the shoes of a forensic analyst hunting a killer. Use simulations of real-world forensic investigation methods, including blood spatter, to track down a deranged serial killer in a Tudor-style mansion. She’s Leaving will vibe with anyone who misses procedural cop shows from the early 2010s like Dexter, Hannibal, and The Mentalist.
Steam | GOG Galaxy | PlayStation Store
3. Teeny Tiny Trains
If you’re a fan of transportation-based puzzle games like Please Fix the Road, Railbound, or the immensely popular mobile game Mini Motorways, Teeny Tiny Trains is your next ticket to a great time. This relaxing puzzle/strategy game is a certified cozy experience, with short levels that simply require you to build out pathways for trains via miniature models in a child’s bedroom. It’s nostalgic, cute, and to me looks like an excellent game to poke into for a few levels in bed before going to sleep. It’s Steam Deck Verified and also available on both iOS and Android, so I’m thinking the developers at the Sweden-based Short Circuit Studios also intend for it to be a nice game to unwind from a stressful day. We don’t give enough love to games with bite-sized levels that you can play for 15 minutes, put down, and feel good about your progress.
Steam | Google Play Store | Apple App Store
4. Ink Inside
The developers of the well-received canonical Steven Universe RPG Unleash the Light have formed a new studio and are back at it in their signature colorful cartoon style. With voices by S-Tier comedian Brian David Gilbert and Deneen Melody of Netflix’s Romantic Killer, you can be guaranteed the voice acting will be both top notch and hysterical. This action game falls somewhere between an RPG and a beat-em-up, and features tons of explosively colorful artwork to really get lost in. A few caveats, though: this local co-op game can be played solo, but for the best experience you’ll want to grab a buddy. Additionally, there’s a cliff-hanger ending with a sequel in the works to finish the story. It’s only on Steam at the moment and does have a demo, but will be making its way to Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch in the near future.
5. Angeline Era
I pride myself on fitting at least one weirdo game onto these lists, and Angeline Era is here to fulfill that promise. This retro adventure game is desperately difficult to describe, but it features an old-school RPG overworld, lots of hidden secrets to find, and a combat system that relies largely on just walking around. Every time you bump into an enemy you hit them and refill your ammo, and your gun shoots only forwards and runs out of ammo quickly. Angeline Era‘s encounters come with a balancing act between melee and ranged that must be alternated every few seconds, which is pretty cool if you’re only used to more traditional combat systems. Modeled like a PS1-era JRPG with weird, unhelpful characters and a world that will absolutely not hold your hand, Angeline Era will be a refreshing change of pace for those looking for a game that makes its own rules and is indifferent to your assumptions about how video games even work. If you’re familiar with the developer’s previous games, Anodyne, you’ll know what you’re getting into. There’s a demo on Steam right now that will tell you a lot better than I can in words if this will be your next favorite hidden gem!
Are there any other lowkey indie gems coming out this month that I missed? Let us know in the comments below!
