From arcadey action to slow-burning narrative journeys, indie games do it all. These picks went above and beyond to become our favorites in 2021.
Laugh & learn logic
7 Billion Humans
Tomorrow Corporation
4.0star
431 reviews
10K+
Downloads
Teacher Approved
Everyone
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Put your office workers to the test by solving challenging programming puzzles
2
Enjoy a humorous and twisted take on office management as you ascend the corporate ladder
3
Forget the frustration with helpful hint and skip systems that keep you moving forward
Workers are mere resources in this biting satire of corporate culture where you literally program them to do their jobs. 7 Billion Humans is a wonderfully witty lesson in programming logic that never feels like a lecture.
Your new best friend
Bird Alone
George Batchelor
In-app purchases
4.5star
41.7K reviews
1M+
Downloads
Everyone
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Make a parrot friend and find a confidant in this funny and touching slow-game interactive experience
2
Chat once or twice a day with your enthusiastic, excitable and surprisingly self-aware parrot companion
3
Controls feel natural and don't get in the way: this game is sure to please fans of the unconventional
Enjoy this game for free, plus hundreds more free of ads and in-app purchases, with a Google Play Pass subscription. Learn more
Bird Alone isn’t just a game; it’s a bond you share with the world’s loneliest parrot. While it starts as idle chatter, you’ll soon find yourself yearning to interact with your feathered companion as a friendship blossoms over art, life, and death.
Devour Donut County
Donut County
Annapurna Interactive
4.2star
775 reviews
10K+
Downloads
Everyone 10+
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Devour everything in sight as an ever-expanding sinkhole in this clearly absurd adventure about the ills of late-stage capitalism. There’s never a dull moment, and its action is matched only by the colorful cast of lovable creatures you’ll meet on the way.
Blood, bullets & bananas
My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Reve
DevolverDigital
Contains adsIn-app purchases
4.3star
129K reviews
10M+
Downloads
Teen
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Got a taste for the unusual? Try some bizarre bananasploitation bloody-bullet-ballet platforming action
2
Drag, slide and tap your way through levels, shoot bad guys – most importantly – make it look good
3
Unlock premium for Blood Rush mode: wholesale carnage is perfectly OK as long as the banana told you to do it
Enjoy this game for free, plus hundreds more free of ads and in-app purchases, with a Google Play Pass subscription. Learn more
Choreograph outrageous displays of mayhem in this acrobatic shooter. Every room brims with potential for bullet ballet as you ricochet shots off your surroundings at the behest of a sentient banana. It’s an action masterclass that’s ripe for replays.
Spooky fun with physics
Puzzling Peaks EXE
AppSir Games
4.5star
269 reviews
5K+
Downloads
Teen
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Rotate on-screen platforms to guide your little skull ball hero named Knightly into the goal, or don't
2
Try fast-paced physics-based puzzle platforming helped along by a 'too friendly not to be hostile' A. I. guide
3
Enjoy an epic tale of postmodern horror comedy as you conquer the peaks with Knightly just lying there
Roll, juggle and launch Knightly the ball to the end of this comical horrorscape. Gloomy atmosphere, stunning pixel art, and challenging physics puzzles cement Puzzling Peaks EXE as one of the best indie hits this year.