Remember 2020? The year we all became couch potatoes, panic-bought toilet paper, and pretended to enjoy sourdough baking? WhileAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsmonopolized half the planet’s free time, indie games stepped in to save the rest of us from doomscrolling ourselves into oblivion. Fast forward to 2025, and it’s been five years since these gems first graced our screens.
Feeling old yet? Don’t worry — you can still claim you were ahead of the curve when these games dropped. Let’s relive the fun, tears, and weirdly wholesome vibes that got us through lockdown.
Spiritfarer
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Spiritfarer is an acclaimed sandbox simulation game from Thunder Lotus Games, in which you must transport the spirits of the deceased to the next life. You manage all aspects of the ship, taking over from the mythical Charon in this duty.
Who knew a game about ferrying dead people could be so… cozy?Spiritfarermade you cry, smile, and stress over whether you were building the right house for an emotionally needy hedgehog.
With gorgeous art and heartfelt storytelling, it tricked you into contemplating mortality while upgrading your boat and hugging adorable animal spirits. It’s the indie game equivalent of a therapy session. Five years later, it’s still the perfect game to prove you’re a “deep” gamer without going full Dark Souls.
Fall Guys
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout brings the fun of TV shows like Takeshi’s Castle and Total Wipeout to your PC or console, while marrying it with the battle royale genre. You must navigate a series of zany challenges with the aim of being the last one standing.
Remember whenFall Guyshad everyone obsessing over jellybeans with little legs? For a brief, glorious moment, it was the game, before beingbullied out of the spotlight by Among Us.
But don’t forget how many hours you spent yelling at your screen because someone shoved you off a platform — or how many crowns you didn’t win. Five years later, it’s still pure fun, and honestly, we should all bring it back to remind ourselves that failure is hilarious when you’re a brightly colored bean.
Hades
Hades is a smash-hit roguelike from Supergiant Games, creators of Bastion and Transistor. Taking on the role of Prince Zagreus, son of the aforementioned Hades, you must battle the many bosses of the Underworld in order to escape and reach Mount Olympus.
You couldn’t talk about 2020 gaming without someone (rightfully) raving aboutHades. Fast combat? Check. Gorgeous art? Check. Dialogue so sharp it could cut glass? Double check.
Plus, let’s not ignore the collective thirst for every single character. Five years on, it’s still a roguelike masterpiece, and Zagreus remains gaming’s most dashing himbo with daddy issues. If you haven’t escaped the Underworld yet, what are you even doing with your life?
Ooblets
Ooblets is a creature capture life sim, set in the town of Badgetown. You must build up your new farm, using Ooblets to help.
Oobletswas peak serotonin in its early access phase in 2020. Tiny creatures that you grow in your garden? Dance battles to solve disputes? Bright, bouncy visuals that scream “everything is fine, don’t panic”? It was the antidote to the doomscrolling lifestyle.
Sure, it’s a little silly, but that’s the point. As it turns five, Ooblets reminds us all that farming, fashion, and funky dance moves are exactly what we need to survive (emotionally, if not physically).
Spelunky 2
Spelunky 2 is the sequel to the hit indie roguelike platformer, launched in 2020 for multiple platforms. This time, you play as Guy’s daughter, Ana, as she searches for her parents on the Moon.
IfSpelunkywas hard,Spelunky 2said, “Hold my pickaxe.” This brutal roguelike sequel doubled down on the chaos, introducing new traps, biomes, and ways to die in hilarious frustration.
Did you beat it? No, you didn’t, and that’s okay — almost nobody did. But five years later, it’s still the game you boot up when you need to feel alive… and then immediately regret it. Some things never change. Hey, at leastthere’s a Secret Level episode on Spelunkyyou can emotionally connect with.
Calico
Looking for a cozy game with a touch of magic and a whole lot of purring? You need Magical Girls Running Cat Cafes with game Calico for Nintendo Switch!Calico is a day-in-the-life community sim game where you are given an important and adorable task: rebuild the town’s cat café and fill it with cute and cuddly creatures! You will journey to a small village filled with magical girls and other fantastical friends, where you are placed in charge of a run down cat café. Build up your café by filling it with cute furniture, fun decorations, yummy pastries, and get it bustling with animals again!Calico is meant to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The gameplay reflects that with a laid back, low stress creative environment that lets players explore freely and play in to their heart’s content.Brought to you by Whitethorn Digital with an ESRB rating “Everyone”.
Calicoasked, “What if life was just running a magical cat cafe and riding a giant cat through pastel-colored fields?” And the answer was: pure, wholesome bliss.
Sure, it was a bit janky at launch, but who cares when you’re baking cupcakes for your cafe regulars (who happen to be cats)? It’s been five years, and Calico still feels like a warm hug in game form. Go ahead, play it again. Your inner child will thank you.
Moving Out
Moving Out is a co-op game which puts you in the role of house movers. Working together, you must quickly remove items from a home and load them into a waiting van, with a ranking given based on your performance.
Moving Outwasthe co-op gamethat made you scream at your friends — and then laugh about it later. It turned hauling furniture into an Olympic sport, complete with ridiculous physics and levels designed to test your patience.
Did anyone ever move a couch properly? Nope, but that’s the charm. Five years later, it’s still the perfect game to ruin friendships in the most hilarious way possible. Just don’t play it with someone who takes gaming too seriously (talking about myself).
Bugsnax
In Bugsnax, you must investigate the disappearance of an explorer on Snaktooth Island. Played in first-person perspective, you do this by capturing strange creatures that are both bug and snack.
Yes, you heard the theme song in your head the moment you read the title.Bugsnaxwas weird, wonderful, and absolutely not the kids' game it pretended to be. Catching bizarre bug-snack hybrids was oddly satisfying, but its surprisingly dark story made you question everything.
Five years later, it’s still one of the most delightfully bizarre games out there. If you haven’t played it, congratulations on missing the weirdest culinary adventure of your life. It’s the kind of game you describe to friends, and they just stare at you in confused awe.
Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia is a solo or co-op horror game from Kinetic Games in which players must turn detective to identify a haunting’s type. Up to four players can play together, and features voice chat and speech recognition.
What’s scarier: the ghost hunting or hearing your friends scream into their mics?Phasmophobiamade 2020 creepier (in a good way) with its atmospheric horror and cooperative fun. You learned to fear every flickering light and cursed yourself for saying “Is anyone here?” out loud.
Five years later, it’s still the go-to game for scaring yourself silly, and honestly, it’s just nice to know the ghosts aren’t as scary as the rent you were paying in 2020.
