This is a list of independent video game developers, individuals or teams which produce indie games but are not owned by or receive significant financial backing from a video game publisher. Independent developers, which can be single individuals, small groups, or large organizations, retain operational control over their organizations and processes. Some self-publish their own games while others work with publishers.
{{Compact ToC|side=no|num=yes|seealso=yes|refs=yes}}There are thousands of independent game development studios which either self-publish their titles, or enter into licensing or co-development agreements with publishers. This list is not intended to be exhaustive with respect to developers or their games, and includes only notable developers and their most notable game examples.{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2015}}
| Developer | City | Autonomous area | Country | Notable games | Notes |
|---|
| 3G Studios | Reno | Nevada | United States | Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009
Rock Band (with Harmonix) |
| 11 bit studios | Warsaw | Poland | Anomaly
This War of Mine
Frostpunk |
| ACE Team | Santiago | Santiago | Chile | Zeno Clash
Rock of Ages |
| Akupara Games | Los Angeles | California | United States | Whispering WillowsSlay the Dance Floor |
| Alec Holowka | Winnipeg | Manitoba | Canada | Crayon Physics Deluxe
I'm O.K – A Murder Simulator
Aquaria
Night in the Woods |
| Alientrap | Saskatoon | Saskatchewan | Canada | Capsized
Apotheon |
| Amanita Design[1] | Brno | Czech Republic | Samorost series
Machinarium
Botanicula |
| Ambrosia Software | Rochester | New York | United States | Escape Velocity series |
| Amplitude Studios | Paris | Île-de-France | France | Endless Space
Endless Legend
Dungeon of the Endless |
| AmnesiaGames | Santiago de Chile | Chile |
| Ankama Games | Roubaix | France | Dofus | Denton Designs |
| Anna Anthropy | Oakland | California | United States | Dys4ia
Mighty Jill Off |
| Arcane Kids | Los Angeles | California | United States | Bubsy Visits the James Turrell RetrospectiveSonic Dreams Collection |
| Arrowhead Game Studios | Stockholm | Sweden | MagickaHelldivers |
| Artix Entertainment | Land O' Lakes | Florida | United States | AdventureQuest
DragonFable
MechQuest
AdventureQuest Worlds
WarpForce
EpicDuel
HeroSmash |
| Aventurine SA | Athens | Greece | Darkfall Online |
| Babaroga | Chicago | Illinois | United States | Spore Origins
Zombies!!! |
| Basilisk Games | Indianapolis | Indiana | United States | Eschalon series |
| The Behemoth[1] | San Diego | California | United States | Alien Hominid
Castle Crashers
BattleBlock Theater
Pit People |
| Benjamin Rivers | Toronto | Ontario | Canada |
| Big Finish Games | Salt Lake City | Utah | United States | Three Cards to Midnight |
| Blitz Games Studios | Warwickshire | United Kingdom (England) | Powerup Forever
Droplitz
The Legend of Han Tao |
| Blue Fang Games | Waltham | Massachusetts | United States | Zoo Tycoon series |
| Bohemia Interactive Studio | Prague | Czech Republic | Cold War Crisis
Armed Assault
Take On Mars
DayZ |
| Boomzap Entertainment | Singapore | Singapore |
| Bubble Gum Interactive | Sydney | Australia | Little Space Heroes |
| Capybara Games[1][4] | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | Sword & Sworcery EP
Critter Crunch
Clash of Heroes
Super Time Force |
| Cellar Door Games | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | Rogue Legacy |
| CBE Software | Brno | Czech Republic | J.U.L.I.A.
J.U.L.I.A. Among the Stars |
| CCP Games | Reykjavík | Iceland | Eve Online |
| The Chinese Room[4] | Brighton | United Kingdom (England) | Dear Esther
A Machine for Pigs |
| Choice Provisions | Santa Cruz | California | United States | Bit.Trip series | Formerly Gaijin Games |
| Christine Love | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | A Love Story
don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story
A Hate Story |
| Christopher Howard Wolf | Rocky Point | North Carolina | United States | DragonSpires
I'm O.K – A Murder Simulator' |
| Chronic Logic | Santa Cruz | California | United States | Bridge Builder
Gish |
| Cinemax | Prague | Czech Republic | Contest of Heroes
Crazy Adventures
Inquisitor |
| ClockStone | Innsbruck | Tyrol | Austria | Rise of the Mage |
| Cloud Imperium Games | Los Angeles | California | United States | Star Citizen |
| Coffee Stain Studios | Skövde | Sweden | Goat Simulator
Sanctum series |
| Colossal Order | Tampere | Finland | Skylines |
| Comcept | Tokyo and Osaka | Japan | Mighty No. 9 | Founded by Keiji Inafune |
| Compulsion Games | Montreal | Quebec | Canada | ContrastWe Happy Few |
| Craneballs Studio | Ostrava | Czech Republic | Planet Nomads |
| Croteam | Zagreb | Croatia | Football Glory
Serious Sam seriesThe Talos Principle |
| Crytek Black Sea | Sofia | Bulgaria | Knights of Honor
WorldShift | Formerly Black Sea Studios |
| Curve Digital | London | United Kingdom (England) | Fluidity series Stealth Inc. series |
| Cypronia | Michalovce | Slovakia | State of War | Formerly Cypron Studios |
| Daedalic Entertainment | Hamburg | Germany | Edna & Harvey series
The Whispered World
Deponia series
The Dark Eye series
The Night of the Rabbit |
| Datcroft Games | London | England | United Kingdom | Fragoria |
| Daniel Benmergui[4] | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Today I Die
I Wish I Were The Moon |
| Davilex Games[4] | Houten | Utrecht | Netherlands | A2 Racer |
| Dejobaan Games[1] | Boston | Massachusetts | United States | AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity
The Wonderful End of the World |
| Dennaton Games | Sweden | Hotline Miami
Wrong Number |
| Derek Smart | Fort Lauderdale | Florida | United States | Battlecruiser 3000AD
Universal Combat |
| Derek Yu[4] | Pasadena | California | United States | I'm O.K – A Murder Simulator
Aquaria
Spelunky
Eternal Daughter |
| Digital Eel | Seattle | Washington | United States | Return to Infinite Space
Strange Adventures In Infinite Space |
| Digital Happiness | Bandung | West Java | Indonesia | Dreadout |
| Double Fine Productions[10] | San Francisco | California | United States | Broken Age
Brütal Legend
Costume Quest
Double Fine Happy Action Theater
Psychonauts
StackingHeadlander |
| Dreadlocks Ltd | Prague | Czech Republic | Rune Legend
Dex |
| DrinkBox Studios | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack
Guacamelee!
Severed |
| Dr. Panda[1] | Chengdu | China |
| Edmund McMillen[4] | Santa Cruz | California | United States | Gish
Super Meat Boy
Aether
Spewer
The Binding of Isaac
Rebirth |
| Elixir Studios | London | England | United Kingdom | The Revolution
Evil Genius |
| Eurocom | Derby | United Kingdom | Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy
Batman Begins
At World's End
The Official Videogame of the Winter Olympic Games
GoldenEye 007 |
| Evony, LLC | Guangzhou | China | Evony: Age I |
| Facepunch Studios | Walsall | United Kingdom (England) | Garry's Mod
Rust |
| Firefly Studios | London | United Kingdom (England) | Stronghold
Stronghold 2
Space Colony
Stronghold 3
Dungeon Hero
Rome
Stronghold Kingdoms |
| Flying Wild Hog | Warsaw | Poland | Hard Reset Shadow Warrior series |
| Freebird Games | Markham | Ontario | Canada | To the Moon |
| Frictional Games | Helsingborg | Sweden | Penumbra series
The Dark DescentSOMA |
| Frima | Quebec City | Quebec | Canada | Chariot
Zombie Tycoon |
| Frogwares | Kiev | Ukraine | Journey to the Center of the Earth
Secret of the Silver Earring
The Awakened
Origin |
| Frontier Developments | Cambridge | United Kingdom (England) | Elite II
LostWinds
Winter of the Melodias |
| The Fullbright Company[4] | Portland | Oregon | United States | Gone Home |
| Games Distillery | Bratislava | Bratislava Region | Slovakia | Aqua |
| GarageGames | Eugene | Oregon | United States | Marble Blast Ultra |
| Gogii Games | Moncton | New Brunswick | Canada |
| Grip Digital | Prague | Czech Republic | Atomic Ninjas
The Solus Project |
| Guild Software | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | United States | Vendetta Online |
| Haemimont Games | Sofia | Bulgaria | Tropico 3
Burden of the Crown |
| Halfbrick Studios | Brisbane | Queensland | Australia | Fruit NinjaJetpack Joyride |
| Hanako Games | United Kingdom | Cute Knight
Fatal Hearts |
| Hello Games[1] | Guildford | England | United Kingdom | Joe Danger seriesNo Man's Sky |
| Hexage | Mníšek pod Brdy | Czech Republic | Tale of a Pale Swordsman
Redcon |
| Hidden Path Entertainment | Bellevue | Washington | United States | The AwakeningDefense Grid 2 |
| Himalaya Studios | Chandler | Arizona | United States | Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine |
| Hoplon Infotainment | Florianópolis | Florianópolis | Brazil | Heavy Metal Machines | Developer and Publisher |
| Ice-Pick Lodge | Moscow | Russia | Pathologic
The Void |
| Image & Form | Gothenburg | Sweden | SteamWorld series |
| Inti Creates | Ichikawa, Chiba | Japan | Mega Man Zero series
Mega Man ZX series
Gal Gun series
Azure Striker Gunvolt series
Blaster Master Zero | Developer/Publisher, formed by ex-Capcom staff |
| Introversion Software | United Kingdom | Uplink
Darwinia
DEFCON
Subversion (development has stopped temporarily)
Multiwinia
Prison Architect |
| Invictus Games | Debrecen | Hungary | Project Torque |
| Jagex | Cambridge | England | United Kingdom | RuneScape
Ace of Spades |
| Jason Rohrer[1] | Potsdam | New York | United States | Passage
Gravitation
Between |
| Jonas Kyratzes | Wiesbaden | Germany | The Museum of Broken Memories |
| Jonatan "Cactus" Söderström[1] | Gothenburg | Sweden | Clean Asia! |
| Jph Wacheski | Ottawa | Ontario | Canada |
| KatGames | Zaragoza | Spain | Mortimer and the Enchanted Castle
Zulu Gems |
| Keen Software House | Prague | Czech Republic | Miner Wars 2081
Space Engineers |
| Klei Entertainment[1] | Vancouver | British Columbia | Canada | Eets
Shank
Shank 2
Mark of the Ninja
Don't Starve
Invisible, Inc. |
| Kloonigames[1] | Finland | Crayon Physics Deluxe |
| Kunos Simulazioni | Vallelunga Circuit | Latium | Italy | Assetto Corsa
Ferrari Virtual Academy
netKar Pro |
| Kiro'o Games | Yaounde | Cameroon | Legacy of the Kori-Odan |
|
| Laminar Research | Columbia | South Carolina | United States | X-Plane |
| Larian Studios | Ghent | Belgium | Original SinOriginal Sin II |
| Lazy 8 Studios | San Francisco | California | United States | Cogs
BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution |
| Lindsay Grace | Washington, DC | District of Columbia | United States | Big Huggin' |
| Little Green Men Games | Zagreb | Croatia | Starpoint Gemini
Starpoint Gemini 2 |
| Llamasoft | United Kingdom | Polybius (2017 video game)
Space Giraffe
Gridrunner Revolution |
| Madfinger Games | Brno | Czech Republic | Shadowgun
Dead Trigger |
| Metanet Software[1] | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | N
N+
Robotology |
| Messhof | Los Angeles | California | United States | Nidhogg |
| MidBoss | San Francisco | California | United States | Read Only Memories |
| Mighty Rabbit Studios | Cary | North Carolina | United States | Saturday Morning RPG
Breach & Clear
Deadline |
| Mojang | Stockholm | Sweden | Minecraft
Cobalt
Scrolls |
| Molleindustria | Turin | Italy | Faith Fighter
Phone Story |
| Moon Studios | Vienna | Austria | Ori and the Blind Forest |
| NeocoreGames | Budapest | Hungary | The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing |
| New Star Games | United Kingdom | New Star Soccer |
| Nicalis | Santa Ana | California | United States | NightSky
Cave Story
VVVVVV
1001 Spikes
Rebirth |
| Nifflas | Umeå | Sweden | Knytt
Knytt Stories
Within a Deep Forest |
| Nival Interactive | Moscow | Russia | Blitzkrieg
Silent Storm |
| Number None | California | United States | Braid
The Witness |
| The Odd Gentlemen[1] | California | United States | The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom |
| Owlchemy Labs | Boston | Massachusetts | United States | Snuggle Truck
AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! |
| Parallax Studio | Nixa | Missouri | United States | The Interactive Movie |
| PixelJAM Games | United States | Dino Run |
| Playdead[1] | Copenhagen | Denmark | Limbo
Inside |
| Polytron Corporation[1] | Montreal | Canada | Fez |
| Puppy Games | Notting Hill | United Kingdom (England) | Revenge of the Titans
Droid Assault |
| Positech Games | United Kingdom | Democracy
Gratuitous Space Battles |
| Private Moon Studios | Hungary | AGON series
Yoomurjak's Ring |
| Provox Games | Zagreb | Croatia | Rogue Universe |
| Psyonix Studios | San Diego | California | United States | Rocket League
Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars
ARC Squadron |
| Punch Entertainment | Palo Alto | California | United States |
| Q-Games | Kyoto | Japan | Star Fox Command
PixelJunk series |
| Rake In Grass | Prague | Czech Republic | Jets 'n' Guns
Larva Mortus |
| Red Thread Games | Oslo | Norway | Dreamfall Chapters |
| Renegade Kid | Austin | Texas | United States | Mutant Mudds |
| Daniel Remar | Sweden | Iji |
| Relentless Software | Brighton | United Kingdom | Buzz!
Blue Toad Murder Files |
| Renegade Kid | Austin | Texas | United States | The Ward
Moon
Dementium II |
| Roll7 | London | United Kingdom (England) | OlliOlliWelcome to OlliwoodNot a Hero |
| Ronimo Games[1] | Utrecht | Netherlands | de Blob
Swords & Soldiers
Awesomenauts |
| Rovio Entertainment | Espoo | Finland | Angry Birds |
| S2 Games | Rohnert Park | California | United States | The Battle for Newerth
A Tortured Soul
Heroes of Newerth |
| Saber Interactive | Millburn | New Jersey | United States | Will Rock
TimeShift |
| Sandlot Games | Bothell | Washington | United States | Cake Mania |
| Santa Cruz Games | Santa Cruz | California | United States | Underworld
Double Smash |
| Schell Games | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | United States | I Expect You To Die | Developer and Publisher |
| Scott Cawthon | Salado | Texas | United States | Five Nights at Freddy's series |
| Semi Secret Software[1] | Austin | Texas | United States | Canabalt |
| Sidhe | Wellington | New Zealand | GripShift
Shatter
Rugby Challenge series
Rugby League series (2003-2010) |
| Simogo | Malmö | Sweden | Device 6
Year Walk
Beat Sneak Bandit
Bumpy Road |
| Silver Creek Entertainment | Grants Pass | Oregon | United States | Soltrio Solitaire |
| Ska Studios | Marcy | New York | United States | Survival Crisis Z
Dead Samurai
I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1NIT!!!1
Vampire Smile
Charlie Murder
Salt and Sanctuary |
| Skygoblin | Gothenburg | Sweden | The Journey Down |
| Soldak Entertainment | Dallas | Texas | United States | Depths of Peril
Kivi's Underworld
Din's Curse |
| Spiderweb Software | Seattle | Washington | United States | Exile series
Avernum series
Geneforge series
Nethergate |
| Splash Damage | London | United Kingdom (England) | Enemy Territory
Quake Wars |
| Squad | Mexico City | Mexico | Kerbal Space Program |
| Stardock | Plymouth | Michigan | United States | Galactic Civilizations series
Elemental series
The Political Machine series |
| Storm Impact | Glenview | Illinois | United States | TaskMaker |
| Studio Pixel | Japan | Cave Story
Ikachan
Kero Blaster |
| Subatomic Studios | Boston | Massachusetts | United States | Fieldrunners |
| Supergiant Games | San Jose | California | United States | Bastion
Transistor
Pyre |
| SuperVillain Studios | Santa Ana | California | United States | Throne of Agony
Order Up! |
|
| Tarsier Studios | Malmö | Sweden | Little Nightmares |
| Tale of Tales | Ghent | Belgium | The Endless Forest
The Graveyard
The Path |
| TaleWorlds | Ankara | Turkey | Mount&Blade
Warband
With Fire & Sword |
|
| Team Shanghai Alice | Ebina | Kanagawa | Japan | Touhou Project |
| Telltale Games | San Rafael | California | United States | Sam & Max episodic seriesThe Walking Dead series
Tales from the Borderlands
The Wolf Among Us
Game of ThronesStory Mode |
| Terry Cavanagh | London | United Kingdom (England) | VVVVV
Super Hexagon |
| thatgamecompany[1] | Los Angeles | California | United States | flOw
Cloud
Flower
Journey |
| Three Rings Design | San Francisco | California | United States | Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates
Bang! Howdy
Whirled |
| Tiger Style[4] | Austin | Texas | United States | Waking Mars
The Secret of Bryce Manor
Rite of the Shrouded Moon |
| tinyBuild | Bothell | Washington | United States | No Time to Explain | Since 2016 only active as a publisher |
| Terri Vellmann | Brazil | Heavy Bullets |
| Toby Fox | Boston | Massachusetts | United States | Undertale
Deltarune |
| Torpex Games | Bellevue | Washington | United States | Schizoid |
| Tomorrow Corporation | United States | Little Inferno
World of Goo |
| Trendy Entertainment | Gainesville | Florida | United States | Dungeon Defenders |
| Tribute Games | Montreal | Quebec | Canada | Wizorb
Mercenary Kings
Curses 'N Chaos |
| Trickster Arts | Brno | Czech Republic | Hero of Many
Hackers |
| Twisted Pixel[1] | Austin | Texas | United States | The Maw
'Splosion Man
Ms. Splosion Man |
| Uber Entertainment | Kirkland | Washington | United States | Planetary Annihilation
Monday Night Combat
Super Monday Night Combat |
| Vectorpark | Brooklyn | New York | United States | Windosill
Metamorphabet |
| Vlambeer[4] | Utrecht | Netherlands | Super Crate Box
The Random Encounter
Luftrausers
Nuclear Throne |
| VoxelStorm | Manchester | United Kingdom | GolfXTRM
Fractyr
AdvertCity |
| Wadjet Eye Games | New York City | New York | United States | The Shivah
Blackwell series
Gemini Rue
Shardlight |
| WayForward Technologies, Inc. | Valencia | California | United States | Shantae series
Contra 4
A Boy and His Blob
Mighty Switch Force series
Double Dragon Neon
DuckTales Remastered |
| Wolfire Games | Berkeley | California | United States | Black Shades
Lugaru: The Rabbit's Foot
Overgrowth |
| Xona Games[29] | Yarmouth | Nova Scotia | Canada | Score Rush |
| XMG Studio | Toronto | Ontario | Canada |
| Yacht Club Games | Valencia, California | California | United States | Shovel Knight | Founded by former Wayforward director Sean Velasco |
| Young Horses | Chicago | Illinois | United States | OctodadDadliest Catch |
| Zachary Barth | Seattle | Washington | United States | Infiniminer
SpaceChem |
| Zoë Quinn | Boston | Massachusetts | United States | Depression Quest |
| Zoetrope Interactive | Istanbul | Turkey | Darkness Within
The Dark Lineage |
| Zoink | Gothenburg | Sweden | PlayStation All-Stars Island
The Kore Gang |
| Zoonami | Cambridge | England | United Kingdom | Zendoku
Bonsai Barber |
| ZootFly | Ljubljana | Slovenia | First Battalion |
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