Free Indie Games

Free indie games for Windows. Free indie games for Macs. Admins: Ren, Dylan

[tenaflyviper]

Over 140 Freeware Indie Horror Games, and Creepy Interactive Sites

Looking for a good scare, but don’t have the funds to spend on the latest PC or console splatterfest?  Help yourself to this generous list of 100% FREE horror games to spook yourself silly (please note–these games are not listed in any particular order, and your mileage may vary when it comes to how entertaining you find them).  This list also includes a few creepy interactive websites for added amusement.

WARNING:  Some of these games/sites contain jump scares (I will try to tag as many as I can that contain startling moments–sorry if I miss any!), flashing lights, loud noises/music, blood and gore, and other mature content (on the flip side, many of the games containing a few jump scares aren’t entirely reliant on them, so don’t immediately disregard all games featuring these warnings, either.  Said warnings are there to protect those with legitimate conditions that may be put in physical distress from such material).  In any case, PLAYER DISCRETION IS ADVISED (and don’t be afraid to look up further info before jumping into a game).

Insanidade  (jumpscare warning!  However, the majority of the game relies on atmosphere, so don’t let this put you off too much.  This one’s a gem)

One Late Night  (jumpscare warning!)

Pesadelo  (jumpscare warning!)

Candles

Yume Nikki

Cry of Fear

Slender: The Eight Pages  (loud noise and jumpscare warning!)

Slender’s Woods

Haunt  (jumpscare warning!)

Rec: Shutter  (jumpscare warning!)

I’m Scared: A Pixelated Nightmare  (jumpscare warning!)

Eyes  (jumpscare warning!)

Erie  (jumpscare warning!)

Soundless Mountain 2 (a Silent Hill 2 retro remake)

White Day: A Labyrinth Named School (while not originally intended to be freeware, it is classified as abandonware, and is now free to play.  Please note–it may be difficult to install/run) (jumpscare warning!)

7 Days

1916: Der Unbekannte Krieg

Baby Blues

Evil  (jumpscare warning!)

Kuro Oni  (jumpscare warning!)

Ao Oni  (jumpscare warning!)

The Devil’s Tuning Fork

The Witch’s House  (jumpscare warning!)

The Corridor

The White Chamber

Free Ice Cream

Power Drill Massacre  (jumpscare warning!)

Babysitter Bloodbath  (jumpscare warning!)

A Mother’s Inferno

Uncanny Valley

Forget Me Not Annie  (jumpscare warning!)

Homesick

Abby: Jurassic Dark

Dead Lab

ReLive

Ascension

The Briefcase

Inside

Which  (jumpscare warning!)

The Theater (based on the creepypasta–it is advised to read the story first):  Original version, Updated Version, and The Theater 2013 

Donald: A Horror Story

Stonewick Manor

Dreamwalker

Bunker16

UnExit

Grave Prosperity

Illusion: Ghost Killer

Silent Santiago

Inferos: A Thief’s Tale

Courage  (jumpscare warning!)

Courage 2: Alone and Lost  (jumpscare warning!)

White Finger  (jumpscare warning!)

Dream of the Blood Moon

SlendyTubbies

No Escape

Lea

Colina

The Following

Alone in Space

Stalked

I See You

Bunny Man: Lost Souls

Resolute Dark

The Last Door

Infantata  (jumpscare warning!)

Cold Fusion

Forest II  (jumpscare warning!)

Nox Timore  (jumpscare warning!)

Calm Time

The Groundskeeper

The Midnight Game

Within Deep Sorrows

Phobia  (jumpscare warning!)

Haunted Manor

Delirious

Euthanasia

Masochisia

Ib

Penumbra

Forgotten

Coulrophobia  (jumpscare warning!  Also, obviously avoid this if you have coulrophobia, as this game literally exists because the creator wanted to troll a friend)

Purgatory

Heritage

Deep Sleep

Deeper Sleep

The Deepest Sleep

Hide

Project Scared

Ildefonse

Where Am I?

Mental

Fingerbones

Left Alone

Don’t Escape

Hidden in the Shadows 2

Lake Queen

Avian

Misao

Mad Father

Comatose

Schuld

Hylophobia  (jumpscare warning!)

Noxious

Midnight Library

The Crooked Man

Creepy Zone

Lasting

Grey (as it is a mod, this game requires Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode 2, but is still worth mentioning here for those that qualify)  (jumpscare warning!)

Derelict

Storm Child

Lurking

Hotel Remorse

Imbalance

The Tender Cut

SCP Containment Breach  (jumpscare warning!)

SCP-432

SCP-087

SCP-087-B  (jumpscare warning!)

Stairs

Blackwell’s Asylum (aka Blackwell)

Dead Wake

The Room

The Rake: Hostel

Life After Us: The System

It Moves

Home From Work

Home From Work 2

Home From Work 3

Bewilder House  (jumpscare warning!  Also avoid if you have coulrophobia)

Toward the Light

The Unknown

The Yore

The Suffering

Vanish

Dark Ocean

Kraven Manor

Don’t Look Now

Mermaid Swamp

Dreaming Mary  (serious developer warning about content–not for the faint of heart)

Luna Game (Yes, I am including this one, because I goddamn feel like it.  Also, I feel that it’s noteworthy due to its notoriety.  If you don’t know what it is, you may want to read about it first.  The link to read about it also contains links to the game’s numerous sequels) (jumpscare warning!)

Sad Satan (CLEAN VERSION.  This contains no viruses, and no illegal content.  This is NOT the game played by Obscure Horror Corner–that version is not available anywhere, and was likely created by OHC himself.  There is almost certainly no such thing as the “real” Sad Satan.  See info and links regarding this here)

Hotel 626 (I WISH I could give you a legitimate, working link to this game, but I still felt it was worth mentioning here, and I recommend watching any playthrough videos you can find for it.  The game itself was wiped off the face of the internet, so you’re not likely to find it to play anywhere.  If you DO somehow find it–which is doubtful–you play at your own risk)

The Outbreak

The House  (jumpscare warning)

The House 2 (jumpscare warning)

99 Rooms

Nails

Exmortis

The Well

Purgatorium

Abracadabra

White Enamel

What Happened to Sarah?

Superbad.com (Click all over the place.  It’s just very strange)

Anasomnia (incorporates your webcam, if you have one)

Staggering Beauty (MAJOR SEIZURE WARNING.  Do NOT click if you are at all bothered by flashing lights and colors.  I’m not entirely sure why I’m putting this one here, but feel free to use it to startle the ever-lovin’ fuck out of your unsuspecting friends and family) (jumpscare warning!)

I’m sure I may have forgotten a few great games or sites, so feel free to add to this list.

Enjoy!

[free-indie-games]

Homogeneity and John Blow

          You know what I hate? Homogeneity. I’ve been perusing the internet for the past couple weeks and every “serious” talk about games I come across, I see people decry certain games for being “clunky” or “awkward”. I mean, sure, most games shouldn’t be unnecessarily confusing to interact with, but this almost fetishization of streamlined controls and elegance leads to a game scene where a game is differentiated by solely its graphics.

          It brings me to think of Johnathan Blow (he designed Braid and that other game that’s coming out The Witness), I do think he is a very important game designer, but his theories on game design are taken as holy by most people. In part of Blow’s theories, a game needs to be this perfect world, devoid of any sharp corners that the participant might be able to become sour on. Now, this is not to say a game should not be a blissful fantasy land, if that’s the designers intent, let it be so, but real life does not necessarily have bumpers. You can hurt yourself in real life, existence can be pretty cruel, it is everything after all. I see “serious gamers” (I hate that term “gamer” and all it’s associated with, but I’m using it for now for the sake of conciseness) opinions and all I can see is stagnation. It’s an opinion that, if held as it is currently, will eventually rust the door shut on any new or interesting ideas coming into the medium. What will result would be a messy gray blob of nothingness called video games, games will all want to achieve perfect fluidity in this almost Darwinian world of the fittest game(s) surviving. I want to be able to play a game and feel like I’m interacting with something, not some “3rd person open world action game with light crafting elements” that came right off the assembly line. I want to feel like a human being put thought into the interaction of a game, and made sure the interaction makes sense within the thematic context of the game. A game can be “confusing” or “awkward” or “evil” or any sort of mood or feeling, it is a reflection of the designers experience/shared experience.

          I came across “Problem Attic” (free game, btw) which was (very) basically created as the antithesis of “Braid” and got some inspiration from that to start writing these opinions down. At its essence, the game is about being trapped, I see it as sort of an exploration of the creators mind and life during her development. The harsh glitchscapes and primitive control of the game bring to the forefront an atmosphere of actual unwelcoming and actual isolation, something games have a hard time doing a lot.

(More coming soon... Maybe, this is more of a stream of consciousness above anything else)

[free-indie-games]

Hey, sorry again guys. I’m gonna try something... I want to talk about games, so I’m going to post opinions I have randomly. I feel like, if you’re following this blog, you have some sort of respect towards games as an artistic medium. I’m going to talk about games in that context as well.

[free-indie-games]

Will You Ever Return -- A stupid/smart journey through hell by Jack King-Spooner (Jack Spinoza)

Some thug killed you and you went to hell..

He was a good straight boy to begin with, but there was bad blood in him. Somehow, somewhere he got into the dark deeds that lead straight to Devil's work, just like marijuana leads to heroin; you think you can take them dark deeds and leave 'em, do you? Just save a few for your bad days? Well, now, we all have those bad days when you can't think for shit. 

So, I liked this game. Where it most definitely had left gaping cavities , from an artistic perspective, this game actually said something. The game had a brain, a sort of personality to it that conversed with me as I traveled through its innards. Which makes me really yearning for more in terms of the interactivity of it. I felt the “game play” was pretty meaningless, the puzzles not being puzzles so much as barriers keeping you from the conclusion. Communication isn’t words, it’s ideas. With a puzzle, for instance, the artist can create a sort of mind vacuum for the audience. The artist can then insert any manner of thoughts into their mind, whether it be via the solution to solving the puzzle or the outcome of their action.

Anyways, this doesn’t really have to do with the game itself, or the blog for that matter... I just feel I should spread the word, and I don’t want to see an artist just roll over on their backs because of the capriciousness of life. Jack Spinoza (the dude who made this game) is looking for support right now to finance further creative endeavors, as his computer “gave up” (their words). If you want to help them or something along those lines, hop on over here to buy some of his works.

<< Download >> (Jack’s other [free] works)

[free-indie-games]

Hi indie crew, it might seem like I abandoned the blog (again) but rest assured posts will return next week! I've been out of state and haven't had access to a pc sadly. Just thought I'd keep you all updated

[free-indie-games]

Goblet Grotto -- A nonsensical adventure by Harmony Zone

Obtain goblets as a frog...

Millionaire coolgame franchise and mystery pak founded by thecatamites & kat lake for benefit of everybody with the wonderful music by NEW VADERS and over 2000 hours of cave-based gameplay is available to play now and have all good times. Available for Win. Available for Mac. Available for Dendy. I'll see you... on floor 63.... 

I’m a little torn on this one, mostly because of how pretentious it feels. I mean, I appreciate that it has its own style and embraces its archaic nature, and it’s totally a game I would make, but it oozes that whole ironic feeling made famous by cool “disillusioned” teens. It might be telling a message, but it might be telling it ironically and not actually mean anything. But then, you see, that action itself is telling, a statement on art and expression through the medium (perhaps?). Maybe I’m looking way too into this, maybe the game is just what is presented? Well, I’m not really sure...

<< Download >> (Harmony Zone)

[free-indie-games]

Bird Song -- A short exploration platformer by Daniel Linssen.

You play as a bird ready to leave its nest...

The whole wide world sprawls out before you (conveniently squeezed into just one screen), waiting to be explored. Can you learn to fly?

<< Download >> (and check out their other *free* games!)

[free-indie-games]

Ok, I’m Going to Try Something

I’m going to try to make this blog an actual thing... For real this time! I’m going to be posting game thoughts (recommendations, criticisms, opinions, etc.) mostly pertaining to indie games (in there is where most of my opinion is, tbh). Um, ya, let’s see if this actually works this time!

--Dylan

[free-indie-games]

Hi Guys!

I'm the new admin, Dylan! As a hopeful game developer myself, games are pretty much what drives my life. They're beautiful, simply put (I'll leave it at that, I can go on for days about games!). We're currently working on cleaning the entire blog; going through the current archive and cleaning it out, you know, that sort of stuff. Also, I'm currently working on whipping up a nice new theme for the blog. We have some big plans for the future though, and I can't wait to make this blog something great!

--Admin Dylan

[free-indie-games]

House Keeping

A new admin has been found! Admin Dylan will be joining me to completely revamp this blog in the coming weeks.

Changes are coming. Some posts will be vanishing. Answered asks are either going to be deleted or hidden. Asks and submissions are going to be closed. The inbox is going to be cleaned out. Reblogs are going to be hidden. A lot will be going, but it's for the best. A new theme is coming soon, as well as new content and a new tagging system.

More announcements will be made as asks and submissions reopen. If you have submitted previously, you are free to resubmit for publication.

Thank you for your cooperation and sorry for any inconvenience! -Admin Ren

[free-indie-games]

Game of the Day: Imscared - a pixelated nightmare (by Ivan Zanotti) 

"I need a Heart in order to open it"

There isn't much to preface this game without ruining the fun of it. It's a neat, scary little game. Play at your own risk...

<< download >>

[free-indie-games]

Game of the Day: Ib (by kouri)

"A young girl named Ib visits an art gallery with her parents.

While observing the many exhibits, she suddenly realizes she is alone.

And in her search for others, she finds things awry in the gallery..." - vgperson.com

Following yesterday's spotlight on Mad Father, here's Ib, another little horror game.

<< Download >>

[free-indie-games]

Game of the Day: Mad Father (by Sen)

"Aya Drevis is a young girl who lives in northern Germany.

Since her mother's passing, she's felt lonely living with just her father and his assistant Maria.

What's more, she knows her father's secret..." - vgperson.com

This little horror game has a fairly sized following, including plenty of fanart. It's definitely an essential.

<< Download >>

[free-indie-games]

Game of the Day: Spelunky

"Spelunky is a cave exploration / treasure-hunting game inspired by classic platform games and roguelikes, where the goal is to grab as much treasure from the cave as possible. Every time you play the cave's layout will be different. Use your wits, your reflexes, and the items available to you to survive and go ever deeper! Perhaps at the end you may find what you're looking for...

Don't be afraid to die! But also don't be afraid to live! Happy Spelunky-ing!" - spelunkyworld.com

Spelunky is a randomly generated action adventure game from Derek Yu. You play as a cave explorer (a spelunker), searching out treasure, beating baddies, and even rescuing damsels in distress. It's challenging but incredibly fun. A new HD version of the game was released a few years ago, but that's available at a price ($15.) The original version is perfectly free.

Download the Original || Play the Original Online

[free-indie-games]

Game of the Day: Abandoned (by JaJ)

"Abandoned is an adventuregame about abandonment and loneliness. The player controls the result of a failed genetical experient that tries to find the exit to the lab it was born in. But all rooms are similar, and there is nobody around to help him out." - jajaben.com

Another challenging but incredibly rewarding game. Zoom around as a little failed experiment and try to figure out what's going on. It isn't easy. (An admin favorite)

<< Download >>

[free-indie-games]

GAME SPOTLIGHT: Pokemon FanGames

Pokemon Hunter | Pokemon Survival Island | Pokemon Island

Growing up, Pokemon was my favorite video game series (next to Myst, but that's another discussion.)

This spotlight is dedicated to unusual Pokemon Fan Games, specifically ones that strayed from the usual Pokemon themes and plotlines. In anticipation of this spotlight, I've played: an RPG with Pokemon enemies, a MineCraft inspired survival story, and a gym-free challenge.

I've reviewed each (briefly) under the cut (Spoilers ahead; reader beware.) and I had a great time doing it! Feel free to have a go at each of these games and let me know what you think.

How These Reviews Worked: I played each of these games for about half an hour to 45 minutes, depending on how involved I got. I tried to keep the  reviews to these time limits to capture my initial thoughts on each. These reviews can be considered incomplete for how little of the game I actually got to see, but if you read on you can tell how they are pretty much indicative of how much further I would've played anyway. - Ren

Disclaimer: I can't write much about plots since I didn't see through to the end of any of the three games (yet, at least.) So if anyone feels that plot is what really makes any of these games, please feel free to message me about that.

Pokemon Hunter (1) by halibabica

First Impressions: The whole 'just an RPG with Pokemon instead of monsters' scheme drew me in. I was interested to see how the game would play out like that, and even though I haven't ever been an enormous RPG player, I thought I'd give it a shot.

Getting Into It: The first thing I noticed was the difficult-to-read font. Then I noticed the game's graphics and was a little bit disappointed to see that they weren't far from just standard RPG Maker sprites and landscapes. Even the music was plain, and it was overall a little cheesy. The plot was simple, and the battles weren't particularly challenging. However the enemy Pokemon evolving mid-battle caught my attention and I thought that was a neat little feature. The dungeon I was in was multi-leveled and diverse, but even still it wasn't outstanding.

Final Thoughts: All in all, from what I saw of it, it was a pretty okay RPG, just with Pokemon in it. I died in battle, hit a Game Over, and had no desire to pick it back up again. The only thing that stirred my curiosity was what Pokemon might have been as dungeon boss. There are two (three?) sequels to this game, apparently heavily based on this first one.

Pokemon Survival Island by ferriswheel42

First Impressions: This game initially appealed to me as it was appeared to be/was described as a sort of MineCraft-y, survival, exploration, mystery type of thing. I was really interested to know how these sort of elements came together, and the synopsis given on its IndieDB page really pushed me to playing it.

Getting Into It: I was really charmed by the graphics, being taken from the commercial Pokemon games. I was concerned a little about the 'gather and craft' bits which is where the Minecraft inspiration was, but you're given a good deal of what you need to begin. I loved being able to pick my starter at first, but then I realized it was going to be one of the biggest issues for me with this game. You really do need a good starter. The battles were a big challenge in that respect - completely random, you're not told the opponents levels, and it didn't seem that types were confined to their areas (finding a sand pokemon in a grass area, for example.) More than once I got stuck in a battle that was literally impossible for either party to get through and had to quit out. However, the consequences of losing a battle were charmingly (at least to me) sinister.

Final Thoughts: I was incredibly frustrated by this game, by trying to raise my team, and by getting stuck in battles. I think this is mostly my issue though. There is so much to this game, it looks so promising, and there is so much I have left untouched that I am undoubtedly going to play into this game more. I want to see the plot. Hopefully with a little forethought and less stress on my team, I'll be able to get to it! I've also already recommended this to several of my friends, especially because of the hilarious struggles I sometimes found myself in.

Pokemon Island by FL

First Impressions: This game is not to be confused with Survival Island. It's a completely different game altogether! I think I was drawn in by the long list of features for this game as well as the long list of locations within the city to visit (and unlock.) Other than that I don't really know what else I was thinking when I started this game.

Getting Into It: Again I adored the commercial game graphics. The city you play in is big and was fun to explore, though a little disheartening to see how much was initially unavailable to interact with (there was a lot of 'you must be level xxx to xxx'.) The game was initially written in Portuguese so the grammar is a little stumbly, and there are one or two portions that were never translated, but they're not pertinent to the game. The whole idea of the game is kind of an interesting one (I know I said that about Hunter, but I mean this a little more genuinely.) There's no gyms or elite fours. Rather you have an arena, a coliseum,  and the teleport station which brings you to the wild Pokemon sites. There's a level system which as mentioned unlocks different features for you, including Pokemon which you can purchase. (You can still catch them too though. Don't worry.) It wasn't challenging to start but I don't think any of the Pokemon games are.

Final Thoughts: It's another game chock full of neat features. It's an interesting twist, definitely good for gamers who are into the whole team building, leveling up aspect of Pokemon. However I could see it getting a little bit repetitive. I'm undecided whether or not I would play further into it. I also felt I was missing out on the overall point of the game (though writing this review has helped clear the air for myself a bit.) 

Alright guys, that's enough blabber from me. Go out and play these games! Or check out the countless other Pokemon fan games found in the 'Other Fan Games' section of the main game list. Have a good time! - Ren

(This spotlight is also dedicated to my lovely and supportive girlfriend. I don't know what I'd do without you, girlie.)

[free-indie-games]

ADMIN'S PICK: PenPals by maroonracoon 

"Penpals is a game about finding your mom, accompanied by your abusive friend called Pal. Roaming the towns called Onion Town, and Understanding. There are some ghosts." - maroonracoon

Unfortunately my screenshots do not do this little game justice. PenPals was one of the first games I played stepping into this indie game genre, and to this day it remains on of my favorites.

It's relatively short and a little weird, but the colors are beautiful and it's well worth a quick play through.

The ending of this game is also one of my favorites, but I can't tell you about it. It's something you'd have to experience for yourself. It may take you by surprise.

As far as I know this is a relatively well known game. But don't be fooled by the two star rating over on RMN. Give it a chance.

Grab the Download over here!