Photography adventures, chaotic sheepherding and other new indie games worth checking out

Plus, indie game Star Wars: Galactic Racer is an absolute blast.

No Brakes Games

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. As always, we're serving up some new games you can hop into this weekend, as well as some that are coming your way in the months ahead. First, though, a look at a terrific game you'll be able to play in just a few days.

It's a little strange to think of Star Wars: Galactic Racer as an indie title* given that it's based on one of the best-known entertainment properties on the planet. Still, publisher Secret Mode broke off from Sumo Group last year and developer Fuse Games is a new studio that includes former Burnout and Need for Speed developers.

The DNA of those franchises is all over this thrilling racing game. Fuse made smart use of the roguelite structure to avoid making the races too repetitive despite the game's limited scope — my only real complaint is that there aren't enough tracks and planets as it stands. Crash too often or fail to stay ahead of the pack in an eliminator race, and that could spell the end of your run.

I've enjoyed my time with Galactic Racer from the outset, though it took me a couple of runs to start properly understanding how to craft an effective build and really get the hang of managing the dual boosting system. Things really started clicking once I unlocked the speeder bike, as its tight cornering abilities fit my playstyle (there are podracers in the game, but those come into the mix later).

There's so much to like here. Fuse wove an effective, fittingly pulpy story into the campaign, which features random encounters with foes and potential allies. Parts of your ship can sustain damage that apply a negative effect that you won't be able to remove until you can get to a mechanic. There are hundreds of possible upgrades, so you'll have plenty of ways to modify your racing machine, which you can enhance with permanent stat upgrades between runs.

Most importantly, the races are an utter joy. From kicking up red minerals on Crait to make it harder for opponents behind you to see, to zooming through the skeletons of much larger ships on Jakku, the course design is spot on. You'll have to manage environmental effects like burning, which makes it harder use your boosts, and acid that temporarily corrupts your abilities. The crashes, of which you'll see many, are spectacular. Best of all, Fuse did a tremendous job of capturing the sense of speed. I don't think I've ever gripped my controller's R2 trigger more snugly.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is out on Steam (Windows), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on October 6 for $60. It might just be my game of the year so far, and that's before I've even had a chance to check out multiplayer races.

(*I spend a lot of time considering which games can be labeled as "indie" since it's such a nebulous term. The remaster of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that arrived this week fits the bill too!)

There's been a lot of news this week, so I'll quickly note a few items. One of them is that Sifu is coming to iOS and Android on October 12. It's always nice to see good games potentially reach more players by expanding to more platforms.

Coffee Stain held its first Big Break Showcase, which featured several game reveals and updates for existing titles. For instance, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor will hit PS5, Switch and Switch 2 on October 7. The first paid expansion for Satisfactory is on the way too. The Core Values DLC will add new biomes, creatures and buildings as it takes players underground.

I attempted, again 🌊#dressmaker pic.twitter.com/698CvzDVEK

— VIA (Commissions Open) (@Eviarnilla) September 30, 2026

Elsewhere, I've loved seeing all the incredible garments that Dressmaker players have been sharing. It's been really nice to see that game resonate so well and creative folks making such gorgeous dresses.

New indie game releases

Toem 2

Developer: Something We Made
Publishers: Something We Made, Popagenda
Platforms: Steam (Windows, Mac, SteamOS/Linux; Steam Deck Verified), PS5, Switch, Switch 2
Price: Usually $20, with a 15 percent discount until October 13 (PlayStation Plus required for the PS5 discount)

If you're looking for a game to relax into this weekend, Toem 2 might fit the bill. The sequel to 2021's Toem: A Photography Adventure puts an upgraded camera in your hands with some new attachments to help you solve its puzzles. There's a fresh cast of characters to meet and help out. As you complete quests, you'll fill a journal with stamps that act as both a reminder of your journey so far and a way to open up the next region.

There's some platforming here too — you'll make your way around the environments to find hidden paths and vantage points where you can take some great snaps. The first game is a real charmer, and the follow-up seems like another fine way to spend a few hours.

Tiny Flock

Developer/publisher: No Brakes Games
Platforms: Steam (VR only), Meta Quest
Price: Usually $19, with a 21 percent discount on Steam until October 13

The studio behind the enormously successful Human Fall Flat is back with more physics-based chaos, but Tiny Flock looks like a much cuter game. The aim here is to herd a small flock of sheep across diorama-style levels. You can move objects to form bridges and smash through environments to create new pathways, as you can interact with everything in the environment. The Meta Quest version has handtracking and passthrough support as well.

"After the success of Human Fall Flat, and some early VR experiments along the way, we wanted to set ourselves a new challenge, so we thought we'd try something that made use of all of our favorite features from VR, like tactile physics, two-handed interactivity and the interesting gameplay verbs you get to play around with in the space," Tomas Sakalauskas, the CEO and cofounder of No Brakes Games, said. "Selfishly, I also wanted to make a game my whole family could enjoy. My kid even designed a few puzzles and recorded some voice lines during prototyping." I love that Sakalauskas' child helped make the game. That's adorable.

Keep Driving

Developer: YCJY Games
Publishers: YCJY Games, Kepler Ghost
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Switch. Already available on Steam
Price: $18

This roadtrip RPG (or should that be caRPG?) met a very positive reception when it debuted on Steam last year, and now it's available on consoles. Mod support just went live in the Steam version too.

This is a management sim set in the early 2000s in which your character drives across the country to attend a festival. You'll have to overcome challenges, such as sheep blocking the road, using a spin on turn-based combat. Perhaps you'll pick up hitchhikers and work odd jobs on your journey. You can customize, repair and upgrade your vehicle too. There are multiple endings, and it's said to take between one and four hours to see each one.

I haven't played Keep Driving, but the vibes in the trailer are great. It's currently 30 percent off on Steam until October 8 as part of that storefront's big Autumn Sale.

Endless Rails

Developer: Studio Monoblok
Publishers: Studio Monoblok, Maple Whispering Limited
Platform: Steam (Windows; playable on Steam Deck)
Price: Usually $7, with a 30 percent discount until October 13

Endless Rails is a mashup of survivors-style action and a tower defense game. In this roguelite, you'll take charge of auto-firing drones that are protecting a moving train from enemies. At each station, you can upgrade your drones and train, including by merging cars and their attributes in the latter case. You'll keep that loop going until the train comes to a sudden, permanent stop. Before you jump into your next run, you can unlock some permanent upgrades.

Studio Monoblok designed Endless Rails with short play sessions in mind. The journeys between stations will only take around 20 to 30 seconds each. It could be a good fit for Steam Deck, so I think I'll give it a go there.

Dog in the Machine

Developer: Studio Chahut
Publisher: Goblinz Publishing
Platform: Steam (Windows, Mac)
Price: Usually $18, with a 20 percent discount until October 13

Here, we have a turn-based tactical roguelite that looks like Into The Breach, except you control a robot dog. The AutoDog that you take charge of is trying to escape a "dystopian mecha-city" and get back to its humans, who are in exile. The mechanical pup will need to overcome a raft of enemy guardians to make it out.

Each stage is designed to help you set up chain reactions that damage a bunch of baddies in a single turn. Before you commit to a move, you can see a preview of how it'll play out. You'll spec out your AutoDog on the fly as you progress through a run, including by combining tricks into killer combo moves. Normally, this wouldn't be my kind of game (I bounced off of Into The Breach very quickly!), but the robot dog and fun title grabbed my attention.

Upcoming indie games

Seikyu Let's Go

Developer: Ace Entertainment
Publishers: Logoi Games, Ace Entertainment
Platform: Steam
Release window: Q4 2026

For our second photography adventure game in this edition, here's Seikyu Let's Go. This is a co-op spinoff of Tales of Seikyu, a farming life sim that debuted a few months ago. For this one, the developers took inspiration from games like RV There Yet? and Big Walk (that might be where the proximity chat feature stems from), as well as Japanese folktales.

You and up to three of your friends can hop into a camper van and explore a world that features minigames, quests, activities (such as go-karting and pickup basketball), puzzles and a host of characters to meet. Your crew will have to navigate some tough terrain and you might have to hop out and give the motorhome a push from time to time. Aside from the occasional snake that might nip at your crew, it looks quite charming.

A Game About Digging A Hole Together

Developer: Mi'pu'mi Games
Publisher: Rokaplay Select, Shochiku
Platforms: Steam, Epic Games Store, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox for PC, Switch 2. It'll be available on Game Pass

There was really only one logical way to go with A Game About Digging A Hole after the first game sold over a million copies: by leaning into the hottest trend of the minute and making a co-op sequel. In A Game About Digging A Hole Together, you'll be able to team up with as many as three friends. You'll tunnel into a beach with new tools to find fresh secrets and items that you can sell in order to upgrade your gear.

The original game was created as a side project in just a few weeks by solo developer Ben B., one half of the team that made Solarpunk. Ben used a voxel system that was originally crafted for that game but scrapped to create A Game About Digging A Hole. This time around, Ben handed over the reins to Mi'pu'mi Games, which rebuilt the code of the original game in order to add features like crossplay. Embracing multiplayer could bring even more folks to the sequel.

Grave Seasons

Developer: Perfect Garbage
Publishers: Blumhouse Games, Solo Game
Platforms: Steam, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Switch
Release date: March 9, 2027

It's October, so of course we've got to take a look at a couple of creepy-lookin' games. First up is one that I've been looking forward to for ages. Unfortunately, Perfect Garbage and Blumhouse Games have once again delayed Grave Seasons, which is now set to arrive in March.

This is a farming sim that's not going to be totally cozy, as there's a malevolent being out there killing some of the locals. You set out to find who — or what — is responsible, as this is a murder mystery game. The developers crafted multiple campaigns with different residents take on the role of the killer, so it seems like there's a high degree of replayability. While I've been excited for this game since it was announced, I'm happy to wait until Perfect Garbage has it in as strong a shape as possible.

Something is Wrong With the Library

Developer: Strange Scaffold
Publishers: Strange Scaffold, Frosty Pop
Platform: Steam
Release window: fall 2026

Tons of organization games have popped up lately. They task players with arranging hundreds or thousands of sneakers, VHS cassettes and such like on shelves. There's even one for organizing games from your Steam library. Some of these games' developers are using AI to generate variants of the many items they ask players to arrange, which kills off any interest I have in them. I don't have any such concerns with Something is Wrong With the Library.

Strange Scaffold is an anti-AI studio with a terrific track record, and it often brings fun twists to popular genres. In this particular game, you'll be organizing books in a library. However, a billionaire who has reshaped a small mountain town into a tech hub has been murdering unhoused people and placing the corpses in the walls. As a result, the library is now haunted.

Something is Wrong With the Library contains thousands of actual book titles to organize using the Dewey Decimal System. There'll be a different set of tomes for you to place on the shelves each time you play, while Strange Scaffold teased something called "the Drowning Room." The tower of flesh in the teaser trailer has me intrigued too. If I'm ever going to play any of these organization games, it'll probably be this one.