6 indies you might have missed from today's Future Games Show

Earlier today, roughly an hour and a half of video game trailers were shown in the Future Games Show. There were some highlights, like a new trailer for The Blood of Dawnwalker from ex-CD Projekt Red developers, both truck simulator games from SCS Software coming to consoles, and new looks at Capcom’s upcoming games Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata. But chances are there were plenty of smaller games that flew under your radar.

• Six indie games from the Future Games Showcase that you might have missed
• Deer & Boy
• Monsters Are Coming! Rock & Road
• Recur
• Dreams of Another
• Hotel Barcelona
• DarkSwitch

Six indie games from the Future Games Showcase that you might have missed

This is a very busy week for video games. Gamescom started off yesterday with Opening Night Live, which also had some great indie titles you might have missed. Tomorrow is the intensely hyped Hollow Knight: Silksong presentation, so I’m glad you’re taking a moment to look over some small titles amongst the chaos. Remember that adding any of these games to your Steam wishlist goes a long way in helping these small teams. Here are six indies you might have missed.

Deer & Boy

Described as a “cinematic platformer,” Deer & Boy from Lifeline Games follows the adventures of a young boy and a magical deer. They must work together to avoid detection, escape predators, and more. It’s not exactly clear what the end goal is for this unlikely pair, but I can already tell this game will warm my cold heart. The trailer showcases moments of stealth gameplay, puzzle solving, and possibly corruption that, at one point, appears to take over the boy’s body.

Related:Dispatch Episode 4 walkthrough and choices guide

It reminds me of one of last year’s best indies, Neva, in that the animal companion grows as the adventure continues, unlocking new abilities and ways to solve puzzles. This game will not have any true action or dialogue; it’s a story that the developers say “speaks directly to the heart, making it accessible to players of all ages and backgrounds.” Deer & Boy is planned to launch in early 2026 across PC and all consoles.

Monsters Are Coming! Rock & Road

Imagine a tower defense city builder roguelike, but your tower is on wheels, and always on the move. That’s essentially what Monsters Are Coming! Rock & Road appears to be. Set up your defenses and keep up with the roving castle as you frantically fight off enemies and gather passing resources. The trailer shows a deep level of creativity in the structure of your castle, as well as the types of defenses you can choose. From the Steam page: “Add archery outposts, necromancer towers, and even fire-breathing dragons to help the city…”

Monsters Are Coming! presents a unique conundrum. You can hide out in the safety of your fortress, but without venturing outside of it, you and your fortress are sure to be destroyed. Developer Ludogram revealed an Autumn 2025 release window for the full game, but there’s a free demo available now on Steam.

Recur

One of the most mind-bending puzzle platformers I’ve seen in a long time, Recur, from developer kaleidoscube, gives the player control over time. In this 3D side-scroller, moving to the right moves the world forward in time, while moving to the left reverses it. You’ll need to use this power to solve various puzzles, change the outcome of events, and possibly even save the world.

Move to the right, and the ceiling of the warehouse caves in. But jump onto the fallen pieces of metal and walk to the left, and you’ll be lifted up onto the roof as time reverses. Send chasing dogs back behind the gate and lock it. Stop a train from crashing by finding the emergency brake. There are many puzzles and mysteries to solve in Recur, and if only there were a release date so I could start wrapping my head around this wild concept.

Dreams of Another

Even after watching a few trailers for Dreams of Another by Q-Games Ltd., I’m not totally sure I understand what’s happening. But the pixelated visuals are stunning, and the way that objects are created by shooting with a rifle is a fresh change of pace. According to the Steam description, Dreams of Another is “a third-person exploration-action game built around the philosophical theme, ‘No Creation Without Destruction.’”

Beyond the rifle, the player appears to even get hold of a rocket launcher at one point, and where you would expect to see destruction, instead, the chaos forms into scenes. The trailer from today’s Future Games Show also showed the creative mind behind Dreams of Another venturing out into his home neighborhood of Kyoto to record “sounds from places deeply connected to my memories…” which make it into the game. I’m not quite sure what to expect from Dreams of Another, but it seems like a game that’s pushing the art of games forward, and that at least deserves some recognition. Dreams of Another is planned to launch on October 9th, 2025, and will be available on PC, PS5, and PSVR 2.

Hotel Barcelona

Speaking of trippy experiences, Hotel Barcelona is a visually chaotic action roguelike from White Owls Inc., which includes the creators of Deadly Premonition and No More Heroes. Hotel Barcelona looks like exactly what you would expect if you combined the aesthetics and genres of those two games. In this upcoming title, you are trapped in a hotel full of serial killers, and you’ll have to fight your way out. But thankfully, you’ve got a few tricks up your sleeve.

According to the game’s Steam page: “You are Justine, a novice federal marshal with a deadly secret – your mind is shared with Dr. Carnival, a deranged murderer with a violent past.” In order to survive and escape this trap, Justine will have to work together with the doctor to eliminate every serial killer in the hotel. The developers promise a challenging action experience, and one of the most original mechanics I’ve seen for an action roguelike: a ghost of your previous run appears on your next run, effectively serving as a helpful companion. Hotel Barcelona is planned to release sometime this September for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

DarkSwitch

From developer Cyber Temple comes DarkSwitch, a vertical survival city-builder with a dark fantasy, sci-fi aesthetic. Build your city along the trunk of a great tree and avoid the dense fog that seems to drive mad anyone who stays in it for too long. But you must also venture out into the world for resources, where you’ll take risks, encounter others, and fight dangerous monsters.

DarkSwitch presents the player with tough strategic challenges and moral dilemmas, all set in an atmospheric setting of gloom, but with the light of hope always shining. Uncover the ruins of an ancient civilization. Discover their secrets and what led to their destruction. All with a soundtrack by Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka. DarkSwitch doesn’t have a release date yet, but there is a free demo available now on Steam.

Hotel Barcelona

September 26, 2025

Rate It!

• Overview

• indie games
• Future Games Show
• gamescom 2025