Indie Titles.

A card game where you build the actual cards, not just the deck, and the editor auto-balances them before they join the shared pool. There's a single-player roguelite mode for when you've only got twenty minutes.

A tight little arcade game on Steam and Switch with a soundtrack by Jim Guthrie, the Superbrothers composer. Runs are short and it plays great in handheld.

A time-bending roguelike where each run rewinds into the next. Day one on Game Pass, so if you've got the sub it costs nothing to find out if it hooks you.

From the Night Zookeeper team: your kid draws a monster, the game turns it into a creature they can actually play with. As a dad of four, this one's on the wishlist already.

Detective Grimoire is back, solving a locked-room murder on a submarine. From the Tangle Tower crew, so expect sharp puzzles and sharper jokes. Pauses whenever life does.

A deckbuilder where your deck is a train. Position carriages, chain explosions, outrun the bandits. Day one on PC Game Pass, so it costs nothing to try.

Mow down half of mythic Greece in short, moreish runs. Just picked up a big free Odysseus update, and it costs less than a coffee.

Build a little terrarium while lo-fi plays and a Pomodoro timer keeps you honest. Less a game, more a calm corner of your desk.

A cosy life sim with fangs. You're a vampire running a magic farm, growing crops, brewing potions and casting the odd spell. Low-stakes, easy to dip into for ten minutes.

Klei's forest brawler, from the Don't Starve studio. Runs into the woods take 15 to 30 minutes, so it's built for the gap between dinner and bedtime. Punchy, and great in co-op.

A cosy little surprise. You build omelets for a cast of regulars off a conveyor belt, part chill sim, part puzzle. Play for ten minutes and feel better for it.

A turn-based tactics roguelike about breeding and battling mutated cats, from the creator of The Binding of Isaac. One of the biggest indie launches of the year.

Team Cherry's long-awaited follow-up to Hollow Knight. You play as Hornet, exploring the new kingdom of Pharloom. Made by an Australian studio.

The sequel to the roguelike deckbuilder that defined the genre. In early access on Steam, with new characters and cards.

Supergiant's follow-up to Hades. You play as Melinoe, sister of the first game's Zagreus. Runs great in short bursts.

A rhythm beat-em-up where every attack syncs to the beat. Neon-drenched, short sessions, and wildly original.

1930s rubber-hose animation meets classic boomer shooter. An Australian-made throwback with a distinct hand-drawn style.