We're happy to share a new batch of improvements designed to make indiexpo faster and easier to use.
"Show More" in Your Games
Creators with large portfolios can now enjoy a more convenient way to browse their uploads. A new Show More button has been added to the Your Games page, allowing developers with more than 12 published games to quickly load and view the rest of their titles.
Faster Website Performance
We've optimized several parts of the platform to improve the overall loading speed. Pages should now load faster, providing a smoother experience for both players and developers.
Over 40 Collections Available
The community keeps growing! There are now more than 40 Collections available on indiexpo, created by both our users and the staff. They're a great way to discover games grouped by themes, genres, events, and more.
Simpler Game Status
We've simplified the game status system to make it clearer for everyone.
The "Minigame" option has been removed. From now on, every game can simply be marked as:
Complete
Demo
This change makes it easier for players to understand what to expect before downloading or playing.
As always, thank you for your continued support and for helping indiexpo grow every day!
Some other new features introduced with the latest indiexpo updates concern the changes made to the User Profile page.
In the top section, the elements have been reorganized to improve visibility, and the user level indicator has been moved to the left side and displayed in a larger size.
If the user is a developer, inside the Games area — where the games uploaded by that user are shown — it will now be possible to sort the results by "Recent", "Most Popular", and "Most Downloaded"!
These changes provide an advantage for users visiting profile pages, as they make it easier to find the most interesting content and to explore published games in a faster and more intuitive way!
Strik9 is rhythm-meets-bullet-heaven. Strik9 challenges you to dodge to the beat and shred your enemies in a music-driven gauntlet of chaos, speed, and style. The music is composed and arranged first and then the levels and stages are designed around it.
Gennady is a blend of platformer and roguelike, where you must fight your way through shifting corridors filled with chthonic creatures, and death only makes you stronger. All wrapped in the legendary absurdity and classic animation inspired by the era of Earthworm Jim.
Hey there! I want to tell you about the two main innovations introduced to the site with the new version released at the beginning of the month!
Collections and the Relics section!
Collections! Every user can create their own collections with all the games they prefer! You can also follow existing collections or clone the ones you like the most and modify them however you want. For now, all collections are public—several have already been created, and I encourage you to try making new ones! The goal of this feature is to make it easier to explore games that are similar to each other based on characteristics that go beyond genre or type!
New Relics section! When a game uses external download links that are no longer available, it gets archived and moved to the Relics section. In the future, we would also like to apply this option to games that don’t reach a certain number of players or fail to meet quality standards. The game’s author can update it at any time and bring it back to the Explore section. Archived games can still be commented on and followed.
We’ll soon go on to describe the other smaller improvements as well!
Two standout indiegames from February 2026: a tense late-night body transport horror and an underground adventure exploring a mysterious multi-layered world.
A young boy named Caleb is determined to reach the bottom of Endfall, a massive hidden underground world with multiple layers and creatures the world has never seen. With the help of your assistant, Skye the Bunny, hop into the elevator and discover the secrets hidden in this strange world.
Fifteen years ago, the world of indie games in Italy was a scattered, confusing mosaic. Small communities existed, each focused on its own engine—RPG Maker, Game Maker, Unity, Adventure Game Studio—isolated from one another, each with its own rules, forums, and rituals. To discover new games, a player had to jump from one community to another, often getting lost among links and discussions. Small developers struggled to be seen, and their creations often remained invisible, hidden beneath the noise of the internet.
Out of this chaos, indiexpo was born: a single place where all these worlds could meet, where every game could find its space, and every developer could find a voice. But the path was far from easy. It was the 2011... Programming was complex, similar platforms already existed, and a skeptical audience hesitated to trust a new site. For a moment, it seemed impossible: how could people be convinced to change their habits? How could separate communities collaborate instead of staying divided?
Communities and friends across the web, passionate developers, and generous volunteers offered help, advice, and translations. The platform began to grow thanks to those who believed in the idea: those who tested its features, translated its pages into their languages, and spread the word. With their support, indiexpo gradually took shape, transforming from a small project into a vibrant, living ecosystem.
The early years were full of trials and obstacles. Some developers became invaluable allies, while larger, established sites saw indiexpo as a competitor and tried to slow its growth. Bugs, technical problems, unstable servers, and moments when the platform seemed on the brink of collapse tested the team every day.
Over time, the platform stabilized. With the help of the comminity, it was translated into over twenty-two languages, reaching players and developers all over the world. indiexpo had become more than just a website: it was a bridge, a global ecosystem where indie creativity could flourish, where every game had the chance to be discovered, loved, and shared.
Today, on its fifteenth anniversary, indiexpo experiences a new rebirth. The latest version of the site may look familiar at first glance, but beneath the surface, the changes are profound, designed to enhance the experience for both players and creators. With the introduction of a system to evaluate the quality of game pages, indiexpo raises the bar even further: rewarding those who pay attention to detail and professionalism, ensuring the best games get the visibility they deserve.
Fifteen years of challenges, mistakes, successes, and rebirths have transformed indiexpo from a small Italian project into a beacon for the global indie scene. It is no longer just a place to find games—it is a living ecosystem, ready to guide the next generation of developers and players toward new adventures.
Pride Fists mixes the visceral impact of classic fighting games with the fast pace of modern titles.The result is a genre of its own: the Fighting Arena, with intense battles that are always fast, aggressive, and unpredictable.
Discover the Top 2 Best Indie Games of November 2025 on indiexpo! Two standout indie experiences: a fast-paced deckbuilding roguelike with real-time combat, and a poetic walk through Rome’s shadows blending memory, myth, and the city’s hidden soul.
One Step From Eden is a deckbuilding #roguelike with relentless real-time Battle Network combat. Cast powerful spells on the fly, battle evolving enemies, find game-changing artifacts, make friends or make enemies, just make it to Eden.
A short walking sim set in Trastevere, where memories and legends intertwine.
Through alleys and ancient squares, a man retraces his grandfather’s tales of Rome’s ghosts: from Beatrice Cenci to the Monk of San Pietro in Vincoli, exploring the city’s hidden soul between beauty, myth, and mystery.
Discover the Top 5 Best Indie Games of October 2025 on indiexpo! A survival trek in frozen lands, a world-hopping sand-box, a comfy survivor-builder, a stylish stealth heist, and a quirky kingdom management sim!
A world torn apart by one mistake, help pull it back into one. A 2D puzzle game where you jump to different dimensions to put back a world you accidentally tore apart. But you control more than 1 player at a time.
In the Kind Heart Survivors demo, you can experience surviving the first six days of the game. Explore, gather, craft, cook, and prove that you can survive anywhere in the galaxy.
Discover the Top 2 Best Indie Games of September 2025 on indiexpo! A dark 2D survival #RPG and a shoot 'em up featuring changes in perspective throughout the stages!
A dark 2D survival RPG where you explore a cursed world, collect manga-style panels to reveal a fragmented story, and survive the horrors that stalk you.
Aircraft Jam is a shoot 'em up currently in development, featuring changes in perspective throughout the stages and a multitude of usable aircraft. These are divided into thematic families, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, such as Military aircraft, Spacecraft, Fantasy airships, Toys and Mechas.
Discover the Top 2 Best Indie Games of August 2025 on indiexpo! Two standout indies this August: a retro-inspired #platform shooter with classic vibes, and a fast-paced 2D #arcade action where battles and fate collide!
0:00 BushiGO! developed by WobbleBlast & bobbiburrs
Fight the shogun's enemies. Don't stop. Fulfill a mysterious fate.
Vortex Drift is a platformer/space shooter hybrid in the style of retro console games of the 80s/90s. 16x16 tiles with a 320x240 screen resolution, 30fps. Inspired heavily from games like Mega Man
This September, something completely new is coming to indiexpo!
For the first time ever, we’re launching a series of special Challenges connected by a shared storyline. Each Challenge will last only 2 days, so timing and skill will be everything.
What makes it even more exciting? These Challenges are based on well-known games already available on indiexpo, giving players a fresh reason to jump back in and prove their mastery.
With such short time windows, the events are set to shake up the leaderboards like never before and open the door to winning a huge amount of gems!
Don’t miss it—this could be your chance to climb the ranks and make history in the very first story-driven Challenge season on indiexpo!
An innocent-looking platformer. Jump, collect, progress. But something feels off. Levels shift, sounds distort, the screen... reacts. This is more than just a game. How far are you willing to go?
A typical small town. Houses, schools, stores… everything in place. But the people? Gone. No signs, no clues. Just silence.
In one untouched home, someone finds a TV still on. Next to it, an old Japanese console and a black cat lying motionless, watching. The cartridge inside has no label — just a name scratched in by hand: Purrrification.
A few weeks later, we receive that same cartridge by mail. No return address.
Discover the Top 2 Best Indie Games of June 2025 on indiexpo! Die to Play, a dice deckbuilder on a retro PC in a haunted English mansion, and Cold, a tiny #metroidvania where you recover lost gear and minerals in a freezing wilderness!
When it comes to showcasing your work in the vast world of indie games, platforms like itch.io, indiexpo and GameJolt offer fertile ground to do so. However, gaining visibility and engaging a wider audience can be challenging. In this article, we will explore effective strategies to increase player engagement on these platforms, taking into account the peculiarities of each.
There are common Strategies for all those platforms:
Eye-catching Presentation: Regardless of the platform, ensure that your game page is eye-catching and well-curated. Use high-quality previews, engaging descriptions, and meaningful screenshots to capture the attention of potential players. Showcase different gameplay stages, exciting moments, and unique features of your game.
Engage with the Community: Actively participate in the platforms' communities. Comment on other games, join forums, and share your work in a genuine and non-intrusive way. Building relationships with other developers and players can lead to increased visibility for your game.
Update and Interact: Keep your game updated and respond promptly to player feedback. Demonstrating a continuous commitment to improving your game and engaging with the community can help build trust and interest around your work.
Now, let's explore some specific strategies for each platform:
Strategies for itch.io:
Utilize Versatility: On itch.io, you can publish both paid and free games. Take advantage of this flexibility to reach a broader audience and test different monetization strategies for your game.
Diversify Screenshots: In addition to showcasing exciting gameplay moments, include screenshots that also highlight the aesthetics, atmosphere, and design of your game. On itch.io you can upload more screenshots. Diversifying screenshots can capture the attention of players with diverse interests.
Jams. On itch.io there are a lot of Jams. What is a Jam? A game jam is a collaborative event where game developers come together to create games within a specified timeframe, usually ranging from a few days to a couple of weeks. These events often focus on a common theme or set of constraints, encouraging participants to explore new ideas, experiment with game mechanics, and produce innovative games within the given constraints. Jams foster creativity, teamwork, and rapid game development, leading to a diverse range of game prototypes and experiences.
Strategies for indiexpo:
Engage the Community through Feedback: Seek feedback from the indiexpo community and use this information to improve your game. Demonstrating a commitment to responding to comments and working with the community can lead to increased visibility and appreciation for your work.
Socials. indiexpo is very active on the Social Media. You can tag the main page to be shared or you can contact the Staff to have feedbacks.
Harness Player Challenges: On indiexpo, player challenges are a great way to engage the community and generate interest around your game. Organize special events or encourage players to compete with each other for prizes or recognition.
Build an Active Community: GameJolt has shifted its focus to communities, so focus on building and interacting with a dedicated fan base. Provide regular updates, post in the forum, and engage your players to keep interest alive in your game.
Collaborate with Other Developers: GameJolt offers many opportunities for developer collaboration. Partner with other creators to organize events, cross-promotions, or even collaborative projects to increase your visibility on the platform.
Increasing player engagement on itch.io, indiexpo & GameJolt requires a mix of eye-catching presentation, community engagement, and platform-specific strategies. Make the most of the resources offered by these platforms and commit to interacting with the community to maximize the success of your indie game.
Discover the Top 2 Best Indie Games of May 2025 on indiexpo! Watch gameplay from Droptic 2, a clever puzzle challenge, and Norfengul, a stunning Norse-inspired RPG Metroidvania. Dive into strategy, action, and epic adventures in this monthly showcase!
In the frozen lands of Norfengul, where gods walk among mortals and the jarldoms wage war for survival, a young adventurer rises in search of a greater destiny. Guided by Gordalf, an eccentric, grumpy, and wise druid, he must journey through a vast and perilous world, facing mythical creatures, rival tribes, and the whims of ancient deities. With no unified rule, Norfengul is a land of chaos, where every choice can tip the balance toward glory or destruction. Will you be able to defeat the wrongdoers and forge a new future?
News for the game devs! We just tested and added a new way to upload your screenshots! A drag & drop system! Now to replace the images will be easier and faster!
And not only! Now you can also select the Cover that you want to use for your game, pinning on "set as cover"!
You will be able to upload images in png, jpg, jpeg, bmp and webp!
Finally, a new post to show you the latest updates on indiexpo!
So many things to say — I’ll try to keep it short!
For the Gamers:
The website is faster!
New design for User Pages, with your ranking shown bigger in the top-right corner!
New language added: Czech
New events and quests every month to earn more Gems
On the blog, you can find more posts about the latest games uploaded to the site
For the Developers:
On the home page (if no followed games have been recently uploaded), you’ll now see your own games! It’s incredible how many developers are using it in so few time!
If your game supports the leaderboard, you can now click on "Create a new Quest" to make a quest linked to it
In the stats area on your game page, you can now see the global ranking of your game, along with the games ranked directly above and below it
Coming soon...
For the gamers:
a new area to continue to play your favourite games
For the developers:
a new way to upload the screenshots and select the cover of your game
If you tried to visit indiexpo today, April 23rd, 2025, you may have been surprised to find the site temporarily offline. Don’t worry—this isn’t due to a cyber attack or any critical system failure. It’s actually a controlled downtime.
We’re currently performing a series of important backend updates and running an additional full-site backup. These technical improvements are crucial to ensure the platform continues to run smoothly, securely, and efficiently. To avoid any potential data loss or instability during these operations, we’ve decided to temporarily take indiexpo offline.
When Will indiexpo Be Back?
Our goal is to have everything back online by the end of this week. We’re working hard behind the scenes to complete the updates as quickly and safely as possible. Once we’re done, you can expect a more stable and responsive platform—stronger than ever before.
Supporting Indie Developers Since Day One
Since its launch, indiexpo has been dedicated to supporting indie game developers from all over the world. The platform provides a space where creators can upload and share their games with a global audience, receive feedback, and build their communities.
indiexpo is more than just a platform—it's a hub for discovery. Thousands of players visit indiexpo daily to explore a curated selection of the best indie games available online. From pixel art adventures and retro-style shooters to deeply emotional narratives and experimental gameplay experiences, the site is home to a diverse and vibrant collection of content.
What You Can Expect After the Downtime
Once the maintenance is complete, you’ll notice improvements not just in performance but also in reliability. These upgrades are part of our ongoing commitment to creating a better experience for both developers and gamers.
We appreciate your patience and continued support during this brief interruption. The indie game community is at the heart of everything we do, and we can’t wait to welcome you back to Indiexpo very soon!
