Each Wednesday, dive into the Indie Choose Hub — your gateway to a recent, curated indie assortment plus 4 themed spotlights that rotate weekly! You’ll be able to at all times discover this assortment hub within the Xbox Retailer and on Xbox.com/IndieSelects.
The vacation season is right here, and the ID@Xbox crew is happy to share this month’s Indie Selects! Earlier than we dive in, we need to categorical our honest gratitude to your continued help of impartial video games on Xbox as we have fun the second yr of this program. Thanks for exploring our employees picks and for championing the unbelievable creators who make these experiences attainable.
We’re additionally excited to deliver again our annual Indie Choose Highlights! Beginning December 10 and thru the tip of the yr, we’ll be showcasing and selling a few of our favourite titles from 2025. Don’t miss out!
Lastly, mark your calendars! On January 28, 2026, the Indie Selects Anniversary Celebration returns. We’ll be curating six standout indie titles from the previous yr, our absolute must-play picks, and that includes them in our particular Anniversary Assortment to honor their lasting impression. We’re excited to share extra particulars quickly, however for now, let’s get pleasure from what’s right here and now. Right here’s what we’ve acquired for you this month (in no specific order):
Blood West is a gritty, stealth-horror immersive sim that drops you boots-first right into a cursed frontier the place each shadow hides one thing sharp, hungry, or undead. Assume cowboy survival however dipped in occult folklore and stitched along with basic immersive-sim determination making. It’s a slow-burn expertise — one the place each bullet issues, each footstep counts, and each encounter feels prefer it got here straight out of a dusty nightmare.
Leaping into Blood West felt like stepping right into a fever-dream remix of Thief, S.T.A.L.Okay.E.R., and a late-night spaghetti-western. What grabbed me first wasn’t the monsters — it was the silence. The sport rewards endurance, planning, and the quiet satisfaction of outthinking one thing that positively desires to eat you. Earlier than lengthy, I used to be creeping by means of deserted mines, scavenging for ammo, and studying learn how to flip the atmosphere itself right into a weapon. There’s an actual sense of mastery as you begin threading collectively stealth routes, touchdown good bow pictures, and managing scarce sources like a frontier tactician.
When you’re somebody who loves immersive stealth, tense exploration, and that unmistakable “I survived by this a lot” adrenaline, this can really feel like residence — properly, the bizarre, haunted form of residence. Followers of slow-building pressure, intelligent techniques, and atmospheric worlds will discover rather a lot to get pleasure from right here. And in case you’ve ever needed a western that leans all the best way into supernatural horror with out dropping its grit, Blood West rides tall in that area.
– Steven Allen
Blood West
New Blood Interactive
$24.99
Bizarre West legends meet eldritch horror in BLOOD WEST, an immersive stealth FPS. Develop into the Undead Gunslinger, doomed to roam the barren lands till he manages to purge their curse, liberating his soul. 3 different situations, perk-based character development, and 20+ hours of gameplay await you!
A observe as much as its award-winning predecessor, Tormented Souls 2 is a hard and fast digital camera survival horror sport that embraces the ambiance and route of the classics, whereas tailoring the expertise for a contemporary viewers. Gamers take the position of Caroline Walker, who’s on a quest to save lots of her sister from a sinister cult. Resolve puzzles, combat monsters, and get misplaced a number of instances!
From the second I fired it up, Tormented Souls 2 felt virtually like a continuation of the unique Resident Evil remaster – which I LOVE. It stays true to the roots of the early survival horror classics by means of mounted digital camera angles, puzzle design, restricted sources, and so on., whereas embracing options and distinctive ideas to make the expertise really feel trendy. In different phrases – in case you just like the gameplay and tone of basic Resident Evil and Silent Hill however need one thing new with recent visuals and no tank controls, then this sport is for you!
It’s a wild, gothic horror, kinda lovecraftian story about saving your sister from a cult, crammed with numerous enemies and managers to combat, a number of bounce scares, attractive environments to discover, and naturally, mind-boggling puzzles. I wouldn’t name myself a survival horror aficionado, however from what I’ve performed, the 15-to-20-hour runtime actually stood out to me — the style normally leans tighter and sooner, but this one retains rising in ways in which keep participating. You don’t must play the predecessor to leap in, however I really feel like I owe Twin Impact a thanks for re-igniting my forgotten love for the style. This sport had me hooked from begin to end and simply turned certainly one of my high picks this yr!
– Deron Mann
Tormented Souls 2 Digital Deluxe Version
PQube
$34.99
The Tormented Souls 2 Digital Deluxe Version contains the bottom sport plus two distinctive outfits for Caroline:
– “Basic Caroline” outfit
– “Insurgent Biker” outfit
The get together pack is again child! When you’ve by no means tried this sport night time favourite, name up some buddies to return over, as a result of this new pack delivers. This pack has no repeats with 5 brand-new video games, so it’s positively vital for these of us common partygoers gearing up for vacation get-togethers. Per typical, no additional controllers wanted — everybody joins the foyer on their cellphone, able to show they’re as intelligent as they declare!
Our buddies began with Legends of Trivia and oh my god, the nerds within the room rejoiced. This instantly set the bar excessive because it’s a freaking 6 participant cooperative D&D type trivia sport with lessons, monsters, loot, and branching paths. Conquer the land of Tri-via with info and wit!
We moved on to Suspectives, a brand new mafia/werewolf-style get together sport with surveys that basically take a look at your lie-detecting expertise. After belief was shattered, the artistic crowd jumped into Cookie Haus, a drawing sport the place you design cookies with wild textures, loopy requests, and tons of customization. The twist? You’re locked into your chosen form, so assume outdoors the field! Subsequent was Hear Say, all about sound and visuals: get a immediate, mimic it along with your mic, and watch the perfect interpretation play out. Mic required, laughter assured. Lastly, we hit Doominate, essentially the most basic Jackbox-style sport: begin with a cheerful phrase and end it with the funniest terrible twist. Probably the most “Debbie Downer” reply wins! All in all, this made for a really dope sport night time.
That is most likely my favourite Jackbox Get together Pack in years. When you’re wanting so as to add one thing new to sport night time, that is it, no matter whether or not you might be new to the collection or have a bunch of those packs in your library.
– Raymond Estrada
The Jackbox Get together Pack 11
Jackbox Video games, Inc.
$29.99
$23.99
The Get together Pack is again!
The Jackbox Get together Pack 11 catapults you and your crew into the perfect timeline of get together sport pandemonium. Whether or not you’re a trivia titan, a joke mastermind, or the resident undercover detective of your pal group, there’s one thing for everybody on this pack. No additional controllers wanted – gamers merely be a part of the sport and play utilizing telephones, tablets or computer systems!
5 brand-new video games will change the best way you get together this vacation season and past:
Doominate (Writing): Take a wonderfully beautiful state of affairs and destroy it on this head-to-head joke sport the place it feels so good to be so dangerous. Doominate helps 3-8 gamers.
Hear Say (Sound Results): File sound results and dialogue immediately out of your cellphone in a foley-inspired sport the place laughter is the soundtrack. Then, watch your voices come to life in a collection of quick film clips! Hear Say helps 2-8 gamers.
Cookie Haus (Drawing): Play our coziest and kookiest drawing sport but by fulfilling cookie design orders for uncommon clientele. Don’t play on an empty abdomen! Cookie Haus helps 3-8 gamers.
Suspectives (Social Deduction): There’s been a criminal offense, one participant secretly did it, and the proof comes from your individual survey solutions! Examine the clues, defend your innocence (even in case you’re mendacity), and put your pals on trial. Suspectives helps 4-8 gamers.
Legends of Trivia (Trivia): Assemble your crew and put your trivia information to the take a look at in a fantastical world stuffed with hazard! Teamwork! Monsters! Do you dare tackle one of the crucial difficult trivia video games but? Legends of Trivia helps 1-6 gamers.
When you’re after chaotic enjoyable with a distinctly Southeast Asian twist, Sedap! A Culinary Journey by kopiforge is the co-op cooking-combat sport for you. It’s a vibrant celebration of our area’s meals tradition, the place you and a pal race to serve up classics like hen rice, beef rendang, banh mi and extra, to hungry prospects, all whereas exploring the paranormal, monster-filled Khaya Island.
The magic of Sedap! (“scrumptious” in Malay) is in its joyful mayhem: you’ll be chopping, frying, plating, and (inevitably) yelling at your accomplice as orders pile up and monsters crash the kitchen. Whether or not solo or in co-op, each second is a hilarious take a look at of coordination, timing, and your potential to maintain cool because the proverbial chili hits the fan throughout Rush Hour mode.
Sedap! cleverly builds on the Overcooked formulation with its distinctive two-role system: Som the Cooker and Gon the Hunter. This implies teamwork is crucial as every has a job to do, however hilarity ensues when one should cease chopping mangoes to assist the opposite hunt a hen, or the opposite should cease looking to go make boba. There’s additionally weapon and utensil upgrades, a Makanomicon to replenish with all types of dishes, and biomes with distinctive challenges to navigate.
With its whimsically recent Southeast Asian vibes, cheeky character banter, and riotous gameplay, Sedap! is filled with character that’ll depart you hungry for extra.
– Jun Shen Chia
SEDAP! A Culinary Journey
kopiforge
$19.99
SEDAP! is a co-op cooking-combat journey that mixes the chaos of a co-op kitchen and the wonders of adventuring into an unexplored world. Embark on an thrilling culinary journey, whip up delectable delicacies, and serve your manner by means of a fantastical reimagination of Southeast Asia!
Two aspiring culinary geniuses open a touring meals truck and enterprise out to Khaya Island – an extended deserted, harmful island with no scarcity of monsters and mysteries. Collectively, the duo discover Khaya Island in quest of new recipes and tastes whereas slowly uncovering the veil of secrets and techniques that haunts the locale.
Grasp Lemon: The Quest for Iceland is a whimsical indie journey that blends cozy exploration with light, idea-driven puzzles and charming pixel-art aesthetics. You play as Lemon, a brave polyglot navigating storybook variations of Iceland—windswept coasts, mossy trails, and quirky characters—whereas a heat, low-key narrative encourages curiosity over pace.
I began with a “fast play” and hours later realized it was properly previous midnight. The sport layers new traversal tips and puzzle ideas like pleasant nudges: you be taught, you smile, you attempt another factor. What really shocked me was the way it sparked my love for languages. I discovered myself listening to Icelandic phrases (different languages too) and repeating them out loud. These moments made Lemon’s world really feel genuine and turned gameplay right into a cultural journey. It even reminds you that phrases carry energy—one thing straightforward to overlook in on a regular basis life.
Understanding the backstory made the expertise much more significant. It is a deeply private undertaking from founder Julio de Santi, impressed by his pal André Lima (“Limão”), a Brazilian polyglot who dreamed of studying Icelandic and visiting Iceland. After Limão fulfilled that dream, he tragically handed away. The sport stands as a tribute to him and an invite for gamers to chase their very own goals.
When you benefit from the calm exploration of A Brief Hike, the playful mischief of Untitled Goose Sport, or the quirky creativity of Donut County, you’ll really feel proper at residence. It’s good for anybody searching for an imaginative area to unwind, be taught by doing, and savor small discoveries. You’ll come for the allure, keep for the “aha” moments, and depart with a few new phrases rolling round your head.
– Jessica Ronnell
Grasp Lemon: The Quest for Iceland
Pepita Digital
$19.99
MASTER LEMON is a TRIBUTE TO MY POLYGLOT FRIEND who tragically handed away in an accident whereas pursuing his dream of residing in Iceland. Expertise his legacy on this NARRATIVE ADVENTURE. Harness the POWER OF WORDS and CREATIVITY to remodel actuality and save the world.
The opening music units the tone instantly: lush, nostalgic, and evocative of epic tales. Paired with charming, cozy paintings, you realize from the start that The Lonesome Guild is inviting you into an journey with a coronary heart. The story begins with Davinci, a unusual anthropomorphic rabbit inventor exploring the outside when the world is enveloped by a mysterious pink mist that infects every thing that it touches with Loneliness and turning them into evil beings. Whereas escaping the chaos, you encounter a anonymous ghost who fell from the sky with none reminiscences.
Regardless of the title, because the story unfolds you recruit new guild members from all walks of life, every pushed by their very own causes and motives however with the identical purpose of saving the world. The forged is splendidly written, providing not solely distinct fight types but additionally charming personalities that genuinely steadiness each other. Earlier than lengthy, you’ll discover a favourite character just like the quiet archer, Mr. Fox or the trendy and spirited Capybara, Ran Tran Trum.
The fight is a top-down hack-and-slash RPG with every character possessing distinctive particular talents. You management as much as 4 characters through the use of the ghost to “possess” the character you management, which provides an additional enjoyable layer of allure and creativity for puzzle-solving and fight.
My favourite component have been the campfire relaxation stops; these are memorable moments that serve not solely to pause and replicate on the story to this point but additionally to advance and progress your characters by means of Relationship Factors. These moments really feel heat and intimate providing you with the area to bond with the characters, paying homage to classics like Chrono Set off the place you are feeling invested in each storyline and ending.
When you’re searching for a comfy sport with emotional depth to brighten and heat the winter days, or just need a stress-free mix of puzzles, exploration and fight, The Lonesome Guild is a simple suggestion. Pull up a seat by the campfire and benefit from the firm of its charming crew — you’ll be shocked how rapidly the actual foe, “Loneliness,” disappears.
– Oscar Polanco
The Lonesome Guild
DON’T NOD
$24.99
A TALE OF TOGETHERNESS IN A WORLD APART
The Lonesome Guild is a single-player top-down action-RPG all about togetherness. Embark on a heroic journey as Ghost, a spirit who wakes to seek out they maintain no reminiscences. The world has turn into shrouded by loneliness and the mist simply retains spreading, corrupting everybody in its path. Now it’s as much as you to get the band again collectively… even when they’re assembly for the primary time.
SIX MISFITS, ONE GOAL
The ragtag group of unlikely buddies you’ll recruit every will deliver their very own story, quirks, motives, and skills. Change seamlessly between the 6 of them throughout exploration and fight to navigate Etere, clear up puzzles, and defeat enemies!
BOND & BATTLE
Relationships are the guts and soul of The Lonesome Guild – it’s a celebration, actually. As your friendship grows, so does your energy with new talents and combos. A celebration can solely be robust if every member is robust too – unravel your new buddies’ tales and assist them discover peace. Unlock facet quests, new talents, and heartfelt chats by the campfire. Collectively, we’re unstoppable!
FIGHTS THAT KEEP YOU ON YOUR TOES
Three issue ranges, a roster of cool talents, one very highly effective Ghost energy. Check your may in intense battles the place you possibly can change between characters everytime you fancy and ambush enemies with intelligent combos. Construct your dream crew and combat your manner by means of Etere.
A WORLD WORTH FIGHTING FOR
Etere is filled with allure and secrets and techniques, thriller and treasures to uncover. From unearthing outdated secrets and techniques within the ruins to gathering spherical campfires within the forest, there’s at all times one thing new across the nook in The Lonesome Guild. Resolve puzzles, discover vibrant landscapes, and discover shiny issues as you restore steadiness and hope to the world.
The world may be lonely, however you don’t must be.
