The Game Awards 2020 Indie Game Roundup

Indie games often struggle to get the recognition they deserve at major awards shows like The Game Awards, often only having a single category where they don’t have to compete with massive studio products often made with ten times the resources.

Independent games tend to be much smaller with a limited scope and scale when compared to their AAA cousins, which is part of why they can be overshadowed at The Game Awards. However, this smaller size often allows them to take more risks, and makes indie games one of the best places to find artists’ creativity on full display.

One more!! Hades just earned the award for Best Indie Game at #TheGameAwards! We are very grateful, and feel extraordinarily fortunate to have been able to make games our way and stick together for more than 10 years now. Hades couldn't have happened if not for our past games.

— Supergiant Games (@SupergiantGames) December 11, 2020

The Game Awards 2020’s indie winners

The four indie titles to leave The Game Awards 2020 with a win were Hades (Best Indie Game, Best Action Game), Among Us (Best Mobile Game, Best Multiplayer Game), and Phasmophobia (Best Debut Game), and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Best Community Support).

Phasmophobia is a multiplayer game where players take on the role of a ghost detection team sent into various haunted locations to gather evidence and identify what kind of ghost is haunting a specific place. Phasmophobia uses voice recognition to allow players to talk to the game’s ghosts, and can even go as far as cutting off radio communication.

We just won Best Debut game! Thank you everyone for the support. We never thought the game would come this far! https://t.co/lcOdxc8QhZ

— Phasmophobia (@KineticGame) December 11, 2020

Hades is Supergiant’s latest rogue-lite hack-and-slash game that features Supergiant’s trademark blend of amazing music and voice acting with thrilling combat. Hades is a game which fully displays its studio’s talent and experience, with a degree of polish that helps it stand above the other indie titles.

Among Us is 2018’s sleeper hit that waited a full two years before being discovered and taking the internet by storm just a few months ago. Among Us was able to completely alter the online landscape, warping discussion and content on nearly every major online gaming hub.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout became a sensation of its own this year by creating a platformer spin on the battle royale genre. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout has players compete in an obstacle course race as small, soft, and squishy animated jelly beans.

Indie nominations at The Game Awards 2020

Of course, there were only ever going to be a limited number of winners at The Game Awards 2020. Indie games that managed to even go as far as getting nominated deserve to be recognized as well, even if they were not able to score a full win.

The full suite of games nominated includes unique experiences like If Found…, Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition, Spiritfarer, Carrion, Spelunky 2, HyperDot, Crusader Kings III, Raji: An Ancient Epic, and Röki.

Although these games were not able to win in their respective categories, they are each part of the wide range of indie games released in 2020. Anyone eager to try games that rely more on creativity than appearance or marketing should check out these titles highlighted during The Game Awards 2020.