2025 was another great year for local developers, led by none other than Adelaide’s Team Cherry and its long-awaited sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong. Of course, there were plenty of other homemade titles that kicked arse, but we’re here to look forward, not backwards. We’ve hand-picked 16 of the many awesome-looking games developed by Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand teams, scheduled to release in the year ahead, that you should keep an eye on.
Don’t Stop, Girlypop!
Developer: Funny Fintan Softworks | Publisher: Kwalee
Platform: PC | Release: January 30 | Wishlist
Love boomer shooters but tired of the hyper-masculine, hyper-violent grimdark cyberpunk shtick? What if I told you there was a fast-paced arena shooter with razor sharp movement and deep gun interplay that’s also ultra gay and Y2K?
Don’t Stop, Girlypop! is a true feast for the senses, especially your sense of speed. Trading gore for glitter and carnage for cunt, you’ll enjoy some of the sweatiest, most hardcore shooting while also taking the time to get your arms and weapons snatched for the gods with cute fabrics and trinkets. It wouldn’t be girlypop without trinkets.
The best part? It’s out real soon on January 30, a date which very well may have already passed by the time you read this. Get around it.
Key Fairy
Developer: Owl Machine | Publisher: Owl Machine
Platform: PC | Release: February 19 | Wishlist/Demo
If you frequent this wonderful site, you’ll likely know all about Key Fairy, because I haven’t stopped talking about it since going hands-on during PAX Aus 2025. Even if this is the first you’re hearing of it, the elevator pitch for Owl Machine’s debut title should be enough to get you through the front door. A Monochromatic, combat-free bullet-hell game where you forgo violence in favour of kindness. Instead of going full Enter the Gungeon and filling the screen with projectiles, you’ll embody the titular fairy as they attempt to quell monsters’ anger by zipping around with a grappling hook to collect stars. I’ve devoted plenty of words to explaining why Key Fairy is one of my most anticipated games of 2026, but you should really see it in action below to get a proper understanding.
Teeto
Developer: Eat Pant Games | Publisher: Super Rare Originals
Platform: PC | Release: Q2 2026 | Wishlist/Demo
If there is one thing my daughter does well, it’s make random noises at times when I desperately need to concentrate. If there is ANOTHER thing she does well, it’s sniff out awesome Aussie indie games that are worth a look. This was the case with PAX2025, where she immediately cut through the myriad of booths on the indie floor to zooom into Teeto. I have no doubt that the cute bunny on the key art was a factor, but the game itself was a blast. Playing as a blob and the aforementioned bunny, you are rolling, swinging and dressing up in a world beset by Chaos – bringing shadowy yuck to its colourful corners. Absorb powers, help the wild denizens of the world and peer in every corner for secrets. It’s classic platforming fun with a hefty dose of brain-teasing puzzles which are made all the more fun with a co-op buddy. THE BLOBS ARE MULTIPLYING.
The Florist
Developer: Unclear Games | Publisher: Unclear Games
Platform: PC/Consoles | Release: 2026 | Wishlist
The Florist is a survival horror inspired by the classics of the genre from the ANZ team Unclear Games. Set in a world that grows and changes, The Florist follows Jessica Park as she delivers flowers to the town of Joycliffe, only for her visit to descend into a fight for survival as a deadly disease spreads through the town, causing mutated flowers to grow and turn the residents into dangerous creatures. With gameplay that mixes classic and modern genre features like fixed camera angles and unlimited inventory space, Jessica must use her skills to solve the mystery of what’s happening and escape Joycliffe, hopefully saving others along the way. No set release date has been locked in, but Unclear Games is targeting PC and consoles in 2026.
My Arms Are Longer Now
Developer: Toot Games | Publisher: Toot Games
Platform: Switch/PC | Release: TBA | Wishlist
So, you’ve played Untitled Goose Game, right? Cool, well, this is similar and nothing like that at all in the same breath. Part puzzle game, part disturbing, My Arms Are Longer Now has the player controlling an extended amputation hellbent on stealing valuables, random objects, and living creatures. The Goose Game connection comes from the list-based objectives, but also the general cheekiness present in every silly little action you take. Toot Games’ co-founder and narrative lead, Millie Holten, is an award-winning writer and a damn funny comic, so it’ll come as no surprise to hear that My Arms Are Longer Now is wonderfully, awkwardly, and consistently humorous, especially if you live in little old Australia.
The Dungeon Experience
Developer: Jacob Janerka, Simon Boxer, Bone Assembly | Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platform: PC | Release: TBA | Wishlist/Demo
Everything I’ve seen or played of The Dungeon Experience feels like something concocted in a lab where scientists spent the last 30-something years studying what makes me laugh.
Jacob Janerka, Simon Boxer and co. are not only excellent developers, they are deeply funny folks with enough nerd culture cred to craft genuinely good satire with memorable characters and scenarios that’ll leave you as bewildered as bemused.
If you were lucky enough to check out the demo at PAXes past, you’ll no doubt recall the nipple thing. Any game with any kind of ‘nipple thing’ is worth paying attention to, I reckon.
Innkeep
Developer: Boot Disk Games | Publisher: Mythwright
Platform: PC | Release: TBA | Wishlist
Those who know me know I love a cheeky froth. The best jobs are those doing what we love, and while smashing beers all day, every day sounds like a blast, it probably doesn’t pay well. So the next best thing is to run an establishment that serves punters delicious yeast-based thirst-quenching beverages, and that’s what Innkeep from Perth’s Boot Disk Games will allow you to do. Nothing earns you a beer faster than taking over a fixer-upper and turning it into the town’s best watering hole (even if it’s the only one). Your task as the new master of The Weary Pilgrim, the only pub in the Valley of the Incarnates, is to ensure that your guests are well lubricated and well fed, and by doing so you’ll hear stories from their travels, rumours of the underworld, and where their recently acquired treasures are hidden. The last part is important because while they sleep you’re going to rob them. But you’ll build more than a treasure collection, as some folk are trustworthy enough to join your crew working to uncover an ancient secret before The Divine Empire succumbs to war, taking your tavern with it.
BraveCart
Developer: Hojo Studio | Publisher: Hojo Studio
Platform: PC | Release: TBA | Wishlist
While I know that BraveCart is absolutely not releasing in 2026, I have it on the best authority that a Demo will become available, so get it on your radar now. In a world dominated by two major supermarket brands (sound familiar?), a shopping cart takes it upon themselves to free all cartkind from this evil duopoly – teaming up with a scrappy receipt to avoid exploding cyber vehicles, mad cart return staff and forge their own path to freedom.
The appeal of BraveCart is that it is essentially a simple sliding puzzle game – you pick a direction and let your rattly boy careen until its logical conclusion. But mix in some brilliantly funny hazards, a crisp artstyle and a snappy gameplay loop, you’ll struggle to put it down. Developer Hojo Studio is even putting their money where their mouth is, donating 10% of every sale to charities that prioritise the sustainable treatment of corporate waste – so you are doing more than just saving trolleys, you are trying to save the Earth.
Janet DeMornay Is A Slumlord (and a witch)
Developer: Fuzzy Ghost Publisher: Fuzzy Ghost
Platform: PC | Release: TBA | Wishlist
Dev duo Scott and Pete, or Fuzzy Ghost as they’re known to the tax office, have a combined knack for crafting a vibe. Pebble Witch, Queer Man Peering Into a Rockpool.jpg and Dialogue are all very lovely, very digital pastel/Strayawave joints that make me feel good.
Janet DeMornay Is A Slumlord (and a witch) does not make me feel good (complimentary). A horror puzzle room experience that draws from classics like Resident Evil, this is a game based on real life horror stories – specifically rental horror stories. If you’ve ever had an absolutely fucked landlord, chances are there’s a bit of them in ol’ Janet, a washed up television star turned career parasite.
I think this section on the game’s Steam Page says more than I could possibly say:
Big Walk
Developer: House House | Publisher: Panic
Platform: PC | Release: 2026 | Wishlist
Ok, this might be a slightly obvious one, but I just mentioned Untitled Goose Game, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t quickly cover the next game from House House. Moving on from the bastard goose and its bastard attitude, the Melbourne-based team has set its sights on something grander with Big Walk. It’s one of those games that does exactly what it says on the tin, but in a clever and unexpected way. Primarily a social experience, Big Walk gives you and your friends a big, open area to explore on foot as colourful little dudes with spherical bodies and googly eyes. The meat and potatoes here are walking and talking, but you’ll use those fundamentals to complete puzzles and enjoy wandering around together. It’s a remarkably simple premise, but it’s one that could really open up into something special if the devs pull it off.
How Was Your Day?
Developer: Mad Carnival | Publisher: Mad Carnival
Platform: PC | Release: Late 2026 | Wishlist/Demo
How Was Your Day? is another title that caught my eye at PAX Australia 2025, and after checking out the demo, I knew I had to include it in this list. Set in the 80s in New Zealand in the fictional town of Lakeview, How Was Your Day? is a point-and-click adventure that follows 13-year-old Diya as she searches for her missing dog Beans while trying to escape a time loop. You’ll explore the town, chat with the locals – scary and friendly – and uncover dark secrets that will see you confront your fears and come of age. What’s fascinating about How Was Your Day? is that it contains many influences of the developer’s Fijian and Kiwi heritage, two cultures that have very little representation in video games, and features authentic voice acting, 80s-inspired mini games, and an art style that reminds me of the Little Golden Books from the early 90s. Developer Mad Carnival is targeting late 2026 for release, but you can check out a demo now.
Chained Beasts
Developer: Featherweight Games | Publisher: Featherweight Games
Platform: PC | Release: 2026 | Wishlist/Demo
Esteemed WellPlayed’inite Adam Ryan and I once discussed the emergence of ‘rage games’, titles that seemed to have been designed to make people flip out and yell obscenities at them, because they were deliberately created with infuriating mechanics. Whacky physics, terrifyingly hard difficulties and an immensely punishing outcome if you fail, these ball-busting experiences seem to target Twitchy streamers that needed an easy avenue to farm content.
Chained Beasts originally rubbed me as one of these…well, beasts. If only because its main gimmick was that you and your co-op brawler buddy were permanently chained together when entering the gladiatorial arena. By chance I watched Dark Souls YouTuber IronPineapple fiddle about in the demo, and came to instantly realise that the chain was not there to piss you off – it was a deliberate cornerstone of Chained Beasts mechanics. Your links of iron could be used in a variety of ways, from tripping bad guys to yanking your ally out of the way of danger with the roguelite options on offer playing further into the friendly shackles potential. No rage here, just vibes – perhaps another Aussie smash hit in the making. Get around it.
Frogreign
Developer: Arkanpixel | Publisher: Arkanpixel
Platform: PC | Release: TBA | Wishlist
Brisbane’s Arkanpixel brought its upcoming metroidvania platformer Frogreign to PAX Australia 2025, showcasing the game’s slick movement and intriguing frog-themed mechanics. Now, any frog worth its ribbets knows how to use its tongue to its advantage. The prince of the Kingdom of Callidrya, Rill, is one such frog, and he’ll use his tongue to traverse the world and deal with any threats along the way as he endeavours to find his missing sister. But you won’t be doing it alone, with a wisp companion named Lumi assisting by providing Rill with spirit magic that will help in combat and solving puzzles. It’s all set in a stunning amphibious world that is brought to life with a gorgeous pixel art style. No release details have been confirmed, but Arkanpixel has told me, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, that 2026 isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Killing Things With Your Friends
Developer: Flightless | Publisher: Flightless
Platform: PC | Release: 2026 | Wishlist
Speaking of titles that tell you all you need to know. Killing Things With Your Friends is a co-op survival and puzzle game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. In fact, I’m not sure there’s a serious bone in this game’s ever-changing body. Trapped in a testing facility with a range of monsters and monstrocities, you and your friends will need to solve puzzles and wade through enemies to escape, but you won’t come out in one piece. Funnily enough, though, that’s a good thing, as when you lose a limb, you can whack another one straight on. This means you can rip the arm off a bipedal crab man and attach that bad boy onto your torso and start snipping at fools left and right. The puzzles require cooperation; they’ll see you turn into a red mist if you step a foot out of line, and it’s all very silly. Just how I like it.
Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar
Developer: Abandoned Sheep | Publisher: Abandoned Sheep
Platform: PC | Release: 2026 | Wishlist/Demo
Taking a puzzle game and adding a layer of the theoretical just feels mean. What do you mean, I now need to take into account that I will CHANGE STATE if I am currently being observed!?
Oh. Wait. I just got the title of the game.
That’s right, Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar is essentially a Portal game – but with cats instead of portals. With the magnificent power to be in two places at once, our pretty kitty is bamboozling the systems of a science facility to uncover the truth and make it home for breakfast. Playable as a solo player, or with a mate taking control of the doppelganger cat, you approach every puzzle from the idea of what you can theoretically achieve. Why not pass through a door that can theoretically be opened? Bypass security detection because you can’t see what doesn’t exist? It’s a hoot, even if the puzzle solving hurts my simple brain just a little.
Shape Sender Deluxe
Developer: Dead Teapot | Publisher: Dead Teapot
Platform: PC | Release: 2026 | Wishlist/Demo
I love a good physics-based puzzler, and Shape Sender Deluxe looks to be offering some fun and clever twists on what’s familiar about them.
Shape Sender Deluxe has you do, well, what the title implies. You’ll figure out how to direct shapes coming out of one pipe, into another, using all manner of gadgets like portals, magnets, springs, fans and more. There are few exclusively ‘correct’ solutions here, and half the fun is just figuring out an answer that brings you joy.
But then there’s Sendy, your constant companion throughout all of the game’s elegant, freeform puzzles. As the game’s mascot, Sendy is there to help show you the ropes and provide support, but, there’s also something curiously sinister about his presence. He’ll happily start imposing restrictions on your puzzle-solving ability – and it’s up to you to concoct creative and bizarre ways in which to defy his meddling!
And that’s a wrap. While these 16 titles all look heaps promising, there are loads more in the works that are worth keeping an eye on, which speaks to the amazingly talented teams we have in ANZ. Let us know in the comments or on social media what games caught your eye, or if you think we missed a title that should be here.
