10 Best Indie Games on iOS & Android (November 2025)

Looking for the best indie games on iOS and Android in 2025? Mobile gaming has come a long way, and indie games are leading the charge with fresh ideas, creative stories, and unique gameplay. With so many titles to choose from, it can be tough to know where to begin. So, here’s a handpicked list of the best indie games you can play on your phone or tablet!

What Defines the Best Indie Mobile Game?

The best indie games have something special that grabs you right away. They often try new ideas instead of repeating what everyone else does. Some focus on clever puzzles, while others tell small but meaningful stories. Even simple ones manage to surprise you with how creative they are. They don’t rely on flashy graphics or huge budgets, just strong ideas and fun gameplay that fit perfectly on a phone screen.

List of 10 Best Indie Games on iOS & Android

These are the mobile indie games you’ll want to play more than once. They’re the kind you think about even after putting your phone down.

10. Machinarium

Hand-drawn adventure through a rusted robot city

Machinarium brings an old-school puzzle vibe wrapped in a hand-drawn metallic world. The story follows a small robot on a journey through a decaying city ruled by quirky machines. The game blends silence and art to speak louder than words, with no dialogue, only gestures and animations. The environment carries a nostalgic charm that keeps your attention as you figure out how everything connects. Its point-and-click adventure style fits the small screen perfectly and invites players to think smart while exploring deeper into its charming metal maze.

Solving puzzles in Machinarium means understanding how machines interact. You guide the little robot to repair, assemble, and progress through moving parts that behave like living puzzles. The interface is simple, with visual cues guiding progress instead of words. Small animations provide hints, helping the story move forward smoothly. It stands as one of the most satisfying indie adventures ever brought to mobile.

9. Vampire Survivors

Endless survival against hordes of pixel monsters

Vampire Survivors delivers non-stop action that hooks you instantly. It drops you into a battlefield swarming with bizarre monsters while you power up bit by bit. The entire setup is simple yet gripping – move, dodge, and collect upgrades until your screen fills with chaos. There’s no pause, only relentless movement that keeps you locked in. What’s impressive is how it packs such intensity into a small package and shows how strong design can make the best indie mobile games feel more addictive than massive AAA titles.

The notable part is that combat runs automatically. There’s also a surprising amount of strategy in what you choose next – whip, garlic aura, or magic wand, all of which affect your path to survival. The maps keep expanding, enemies multiply, and the pace accelerates until the screen shines with explosions and upgrades.

8. Baba Is You

A puzzle logic game that rewrites its own rules

Baba Is You breaks traditional puzzle logic by letting you rewrite how the game behaves. Words on the screen act as physical blocks that can be pushed to form statements like “Baba Is Win” or “Rock Is You.” Move one word, and the rules of the entire puzzle change instantly. It makes you rethink how language controls the world inside the screen. This unique twist earns it a spot among the best indie games ported to Android and iOS that value brains over reflexes.

Here, its simplicity hides a deep system of discovery. You push words around, chain new commands, and shift how the world operates. Unlike traditional puzzles, the focus is not on matching patterns but on redefining them completely. The transitions between ideas keep you constantly guessing what might happen next.

7. Papers, Please

A border checkpoint puzzle of rules and decisions

Papers, Please sets you behind a desk at an immigration checkpoint in a fictional nation. Every traveler brings papers, faces, and small stories. You compare documents, spot fake stamps, and decide who enters or stays out. It might sound dull at first glance, but soon each decision builds tension as you juggle accuracy, limited time, and moral weight.

Each day grows tougher with new rules and conflicting priorities. Dozens of faces pass through, bringing unique challenges that keep attention locked. The game’s interface fits perfectly on mobile screens, making checking documents oddly satisfying. Its combination of management and narrative depth cements its position among the best indie games for mobile. Overall, Papers, Please shows how even a desk job can become one of the most gripping experiences around.

6. Typoman Remastered

A word-based platformer where letters shape the world

Typoman Remastered throws you into a bleak world where letters form everything around you. You play as a figure made from letters who uses words to solve environmental puzzles. For example, forming “LIFT” makes a platform rise, and “RAIN” creates a storm. The entire game revolves around the idea of language controlling the world, and this concept is brilliantly executed, turning language into action in ways rarely seen before.

Typoman belongs among the best indie games ported to Android and iOS, mainly for how it translates wordplay into action. As you progress, puzzles gradually become more challenging, and meanwhile, new mechanics appear that change how letters interact with the world. On top of that, the smooth touch controls make manipulating words natural, so solving complex puzzles never interrupts the flow.

5. Limbo

A haunting puzzle platformer in a shadowy world

Limbo invites players into a mysterious black-and-white universe where the environment itself is a puzzle. You guide a small boy through eerie forests, abandoned factories, and strange landscapes filled with traps. Obstacles range from moving platforms to spikes, and timing matters as you navigate deeper into the unknown. Besides that, the game’s simplicity makes it approachable, yet the challenges steadily grow, offering a strong sense of accomplishment. Meanwhile, shadows and silhouettes create suspense without overwhelming the player.

The gameplay focuses on observing, experimenting, and acting carefully. Platforms collapse, ropes swing, and machines trigger unexpectedly. Puzzles require thinking ahead and sometimes retrying for better timing. On the other hand, some challenges mix physics with logic, asking players to push, pull, or drop objects strategically. All of this makes Limbo one of the most memorable indie mobile games ever in the puzzle-platforming genre.

4. Is This Seat Taken?

The best indie puzzle games released in 2025

Is This Seat Taken? is a cozy logic puzzle where you play matchmaker for groups of quirky characters. Each person has distinct preferences, making finding the right seat a satisfying challenge. Meanwhile, every setting introduces new scenarios with characters who have unique tastes. A passenger who wants quiet cannot sit next to someone blasting music, and a party guest with a sensitive nose avoids heavy scents nearby.

The gameplay focuses on observing characters, noting their preferences, and arranging seats strategically to unlock new levels. In addition, each level presents fresh situations, from cinema rows to banquet tables, expanding both complexity and fun. With the game’s playful approach and intuitive controls, it is one of the best indie games released this year on mobile.

3. Stardew Valley

One of the most popular indie games on mobile

Stardew Valley is a farming simulation that goes far beyond planting crops. Players manage their own farms, interact with townspeople, and explore nearby caves for resources. The game offers seasonal changes that affect crops, festivals, and town activities, creating a living, breathing world to engage with. On top of that, there’s crafting, fishing, and animal care, all blended together seamlessly. These elements make Stardew Valley one of the best indie games ported to Android and iOS, bringing the depth of PC gameplay to mobile devices without any compromise.

The gameplay loop is simple yet deeply satisfying. Players plan their days, grow crops efficiently, and build relationships with villagers, which unlock events and rewards. Plus, the game encourages long-term planning while still allowing short, relaxing play sessions. Transitioning from farming to fishing or mining adds variety, and keeps the entire experience engaging. Overall, Stardew Valley delivers a complete and immersive world.

2. TABS Pocket Edition

A hilarious battle simulator filled with goofy warriors

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Pocket Edition brings hilariously chaotic battles to mobile. In this game, players deploy quirky units to fight opponents in physics-driven arenas. Each faction has unique abilities that encourage experimentation. On top of that, the ragdoll animation makes combat unpredictable yet entertaining, as units flail and interact with the environment realistically. This allows players to adjust their strategies while enjoying the exaggerated physics.

The gameplay is simple to understand yet engaging. For instance, placing units strategically can lead to surprising victories or epic failures. Also, different scenarios and battle maps provide constant variety. TABS Pocket Edition earns its place among the best indie games for mobile, offering humor, strategy, and uniquely physics-driven combat. All in all, it’s an addictive way to test tactics and enjoy mobile-friendly strategy without overcomplicating the controls.

1. Chants of Sennaar

A language-based puzzle adventure

Finally, we have Chants of Sennaar, a puzzle adventure that makes decoding languages the main quest. The game places you in a mysterious tower divided into societies that cannot communicate with one another. You explore, observe symbols, and gradually connect meanings through context and logic. The art direction and soundtrack together create a calm yet curious vibe, instantly drawing you into its strange world.

You rely on logic, observation, and patience to piece together languages that unlock new paths. Each discovery brings a sense of accomplishment and pulls you deeper into the world’s secrets. The way the puzzles intertwine with the story keeps you hooked for hours. That’s exactly why Chants of Sennaar stands among the best indie games ported to Android and iOS. It delivers something intelligent, stylish, and genuinely satisfying.