20 Recent Indies That Put AAA To Shame

These days, getting into an online game with friends can be quite the hassle and investment. Most AAA releases riddle their online experiences with in-game purchases and battle passes. On top of that, some of them are annual releases, meaning that every year you basically have to unburden your wallet on a slightly improved version of the same title.

It's probably why Lethal Company became such a hit phenomenon in 2023.

Topping the sales and concurrent players charts in 2023 going forward, Lethal Company is a co-op survival horror in which you and your buddies have to explore dangerous factories on abandoned moon colonies filled with all manner of monsters and anomalies.

The game doesn’t have the best visuals, but its gameplay loop of scavenging old, abandoned buildings, the sense of wonder you get from encountering the creepy creatures stalking the facilities, and most importantly, its great implementation of online mechanics, immersing each player in their role with things like in-game walkie-talkies that provide more realistic in-game communication, make the game an amazing experience for a group of friends looking for a fun game to play together.

Best of all, there are no battle passes and live-service schemes in sight!