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- Indie games offer more creativity and unique gameplay than AAA titles today.
- This is primarily due to the smaller teams and passion behind these projects.
- AAA projects offer a more refined experience, but they tend to stick with a tried-and-true formula that has worked before.
The divide between indie and AAA titles still exists, but smaller titles have quickly begun to catch up in recent years. In 2025, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has come up as the biggest surprise of the year, marking an unprecedented success for a new studio with a limited budget and fewer than 50 developers.
Elsewhere, other titles like Hollow Knight and Palworld highlight the excellence of indie gaming. Going by these recent successes, it’s become clear that indie and AA releases are taking more risks today, while AAA gaming has somewhat stagnated.
Why it matters: In the modern era, indie games can compete with their AAA counterparts, leading to exciting options for gamers.
The Underdog Spirit
Indie games are typically born in small rooms with a bunch of developers looking to prove their worth. These teams are often brimming with creativity and ideas, which leads to exceptional games in the long run.
Indie developers are also free of the pressure that often comes with AAA development. Shareholders, industry tropes, and other similar factors don’t play much of a role in indie games, allowing such studios to experiment with unconventional ideas and concepts.
This is exactly why titles like Celeste, Stardew Valley, Undertale, and more have left such a lasting impression on players around the globe.
The AAA Experience
On the flipside, AAA games are blockbuster experiences that deliver cutting-edge visuals and polish. If you grab a Steam keys for a game like The Witcher 3 or Cyberpunk 2077, you likely expect everything to be perfect.
This means that AAA teams have little room for risk. They usually play it safe due to necessity, as companies typically expect a solid return on their investments, and the last thing a team wants is to be shut down due to a failed experiment.
Risks Within Indie Development
Risk-taking is a natural part of an indie game’s production. These teams can’t sell their games on brand value or their studio’s name alone, so an innovative idea is their safest bet, which requires a level of risk most AAA teams usually avoid.
Indie developers can also quickly iterate on existing ideas and implement them without much hassle. On the other hand, pitches in AAA teams may sometimes be lost due to the lengthy approval process.
This is exactly why titles like Hades have been so successful in the past. It only helps that such games can be purchased at a cheap price on platforms like Steam, thanks to widely accessible Steam keys.
Ultimately, both types of games satisfy the needs of gamers. Most people enjoy both indie and AAA titles, so it’s great to see both industries producing enjoyable gaming experiences today.
Finding solid deals on indie and AAA titles can also make your gaming journey even better, allowing you to build your Steam library through affordable games.
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[News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than three years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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