We offer our personal recommendations for the indie games from July, 2026, that everybody should play.10:00, 01 Aug 2026If you'e in the mood for a small indie title in between the AAA releases, here's a list of those from July that'd we'd recommend.‌With the likes of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced and Splatoon Raiders eating up all the attention, it’d be relatively easy to forget that there were also plenty of smaller games to play throughout the month of July. Yes, fresh off the excitement surrounding this year’s most recent Steam Summer Sale, the indie scene once again didn’t let us down - with a raft of different genre twists readily available.‌From murder mystery follow-ups drenched in a cutesy art style to retrofitted puzzle-platformers that have finally made the jump from VR to the flat screen, the recommendations arrived thick and fast. Here’s our pick of 10 best indie games released in July 2026…‌The Mermaid MaskJust when you thought developer SFB Games wouldn’t be able to top 2019’s Tangle Tower, the brilliant The Mermaid Mask comes along as yet another engaging point-and-click murder mystery packed full of humour and heart. This time set amongst the waters of a remote fishing town, it’s your job to work out why the submarine captain was murdered by parsing all the rumours and speculation surrounding him.With significantly improved puzzle mechanics, plenty of new suspects, and a whip-smart script, The Mermaid Mask delivers everything you could want from an indie murder mystery.D-topia‌If you’re in the mood for a futuristic puzzler unafraid to make you ponder some pretty big questions surrounding automation and AI, D-topia makes this its prime directive. True, what it has to say about such weighty topics doesn’t end up being especially surprising, but it still results in a fairly unnerving narrative adventure with a sterile vibe that is well worth playing.You play the role of a facilitator trying to keep the residents of D-topia happy, fixing glitches and learning about their stories to try and keep things afloat. If at first everything seems cosy, think again! D-topia is a more than worthy addition to Annapurna Interactive’s catalogue.‌Moss: The Forgotten RelicOriginally starting out as a duo of incredibly immersive VR-only titles, the world of Moss and all the cutesy platforming it entails finally reached flat-screen players this month in the form of Moss: The Forgotten Relic. Both games still look and play fantastically despite the switch in format, with you helping to guide the mousy Quill on an old-school action-platforming adventure while battling through forests, snowscapes, and castles.A teensy amount of magic and appeal may have been lost in the process, yet Moss: The Forgotten Relic still brings a fresh appeal to the act of guiding a tiny hero through a beautiful but ruined world.TeetoTeeto is the exact kind of game that instantly transports me back to my childhood - to a time when the likes of Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and yes, Super Mario dominated the gaming scene. Ostensibly it’s a 3D platformer collect-a-thon where you’re encouraged to explore various levels, but its central gimmick of letting you take on the unique abilities of the objects and environment around you does well to give it a unique flavour.‌Honestly, the fact that this was mostly made by a team of two is astonishing. Teeto is a fun and chaotic platforming adventure either alone or in split-screen co-op!Cat Mail Co.‌It simply wouldn’t be an indie games roundup without yet another game based on cats, but at least this one offers up a particularly paw-some new twist. Cat Mail Co. does exactly what it says on the tin, putting you in charge of your own post office where you must sort and deliver parcels and packages with your fellow feline co-workers.This provides an excellent hook for what ends up being an extremely relaxing and organisational job simulator, made all the more fulfilling thanks to the joy your simple actions bring to the surrounding islands and its thankful folks.Fading EchoFrom literally shifting between different dimensions to transforming into a ball of water to swiftly traverse space, Fading Echo is the kind of 3D action game that doesn’t mess about with regards to making you feel powerful. You are a master of the elements, after all, and with that comes the ability to deal with different types of enemies in a variety of ways.‌All of which Fading Echo makes it natural for you to discover thanks to the ways all the many elemental liquids (slime, lava, water, and so on) can inform each other. It results in a neon-drenched, combat-focused jaunt that winds up being the best Avatar: The Last Airbender game that isn’t actually called Avatar.Case Solved: The London FilesI’m a sucker for noir detective stories, especially when they’re set in a dank and smokey version of London. Well, that’s exactly what I got when checking out the aptly named Case Solved: The London Files, a completely handcrafted 2D case-cracking adventure that rewards the most observant players.Getting to the bottom of each mystery requires you to pay attention - often to the extent that I would’ve appreciated just a touch of handholding to help guide me when comparing clues and facts. And yet, it didn’t dissuade me from enjoying this distinctly 1960s set mystery story that only takes a couple hours to enjoy!‌BokuraWhile it can sometimes be annoying for a game to be playable solely via co-op, Bokua is the type of sweet and charming pixelated puzzle-platformer that is worth grabbing a friend for. Packing in 90s inspired retro visuals and with a calm and serene colour palette, this journey of two boys running away from home is unabashedly endearing.‌Bokura is the type of indie game that proves you can still do a lot - both in story and gameplay - with very little. And sure, not every puzzle is clearly signposted, but it’s worth butting heads with your real-life partner to see where this inherently co-operative adventure ends up.Moonlight PeaksThose wanting to scratch that Animal Crossing style itch might want to check out what has turned out to be the breakout farming sim game of 2026 in Moonlight Peaks. At first it appears typical with you performing tasks such as raising crops and growing a town. Only here you get to do so while roleplaying a vampire within a world of dark mystic magic.This otherworldly theme is used as the perfect basis to let you build up your dream spook-infused homestead, engaging in the likes of spell-casting and potion-making alongside more traditional sim elements. Stardew Valley fans should certainly dabble in these dark arts!Article continues belowMythmatch (Nintendo Switch)Originally released for PC way back in March, the utterly awesome top-down town-building game, Mythmatch, released on Nintendo Switch this past month in fine form! Set in the world of Greek myth, you take on the role of outcast god Artemis, trying to prove herself in the mortal realm after being exiled from Olympus by building up her own tight-knit community and building relationships within it.Treating the gods as the source of all evil might not be a new topic to explore, yet Mythmatch finds a way to present it by merging the tenets of a farming and social sim. It’s certainly one of the most unique genre takes I’ve played this year!