It's that time of year! The Game Awards is coming back around in just over 24 hours! As a prelude to the event, we were treated to a Day of the Devs showcase beforehand, which showed off plenty of exciting upcoming indie games, so let's take a look at what we have to look forward to!
Announcements at the Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition 2025 Showcase:
Escape Academy 2 Shows Off Open World Gameplay, Bags a Steam Demo
Escape Academy 2 promises to revitalize the escape room genre by bringing in a new twist, an open-world experience with puzzles to complete in an open environment. It's still retaining its co-op gameplay, and there is a demo available to try on Steam now.
Blumhouse Games' "Sleep Awake" is Out Now, as is the Soundtrack
Blumhouse Games' latest horror game, Sleep Awake, is available now on Steam. In addition to that, the game's soundtrack can also be purchased, composed by David Finck of Nine Inch Nails. I can't find the video shown in the showcase separately from the whole thing, but it takes place between 2:10 and 6:10 in the embedded video at the top of this page.
A Good Look at Gameplay for Physics-Based Dungeon Crawler 'Awaysis', Demo Coming Soon
We've seen Awaysis at a couple of shows before, but I think this is the clearest look at the gameplay we've had yet, and I'm glad we're getting a somewhat zoomed-out camera for this one. It looks pretty interesting, and we're assured that a demo for the game is coming to Steam soon.
Survive Your Dreams in Lucid Falls, a Mind-Bending Survival Horror
Manipulate gravity, space, and time, and survive terrifying nightmares in a deeply atmospheric lucid dream. Facing terrifying creatures and solving challenges that bend reality, every moment reveals more of the dark truth behind Lucid Falls.
A Look at the Gameplay of RPG Rhythm Management Game ROCKBEASTS
ROCKBEASTS is mashing a whole bunch of genres together, and the funny thing is, it just might pull it off. Manage your band, sort out gigs, schedules, and their lives so that everything runs smoothly, and don't forget you have to actually play the gigs too.
Stretchmancer Will Challenge Your Perception of Puzzle Games
It's always interesting to see the kind of unique mechanics that puzzle games can come up with, and with technology always advancing, it's really cool to see new techniques employed. Stretchmancer is one of the most trippy yet, with the ability to stretch and manipulate the world around you by pushing and pulling objects.
Virtue and a Sledgehammer is a narrative action game all about revisiting your hometown and wreaking revenge on what's left with your trusty sledgehammer. The game's tagline does carry the rather odd "Most people choose therapy, you chose the brave option, a sledgehammer", which seems to encourage people to be violent instead of seeking therapy for trauma, but oh well.
Beastro Lets You Protect Your Town Using your Culinary Skills. Demo Out Now
No one can protect a town on an empty stomach, so it's up to you to run the local restaurant! Gather ingredients, make your dishes, and then feed the heroes who protect the town. Then the heroes take over to defend the town using the strength they gain from the dishes you create!
Adventure Horror Game UN:Me Presents Some Tough Choices
In UN:Me, you will have to navigate a mental labyrinth in a body inhabited by 4 souls. Gradually find out which soul the body belongs to and eliminate the incorrect souls while you deal with their individual fears.
Experience Unique Sounds and Sights in Narrative Puzzler SOUNDGRASS
Find yourself on a planet where plants emit and react to sound and light. An alien civilization is harvesting the sounds of these plants. Use your Sphere of Sound and your Sphere of Light to interact with, trigger, and control dozens of plants and more.
Immerse in unique sound gameplay mechanics while uncovering the mysteries of the planet in this semi-open world puzzle exploration story-driven game with survival elements.
Enjoy this... slightly disturbing trailer for The Dungeon Experience, a new comedy story-based adventure game from the developers behind Paradigm and Ring of Pain.
Scramble Knights Royale Mixes Adventuring with the Battle Royale Genre! Closed Playtest Live Now
Embark on an adventure while participating in a 32-player online battle royale! Explore dungeons, solve puzzles, and find treasures, all while making sure you're the last knight standing! You can even play with a friend in a queue or in split-screen against other players online.
Exercise Your Mind with Mirria, a Casual Puzzle Game
Mirria is an atmospheric casual puzzle game, challenging players to find "anomalies" between mirrored worlds, in a twist on the classic 'spot the difference' puzzle mechanic.
Enjoy the Smooth Movement of 3D Platformer 'Big Hops' When it Launches January 12th, 2026
3D Platformer Big Hops is all about the movement, with a huge moveset including tongue grappling, rolling, diving, wall running, rail grinding, and more. You'll be hopping, swimming, and planting your way across a variety of worlds! Yes, that's right, part of your skillset is planting vegetables to gain new movement opportunities.
Explore a Collection of 8-bit Games in CorgiSpace, Out Now
CorgiSpace is a collection of 8-bit games that have short legs on purpose. This anthology includes more than a dozen action, adventure, arcade, and puzzle games, and each can be thoroughly explored in under an hour.
Race Against Time to Save and Survive in 'Into the Fire' Releasing Early 2026
Face off against an erupting volcano and supernatural threats in Into the Fire, a new "extraction survival" game where you must rescue survivors using a variety of water-based tools and get back to safety while the threat of fire is ever-present and increasing.
Roguelike Deckbuilder 'Dogpile' Looks Like Some Silly Fun, Out Now
Dogpile is a roguelike deck builder about merging cute dogs into bigger dogs. Play dogs, get money, customize your dogs with special Traits, refine your deck, PLAY MORE DOGS! DOGS!
Horror? Stealth? Shooter? Arcade? Unshine Arcade Has it All, and a Demo is Out Now
An arcade full of secrets, a sentient virtual pet in the prize cabinet, a stealth shooter roguelite arcade machine, and one way to escape: win tickets.
From the creators of Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley comes a heartwarming new adventure inspired by the beloved Moomin stories by Tove Jansson. This time, join Moomintroll himself on a charming but cold winter journey.
3D Open-World Platformer 'Demon Tides' Gets a February 19th, 2026 Release Date
Explore the open seas and uncover the kingdom's dark secrets as you expressively platform your way across dozens of locales, upgrading your gear every step of the way!
Frog Sqwad is a New Co-op Extraction Game from the Developers of Fall Guys
Storm The Sewers for the glory of the Swamp King! Swing, jump, catapult your friends, and eat eat EAT until you grow into a humongous Megafrog. A co-op extraction puzzle-platformer for up to 8 players. Squad up with your frog friends for a friendslop party in this slapstick physics adventure!
Astromine is a Co-op Survival Game Based Around Voxel Physics. Playtest Sign-Ups Available Now
Astromine is a co-op survival game about scavenging fully destructible voxel planets. Land on planets and gather enough materials to fight off alien creatures, build structures and spaceships, and conquer the solar system.
Explore Communication Beyond Speech in Find Your Words, a Free Cozy Game out in 2026
Find your community at summer camp, one friendship at a time. Take a beat, enjoy a breath of fresh air - all while playing at the beach, strolling in the woods, and dancing with friends. This short, cozy game was created by two dads, celebrating their kids’ journeys to find their voices.
結論
That's all for the Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition 2025 Indie Game Showcase. What were your favorite games you saw? Personally, I quite liked Astromine. I just hope there's a way to tone down the pixelated aesthetic a little. Escape Academy 2 is always pretty high up the list, as I thoroughly enjoyed playing through the original game in co-op with a friend.
If you want to watch the showcase for yourself, you can do so at the embedded video below!
