This is a partial list of independent video game developers that are not owned by a publisher. Independent developers retain operational control over their companies, pipelines, and organizations and often may work with proprietary engines or other proprietary software. These teams may range in size from single individuals to major companies with hundreds of employees.
Independent developers may choose to work with one or more game publishers or to self-publish their titles.
This list is not complete. Only notable developers or developers with notable games are listed here, and only some of their games are listed. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of independent game development studios which either self-publish their titles, or enter into licensing or co-development agreements with publishers.
| Company | City | State/Province | Country | Notable games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 Studios | Frankston | Victoria | Australia | Craftworld Zombies 2.0 |
| 2D Boy | San Francisco | California | United States | World of Goo |
| 3G Studios | Reno | Nevada | United States | The Dating Game Brave Arms Zombeat The Deep Skate or Die Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009 Rock Band (w/Harmonix) |
| 4D Rulers Software | Gore: Ultimate Soldier Secret Service 2 Patriots: A Nation Under Fire |
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| ACE Team | Santiago | Chile | Zeno Clash Rock of Ages |
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| Aldorlea Games | France | Laxius Force Laxius Force 2 Laxius Force 3 3 Stars of Destiny Millennium (video game) Millennium 2 Millennium 3 Millennium 4 Asguaard Dreamscape |
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| Alec Holowka | Winnipeg | Manitoba | Canada | Crayon Physics Deluxe I'm O.K – A Murder Simulator Aquaria (video game) |
| Almost Human | Espoo | Finland | Legend of Grimrock | |
| Amanita Design | Czech Republic | Botanicula Machinarium Samorost 2 Samorost |
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| Amaranth Games | Aveyond Grimm's Hatchery Yummy Drink Factory Aveyond 2 |
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| Ambrosia Software | Rochester | New York | United States | Escape Velocity series |
| Artix Entertainment | Land O'Lakes | Florida | United States | AdventureQuest DragonFable MechQuest AdventureQuest Worlds WarpForce EpicDuel HeroSmash OverSoul AdventureQuest3D: Legend of Lore |
| Babaroga | Chicago | Illinois | United States | Spore Origins Zombies!!! |
| Basilisk Games | Indianapolis | Indiana | United States | Eschalon series |
| The Behemoth | San Diego | California | United States | Alien Hominid Castle Crashers BattleBlock Theater |
| Benjamin Rivers | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | Drunken Rampage The Ascent SNOW |
| Big Finish Games | Salt Lake City | Utah | United States | Three Cards to Midnight |
| Bit Blot | Aquaria | |||
| Blitz Games Studios | Warwickshire | United Kingdom | Powerup Forever Droplitz Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao Encleverment Experiment |
|
| Blossomsoft | Eternal Eden | |||
| Blue Fang Games | Waltham | Massachusetts | United States | Zoo Tycoon series |
| Bohemia Interactive Studio | Prague | Czech Republic | Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis ArmA: Armed Assault |
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| Boomzap Entertainment | Singapore | Singapore | Awakening: The Dreamless Castle Jewels of Cleopatra |
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| Bplus | Plättchen Twist 'n' Paint | |||
| Bubble Gum Interactive | Sydney | Australia | Little Space Heroes | |
| Broken Rules | Vienna | Austria | And Yet It Moves | |
| Capybara Games | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | Superbrothers: Sword &_Sworcery EP Critter Crunch Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes |
| Caravel Games | Deadly Rooms of Death | |||
| Castle Thorn Software LLC | Hamilton | Montana | United States | StarQuest Online |
| Chedburn Networks Limited | Bristol | United Kingdom | Torn | |
| Christopher Howard Wolf | Rocky Point | North Carolina | United States | DragonSpires Hell Rising I'm O.K – A Murder Simulator |
| Chronic Logic | Santa Cruz | California | United States | Bridge Builder Gish |
| Cing | Fukuoka | Japan | Another Code: Two Memories Hotel Dusk: Room 215 Another Code: R - A Journey into Lost Memories Little King's Story |
|
| Citérémis | Sherbrooke | Québec | Canada | Aztaka |
| ClockStone Software | Innsbruck | Austria | Avencast: Rise of the Mage | |
| cly5m | Seiklus | |||
| Coffee Stain Studios | Skövde | Sweden | I Love Strawberries, Sanctum (2011 video game) | |
| ColdWood Interactive | Umeå | Sweden | The Fight: Lights Out | |
| Crytek Black Sea (formerly Black Sea Studios) | Sofia | Bulgaria | Knights of Honor WorldShift |
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| Dark Water Studios | Derry City | Northern Ireland | United Kingdom | Dogfighter |
| Deceased Pixel | Super Mega Worm Snake HD Recess Riot |
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| Daniel Benmergui | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Today I Die I Wish I Were The Moon Storyteller |
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| Dejobaan Games | Massachusetts | United States | AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity The Wonderful End of the World |
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| Dennaton Games | Sweden | Hotline Miami | ||
| Derek Smart (3000AD.com) | Fort Lauderdale | Florida | United States | Battlecruiser 3000AD Universal Combat |
| Derek Yu | Pasadena | California | United States | I'm O.K – A Murder Simulator Aquaria Spelunky Eternal Daughter |
| Digital Eel | Seattle | Washington | United States | Data Jammers: FastForward Brainpipe: A Plunge to Unhumanity Soup du Jour Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space Dr. Blob's Organism Digital Eel's Big Box of Blox Strange Adventures In Infinite Space Plasmaworm |
| Dovogame | United States | Business Tycoon Online | ||
| Dreadlocks Ltd | Prague | Czech Republic | Rune Legend | |
| Edmund McMillen | Santa Cruz | California | United States | Gish Super Meat Boy Aether Spewer Cunt The Binding of Isaac |
| Elite Gudz | New York | New York | United States | Techno Kitten Adventure |
| Engage Gaming | United Kingdom | RELOCK | ||
| Elixir Studios | United Kingdom | Republic: The Revolution Evil Genius |
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| Erik Svedäng | Sweden | Blueberry Garden | ||
| Ethereal Darkness Interactive | Northampton | Massachusetts | United States | Morning's Wrath The Lost City of Malathedra STATIC - Investigator Training |
| Eurocom | Derby | United Kingdom | Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy Batman Begins Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Vancouver 2010: The Official Videogame of the Winter Olympic Games GoldenEye 007 (2010 video game) |
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| Evony, LLC | Guangzhou | China | Evony: Age I | |
| Exotypos | Russia | X Motor Racing | ||
| Facepunch Studios | Walsall | United Kingdom | Garry's Mod | |
| Ferry Halim | Fresno | California | United States | Orisinal Games |
| Firefly Studios | London | United Kingdom | Stronghold Stronghold 2 Space Colony Stronghold 3 Dungeon Hero Civ City: Rome Stronghold Kingdoms |
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| Flashbang Studios | Off-Road Velociraptor Safari | |||
| Flying Lab Software | Seattle | Washington | United States | Rails Across America Pirates of the Burning Sea |
| Freebird Games | Markham | Ontario | Canada | To the Moon |
| Frictional Games | Helsingborg | Sweden | Penumbra series Amnesia: The Dark Descent |
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| Frogwares | Kiev | Ukraine | Journey to the Center of the Earth Sherlock Holmes: Secret of the Silver Earring Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened Dracula: Origin |
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| Frontier Developments | Cambridge | England | United Kingdom | Frontier: Elite II LostWinds LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias |
| GameLab | United States | Diner Dash | ||
| Gaijin Games | Santa Cruz | California | United States | Bit.Trip Beat Bit.Trip Core Bit.Trip Void Bit.Trip Runner |
| GarageGames | Eugene | Oregon | United States | Marble Blast Ultra Zap! |
| Gogii Games | Moncton | New Brunswick | Canada | Princess Isabella: A Witch's Curse Escape the Museum |
| Grasshopper Manufacture | Tokyo | Japan | Flower, Sun, and Rain killer7 Contact No More Heroes |
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| Grey Alien Games | Vancouver | British Columbia | Canada | Fairway Solitaire |
| Guild Software | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | United States | Vendetta Online |
| Haemimont Games | Sofia | Bulgaria | Tropico 3 Tzar: Burden of the Crown |
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| Hanako Games | United Kingdom | Cute Knight Fatal Hearts |
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| Hemisphere Games | United States | Osmos | ||
| Himalaya Studios | Chandler | Arizona | United States | Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine |
| IguanaBee | Santiago de Chile | Chile | Chocapic 3D Rebuild Chile |
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| Insomniac Games | Burbank | California | United States | Ratchet & Clank series Resistance series Spyro series (1998–2000) |
| Introversion Software | United Kingdom | Uplink Darwinia DEFCON Subversion |
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| InvisibleInkStudios | Newcastle | NSW | Australia | HoverCarRacing |
| Iron Tower Studio | Age of Decadence | |||
| Irrgheist | Germany | H-Craft Championship | ||
| Jagex | Cambridge | England | United Kingdom | RuneScape |
| Jason Rohrer | Potsdam | New York | United States | Passage Gravitation Between |
| Jonas Kyratzes | Wiesbaden | Germany | The Museum of Broken Memories The Strange and Somewhat Sinister Tale of the House at Desert Bridge |
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| Jonatan "Cactus" Söderström | Gothenburg | Sweden | Clean Asia! | |
| Jph Wacheski | LockOn Valence Quiescence |
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| KatGames | Zaragoza | Spain | Mortimer and the Enchanted Castle Zulu Gems |
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| Klei Entertainment | Vancouver | British Columbia | Canada | Eets Shank |
| Kloonigames | Finland | Crayon Physics Deluxe | ||
| Krillbite | Norway | Among the Sleep | ||
| Laminar Research | Columbia | South Carolina | United States | X-Plane |
| Level-5 | Fukuoka | Japan | Professor Layton series Jeanne d'Arc White Knight Chronicles Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King Ni no Kuni |
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| Lexaloffle | Wellington | New Zealand | Chocolate Castle Voxatron |
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| Little Green Men Games | Starpoint Gemini Fruit Farm |
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| Llamasoft | United Kingdom | Space Giraffe Gridrunner Revolution |
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| Longbow Digital Arts | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | DX-Ball 2, Rival Ball and other action games. Tread Marks |
| M-Inverse | Hong Kong | China | Project SolidLandlord 2008 Sport Life Skating Penguin |
|
| Mad Genius Software | Vancouver | British Columbia | Canada | Gunmetal |
| Mangled Eye Studios | Cleveland | Ohio | United States | Dark Salvation |
| Metanet Software | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | N, N+, Robotology and Office Yeti |
| mif2000 | Russia | Hamlet (video game) | ||
| Mind Control Software | Oasis | |||
| Mojang | Stockholm | Sweden | Minecraft | |
| Moonpod | Starscape Mr. Robot |
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| Mousechief | The Witch's Yarn Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble! |
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| New Star Games | United Kingdom | New Star Soccer Super Laser Racer New Star GP |
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| Nicalis | Santa Ana | California | United States | Cave Story NightSky |
| Nifflas | Umeå | Sweden | Knytt Knytt Stories Within a Deep Forest |
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| Nival Interactive | Moscow | Russia | Blitzkrieg Silent Storm |
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| Number None, Inc. | California | United States | Braid The Witness |
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| The Odd Gentlemen | California | United States | The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom | |
| OmniSystems | Kent | United Kingdom | Eufloria | |
| OTS Software | Missouri | United States | AlienXcape Boat (video game) |
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| Paladin Studios | The Hague | Netherlands | Jimmy Pataya Momonga Pinball Adventures |
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| Parallax Studio | Nixa | Missouri | United States | Darkstar: The Interactive Movie |
| Pieces Interactive | Skövde | Sweden | Puzzlegeddon | |
| PixelJAM Games | Dino Run | |||
| Playdead | Copenhagen | Denmark | Limbo | |
| Playtechtonics, Inc | Austin | Texas | United States | Starport: Galactic Empires |
| Pocketwatch Games | San Diego | California | United States | Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa Venture Arctic Monaco |
| Positech Games | United Kingdom | Democracy Gratuitous Space Battles |
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| Private Moon Studios | Hungary | AGON series Yoomurjak's Ring |
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| Pronto Games | The Destiny of Zorro | |||
| Prorattafactor | The Adventures of El Ballo | |||
| Provox games | Space Force: Rogue Universe Spaceforce: Captains |
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| PST Team | Surabaya | East Java | Indonesia | Sentou Gakuen |
| Psyonix Studios | Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars ARC Squadron |
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| Punch Entertainment | Reign of Swords EGO City Music Tycoon |
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| Q-Games | Kyoto | Japan | Star Fox Command PixelJunk Monsters PixelJunk Eden PixelJunk Shooter |
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| Queasy Games | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | Gate 88 Everyday Shooter |
| Re-logic | Terraria | |||
| realtech VR | Montreal | Quebec | Canada | No Gravity: The Plague of Mind Iron Fist Boxing |
| Reflexive Entertainment | Lake Forest | California | United States | Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader Wik and the Fable of Souls Ricochet Lost Worlds |
| Relentless Software | Brighton | United Kingdom | Buzz! Blue Toad Murder Files |
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| Renegade Kid | Austin | Texas | United States | Dementium: The Ward Moon Dementium II |
| Reverge Labs | Marina del Rey | California | United States | Skullgirls |
| Ronimo Games | Utrecht | Netherlands | de Blob Swords & Soldiers |
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| Rovio Entertainment | Espoo | Finland | Angry Birds |
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| S2 Games | Rohnert Park | California | United States | Savage: The Battle for Newerth Savage 2: A Tortured Soul Heroes of Newerth |
| Saber Interactive | Millburn | New Jersey | United States | Will Rock TimeShift |
| Sandlot Games | Cake Mania | |||
| Santa Cruz Games | Santa Cruz | California | United States | Tomb Raider: Underworld Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash |
| Santa Cruz Games | Santa Cruz | California | United States | Tomb Raider: Underworld Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash |
| Scientifically Proven | Detroit | Michigan | United States | Man vs. Wild (video game) Trashers Real Heroes: Firefighter Rock of the Dead |
| Secret Exit | Finland | Zen Bound | ||
| Seed Studios | Porto | Portugal | Under Siege (2011 video game), Toy Shop, Aquatic Tales, Sudoku for Kids | |
| Silver Creek Entertainment | Grants Pass | Oregon | United States | Soltrio Solitaire |
| Ska Studios | Marcy | New York | United States | Zombie Smashers Series Survival Crisis Z Yuki's Vacation The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai |
| Snowstep Development | Düsseldorf | Germany | Turtle Bay | |
| Soldak Entertainment | Dallas | Texas | United States | Depths of Peril Kivi's Underworld Din's Curse |
| Source Studio | St. John's | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada | ProtoGalaxy |
| Spiderweb Software | Seattle | Washington | United States | Exile series Avernum series Geneforge series Nethergate |
| Stoic Studio | Austin, Texas | Texas | United States | The Banner Saga |
| Star Vault | Malmö | Sweden | Mortal Online | |
| Storm Impact | Glenview | Illinois | United States | TaskMaker MacSki Tomb of TaskMaker |
| Studio Pixel | Cave Story Ikachan |
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| Subatomic Studios | Boston | Massachusetts | United States | Fieldrunners |
| Supergiant Games | San Jose | California | United States | Bastion |
| SuperVillain Studios | Santa Ana | California | United States | Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony Order Up! |
| Swedish Game Development | Malmö | Sweden | Alice Greenfingers Bricks of Atlantis Bricks of Egypt |
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| Swing Swing Submarine | Montpellier | France | Blocks That Matter | |
| Tale of Tales | Ghent | Belgium | The Endless Forest The Graveyard The Path Fatale |
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| TaleWorlds | Ankara | Turkey | Mount&Blade Mount&Blade: Warband Mount&Blade: With Fire & Sword |
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| Team Shanghai Alice | Japan | Touhou Project Immaterial and Missing Power |
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| TeamTNT | Reclamation Daedalus: Alien Defense |
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| thatgamecompany | Los Angeles | California | United States | flOw Cloud Flower Journey |
| TheorySpark | President Forever 2008 + Primaries | |||
| Three Rings Design | San Francisco | California | United States | Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates Bang! Howdy Whirled |
| Torpex Games | Bellevue | Washington | United States | Schizoid |
| Trade Games International | Netherlands | Miniconomy | ||
| Trendy Entertainment | Gainesville | Florida | United States | Dungeon Defenders |
| Tribetoy | United States | Chu's Dynasty | ||
| Tyler Glaiel | San Diego | California | United States | Aether Closure |
| uCool, Inc | Boston | Massachusetts | United States | Tynon |
| Unreal Software | Koblenz | Germany | Stranded Stranded II CS2D Carnage Contest Minigolf Madness |
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| Ville Mönkkönen | Finland | Notrium Wazzal II |
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| Vlambeer | Utrecht | Utrecht | Netherlands | Super Crate Box Radical Fishing & Ridiculous Fishing GUN GODZ Serious Sam: The Random Encounter LUFTRAUSERS |
| WayForward Technologies, Inc. | Valencia | California | United States | Silent Hill: Book of Memories Contra 4 A Boy and His Blob Thor: God of Thunder SpongeBob Squigglepants Despicable Me Where the Wild Things Are |
| Wolfire Games | Berkeley | California | United States | Black Shades Lugaru: The Rabbit's Foot Overgrowth |
| XMG Studio | Toronto | Ontario | Canada | Drag Racer: Pro Tuner |
| Zachary Barth | Seattle | Washington | United States | Infiniminer SpaceChem |
| Zoetrope Interactive | Istanbul | Turkey | Darkness Within Darkness Within: The Dark Lineage |
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| Zoonami | Cambridge | England | United Kingdom | Zendoku Bonsai Barber |
| ZootFly | Ljubljana | Slovenia | First Battalion |
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list and/or game:
“A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Love’s boat has been shattered against the life of everyday. You and I are quits, and it’s useless to draw up a list of mutual hurts, sorrows, and pains.”
—Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893–1930)
“My first big mistake was made when, in a moment of weakness, I consented to learn the game; for a man who can frankly say “I do not play bridge” is allowed to go over in the corner and run the pianola by himself, while the poor neophyte, no matter how much he may protest that he isn’t “at all a good player, in fact I’m perfectly rotten,” is never believed, but dragged into a game where it is discovered, too late, that he spoke the truth.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)