It's understandable that large, Triple-A gaming experiences tend to dominate advertising and pre-release hype, but there are plenty of smaller, independent games that will be released in 2022 that players should also be excited for. These games may lack the budget of most major developer releases, but independent games no longer lag behind other titles in terms of graphical fidelity, depth, or quality.
Supporting independent games supports the growth of the gaming industry, and every major gaming platform will host a bevy of indie games throughout 2022. While it may sometimes be hard for players to sift through all of the releases that come out in a given year, these games are some of the most likely to deliver a memorable entertainment experience.
Trek To Yomi
Video games often take inspiration from films, and Trek to Yomi has clearly been inspired by several of the best classic samurai films like Yojimbo and Seven Samurai. This black-and-white side-scroller aims to deliver a cinematic story about revenge.
The protagonist, Hiroki, vows to his dying master that he will protect his village and everyone in it against harm. After an early failure, Hiroki must combat both human and supernatural enemies to return to his duty and live up to his vow. Trek to Yomi will come out for PlayStation and Microsoft consoles and PC sometime in 2022.
Tunic
Developed by a lone creator, Andrew Shouldice, and published by Finki, Tunic is an isometric adventure game reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda franchise. Tunic puts players in control of a humanoid fox as it navigates the game world to solve puzzles and fight enemies.
Like other "Metroidvanias," the game world will slowly open up as the player acquires new tools and weapons that grant the player character more abilities. Tunic is set to release on all Microsoft consoles and PCs on March 16th, 2022.
Kerbal Space Program 2
The original Kerbal Space Program had an atypical start. Developer Felipe Falanghe approached his boss at a marketing company about making a video game. To his surprise, he said yes, and Falanghe received financial backing. The IP was sold to Take-Two Interactive, and the sequel is currently in development at Intercept Games.
Kerbal Space Program 2 has been guided by consultations from several established astrophysicists and aeronautics experts to keep the experience as reasonably realistic as possible. The game will release on consoles and PCs sometime in 2022.
Weird West
Westerns have seen a bit of a resurgence in gaming with the success of titles like Red Dead Redemption and its sequel, and Developer WolfEye is attempting to twist the genre by mixing cowboys with the supernatural.
Weird West promises unique playthroughs in a world that dynamically reacts to each players' decision. It also features an optional permadeath mode to add increased stakes to the experience. Weird West will come out on March 31st, and it's one of the most anticipated games releasing day one on Xbox Game Pass.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
There may be several great games like Hollow Knight, but few have presented such fascinating worlds with such tight controls and gameplay. Silksong was initially planned as an expansion to the original Hollow Knight, but the developers decided that there was enough content to have it stand alone as a separate game.
While Hollow Knight had Hornet trying to dig down deep into the world, Silksong will reverse this by challenging the player to reach the top of a new, mysterious world. Hollow Knight: Silksong is planned to release on an unspecified date in 2022.
Sons of the Forest
Fans don't yet know much about Endnight Games, Ltd.'s upcoming sequel to the survival horror hit, The Forest, but speculation has run rampant since its announcement in 2019. Sons of the Forest was originally set to release in 2022, but the developers delayed the game and moved it to a vague early-to-mid 2022 release window.
The small amount of information released so far suggests that this horror sequel will take place as the hitherto protagonist survives a helicopter crash far away from civilization. Sons of the Forest will only release on PC.
Blood Bowl 3
Fantasy football is a popular hobby, but Cyanide's digital version of a tabletop classic takes the name much more literally. Blood Bowl started as a casual mod of Warhammer Fantasy, but it quickly became its own game with a dedicated legion of fans.
Blood Bowl pits teams of fantasy characters like Elves and Orcs against each other in turn-based battles to reach the endzone. This third entry into the video game version of the franchise has gone through several Betas and is set to release on PCs sometime in 2022.
Atomic Heart
Atomic Heart seems to take inspiration from several popular franchises like Fallout and Metro. The game takes place in a fictionalized Russian socialist utopia gone wrong and features a slew of mechanical and biological entities that have escaped control.
Not much is yet known about Atomic Heart's narrative, but players will step into the shoes of a KGB agent investigating the catastrophic failure of Facility 3826 and attempting to stop its denizens from escaping into the outside world. Atomic Heart has not yet set a release date more specific than 2022.
Stray
Most games feature humans, but Stray will have players playing the role of a stray cat that has been separated from its family and must unravel an ancient mystery as it traverses a futuristic cyberpunk city. Stray will avoid being a realistic pet simulator game and instead embrace science fiction elements.
Not much is yet known about the plot, but the player will be able to befriend a hovering drone and must carefully navigate a city inhabited by robots. Stray is currently in development by French studio BlueTwelve Studio and will release sometime in 2022.
Slime Rancher 2
The Slime Rancher franchise tasks players with collecting squishy life forms and combining them to create new ones. The latest sequel, Slime Rancher 2, will also put players in control of Beatrix LeBeaux as she attempts to find and wrangle various slimes.
In this entry, players will travel to a new locale, Rainbow Island, to discover the story of several technological ruins. Slime Rancher 2 seems to be continuing the franchise's relaxing gameplay and is set to release on Microsoft consoles and PCs sometime in 2022.