I feel like every time I open Steam, I see another dozen releases fighting for attention. The term indie game oversaturation gets thrown around a lot, but the truth is pretty simple. According to Steam’s own public release numbers, we’ve seen a massive rise in new titles every single year. In 2023, more than 14,000 games launched on Steam compared to roughly 2800 in 2015, and the trend has kept climbing. This isn’t a matter of opinion. It’s the reality of an open marketplace where publishing is easier, cheaper, and faster.
For players, that means choice paralysis. For creators, it means discoverability nightmares. For me, it creates this weird tension where I know incredible games are coming out, but finding them feels like sifting through gravel. That’s the heart of indie game oversaturation right now.
Why so many indie games release every year
When you break it down, none of this happened overnight. Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot, and even smaller tools like GameMaker have lowered the barrier to entry. Steam Direct replaced the old Greenlight model, which means anyone with a small fee can publish. Because of that, the number of solo devs and micro teams exploded. Newzoo and GDC surveys show more than half of all developers today are working on independent or small-team projects.
I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Creativity is booming, and we’re seeing genres evolve faster than ever. But combine low entry barriers, global teams, and a storefront that publishes new titles every hour, and you get indie game oversaturation as a predictable result.
How to find good indie games without drowning in noise
This is the question players keep searching for. Searches like “how to find good indie games”, “underrated indie games”, and “best indie games steam” all show strong interest because people genuinely struggle with discovery.
My personal trick is to follow reliable curators. Not influencers chasing trends, but outlets that have built a track record for thoughtful picks. Steam’s user tags also help more than people admit. If you sort by tag relevance instead of popularity, you can filter out shovelware pretty fast. It’s not perfect, but when indie game oversaturation feels overwhelming, any filtering tool is a lifesaver.
Why so many indie games struggle with visibility
Discoverability is brutal. Steam’s algorithm favors games with strong early traction. That means wishlists, day-one sales, and retention metrics. Smaller devs rarely get the spotlight unless they already have a community or viral moment. Industry data from Steamworks documentation confirms that visibility rounds are heavily tied to performance signals, not just quality.
So a polished indie RPG can drop on the same day as ten asset flips and never get seen. It’s not malice. It’s automation. And once you accept that automation dominates curation, the whole indie game oversaturation problem becomes easier to understand.
How players can support the games they actually love
If you want good indie games to rise above the noise, the solution is boring but effective. Wishlisting helps. Reviews help. Sharing helps. Even a single sentence review nudges the algorithm a little. And honestly, in my opinion, that’s empowering. You get to play a small part in defeating indie game oversaturation by lifting up the projects that deserve attention.
I digress. The point is that none of this is hopeless. In fact, this flood of titles means the best era for indie creativity is happening right now. You just need a better compass to navigate it.
Takeaway: oversaturation is real, but not all bad
So here’s my clean takeaway. Indie game oversaturation is a real, measurable trend driven by easier tools, cheaper distribution, and an exploding global dev scene. But it also means we’re seeing more innovation, more niche genres, and more personal passion projects than ever before.
If you’re willing to dig a bit, follow the right channels, and use the right filters, you’ll find gems that bigger studios wouldn’t dare make. And that alone makes the chaos worth it for me.
