The Indie Game Award (IGA), hosted by the Taipei Game Show(TGS) has officially announced its finalists for 2025, marking another milestone year with unprecedented participation. The IGA has attracted 340 entrants from 52 countries, representing a 26% increase in submissions from the previous year. Seven countries, including Georgia, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Egypt, Ukraine, Uruguay, and New Zealand, have joined the competition for the first time, with New Zealand making a remarkable debut by securing a spot in the finals.
The finalists will be reviewed by a jury panel comprising industry experts, media journalists, previous IGA winners, and content creators, the evaluation will focus on narration, audio effect, visual art, game designs, and innovation, spanning across eight categories, including the Grand Prix. The winning entries will also be showcased in a dedicated exhibition area at TGS, allowing gamers to experience these outstanding titles firsthand.
Global Talent Spotlight at the Indie Game Award:
Taiwan Leads with Most Finalist Entrants
In its 11th year, the Indie Game Award continues to strengthen its global presence. The 28 finalists represent 16 countries and regions, including Taiwan, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Sweden, Malaysia, Thailand, Spain, New Zealand, Netherlands, Denmark, Chile, Canada, Japan, Argentina, and the United States.
Notable among the newcomers is Whistling Wizard from New Zealand. Their action-platformer, Rose and Locket, impressed during the pre-selection cross-review stage with its distinctive minimalist American comic art style.
Meanwhile, Canadian solo developer LocalThunk’s Balatro, recently nominated for The Game Awards, has emerged as a strong contender, securing nominations in three categories: Best Design, Best Innovation, and Best Mobile Game, making it one of this year’s most formidable entries.
Taiwan maintains its strong presence with five entrants advancing to the finals – the highest number among all participating countries. These include Minds Beneath Us by Bearbone Studio, a game four years in the making that marks a strong comeback post-launch, along with Rubinite by CupDog Games, The Star Named EOS by Silver Lining Studio, the award-winning Bionic Bay by Psychoflow Studio, and Pass Without Faith by student team Musu Studio. The winners will be announced on January 22, 2025.
B2B Zone Visitor Pre-Registration Opens in December,
Fostering Global Industry Connections
Throughout the past year, TGS has actively participated in major gaming events worldwide, including Tokyo Game Show, Tokyo Indie Game Summit, G-STAR (South Korea), ChinaJoy, WePlay, and Thailand Game Show. The TGS team also led 10 Taiwanese indie game developers to events like BitSummit (Japan), Philippine GameDev Expo (PGDX), BIC Festival (South Korea), and gamescom asia (Singapore). TGS continues to strengthen its partnerships with major gaming exhibitions to expand global industry connections.
The B2B Zone of the Taipei Game Show 2025 will open for business visitor pre-registration on December 4, 2024 (https://tgs.tca.org.tw/?p=tickets_b2b_e). Business visitors can engage with participants from across the global gaming ecosystem and use the Biz-Matching System to schedule meetings or exchange online business cards, creating perfect opportunities for industry professionals to network.
【Indie Game Award 2025 Finalists】
| Best Narrative | |||
| Country/Region | Game Title | Developer | |
| China | Insects Awaken | HelloMeow | |
| Sweden | KARMA: The Dark World | Pollard Studio | |
| Sweden | Mouthwashing | Wrong Organ | |
| Spain | The Midnight Barber | Omaet Games | |
| Taiwan | Minds Beneath Us | Bearbone | |
| Canada | Escape from Ever After | Sleepy Castle Studio | |
| Best Audio | |||
| Country/Region | Game Title | Developer | |
| Spain | The Midnight Barber | Omaet Games | |
| Netherlands | Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip | snekflat | |
| Taiwan | Rubinite | Cup Dog Games | |
| Japan | Maid Cafe on Electric Street | Adventurer’s Tavern | |
| Thailand | Lost and Found Co. | Bit Egg Inc. | |
| Best Visual Art | |||
| Country/Region | Game Title | Developer | |
| China | Sunset Hills | Cotton Game | |
| Taiwan | The Star Named EOS | Silver Lining Studio | |
| Sweden | KARMA: The Dark World | Pollard Studio | |
| New Zealand | Rose and Locket | Whistling Wizard | |
| Chile | Bruma | 4HA Games Studio SpA | |
| Best Design | |||
| Country/Region | Game Title | Developer | |
| China | DICEOMANCER | Ultra Piggy Studio | |
| Canada | Balatro | LocalThunk | |
| Taiwan | Bionic Bay | Psychoflow Studio | |
| China | CATO: Buttered Cat | Team Woll | |
| United States | Temporal Titans | Lost Tower Games | |
| Best Innovation | |||
| Country/Region | Game Title | Developer | |
| China | CATO: Buttered Cat | Team Woll | |
| South Korea | Dungeon Inn | Cat Society | |
| Canada | Balatro | LocalThunk | |
| Sweden | Mouthwashing | Wrong Organ | |
| Denmark | WHAT THE CAR? | Triband | |
| Best Mobile Game | |||
| Country/Region | Game Title | Developer | |
| Argentina | Monstabox | atKombi | |
| Canada | Balatro | LocalThunk | |
| China | Sunset Hills | Cotton Game | |
| Denmark | WHAT THE CAR? | Triband | |
| South Korea | Scarecrow Tactics | Shining Gorani | |
| Best Student Game | |||
| Country/Region | Game Title | Developer | |
| South Korea | Scarecrow Tactics | Shining Gorani | |
| Malaysia | Paper Pal | Scribble Squad | |
| South Korea | MONOWAVE | BBB | |
| Indonesia | Bag Of Seed | Sankalpa Games | |
| Indonesia | Verde and the Echoing Water | Antimeta Studio (Binus University) | |
| Taiwan | Pass Without Faith | Musu Studio | |
