There are many great reasons to support independent developers and publishers. For one thing, it proves that there’s a market for creative, innovative games, and ensures that the people who make them can keep on doing so.
Perhaps more selfishly, indie games are usually much less expensive than their triple-A cousins; it’s much easier to squeeze one into the budget when money is tight, or to get a few games at once if you’ve got some to spend.
Of course, when indie games go on sale, that makes them even more affordable! If you’ve been waiting to get any of these ten great turn-based games, or think they’d make a great gift for a friend, they’re all heavily discounted on Steam for the next week or so; there’s no time like the present!
Lost Eidolons offers grid-based tactical gameplay in the style of Fire Emblem, but with a more realistic look that will appeal to fans hoping for something a little less anime and a little more Game Of Thrones.
The classic 1v1 battle animations use dynamic camera angles to give the game a cinematic feel as you lead your band of mercenaries against a mighty empire.
Normally $34.99, Lost Eidolons is 75% off on Steam until 24 October, so you can pick it up for just $8.74, or you can get it bundled with both DLC expansions for $25.86, just over half off the total and still less than the full cost of the base game.
If your retro RPG style of choice hearkens more to the SNES or PS1 classics of the ’90s, Chained Echoes feels like a forgotten gem with modern sensibilities.
With on-map battles in the style of Chrono Trigger and everything from dragons to mechs, it’s a wonderful love letter to the games that built a genre. Chained Echoes is available on Steam for just $9.99 until 27 October, down 60% from its usual price of $24.99, and the bundle that includes the Ashes of Elrant DLC is just $16.63.
For something more modern, there are always roguelike deckbuilders, and it’s hard to find one more stylish and appealing than Beneath Oresa.
With a pair of heroes to build combos off of, you’ll fight your way through a dangerous undercity where planning, positioning, and skill are all critical to survival. You can get Beneath Oresa on Steam for $9.99 until 25 October, saving 60% from its usual price tag of $24.99.
If you really want to spend some quality time deckbuilding, it’s also offered as a bundle with Shuffle Tactics, letting you get both games for just over half off.
Turning back to tactical RPGs for a moment, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga.
This indie epic blends classics like Fire Emblem and Ogre Battle, challenging you to not only choose the right heroes for the job, but to send them into battle with the right troops and formations under their command.
It’s normally very affordable at $19.99, but until 20 October, you can get it on Steam for 60% off, starting your journey for just $7.99. It’s also part of several bundles, including both Dark Deity games, potentially giving you enough battles to last you through the rest of 2025.
For players who have gone through Rogue Trader and are waiting patiently for Dark Heresy, Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game could give you the sci-fi intrigue you need.
Set entirely on a generation ship bound for Proxima Centauri, it gives you an entire world to explore within the confines of the hull. Thousands will be born, live, and die aboard the ship before it ever reaches its destination, and your character is one of them.
Colony Ship is half off on Steam until 20 October, letting you pick it up for just $19.99, and it’s also available in a few bundles with other deep and replayable RPGs.
If you’d rather stay on Earth, however dangerous it’s gotten, Every Day We Fight offers XCOM-style battles against an alien menace with a time-looping, roguelike twist. It’s still in early access, but it looks pretty promising thus far.
Just remember, you’re not commanding elite soldiers this time around, but ordinary citizens and militia! If that sounds intriguing, Every Day We Fight is half off on Steam until 23 October, dropping its price to just $14.99.
It’s also part of a few bundles with other titles from publisher Hooded Horse, who have really shown a knack for picking good projects and studios over the last several years.
For a game that’s packed with style, color, and heart, look no further than Get In The Car, Loser!
This queer celebration from Love Conquers All Games is part visual novel and part JRPG, following the exploits of four warriors on a road trip to seal away an ancient evil.
Get In The Car, Loser! is half off on Steam until 20 October, down from $24.99 to just $12.49, or you can get it bundled with the Soundtrack for just $1.49 more.
Meanwhile, Sandwalkers is a very different sort of road trip, challenging you to send caravans into dangerous deserts and beyond in search of hope, knowledge, and the way to resurrect the Mother Tree.
Success will take generations of caravans, each building on the knowledge of the last, and the weather is just as dangerous as the monsters and other enemies out in the wastes.
Normally $19.99, Sandwalkers is reduced in price to $9.99 on Steam until 25 October, letting you get this fascinating game for half off. You can also get it bundled with Legend of Keepers or a set of other bestsellers from Goblinz Studio.
RPGs don’t need to be long to be fun and impactful, so if you’re short on time, Vanaris Tactics offers a comparatively quick story with isometric tactical battles in the style of Final Fantasy Tactics.
The scope is smaller than usual, but the stakes are just as high; in this TRPG, you’ll lead a group of refugees who just want to escape an oppressive empire and build a new life somewhere else, and you will fight to do so.
There’s a free demo available, and the game itself is very affordable; Vanaris Tactics is normally $9.99, but you can save 50% on Steam until 27 October, getting it for just $4.99. It’s also available as part of a four-game bundle with similar titles for just $35.08 – less than $10 a game!
If you’re up for a challenge and a mystery in a creepy sci-fi atmosphere, look no further than Subterrain: Mines of Titan.
After waking up from stasis in the titular mines, you find them filled with bloodthirsty mutants; how (or rather, if) you survive is up to you and the choices you make.
This is the kind of game that will beat you down but keep you coming back for more. Subterrain: Mines of Titan is 40% off on Steam until 20 October, down to $11.99 from its usual $19.99. It’s also available bundled with the original Subterrain game.
