Here are the five must-play games from 2024 for gamers on a budget
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WE all know the big-name games that were released in 2024, but it’s time to celebrate some of the smaller titles. After playing dozens of independent games over the last 12 months we have picked out our favourite must-play games. There were so many games we loved this year so it was difficult to pick out just five that we loved.
![[Slay the Princess blends romance with horror]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Slay-The-Princess-Tower.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Here are our five favourite indie games from 2024. Slay the Princess was first released last year, but The Pristine Cut adds more routes, expanded dialogue, and extra endings. Every decision reflects back at you in this romantic horror game where you try to slay and save each other over and over.
![[UFO 50 has so many games you have to love at least one of them]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/UFO-50.png?strip=all&w=960)
With more choices than any other game I’ve played, it raises the bar for the genre. If you want to know more about the game, check out our Slay the Princess review. UFO 50 is a collection of more than 50 retro-inspired games that span the gamut of genres.
![[Tactical Breach Wizards blends strategy and puzzle solving]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/tactical-breach-wizards.png?strip=all&w=960)
It has everything from puzzle games to deck builders, RPGs, 2D platformers, and metroidvanias. There’s also an overarching meta-narrative that connects all of the games together, and secrets within each game to discover. It was even nominated for Best Indie Game at The Game Awards if you need more proof.
![[Balatro mixes Poker hands with a high score multiplyer deck building]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/balatro.jpg)
If you like XCOM but wish it had more puzzle-solving, then Tactical Breach Wizards is for you. It has the squad-based tactics gameplay of XCOM but changes it so you are solving puzzles in the heat of the moment and on the fly. Each teammate's abilities are unique and yet they can synergise in some way with every other character in the game.
![[Indika is the most unique game we played this year]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/indika.png?strip=all&w=960)
