2020 Games Preview: 40 Notable Releases Including Cyberpunk 2077, The Last of Us Part II, and More

Here are some of the more intriguing indie games that could arrive in 2020 ...

12 Minutes
Viewed entirely from a top-down perspective, the Annapurna-published 12 Minutes gives you exactly that amount of time to escape certain death. But you are caught in a time loop, so if you fail, you repeat the 12 minutes again and again until you succeed.

The Artful Escape
Another Annapurna release, this delayed E3 honoree (in 2017!) is a side-scrolling platformer with sci-fi and alternative music influences. Your character is Francis Vendetti, nephew of a Bob Dylan-like folk hero and himself a guitar-playing London teenager who is on a multi-dimensional quest to figure out what his stage persona should be.

Ary and the Secret of Seasons
A Zelda-influenced 3D adventure/platformer, Ary blends puzzle-solving, exploration, and combat. What makes it unique is the ability of your young girl protagonist to manipulate your environment by creating bubbles that contain one of the four seasons.

Axiom Verge 2
Due in the fall, this sequel to the 2015 side-scrolling Metroidvania-style game from one-man studio Thomas Happ has only been confirmed for the Switch so far.

Backbone
Billed as a "dystopian noir adventure," this atmospheric, Vancouver-set point-and-click game from new studio EggNut has you playing as a raccoon private detective named Howard Lotor. A playable prequel/demo is now available on Steam.

Before We Leave pictured above
This Epic Game Store exclusive is a bit like a 4X game minus one of the X's—the one representing combat. Set on a post-apocalyptic planet, the (mostly) peaceful game tasks you with rebuilding your society on something akin to Civilization's hex grid, harnessing resources and trading to build cities and expand your civilization. Do a poor job, and Space Whales will come at eat your planet.

Carrion
A "reverse horror game," Phobia Game Studio's Carrion tasks you with playing as the creepy monster, not the innocent victim. Escape the research facility where you are being held and attempt to slaughter as many humans as possible in this Metroidvania-style game.

Disintegration
The first release from V1 Interactive, the new studio started by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto, is a futuristic tactical FPS that includes a single-player campaign as well as PvE-style multiplayer.

Garden Story
Play as the sword-wielding sentient grape (and would-be knight) Concord in this quirky pixel-art adventure that blends exploration and puzzle-solving from the team behind The World Next Door.

Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight's speedy Hornet gets her own game in this full sequel to Team Cherry's critically acclaimed, 2017 Metroidvania-style game. Backers of the first game's Kickstarter will get the new title (which will launch on Switch and PC) for free.

The Last Campfire
The latest from No Man's Sky studio Hello Games is a much more modest adventure that follows a character named Ember on a journey through a mysterious world in search for meaning.

Mineko's Night Market
This cute but very delayed PC/Switch title from newcomer Meowza Games (whose founder worked on Bushido Bear) is an Animal Crossing-inspired game set on a Japanese island overrun with cats. The open-world setting allows for exploration, foraging, and crafting at your own pace while a story unfolds in the background.

Ooblets
"Cute" is the operative word for this Epic Games Store exclusive that looks to be influenced by Animal Crossing and Pokemon. Gameplay is a cross between farming simulation, creature collection (find and train the titular creatures), decoration, and dance battles.

The Pathless
The latest from ABZÛ studio Giant Squid follows a master archer and his eagle companion on a mythic adventure through a vast, forested island that is gripped by a curse. (And, apparently, a gravity-defying, upside-down volcano.) The visuals once again look impressive.

RPG Time: The Legend of Wright
A JRPG with hand-drawn artwork, The Legend of Wright takes place entirely inside the notebook of a student who yearns to become a game developer. It's heading to Xbox and PC.

Sable
A Microsoft exclusive from the two-person team at Shedworks, Sable has collected plenty of advance praise for its gorgeous visuals, drawn in a distinctive style influenced by French comics and Japanese animation, and for its soundtrack, courtesy of indie pop band Japanese Breakfast. The coming-of-age adventure centers on an adolescent girl who sets off on a solitary journey that takes her to a far-away desert planet, where you'll have the ability to engage in open-world exploration to help Sable learn more about the world's inhabitants and herself.

Spelunky 2
The ambitious first sequel to Derek Yu's groundbreaking 2012 roguelike platformer Spelunky is still a 2D game, but you can hop back and forth between multiple "layers" built into each level. You'll have four playable characters to choose from, including two women and one sloth, and there will be a new online co-op mode.

Spiritfarer
Described as a cozy management sim, the latest from Jotun studio Thunder Lotus Games tasks you with ferrying the deceased to the afterlife—but not before you spend quality time with them on your ship and carry out their final wishes.

Sports Story
This Switch exclusive from the makers of the oddball delight Golf Story retains that RPG's humor and charming 8-bit graphics (think Stardew Valley or Earthbound) and use of sports-based "combat" but expands the range of sports to encompass volleyball, tennis, baseball, cricket, soccer, and fishing in addition to golf.

Way to the Woods
Set on a post-human planet, Anthony Tan's Way to the Woods is an adventure that follows a doe and her fawn as they seek their way back home to nature.