2025 is drawing to a close. Over the past year, we’ve used our [Hidden Gems] column to showcase the best indie titles hitting the market each week. But, as any seasoned editor will tell you, space is at a premium and the sheer volume of releases is staggering. Consequently, many stellar titles were left on the cutting room floor, a fact that has haunted my conscience ever since.

To mark the year's end, I’ve gathered the runners-up—the games that *almost* made it into [Hidden Gems]. Think of this as a 'second-place collection,' or perhaps a 'Hidden Gems: The Rejects.' Many of these were sidelined simply because they lacked English language support at launch, though I'm pleased to report that many now feature unofficial community translations. Every title listed here boasts a 'Very Positive' rating or higher on Steam.

Guilty as Sock! is a chaotic courtroom simulator. You take on the roles of judge, prosecutor, defence attorney, plaintiff, defendant, and reporter. As the judge, you hold the gavel—setting the rules, selecting witnesses, and granting speaking rights. Of course, you could just as easily hand out bizarre punishments or introduce absurd pieces of evidence. Whether you're playing it straight or just tossing trash and screaming at the top of your lungs to craft your own legal thriller, the chaos is the whole point.

Released in January with an 'Overwhelmingly Positive' (97%) rating, this mystery game puts you in the shoes of an investigator untangling the Roottrees family tree following a jet crash. You must sift through books, photos, and news articles to find the true heirs among a web of affairs and eccentric behavior. If you enjoyed Return of the Obra Dinn, this is a must-play. Fan-made English patches are available.

This occult-themed mystery game is set in 1897 Ireland. You’re tasked with investigating the disappearance of Evelyn Dean from a hotel rife with supernatural anomalies. You’ll be interrogating suspects, logging motives, and pressing witnesses for the truth. The catch? It’s a race against the clock—the game progresses in daily cycles, and failing to move quickly can lock you out of critical events.

A unique indie title that swept various awards in 2025. Set in 2001 Ecuador, you play as a boy named Julian, kicking a football through the streets and witnessing the social shifts as his country nears a World Cup bid. With its photorealistic backgrounds and hand-drawn characters, it’s a dreamy, bittersweet autobiographical ode to childhood. If you were around for the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, this will hit you right in the nostalgia.

The legendary Tokyo Xtreme Racer series returns after a 19-year hiatus. Forget the hyper-realistic polish of modern racers; this is about the raw, gritty thrill of highway duels. You challenge rivals by flashing your lights, triggering a battle where your 'SP bar' acts as your health—lose speed or slam into walls, and you’re toast. You can even race against trucks and kei cars. Do you hear that? It sounds like Déjà Vu.

Saihate Station is a horror game exploring the darker side of obsession. The story follows Akinashi Haru and Tatsunami Shion, two men caught in a toxic dynamic of jealousy and pursuit. When they become trapped in the titular, mysterious 'Saihate Station,' they must cooperate to find their way home, inevitably uncovering the unsettling truths of their past.

Developed with the folks behind the YouTube channel Kurzgesagt, this is a resource management and base-building game. Your goal is to lead an era of space-faring birds, mining asteroids and establishing production chains. It’s got that signature colourful charm you’d expect, but with enough depth to satisfy those looking for a 'Factorio-lite' experience. Players have left 'Very Positive' reviews for this breezy, well-structured title.

Ever since Balatro, the slot-machine-roguelike genre has exploded. Slots & Daggers is a retro-styled fantasy take on the format. You’re fighting goblins and orcs by spinning for weapons; match three of a kind, and you land a critical hit. Skills work the same way. It requires a bit of hand-eye coordination, but if Lady Luck is on your side, you can button-mash your way to victory.

Life is filled with tragedy, and this family drama tackles the heartbreak of Alzheimer’s through the eyes of Annie. As words and names fade, the family struggles with the weight of caregiving while Annie reflects on memories of her late brother. The developers state it’s based on a true story, aiming to explore what is lost and what remains when we forget. Note: No official English support is available.

For anyone who grew up building model planes, this sandbox sim is for you. You start with simple biplanes and unlock parts to eventually construct modern airliners. The goal is simple cargo delivery, but the real joy lies in the meticulous engineering of your aircraft. Currently in Early Access, it features three islands to explore as of December.

A classic-style point-and-click adventure about time travel. You play as Fia Quinn, a temporal agent tasked with babysitting seven wealthy tourists on their journeys through history. Naturally, things go wrong. From the Prohibition era to the morning of 9/11, you’ll solve puzzles across seven distinct eras. Unfortunately, no English support is available at the moment.

A charming puzzle game where you seat cute, geometric characters in theaters, buses, and taxis. Each character has specific preferences—some want a window seat, while others want to sit far away from the person next to them. You follow the story of 'Nat,' an aspiring actor looking for inspiration. It’s a delightful, low-stakes experience.

A third-person action-adventure that feels like a cross between Shadow of the Colossus and Monster Hunter. You’ll scale massive fantasy beasts and scavenge materials to upgrade your gear. Combat relies on weapons and magic—upgrade your ice abilities, and you can create platforms in mid-air to reach new areas. Note: English support is available via STOVE, not Steam.

A side-scrolling survival shooter set in a zombie apocalypse. You’ll scavenge for resources, build shelters, and manage your group of survivors. The longer you stay in one spot, the more the undead swarm you, forcing you to move on. The real question is how far you’ll go to survive: will you help others, or turn to looting?

A top-down helicopter shooter with a physics-based twist. You aren’t just dodging missiles; you can use your helicopter to tether containers or objects and swing them at infantry. The emergent gameplay is fantastic—you can deflect heat-seeking missiles or take weird flight paths to optimize transport in the campaign. It’s gloriously chaotic.

An indie road-trip game about the romance of the open road. You set off with a beat-up car and a few coins, aiming to reach a festival on the other side of the country. Along the way, you’ll upgrade your ride, handle repairs, and pick up hitchhikers who share their own stories, all rendered in a beautiful pixel-art style.

A voxel-based city builder set in a 19th-century Mediterranean village. Your goal is to grow your cozy hamlet into a bustling city by balancing the needs of your citizens with urban planning. With both story and sandbox modes, you can follow a narrative or just build to your heart’s content.

As the name suggests, this is a relaxing management game where you run a bookstore out of a camping trailer. You can move your shop to different locations, stock specific titles to attract local customers, and unlock new features. It’s perfect for the bibliophile gamer, though it does require a bit of knowledge about the books you're stocking.

An open-world RPG simulator where you manage a mascot agency. You play as Michi, a disgraced yakuza lieutenant tasked with turning a bankrupt agency into a profitable enterprise. You'll negotiate with local 'mascots'—creatures that live alongside humans—to join your team. Whether they want rice balls or fame, you’ll need to train them and send them on missions. It’s weird, funny, and uniquely charming.

A first-person shooter with immersive sim elements. You explore restricted zones to recover powerful artifacts, fighting off grotesque horrors along the way. These artifacts provide buffs or magical effects, which are essential for surviving encounters with rival factions. If you like the atmospheric, operation-based feel of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, this is well worth your time.