Wednesday is Indie Day: Today, September 23, 2026, four new games are landing in stores, offering variety beyond the massive marketing budgets. From post-apocalyptic road trips to dungeon roguelikes and city-builder expansions, there's something for almost every taste. We've taken a closer look at all four titles.
Which Indie Games Are Releasing Today, September 23, 2026?
First up is Apocalypter from SawyerK Games. This open-world survival game throws you into a procedurally generated, post-apocalyptic world: you'll fight against, ally with, or trade with factions, and build your own vehicle from scrap parts to dominate the roads. If you like the Mad Max vibe, you should grab the free demo on Steam beforehand.
Next up is Bait Soul, a top-down dungeon crawler with roguelike elements. The game blends classic dungeon exploration with Survivors-style auto-attacks: through the “Soul Orb” system, you equip weapon slots with unique attributes, while support items grant additional bonuses to adjacent weapons. If you enjoy genre mixes of loot-driven madness and tactical build planning, you'll find plenty to experiment with here.
Birdcage, from developer Polygon Bird and publisher eastasiasoft, is launching simultaneously on consoles and PC. This vertical shoot-'em-up is inspired by '90s arcade shooters but wraps it all in a darker story. Across six stages, you'll switch between spread shots, focused attacks, and melee slashes to keep enemy waves at bay. Birdcage is available digitally for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC for approximately 15 Euros – a physical PS5 version will follow in March 2027.
Not an entirely new game, but a substantial expansion release: the DLC Echoes of Aldramar for the city-builder game Pioneers of Pagonia is launching today. The expansion sends you to the desert islands of Aldramar, where you'll restore the ruins of a lost civilization, contend with colossal stone warriors, and rebuild monuments using the new resource, marble. A new four-map campaign and the “Out-of-Territory Construction” system with expedition camps complete the package.
What Makes Pioneers of Pagonia Special for City-Builder Fans?
Let's take a look back: Pioneers of Pagonia comes from the German studio Envision Entertainment and is creatively led by Volker Wertich – the creator of The Settlers series. The game entered Early Access in December 2023 and evolved steadily over two years before celebrating its full release in December 2025. Those who loved the old Settlers titles will clearly recognize the same DNA here: calm economic strategizing instead of frantic action.
From our perspective, today clearly shows how broad the indie landscape currently is. Apocalypter and Birdcage are aimed at action fans who enjoy quick reflexes, smashing vehicles, or bullet hell. Bait Soul is the hidden gem for anyone who likes roguelikes with clever build systems but doesn't want to spend ages learning them. The Pagonia DLC, on the other hand, is primarily for players who have already completed the main game and are looking for new content for their settlement – newcomers should start with the base version before getting Echoes of Aldramar.
Source: GamersGlobal
Which of these four games will you be trying out first – post-apocalyptic chaos with Apocalypter, a dungeon run with Bait Soul, bullet hell with Birdcage, or the new Pagonia DLC? Let us know in the comments!
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