The Triple-i Initiative showcase is the indie equivalent of a Nintendo Direct or PlayStation State of Play. Today marked its third annual presentation put together by Evil Empire, the French studio currently working with Konami to bring Castlevania back to 2D after the franchise’s long hiatus. But Belmont’s Curse, which got a new gameplay trailer during the event, was hardly the only cool-looking game on display.
The Triple-i Initiative showcase also had reveals for new games, updates on existing ones, and plenty of info about upcoming demos and release dates. Here are 14 games you should be paying attention to coming out of the event.
The newly announced project from developer and publisher Crema is a creature collector in the mold of Palworld where turn-based fights are replaced with real-time action and survival mechanics.
Klei Entertainment’s hit survival franchise is back with a sequel in which friends can band together and survive a twee, Victorian wilderness all over again.
Frostpunk maker 11 Bit Studios is publishing a gritty take on Stardew Valley made by Carbonara Games. You play someone who’s been abducted and must farm their way to uncovering their captors.
One of the better Stardew Valley-likes out there is also getting a sequel with more graves and a bigger town. There’s no release date yet but the first game is currently free to claim.
The makers of 1000xResist, a strong 2024 GOTY contender and one of the best video game stories written in recent years, are back with a sci-fi horror game about trying to convince an AI it’s not human.
This co-op adventure game looks like Peak meets Legends of the Hidden Temple. You can escape Indiana Jones-sized boulders while searching for treasure while also producing viral clips for the algorithm.
This action-RPG from the makers of CrossCode was already announced but it’s back with an Early Access release date and it looks better than ever. The new trailer reveals additional bosses and story beats with players able to go hands-on starting May 7 on PC. There was also an excellent demo that arrived last fall.
Long Gone isn’t coming out until 2027 but if you weren’t already aware of it, you should go Wishlist this one right now. You solve puzzles while exploring a suburban neighborhood long after a zombie outbreak has claimed it. It’s a 3D game but with a neat pixel art aesthetic.
Is there room for one more Vampire Survivors-like? I think so. The Warhammer-coded roguelite bullet heaven is coming to console and PC later this year and a new trailer gives a fresh look at which parts of Games Workshop’s sci-fi fantasy world will be showcased in the game.
I’ve been waiting for Neverway for a minute now and it finally has a release window of October 2026 for PC and Switch. For those unaware, it’s got pixel art from the artist behind Celeste and the music of Disasterpeace (Fez, Hyper Light Drifter) mixed into an action-RPG Zelda-like.
Last year’s surprise hit slot machine horror survival game is getting fresh DLC. Out today alongside the free 1.4 update, Unholy Fusion adds 30 unique charm fusions and a slew of other memory cards, synergies, modifiers, and trinkets to chase new builds with.
Cairn is one of 2026’s best games so far and it’s also getting a new expansion. It arrives for free this summer with three new climbing areas, including water soloing.
Brotato‘s latest paid content drop will add mecha and mutant dinosaurs, alongside new weapons for defeating them. The Binding of Isaac-lookin’ top-down Vampire Survivors-style shooter continues to be one of my favorites in the genre.
Risk of Rain 2 also continues to be excellent. The co-op loot shooter’s newly revealed DLC offers macabre-themed levels with additional gear. There’s no release date yet, however.
Windrose has slowly been climbing the Steam charts after its Next Fest breakout earlier this year. Currently the eighth-most Wishlisted game on the platform, the pirate survival sim got a surprise release date announcement today and it’s not far away at all. It hits Steam Early Access starting next week on April 14.
