- Primary Subject: Upcoming Indie Games
- Key Update: Top 5 indie game releases for May 2026.
- Status: Published
- Last Verified: 2026-05-13
- Quick Answer: Check out the top 5 indie games scheduled for release in May 2026.
The indie game hype train isn't stopping, and May is jam-packed with a ton of interesting experiences that will make my backlog, and yours, grow even bigger.
I've scoured the storefronts and recent announcements to, in my opinion, bring you the top 5 indie games to check out in May, 2026.
Some of these games will be fully released; however, as is the case with many indies, a few will enter their early access period in May, with full 1.0 launches scheduled for later in 2026 or still TBD.
Top 5 Indies Releasing This Month (May, 2026)
In short, my picks for 5 indie games you need to check out in May, 2026 are:
- Alabaster Dawn
- Dead as Disco
- Zero Parades: For Dead Spies
- Mina The Hollower
- Gambonanza
Alabaster Dawn
The makers of Cross-Code have been in the kitchen cooking, and Alabaster Dawn is perhaps a hidden gem in the making. The game hit early access this past May 7 and has already garnered rave reviews from fans.
It's a 2.5 action RPG that has towns changing and growing depending on the actions you take. It has stylish combos, plenty of secret areas with puzzles, and rewards to earn. Radical Fish expects players to take roughly 30 hours to complete and 60 if they want to go for a more completionist run.
Dead as Disco
Do you like stylish melee combat action games? Do you fantasize about hitting your opponents as a magical beat drop syncs with your every move? Then Dead as Disco is for you.
Releasing in early access this past May 5, Brain Jar Games' rhythm action game has already gone viral. The game features a story with over a dozen music tracks, with each action, punch, kick, and even block syncing to the beat of the music.
What makes this game great is that you can upload your own favorite music, and Dead as Disco will create a jam track that you can use in an infinite arena for endless replayability. I'm already hooked, and so will you if you give it a chance.
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies
An incredibly controversial game, but one that, after having played the first 10 hours, will definitely hook players who enjoyed Disco Elysium.
Zero Parades is ZA/UM's latest joint. Although the team has significantly changed since their last project. I don't want to get into specifics here but rest assured, if you loved Disco Elysium, there will be plenty to enjoy in Zero Parades.
The game, at its core, is an isometric RPG that plays like a table-top RPG (think Dungeons and Dragons). There is no fighting; rather, every big or minor decision/action your character has to take will be decided via skill checks using dice. The way you build your character will determine how easy or hard your skill checks are.
In this story, you'll play a retired spy who gets back into action for reasons unknown. Finding out what happened to former colleagues and why your return was necessary is the main narrative thread.
If that tickles your fancy, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies releases on May 21 on PC.
Mina The Hollower
It's finally happening, Mina The Hollower is releasing this May 29 for basically every modern platform you can get your hands on.
If you don't know about this game, it's made by the team behind the highly beloved Shovel Knight. First announced in 2022 via Kickstarter, the game was originally scheduled to release in October 2025, but was delayed over half a year until this month.
Mina The Hollower is a tribute to Game Boy Color era titles, which is something we rarely see, with most retro-inspired titles opting for NES/SNES era tributes. It looks charming, and that's exactly what we need amid all the cynicism surrounding the gaming industry as of late.
Gambonanza
What if Balatro... but chess? That's Gambonanza.
Release on PC and mobile (iOs and Android), Gambonanza wears its Balatro inspiration on its sleeve, all the way down to how the shop structure is designed.
In any case, the elevator pitch is simple: imagine a world in which you play through a series of chess challenges with unique modifiers that put a unique twist on the classic game.
Just like the game it's trying to emulate, it has different modifiers, like power-ups for your chess pieces, different tiles that change the properties of the board, and more. It's highly addictive, and I strongly recommend it if you want to take a small break from Jimbo's shenanigans.
And that's it. Stick with us at StealthOptional.com: your go-to source for all things retro and indie games.