An indie game is a game created by an individual or a small team without the funding, ownership, or creative control of a major publisher. Indie describes independence of production and financing, not a genre, art style, or budget size.
The modern indie wave followed digital distribution. When Steam, console download stores, and later itch.io let small teams sell directly to players worldwide, a game no longer needed a publisher to print discs and buy shelf space. Minecraft began as a one person project sold from a website, Stardew Valley was built almost entirely by one developer over years, and Hollow Knight came from a three person team. All reached audiences most publisher backed games never find.
Independence shows in the work. Indie teams take formal risks large publishers avoid: new genres, personal subjects, unusual art built from limited resources, and short focused lengths. Metroidvania and roguelite revivals were driven largely by indie teams, and many now standard design ideas entered the mainstream through indie successes before large studios adopted them.
The border blurs at the top end. A successful indie studio may hire dozens of staff, sign a publishing deal for marketing and distribution, or be acquired, while keeping its name. Players generally judge indie status by who controlled the game creation and financing, not by headcount alone, and treat the word as a description of origin rather than a badge of quality.
In play"She made the game indie style, funding it herself with a two person team."