Free Game Downloads
  For Mac and Windows

A wonderful tribute to the old classic, Marble Madness, Hamsterball lets you use your mouse or keyboard to race a hamster through one twisted, loopy level after another. Incredibly addictive and fun to play, it's little wonder that this game was awarded "Downloadable Game of the Year" by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. The game features a nice multiplayer mode as well.

An extremely polished and beautiful underwater adventure game in the tradition of Metroid and Castlevania. Explore dark caves, colorful coral reefs, sunlit oases, and more as you play Naija, a lone water dweller in search of her family. The mouse–driven controls are wonderfully intuitive, the world is massive and teaming with secrets, the graphics and sound are gorgeous... it's little wonder that this game won the Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival, and was rated 9/10 by Wired Magazine.

Among the best independent games released in the last ten years, Cave Story is a traditional action adventure in the vein of old classics such as Metroid and Castlevania. It was five years in the making, and every detail shows off the love and care that went into its production. If you only play one indie game this year, make it this one.

The first game I ever made, Unga Bunga is a multiplayer platform/deathmatch hybrid for 2 to 3 players, in which the players run around as club-wielding cavemen in exotic habitats, kill moose and bears to gain technology (which allows them to use better weapons, including spears, traps, firesticks, coals, bow and arrow, sword), fend off invading philistines, and ultimately compete with each other for various objectives (depending on the game type). An amateur effort, but still a lot of fun. Note: this is a multiplayer-on-one-keyboard game only; no single player mode exists.

A phenomenal game of world conquest. This game single handedly destroyed 10 years of MacRisk loyalty for me. I tried to resist at first, but it was no use: the game is just too good. Wonderfully fast to play, fantastic AI, a huge assortment of maps to choose from and create, and a dedicated base of online players. What more could you want? Beautiful graphics? You’ve got it!

A sliding block puzzle game that is very fun and original, Chocolate Castle is one of my favorite indie titles in this genre. The challenge of the puzzles is to rearrange large blocks of different kinds of chocolate into connected regions that can be consumed by four hungry, cute little animals. If you ever manage to finish the 120 puzzles that the game comes with you can use the built-in editor to design your own. Different difficulty levels mean that there's something for everyone here. Highly recommended.

One of my all-time favorite indie creations, N is a brilliant, minimalistic take on Lode Runner, and other classic platformers. Superb controls, a great physics engine, wonderful level design, and pure ninja goodness combine to make this one a true classic.

Mutant storm is a Robotron inspired arcade shoot 'em up explosion fest. One hand controls fire direction with the mouse, while the other controls your ship's movement as you progress through 89 beasty-filled arenas. The gameplay is fast, psychedelic, and a lot of fun. As PCGamer said, "Mutant Storm is arcade genius that you simply have to play, again and again and again."

Probably the best side scrolling shoot 'em up on the market today. The levels are very well designed, the graphics are beautiful, and the game play will have you knee-deep in explosions in no time. The sound is also outstanding, with a 60-minute original heavy metal soundtrack from Swedish band Machinae Supremacy. Warning: blood and violence.

One of the best platformers ever released for the PC. In Gish, you play a 12-pound ball of tar in search of true love. Become slippery to slide through small places, sticky to climb up walls and ceilings, and rock hard to force your way through barriers. The game's physics engine, along with all of its production values make this one a real pleasure to play.

Be forewarned: this game takes time and dedication to appreciate. However, if you take that time, you will find in Dwarf Fortress one of the most amazing and complex simulation games that you will ever play. Combining aspects of roguelike, strategy, and "god" games, Dwarf Fortress has two modes of play: Fortress, where you oversee a dwarven civilization, and Adventure Mode, which plays like a typical roguelike game. To date I find Dwarf Fortress to be one of the most amazing games ever made, including all commercial offerings, but like I said: be warned that the game is not easily accessible! For help, look to the wiki. Also, try out Mike Mayday's Graphics Edition of the game.

An abstract, story-driven tower defense game set in a dimension "beyond hyperspace." The basic idea is to defend your "path" by setting up various "towers," each with their own strengths and weaknesses. With 26 different enemy types, 11 tower types, and 100 levels in 6 campaigns, this game will keep you busy for a while. Fast-paced, addicting, strategic, and fun.

Neko Puzzle is a wonderfully fast, fun little puzzle game that makes your brain feel really good! Guide your flying kitty in a course through each level solitaire-style, before the time runs out, or compete in real-time against another human opponent. The puzzles are different every time you play, so whenever your brain is in need of that "massaged" feel, pop open this game, and your good to go!

Eets has been described as "a succulent combination of Lemmings and the Incredible Machine." If you've played either of those classic games you know how promising that sounds. And this game delivers: outstanding artwork and production, fun, creative puzzles, and a dash of straight out funkiness. There are a good number of boring puzzle game clones out there; this is not one of them. Give it a try.

You begin as a rather ugly man named "Beethro" who travels deep beneath the ground. There are other people down there too, citizens of a mysterious "Rooted Empire", that are carving tunnels and building things. Beethro just wants to know why, but it's hard to get a useful answer. He was always fond of saying "there is no problem that can't be solved with a really big sword," but upon arriving at the underground capital, Beethro is startled to find that nobody seems interested in attacking him. No, for some reason, they would rather persuade him to stand in a very long line. This is a must-try puzzle game!

If you are looking for a beautiful, minimalistic puzzle game reeking of Eastern aesthetics, that will make you want to scream and pull your hair out... this is it! Devilishly difficult, Zen Puzzle Garden keeps me coming back again and again in an attempt to prove my puzzle solving prowess. If you're tired of all those easy puzzle games, and want something hard, look no further. A Game Tunnel Independent Game of the Year finalist.