From plushie zodiac showdowns to mysterious alien ruins, tactical trivia roguelikes and spine-tingling deep-sea horror, the PAX Aus 2025 Aus Indie Showcase is excited to spotlight twelve fantastic games from Australia'a indie gaming developer scene.
The pinnacle of indie game development, the Aus Indie Showcase area of PAX is always one of the most popular areas with keen players eager to get their hands on the next big cult game. Creativity is bursting out of the screens and across tables with six tabletop and six digital games selected as part of this year's Indie Showcase, all of which have been created by independent game developers from across Australia.
The Digital category is proudly presented in partnership with nbn, who help support our local digital game creators do great things with the power of the nbn network.
Without further ado and with all necessary drum rolling, here is our PAX Aus Indie Showcase class of 2025.
Proudly Presented in Partnership with nbn
Lunars
Developed by: Anubis Arts
Genre: Party, Mulitplayer, Action
Platform: PC (Steam)
Think Mario Party meets Party Animals but faster, with no waiting.
Lunars is a chaotic 8-player party game where adorable plushie zodiac animals clash in minigames and unpredictable board events. Everyone rolls at the same time, no one sits out when eliminated, and there are loads of cosmetics to customise your plushies and make them your own.
Doggy Don't Care
Developed by: Rotub Games Pty Ltd
Genre: Action, Adventure, Platformer, Collectathon
Platform: PC
Unleash adorable chaos as a mischievous dog! Explore, collect, and smash your way around the house & beyond in this cheeky adventure. Fetch the approval of your feathered friends by digging into a list of fun-filled tasks and earn mischievous badges. It's sure to be a pawsitively unforgettable day!
Memory's Reach
Developed by: 100 Stones Interactive
Genre: Puzzle-Metroidvania / Metroidbrainia
Platform: PC, Mac, Steamdeck
Memory’s Reach is a first person puzzle-adventure metroidvania. Explore labyrinthian megastructures, solve mind-bending puzzles, and wield fantastic alien technology in a quest to reveal the legacy of a doomed civilization.
PROXIMATE
Developed by: Cain Maddox
Genre: Narrative Horror
Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
PROXIMATE is a dread-driven narrative game where you investigate a deep sea laboratory and piece together the events that lead to the research team’s demise.
You'll be required to wear an image recognition visor that only tells you the bare minimum information you need to succeed — and sometimes less. Use text information, proximity data and audio clues to form a mental map of your surroundings and pray that your technology won't fail you when you need it most.
Dryft City Kyngs
Developed by: Nonsense Machine
Genre: RPG, Racing, Adventure, Life Sim
Platform: PC via Steam
From humble office worker, to ruthless racing genius. Become the ultimate Dryft Racer in a colourful 2D punk-cartoon world based on a very near-future Melbourne!
Trivia Deal
Developed by: Fluent Pixel
Genre: Roguelike Deckbuilder
Platform: PC
Trivia Deal is the world’s first trivia roguelike. Answer fast. Play smart. Use lifelines, clear columns, and survive the Rainbow Reaper. A tactical, category-based trivia game with permanent progression and run-to-run randomness.
Coffee Up!
Developed by: ToToTam
Genre: Co-Op Memory Card Game
Platform: Tabletop
Coffee Up is a pocket-sized co-op memory game for 2 - 5 players.
You and your team of baristas have opened up the newest (and hottest) coffee shop in town. They say the first 7 days in business are the hardest. Work together to run a 5-star coffee shop by not just making great coffee, but by providing excellent customer service to your regulars by knowing their names and coffee orders!
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Conquest For the Capital
Developed by: MountainSoulGaming
Genre: Strategy Game
Platform: Tabletop
Conquest For The Capital is a strategy war game where players clash together to claim the capital as one of 4 iconic fantasy factions. Your goal is to build up your forces until you can defeat the defending garrison as well as any foes that might have joined in the assault.
It's up to you to figure out your route to victory and also to prevent your rivals from doing the same. Your cunning and strategic mastery will most be put to the test from the orders you give your troops. Each player has simultaneous movement, so will can you sneak past the rival hordes or will you lure them into a trap?
Cartograph - Atlas Edition
Developed by: The Ravensridge Emporium
Genre: Fantasy Exploration
Platform: Tabletop
Cartograph is a solo or GM-less map-making RPG about journaling, exploration, worldbuilding, and resource management. The core rules are easy to learn, and facilitate the creation of a world map through a variety of prompts and tables.
By the end of a game, you will have produced a map of an unknown world, complete with a journal that details those places. This can be a great artefact to use in other fantasy roleplaying games, or as prep for a homebrew setting itself.
Panda Party Game
Developed by: Cheerfolk Pty Ltd
Genre: Party/Casual
Platform: Tabletop
Panda Party is a fast-paced, pick-up-and-play card game about adorable pandas who love to eat pizza and party hard. Players race to collect five guests at their party by luring pandas with tasty snacks, outbidding rivals, and unleashing cheeky powers. With 150+ cards and dozens of pun-filled panda personalities, every game is packed with chaos and laughs.
It’s easy to learn for all ages and experience levels, endlessly replayable, and has sold over 1,700 units as an indie release. The unique twist? Players can create a personalised panda card of themselves to include in the deck — blending gameplay and self-expression in a way rarely seen in casual tabletop games.
Potion Society
Developed by: The Murmuring Mystic
Genre: Card Game
Platform: Tabletop
A 2-4 player potion crafting card game where players compete to create the best Potion! Starting with a Potion Recipe, each player is to collect the most suitable ingredients, stack them according to their bonus effects, and cook them to completion in shared communal cauldrons. Spells and sabotage permitted! The Potion that garners the most points win!
Spacewreck Salvage
Developed by: Aethermon Studios
Genre: Bidding, Hand Management, Drafting
Platform: Tabletop
Draft your crew. Race to the wreck. Claim your loot. Space Junkers - a competitive inverted-bidding game for 2-5 players! Draft a unique team of Pilots, Engineers, Quartermasters, Search and Rescue specialists - and eclectic Wildcards!
Travel through space sectors to retrieve valuable loot: Ship Upgrades, lost Cargo, plucky Survivors and rare Alien Artefacts!
Manage your ship, your luck, your timing, and your opponents' strategies to build the most successful Space Junker Guild and win the game!
The PAX Aus Indie Showcase is an honor bestowed by a select panel of judges to some of Australia's greatest independent tabletop and video games submitted by game developers, with selected winners of the Aus Indie Showcase securing a booth at PAX to share their creations with the world.
Located on the edge of PAX Rising in our main expo hall, the Aus Indie Showcase is one of the most popular areas with keen players eager to go hands on with the next big cult game. Whether you've created a deep space survival simulator, a rage-inducing soccer platformer, a cozy cat simulator or a High Fantasy office simulator narrated by a mud-crab - there is something for everyone in the Aus Indie Showcase!
Submissions to the Aus Indie Showcase open to Australian independent game developers in May for a limited time.
So you wanna know more about the history of the Aus Indie Showcase, do ya? The Kings and Queens of PAX's past? Well look no further than the Indie Showcase winners archive. Learn more about every Indie Showcase winner dating back to our first show back in 2013! Let us take you on a journey...
