PAX Aus 2025 Indie Showcase Winners

Jul 30, 2025

Discover the Next Wave of Aussie Gaming Creativity With the PAX Aus 2025 Indie Showcase Winners

From plushie zodiac showdowns to mysterious alien ruins, tactical trivia roguelikes and spine-tingling deep-sea horror, the PAX Aus 2025 Indie Showcase is excited to spotlight twelve fantastic games from Australia’s indie gaming developer scene.

This year’s lineup features six digital titles and six tabletop games, showcasing the incredible creativity and fresh ideas that make the Aussie indie scene so vibrant and diverse.

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.

The PAX Aus Indie Showcase is a fantastic launching pad for indie games, giving developers the chance to shine in front of gamers, media and industry folk. This year’s winners will be showing off their games at PAX Aus 2025 (October 10–12, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre), where fans can dive into hands-on demos with these winning games as well as meeting their creators.

The six winners of the Digital PAX Aus 2025 Indie Showcase category are:

Lunars by Anubis Arts is a chaotic party game where plushie zodiac animals go head-to-head in rapid-fire minigames and unpredictable board events. Designed for up to eight players, Lunars keeps the action fast and fun and with no player eliminations and loads of customisable cosmetics, it’s a wild multiplayer mashup that blends the spirit of Mario Party with the mayhem of Party Animals.
Doggy Don’t Care by Rotub Games is a cheeky action-adventure platformer that lets players unleash adorable chaos as a mischievous dog on the loose. Explore vibrant environments, smash objects, collect goodies and complete fun-filled tasks to earn the approval of your feathered friends. With a wagging tail and a nose for mischief, players can dig up mischievous badges and create their own tail-wagging tales. It’s sure to be a paws-itively unforgettable day!
Memory’s Reach by 100 Stones Interactive is a first-person puzzle-adventure that blends metroidvania exploration with mind-bending logic. Set in the towering ruins of a lost alien civilization, players will solve holographic, environmental and layered meta-puzzles to unlock powerful abilities and access new areas. From floating cities to orbital space stations, every corner hides secrets and solving them is the only way to uncover the truth behind the Mairish legacy.
Trivia Deal by Fluent Pixel is the world’s first trivia roguelike, a tactical deckbuilder where quick thinking and smart play are key to survival. Answer questions across shifting categories, use lifelines strategically and clear columns before the Rainbow Reaper catches up. With permanent progression and run-to-run randomness, no two games play the same in this brainy battle of wits.
PROXIMATE by Cain Maddox is a dread-fuelled narrative horror game set in the depths of a derelict deep sea laboratory. Armed with only a bare-bones image recognition visor, players must rely on proximity data, text prompts and audio cues to piece together what happened to the vanished research team. With limited visibility and failing tech, every step is a leap of faith and every clue brings you closer to a truth you may wish you'd never found.
Dryft City Kyngs by Nonsense Machine is a genre-smashing RPG adventure that blends racing, life sim and punk energy in a vibrant 2D world inspired by near-future Melbourne. From humble office worker to underground racing legend, players will climb the ranks of Dryft City’s chaotic streets, forging rivalries, customising rides and building their reputation one wild race at a time.

The six winners of the Tabletop PAX Aus 2025 Indie Showcase category are:

Conquest For The Capital by MountainSoul Gaming is a strategic war game where four unique fantasy factions vie to claim the capital. From the Dwarves’ mobile cannon towers to the Orcs’ berserk tactics, Elves’ quick reinforcements and the relentless Undead, each faction offers distinct playstyles. Build your forces, control key points and outsmart rivals in simultaneous-move battles using upgrade and battle cards to secure victory.
Coffee Up! by ToToTam is a pocket-sized co-op memory card game for 2-5 players. Join your team of baristas as you run the hottest new coffee shop in town, tackling the challenge of the crucial first seven days. Work together to serve up perfect brews and impress your regulars by remembering their names and favourite orders because great coffee is only part of what makes a 5-star café.
Cartograph - Atlas Edition by The Ravensridge Emporium is a solo or GM-less map-making RPG focused on exploration, journaling and worldbuilding. With simple core rules and a variety of prompts and tables, players create detailed world maps alongside journals documenting their discoveries. By the game’s end, you’ll have a unique artefact perfect for inspiring other fantasy RPGs or serving as the foundation for your own homebrew setting.
Panda Party Game by Cheerfolk is a fast-paced, pick-up-and-play card game where adorable pandas throw wild pizza-fuelled parties. Players race to gather five guests by tempting pandas with tasty snacks, outbidding rivals and unleashing cheeky powers. With over 150 cards and pun-filled personalities, each game is full of chaos and laughs. Easy for all ages and endlessly replayable, it even lets players create personalised panda cards to join the fun.
Spacewreck Salvage by Aethermon Studios is a competitive inverted-bidding game for 2-5 players where strategic drafting and timing rule the day. Assemble your crew of Pilots, Engineers, Quartermasters, Rangers and mysterious Wildcards, then race to claim powerful Ship Upgrades, lost Cargo and plucky Survivors. Choose between sending a small, agile team for quick loot or a larger crew for a bigger haul - balancing risk and reward to become the greatest Salvage Crew in the Quadrant.
Potion Society by The Murmuring Mystic is a competitive card game for 2-4 players where potion crafting is king. Starting with unique recipes, players collect and stack ingredients with bonus effects, then brew their potions in shared cauldrons. Spells and sabotage add chaos and the potion with the most points at the end claims victory.

Attendees can try all of these amazing indie creations, as well as meeting their creators, as part of PAX Aus 2025, running from October 10–12 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). For more information and badges, visit the official website or follow the official PAX Aus socials on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Discord, Threads and Tiktok.