The Best Aussie Games Of 2022

2022 has been one of the best years for Aussie games.

The past few years have seen iconic titles like Webbed, Paperbark, The Artful Escape, Hollow Knight, Untitled Goose Game, Unpacking… The list goes on, really. There have been so many, and it’s great to see our industry thriving since the grand exodus of AAA studios from Australia.

Fast forward to this year and a metric fucktonne of games developed by Australian studios and sole developers have been thrust upon us, and we have been eating good. That being said, it’s hard to make a list of the best Aussie games of 2022. There were so many good ones.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to look at this list and find something cool to play or maybe even feel validated that one of your favourite games is here! Anywho, here’s our list of the best Aussie games of 2022.

Cult of the Lamb

Massive Monster

Cult of the Lamb is a cult-management sim meets roguelike by Massive Monster.

This one did very well in terms of accolades, sweeping 4 awards at the Australian Game Developer Awards (AGDAs), the Golden Joystick for Best Indie, and a nomination for Best Indie at this year’s Game Awards. It truly rocked the boat. With its mish-mash of a range of different gaming genres and themes coming together to create an intense, funny, and entertaining experience, Cult of the Lamb is a truly special game.

Cult of the Lamb is available on all platforms.

Wayward Strand

Ghost Pattern

Wayward Strand is a narrative-driven game developed by Ghost Pattern.

This debut release from Ghost Pattern was nominated for awards across the AGDAs and the Golden Joystick Awards, as well as being officially selected for events such as Day of the Devs, Freeplay Parallels, and PAX Australia’s Indie Showcase. Forbes’ Matt Gardner called it a “work of art“, and he was right to do so. It truly is unlike anything else in its design and narrative building and will stay with you long after you play it.

Wayward Strand is available on all platforms.

Wylde Flowers

Studio Drydock

Wylde Flowers is a magical farming and life sim developed by Studio Drydock.

Taking home both the Apple Design Award for Inclusivity and Apple Arcade’s Game of the Year as well as a fair few nominations at the AGDAs, Wylde Flowers proved itself as a notable hit for the Apple Arcade. It took the themes in farming/life sims that people are already familiar with and put a mystical twist on them with its witchy storyline. In Alice Clarke’s Top 10 Games of 2022, they note that the title is “utterly delightful”.

You can find it on Steam here, but it’s also available on Nintendo Switch and the Apple Arcade.

Brendan Keogh’s Putting Challenge

Brendan Keogh

Brendan Keogh’s Putting Challenge is a sports game with a difference — it’s an open-world, multiplayer sports game.

In this world of golfing excess, all roads lead to golf. Go where you like in an expansive open world and partake in a short game of putt-putt, or indulge in a full 9-hole course. Get lost in the desert mega course, or wander around town to find the Secret Holes. This is a game that revels in the tedium between shots, the long and boring walks between holes, and that’s part of what makes Brendan Keogh’s Putting Challenge so special. It understands that golf, as a sport and as a construct, is entirely bizarre. There’s also Luxury Golf Cart DLC to help you get around the greens a bit faster (but not outside of the designated Golf Zones! Driving the cart off the green is prohibited!!!)

You can find it on Steam here. – David Smith

Vactics

The Lemur Conspiracy

Vactics is a turn-based strategy game by The Lemur Conspiracy.

In the vein of something like Evangelion or Pacific Rim, it has become necessary to build a big stompy mech to safeguard humanity against the invading, robotic Vactics. It plays a little bit like chess, and a little bit like Into the Breach, in that you can see your opponent’s next move, allowing you to plan ahead and hold onto a tactical advantage. It’s clever, inventive stuff, and with a beautiful, striking red and black aesthetic.

You can find it on Steam here. – David Smith

Queer Man Peering Into A Rock Pool.jpg

Fuzzy Ghost

Queer Man Peering Into A Rock Pool.jpg is an experimental game from Fuzzy Ghost.

Queer Man is a special experience. It’s beautiful, heartwarming, thoughtful, honest, genuine, hilarious, weird, wacky, and gay. It’s a captivating story of queerness and longing, and it does a lot in the short time that it’s around. If we could name 2022 the year of exploring new ideas in video games, Queer Man would be right there as one of the beacons of this. It rightfully won the AGDA for Excellence in Emerging Games.

You can find it on Steam here.

Justice Sucks

Samurai Punk

Justice Sucks is a stealth-action vacuuming game developed by Samurai Punk.

This game, in my humble opinion, is the blueprint for sequels improving on their original concepts. It’s hard to juggle absurdist comedy, gore-filled action and a vacuum’s love for its human family, but Justice Sucks manages to do all that and more. It’s a goofy thrill ride from start to finish and was also an AGDA finalist for Excellence in Gameplay and Sound Design.

Justice Sucks is available on all platforms.

One Dreamer

F2House

One Dreamer is a narrative-driven coding-puzzle adventure by Gareth Ffoulkes.

Ffoulkes’ long-awaited title had so much good in so many ways. The story is touching and introspective, taking the player through the ups, middles, and horrific downs of a struggling indie game developer. The puzzles are clever little coding situations that change the world around you, and its convergence of pixel art and breathtaking lighting make for a visually stunning experience. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you might learn to code.

You can find it on Steam here.

Frog Detective 3

Grace Bruxner & Thomas Bowker

Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County is an investigative adventure game developed by Grace Bruxner and Thomas Bowker.

The best way to describe Frog Detective 3 was stated by Miguel Moran of The Sixth Axis: The most important game about a scooter-riding frog you’ll play all year. While the third installment in the series is sadly the final one, it absolutely knocked the froggy investigating premise that we know and love. From the lovably-goofy cast of characters you’ll meet along the way, to the ability to do kick-flips on your trusty scooter, Frog Detective 3 is a perfected end to a timeless series.

You can find it on Steam here.

Camped Out

INCA Studios

Camped Out is a couch co-op action game developed by INCA Studios.

The aim of the game is simple: Set up camp before darkness falls. Camped Out takes the multiplayer madness that we’ve seen in games like Overcooked! and puts it in a national park setting, and has solidified itself as one of the most entertaining games to play with friends. Quite a few of the Aussie games released this year were single-player experiences, so Camped Out really stood out as a frantic co-op romp to get into with your buddies.

You can find it on Steam here, but it’s also available on Nintendo Switch.

Honourable Mention

Webbed

While Webbed did technically release in 2021 for PC, it got its console release at the start of this year SO IT COUNTS, OKAY? Thank you. Webbed for consoles is a buttload of fun and stays being one of our favourite Australian releases of the past year. It also holds the rare title of the Most Arachnophobia-Curing Video Game.

Were there any best Aussie games of 2022 that you think we missed? Let us know!