Field guide · Solo developer and small team first person shooters

Best indie and solo developed FPS games on Steam

By Ekin, a solo developer in Istanbul (Whale Development Studios), maker of Iron Curtain Call. Published 8 November 2026; every price, release date and platform below was checked on 8 November 2026 against the US Steam store and the sources at the end.

Hand drawn 1930s cartoon robot combat in Iron Curtain Call, built by a solo developer in Istanbul
I am building Iron Curtain Call as a solo developer in Istanbul in Godot 4.7. Mission 1 is free on Steam right now.
The short answer

The nine games at a glance

Some of the sharpest first person shooters on Steam over the last decade were not built by three hundred person studios; they were built by one developer or a tiny indie team obsessed with a single mechanical or visual idea. As a solo developer in Istanbul building Iron Curtain Call under Whale Development Studios, these are the solo and small team shooters that proved one person’s weird, specific vision can go toe to toe with any big budget FPS.

If you want solo developed shooters where one creator handled the core design, code or engine work, start with DUSK ($19.99), ULTRAKILL ($29.99, free demo on Steam), HROT ($19.99, free demo on Steam), CULTIC ($9.99, free demo on Steam), VLADiK BRUTAL ($11.99), Bright Memory: Infinite ($19.99) and Hedon Bloodrite ($16.99, free demo on Steam). If you want a small team comic book crime stealth shooter, play Fallen Aces ($14.99). And if you want a solo developed 1930s rubber hose cartoon shooter set in an absurd 1965 World War III, try the free Steam demo or 60 second browser trial of my game Iron Curtain Call (releasing 11 March 2027).

At a glance

The nine games at a glance

US Steam store prices, release dates, platforms and free demo availability checked on 8 November 2026.
GameCreator or small team profileDistinctive FPS hookFree demo on SteamUS priceOut
Iron Curtain CallMy gameEkin Arca (Whale Development Studios, Istanbul)1930s rubber hose cartoon Cold War FPSYes, free: Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutesNot priced yet11 March 2027Free demo since 28 October 2026
ULTRAKILLArsi "Hakita" Patala with New BloodCoin ricochets, projectile parries and Style rankYes, free$29.993 September 2020Early Access
DUSKDavid Szymanski with New BloodFast 90s bunny hopping and occult level designNo$19.9910 December 2018
HROTSpytihněv (solo developer in Czechia)Custom Pascal engine 1986 Czechoslovakian FPSYes, free$19.9916 May 2023
VLADiK BRUTALNarko Games / BRUTAL SOFTWARE (solo dev)Half Life style Eastern European sci fi campaignNo$11.999 August 2024
CULTICJason Smith (Jasozz Games, solo dev)Gritty pixel horror and dynamite gunfightsYes, free$9.9913 October 2022
Bright Memory: InfiniteZeng Xiancheng (FYQD Studio)Unreal Engine sword parry and sci fi spectacleNo$19.9911 November 2021
Hedon BloodriteZan_HedonDev (solo developer)Hand drawn dark fantasy GZDoom underworldYes, free$16.9916 May 2019
Fallen AcesTrey Powell and Jason Bond with New BloodHand drawn comic book noir stealth and brawlingNo$14.9914 June 2024Early Access
Game by game

Each game, who built it and why its vision stands out

Each card covers the developer behind the game, what makes its combat loop distinct, and its verified US Steam store facts on 8 November 2026.

Iron Curtain Call

My game

Play it if you want a solo developed 1930s rubber hose cartoon shooter with a free demo today.

I am building Iron Curtain Call in Istanbul as a solo developer with AI agents under Whale Development Studios. Set in an alternate 1965 where a customer service computer runs World War III, it combines 1930s rubber hose cartoon ink art with fast dashes, grapples, projectile parries and twelve theatrical bosses. Mission 1 is free on Steam right now for Windows, macOS and Linux, and a 60 second trial runs in your browser.

Developer and publisher
Whale Development Studios
Out
11 March 2027
Free demo out
28 October 2026
On Steam
Windows and macOS (demo on Windows, macOS and Linux)
US list price
Not priced yet
Demo
Yes, free
Gameplay trailer · 1:00 · Twelve chapters in sixty seconds. YouTube · Video page

Download the free Steam demoPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download

ULTRAKILL

Play it if you want the benchmark indie movement shooter where every weapon interacts with every other weapon.

Led by Finnish developer Arsi "Hakita" Patala and published by New Blood Interactive, ULTRAKILL (3 September 2020 Early Access, $29.99, free demo on Steam) turned coin tossing, shotgun parrying and blood healing into a high speed art form.

Developer
Arsi "Hakita" Patala
Publisher
New Blood Interactive
Entered Early Access
3 September 2020
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$29.99
Demo
Yes, free

DUSK

Play it if you want the solo built retro shooter that kicked off the modern boomer shooter revival.

Created by David Szymanski, DUSK (10 December 2018, $19.99, Windows, macOS and Linux) proved that a solo developer focusing entirely on level flow, movement speed and atmosphere could outshine studio blockbusters.

Developer
David Szymanski
Publisher
New Blood Interactive
Released
10 December 2018
On Steam
Windows, macOS and Linux
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam

HROT

Play it if you want a shooter built from scratch in its own custom Pascal engine.

Czech solo developer Spytihněv wrote his own engine in Pascal to build HROT (16 May 2023, $19.99, free demo on Steam), filling 1986 Prague metro stations and brutalist plazas with deadpan Eastern Bloc surrealism.

Developer and publisher
Spytihněv
Released
16 May 2023
On Steam
Windows (demo on Windows)
US list price
$19.99
Demo
Yes, free

VLADiK BRUTAL

Play it if you want a solo developed love letter to Half Life 2 and Eastern European sci fi.

Built over several years by a solo developer under BRUTAL SOFTWARE, VLADiK BRUTAL (9 August 2024, $11.99) delivers a full narrative single player campaign through a mutant overrun research complex and totalitarian state.

Developer and publisher
BRUTAL SOFTWARE
Released
9 August 2024
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$11.99
Demo
None on Steam

CULTIC

Play it if you want a solo crafted horror shooter where every gun and music track comes from one creator.

Jason Smith at Jasozz Games handled the design, art, code and music for CULTIC (13 October 2022, $9.99, free demo on Steam), crafting one of the punchiest headshot and dynamite combat loops on Steam.

Developer
Jasozz Games
Publisher
3D Realms
Released
13 October 2022
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$9.99
Demo
Yes, free

Bright Memory: Infinite

Play it if you want solo developed graphic spectacle with sword parries and aerial juggling.

Started as a solo project by Zeng Xiancheng at FYQD Studio, Bright Memory: Infinite (11 November 2021, $19.99) packs high speed sword deflects, grappling hooks and stormy set pieces into a compact action showcase.

Developer
FYQD Studio
Publisher
FYQD Studio and PLAYISM
Released
11 November 2021
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam

Hedon Bloodrite

Play it if you want a sprawling, hand drawn dark fantasy world built by a single creator.

Zan_HedonDev’s Hedon Bloodrite (16 May 2019, $16.99, free demo on Steam, Windows and Linux) transforms GZDoom with custom hand drawn sprites, huge nonlinear caverns and heavy medieval weaponry.

Developer and publisher
Zan_HedonDev
Released
16 May 2019
On Steam
Windows and Linux (demo on Windows and Linux)
US list price
$16.99
Demo
Yes, free

Fallen Aces

Play it if you want a small team comic book crime noir where every bottle and pipe is a weapon.

Built by Trey Powell and Jason Bond with New Blood Interactive, Fallen Aces (14 June 2024 Early Access, $14.99) lets you sneak, uppercut and improvise your way through hand drawn 1930s crime syndicate docks.

Developers
Trey Powell and Jason Bond
Publisher
New Blood Interactive
Entered Early Access
14 June 2024
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$14.99
Demo
None on Steam
Why solo and small team FPS games hit harder

When one person makes the decisions, the sharp edges stay in

Committee designed shooters sand down anything unusual until every rifle feels the same. Solo and tiny team shooters keep their weirdness intact, whether that is HROT’s brown 1986 supermarkets, ULTRAKILL’s coin ricochets or Iron Curtain Call’s 1930s rubber hose tin soldiers.

Questions

Questions players ask about indie and solo developed FPS games

Which indie and solo developed FPS games have a free demo on Steam right now?

Five games in this guide have a free playable demo on Steam right now: Iron Curtain Call (Windows, macOS and Linux, plus a 60 second browser trial), ULTRAKILL, HROT, CULTIC and Hedon Bloodrite.

Is Iron Curtain Call made by a solo developer?

Yes. Iron Curtain Call is built by solo developer Ekin Arca in Istanbul (Whale Development Studios) with AI agents.

What PC and indie games are coming out in 2027?

More than one page can hold: Steam shows a lot of PC and indie games with a 2027 date, and dates keep moving. What we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026 are the shooters and the Mac action games, in two dated lists: upcoming FPS games and upcoming Mac games. Iron Curtain Call, our own cartoon noir shooter, is due 11 March 2027 on Windows and macOS, and its free demo is on Steam now.

What games release on 11 March 2027?

Among the shooters we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026: Blood of Rations (11 March 2027) and Iron Curtain Call (My game, 11 March 2027). We only checked shooters, so this is not the full set for that day; Steam’s own Coming Soon page has the rest.

What is a good new single player FPS I can play for free right now?

Iron Curtain Call has a free demo on Steam (Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutes) and a free 60 second browser trial with no download. It is a single player cartoon noir shooter, and it is our game, so weigh that. For other free shooters, our list of free FPS demos on Steam holds the best rated ones.

Sources and when we checked them

Every release date, US list price, platform flag and demo entry on this page was read from the official US Steam store API and Wikipedia/Wikidata on 8 November 2026.

  1. Iron Curtain Call, Steam store page
  2. ULTRAKILL, Steam store page
  3. DUSK, Steam store page
  4. HROT, Steam store page
  5. VLADiK BRUTAL, Steam store page
  6. CULTIC, Steam store page
  7. Bright Memory: Infinite, Steam store page
  8. Hedon Bloodrite, Steam store page
  9. Fallen Aces, Steam store page
  10. Indie game, Wikipedia
  11. First person shooter, Wikipedia
  12. Ultrakill, Wikipedia
  13. Dusk (video game), Wikipedia
  14. Cultic (video game), Wikipedia
  15. Bright Memory, Wikipedia

Try Iron Curtain Call free on Steam or in your browser

Download the free Steam demo on Windows, macOS or Linux, play 60 seconds in your browser with no install, or wishlist the full game ahead of 11 March 2027.

Download the free Steam demoWishlist and Follow on SteamPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download