12 Must-Play PC Indie Games Pushing Creative Boundaries This Year

2. Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios, Feb 2024)

Pacific Drive proves your safe haven doesn’t need to be a fortress—it can be an old station wagon barreling through reality-bending storms. In this survival “road-lite” from Ironwood Studios, you patch, upgrade, and drive your trusty car through a supernatural rendition of the Pacific Northwest. The world is riddled with anomalies, strange artifacts, and all manner of oddities that make every run unpredictable. You’re not just surviving—you’re exploring, scavenging, and tinkering as you go, with environmental threats always one wrong turn away. PCGamer and The Guardian both praise its genre-splicing gameplay and moody, immersive audio-visual punch. Pacific Drive is a gift for fans of atmospheric games who want every drive to feel like an adventure. Whether you’re customizing your ride’s armor or fleeing from a rogue electrical storm, the tension never lets up. Who’s riding shotgun when the fog rolls in?