PAX AUS Indie Showcase 2025 Winners Announced
Another year, another dozen Aussie Indie bangers across digital and tabletop. For PAX AUS attendees, the Indie Showcase is always a reason to get excited, especially when the Indie Pavilion is consistently a highlight of the show floor; a steadfast rock against a tide of waxing and waning AAA’s and demos of games you could already be playing at home. Without further fanfare, let’s get stuck into 2025’s winners!
Digital Showcase Winners
Lunars 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 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!
Wishlist Doggy Don’t Care on Steam now!
Memory’s Reach 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.
Play the Memory’s Reach demo and Wishlist it on Steam now!
Trivia Deal 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.
Wishlist Trivia Deal on Steam now!
Proximate 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.
Wishlist PROXIMATE on Steam now!
Dryft City Kyngs 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.
Buy Dryft City Kyngs on Steam right now!
Tabletop Showcase Winners
Conquest For The Capital 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.
Try Conquest for the Capital on Tabletopia now!
Coffee Up! 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 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.
Buy Cartograph – Atlas Edition right now!
Panda Party Game 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.
Buy Panda Party Game right now!
From returning Indie Showcase winners Aethermon Studios (Aethermon: Collect), Spacewreck Salvage 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!
And that’s a wrap on the PAX Aus Indie Showcase winners for 2025! As always, both the Digital and Tabletop Indie Showcase winners can be found in the Indie Pavilion towards the main entry for PAX Aus, where attendees can go hands on with these titles and many more!
PAX Aus 2025 will take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre across October 10-12. For more information and badges, visit the official website or follow the official PAX Aus socials on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Discord, Threads and Tiktok.
