The latest annual Game Con Canada event recently wrapped in Edmonton, featuring all kinds of gaming programming.
The biggest highlight of the show for me was a large showcase of indie games from developers from around the world, but primarily from Alberta and other parts of Canada. Given that there are very few prominent consumer gaming events in Canada, GCC was an excellent way to help showcase promising new titles from Canadian studios.
Read on for my favourites.
Akiiwan: Relaxing Survival
Image credit: Little Buffalo Studios
Developer/publisher: Little Buffalo Studios (Toronto, Ont.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA
As the name suggests, this is a laidback survival game, and it’s actually set in the Canadian Shield. During the day, you’ll have to explore, hunt and craft, while at night, you’ll connect with Indigenous spirits. It’s a novel way to create an atmospheric and culturally-distinct survival game without any of the stress that you might find in other, more demanding entries in the genre.
Chaos Agents
Image credit: Popularium
Developer/publisher: Popularium (Los Angeles, Cali.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA
From Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield comes this intriguing mix of auto-battler combat and battle royale multiplayer structure. With various distinct win conditions, you’ll have to gather shards in the map to fine-tune your character between turns and strategically decide what objective, skills and enemies you’ll take on. Honestly, the customization reminded me a bit of the flexibility of managing the Gambits in Final Fantasy XII, which, as a big FF fan, is an absolute compliment.
Educe
Image credit: Tristen MacPherson
Developer/publisher: Tristen MacPherson (Saskatoon, Sask.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA
Described as “Animal Well meets Pokémon Snap,” this cozy adventure game sees you controlling a cute little critter who has to take photos of specific things in the environment to progress. To do that, you’ll have to befriend wildlife in various ways, like bringing a piece of cheese to a mouse to get him to pose. Best of all, there’s no combat or death, allowing you to fully enjoy the lovely pixellated visuals and wholesome gameplay loop.
Halley’s Bell
Image credit: The Halley Company
Developer/publisher: The Halley Company (Edmonton, Alta.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: August 2026
This project is particularly unique because it’s the capstone project of a group of University of Alberta students. Already, this team is demonstrating a lot of talent, with the first-person psychological game creating a a deeply claustrophobic atmosphere as you struggle to maintain your diving bell with the help of a man named Keith over the radio. As a nice touch, The Halley Company is even planning to release the short experience for free this summer as a stepping stone towards making premium games in the future.
Hope in the City
Image credit: Lofty Sky Entertainment
Developer/publisher: Lofty Sky Entertainment (Toronto, Ont.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA
This mystery game follows 17-year-old Hope Song as she investigates her parents’ disappearance in China. What starts off as a seemingly routine missing persons case quickly becomes much more complicated, with the demo hinting at a gripping larger conspiracy surrounding the Songs. There’s also a clever non-linear structure to the mystery, allowing Hope to go between different locations as she uses her deductive skills to piece together various clues.
Inferius
Image credit: Lucid Rain Studios
Developer/publisher: Lucid Rain Studios (Edmonton, Alta.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA
The winner of both the Big Indie Pitch and CGM‘s Best Game at GCC, Inferius is a compelling genre-bending mix of Lovecraft and Dante’s Inferno with first-person horror and roguelike deck-builder. So far, it creates a captivating gameplay loop of tension, atmosphere and strategy, as you have to avoid nightmarish creatures, explore richly gothic environments using a lantern and manage your assortment of tarot cards.
Project Visceral
Image credit: The Foundation
Developer/publisher: The Foundation (Calgary, Alta.)
Platform: PC (no Steam page yet, but there’s a form to sign up for a newsletter for updates)
Release date: TBA
This gothic action game has only been in development for about six months, but it’s already quite promising. Inspired by the striking black-and-white aesthetic of MadWorld, Project Visceral follows a grieving father who turns to dark magic to avenge the loss of his unborn child. Besides the stunning visuals, the game sports an intriguing alternative to skill trees wherein you can temporarily absorb unique abilities from enemies, allowing you to adapt your strategy in real-time.
Shuffles n’ Scuffles
Image credit: Sour Circuit Studios
Developer/publisher: Sour Circuit Studios (Saskatoon, Sask.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: March 13, 2026
This game has been out for a few months, but it honestly deserves more love. In a refreshing twist from many roguelike deck-builders, Shuffles n’ Scuffles lets you create the cards through a charming papercraft art style. With over 40,000 card combinations, various classes and difficulty settings, there’s a great variety of content to dig into here. It’s also worth noting that the game is 20 per cent off on Steam until July 9.
Sunset Suckerpunch
Image credit: Virtual Reality Inc.
Developer/publisher: Virtual Unreality Inc. (Toronto, Ont.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA 2027
This action game stands out thanks to its eye-popping Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon-esque futuristic sci-fi aesthetic and fast-paced combat focused around a novel “dunk” mechanic that allows you to launch enemies and objects like dumpsters, explosives and even cars. There’s also a refreshing rhythm to the gameplay loop in which you can drive around the stylized highways on your motorcycle, performing all kinds of satisfying tricks along the way.
Zero State Agent
Image credit: Fortress Games
Developer/publisher: Fortress Games (Calgary, Alta.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA
Featured in a presentation during the Game Con Canada Studio Showcase, Zero State Agent is an action-adventure game that blends Metal Gear-inspired stealth with Valheim-esque survival sandbox mechanics. Set in the Canadian wilderness, Zero State Agent tasks you with infiltrating and scavenging procedurally-generated maps filled with grunts and randomly assigned bosses. You can even team up with other players to help take on each others’ enemies and acquire their unique gear for yourself.
Which of these games are you interested in? Let us know in the comments.
For more on Game Con Canada, check out our interviews with celebrity guests Deborah Ann Woll and YDB and our larger feature on the show and its place within the larger Canadian games industry.
Image credit: Virtual Unreality Inc./Lucid Rain Studios/Fortress Games
