Korean indie game developers once again proved their mettle at the Taipei Game Show’s Indie Game Awards (IGA) 2026. Two Korean titles were selected as finalists in a competition that saw 515 entries from 51 countries, elevating the status of Korean developers on Asia’s largest indie game competition stage.
Concorde Development’s ‘Greytail’ Nominated in Three Categories
‘Graytail’, developed by Korean indie studio Concode, achieved the feat of being nominated as a finalist in three categories, including Best Visual Art and Best Mobile Game.
Graytail is a Zelda-esque action-adventure game set on a small Pacific island. It tells the story of a legendary female pilot who goes missing, and her daughter and a detective who must track down clues to her disappearance amidst the threat of mutants roaming the forest.
The game’s most distinctive feature is its sophisticated interaction system. Players can light boxes and carry them around, spreading fire across the grass. They can also create chain reactions, such as when an incoming arrow ignites the box, the fire then spreads to the box, detonating a bomb. Each interaction links together to create a variety of effects, and multiple ways to solve problems are presented.
Concode, developed with the Unity engine, stands out for its realistic rendering of water. Despite its pixel art style, the game boasts detailed visuals, such as cloud shadows on the beach and leaf shadows traversing the forest, enhancing the sense of immersion. Furthermore, the game boasts a rich gameplay experience, including a variety of weapons, each with its own unique skills, and powerful boss battles.
The development team initially aimed for a Q2 2025 release, but due to the nature of story-driven games, they shifted their strategy to a full release rather than early access to ensure a high level of completion. The final version is expected to be released to gamers after approximately one additional year of development.
Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2888960/Graytail/
Via Studios’ “Hermit Computer” Nominated for Best Student Game
‘Hermit Computer’, developed by Via Studio (Visual Interactive Art), was a finalist in the Best Student Game category.
This horror-puzzle game is set in 2001, deep within the Hermit Kingdom. Players assume the role of a U.S. agent captured while secretly gathering government intelligence. Locked in a high-security facility, they are limited to using a restricted state-run computer system.
The game offers a thrilling experience where players must gather intelligence about a nation isolated in dire straits using its secret computer operating system. Players must tread carefully, as the Hermit Kingdom is omnipresent. They must find and photograph every secret they discover on the computer, and persevere even when faced with certain passwords.
The game showcases a unique genre-defining blend of adventure, simulation, interactive fiction, puzzles, and immersive simulation. It captures the gloomy, dystopian atmosphere of the Cold War era with realistic graphics from a first-person perspective, while its narrative of detective work, crime, and conspiracy heightens the tension.
Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3638070/Hermit_Computer/
The global rise of K-indie games continues.
This year’s Taipei Game Show Indie Game Awards 2026 finalist exemplifies the growth and diversity of the Korean indie game scene. Greytail distinguished itself in the Zelda-style action-adventure genre with pixel art and innovative interaction systems, while Hermit Computer garnered attention in the horror-puzzle genre for its unique political setting and immersive storytelling.
Korean indie games have steadily grown in the global market, particularly on Steam, in recent years. Titles like Dungreed and Skul have found success by attracting the attention of international streamers, and as of 2020, the number of Korean indie games registered on Steam increased by 120% year-on-year.
Launched in 2015, the Taipei Game Show Indie Game Awards has annually recognized outstanding indie game developers from around the world. This year’s competition will award winners in eight categories: Best Narrative, Best Audio, Best Visual Art, Best Design, Best Innovation, Best Mobile, Best Student Game, and the Grand Prix.
The winning entries will be announced on January 28, 2026, and showcased in a special exhibition space at Taipei Game Show 2026, which will be held from January 29 to February 1 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1. Winners will receive free exhibition space and promotional support, and the Grand Prize winner will also receive a cash prize.
These achievements by Korean indie game developers demonstrate that the domestic indie game scene is not only growing quantitatively, but also achieving global competitiveness on a qualitative level. The creativity and innovation of Korean indie game developers, who pursue diverse endeavors with an open mind and without genre constraints, are expected to continue to be recognized globally in the future.
