Support Ukraine with this astonishing $10 bundle of almost 600 indie games
Celeste, A Short Hike, and so many more supporting charities
A phenomenal new bundle of indie games is raising money for two charities supporting relief efforts in Ukraine. The Bundle For Ukraine on Itch.io includes almost 600 games, and you can have the lot if you pay at least $10. Games include Celeste, A Short Hike, Superhot, Hidden Folks, and oh so many more worth mentioning. Barely 11 hours after launching, the bundle has already raised over $593,000 towards its $1 million goal. Probably because it's a great deal for a good cause.
Initiated by Brandon Sheffield of Necrosoft Games following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Bundle For Ukraine launched on Itch.io overnight. All proceeds will be split between the International Medical Corps, helping civilians in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, and Voices Of Children, providing psychological help for children traumatised by war. Pay at least $10 and you'll get a lot, though of course you can pay more.
The bundle's 991 items include almost 600 video games, over 300 physical games, plus game-making assets, books, comics, soundtracks, and more. All come as DRM-free downloads. It's... a lot. From the quickest of scrollthroughs, games which caught my eye (either because I like them or, as linked, we've written about 'em before) include:
- Charming explore 'em up A Short Hike
- Venerated platformer Celeste
- Musical adventure Wandersong
- Shooty platformer Gonner
- Silly sk8er Skatebird
- Pleasant post-apocalyptic puzzler Cloud Gardens
- Side-scrolling strategy game Kingdom Two Crowns
- Action-RPG CrossCode
- Super stylish FPS Superhot
- Musical (as in 'musical' the noun) adventure Figment
- Pretty anti-platformer Ynglet
- Programming puzzler Baba Is You
- Taxi story Night Call
- Swell sixty-second time loop RPG Minit
- Frenetic restaurant sim Cook Serve Delicious 2
- Local multiplayer murderfest TowerFall Ascension
- Delightful object hunt Hidden Folks
- Dreamy Quebecois cornershop experience Dépanneur Nocturne
- Cyberpunk programming caper Quadrilateral Cowboy
- Arcade shooter Sky Rogue
- Cute ball-rolling puzzler A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build
- Flawless arcade game Super Hexagon
- Cute trainline-building puzzler Cosmic Express
- Spooky adventure game Rusty Lake Hotel
- Delightful dreamy playthings Metamorphabet and Windosill
- Low-fi immersive sims Neon Struct and Eldritch
- "Disco Elysium with raccoons" adventure game Backbone
- The crowdhole of Kids
- Self-descriptive sim Sophie's Safecracking Simulator
- Glittermitten Grove (secretly Frog Fractions 2)
- Cyberpunk adventure game 2064: Read Only Memories
- First-person dungeon-crawler Delver
- Wibbly-wobbly platformer The Floor Is Jelly
- 80s English childhood horror story Bonbon
- Stylish tactical RPG Tenderfoot Tactics
- First-person horrorwalk Marginalia
- Post-human interactive fiction Sun Dogs
- Diorama break-o-builder Quiet As A Stone
- Stylish metroidvania Forma.8
- Roguelikelike globetrotter Curious Expedition
- jerk cat simulator Catlateral Damage
- Pretty pool puzzler Swim Out
- Explore-o-build-a-craft-y-farming island life game Summer In Mara
- Italian road trip Wheels Of Aurelia
- Excellent Pong 'em up Tennes
I am excited to poke around in the many, many games I don't yet know. What else would you recommend, reader dear?
The bundle will be sold on Itch.io until 7am GMT on the 18th of March (11pm Pacific on the 17th). I am very glad to see this after 2020's giant Bundle For Racial Justice And Equality raised $8.1 million on Itch; may this also raise megabucks.
Disclosure: I know some of the folks who made some of these games.