Helm Indie games · Aotearoa
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Aotearoa

Your ambition.
Our community.

Every game starts with a memory, an idea, and a passion. Our goal is to help connect you with those who have already been on that journey. While we focus primarily on the New Zealand industry, we have connections all over the world.

Start here Read the interviews
For
Game makers
Where
Aotearoa
Status
Community project
  1. I

    Highlights

    Special highlights, hand-picked by Helm. From household names to quieter gems, each one is scored out of five with a short verdict on what it does brilliantly and where it falls short.

    See the scale
  2. II

    Interviews

    Real developers on their real journeys: what hooked them, what pushed them all in, the easy wins and the hard years.

    Read the interviews
  3. III

    What to Play Next

    Fresh picks for today, this week and this month, from free games to big releases.

    See today's picks
  4. IV

    Reviews

    Twenty games, each with a score out of five and a short verdict on what works and what doesn't.

    Read the reviews
  5. V

    Guides

    A route into the industry, for beginners and for people who have released something and don't know what comes next.

    Explore the guides
Souq Boss Simulator screenshot: customers queue at the counter of a small neighbourhood shop, with a mosque visible through the doorway.

Special highlight · Made in Saudi Arabia

Souq Boss Simulator

A small independent studio's love letter to the Arabian Gulf before the glamour. Start with a tiny corner shop in a 2002 city inspired by Old Dubai and Riyadh, stock the shelves, get to know the regulars, chase off thieves, and invest your way up to Souq Boss, solo or in online co-op.

Not from Aotearoa, but exactly the kind of studio Helm exists for: a small team making a game about the place they grew up.

Studio
Sandy Studios
Releases
January 2027
Platforms
Steam
Steam reviews
Free demo 100% positive (20 reviews)
Helm score
4.9/5 · Perfect
Wishlist on Steam
ScooterFlow screenshot: a rider mid-air upside down on a scooter above a graffiti-covered skatepark, city towers behind.

Local spotlight 01 · Made in NZ

ScooterFlow

A physics-based freestyle scooter game. Ride skateparks and city streets, launch off the mega ramp, build your own scooter and string together real-life trick combos, including at Kiwi parks like Washington Way, Knights Stream and Bay Skate.

Studio
UncannyKiwi
Released
2023
Platforms
Steam, Xbox, PlayStation
Steam reviews
Very Positive 93% of 1,474
Helm score
5/5 · Perfect
View on Steam

01 / 02

Interviews

Learn from those who've been on the journey.

Each interview follows one developer's path, told through their own eyes: the game that first hooked them, the moment they went all in, the easy wins and the hard years, the people who helped them through, and where the studio is heading next. No polish, no press release, just how it really happened.

Interview 01 · In conversation with

UncannyKiwi

Dillon — Founder & Lead Developer

The New Zealand studio behind ScooterFlow, the physics-based freestyle scooter game that brings real Kiwi skateparks to Steam, Xbox and PlayStation.

Answer coming soon.

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Features

  • Behind the build

    How a local game actually got made

    Tools, scope, the cuts and the late nights, told through one game from start to finish.

    Coming soon

  • First look

    Local games worth watching

    Projects still in development that deserve attention before they launch.

    Coming soon

  • Studio visit

    A day with the team

    Where they work, how they work, and what they're making next.

    Coming soon

Reviews · 20 New Zealand games

Every review gets a score out of five and a short verdict.

  1. 1Needs further development
  2. 2Getting there
  3. 3Has potential
  4. 4Worth trying
  5. 5Perfect

  • Grinding Gear Games · 2024

    Path of Exile 2

    Dark action RPG with weighty combat, deep character builds and a huge skill tree.

    Mostly Positive 77% of 98,035

    3/5 · Has potential

    Enormous depth for build-crafters, but punishing difficulty and early-access rough edges split players.

  • Dinosaur Polo Club · 2015

    Mini Metro

    Minimalist puzzle where you draw the subway map for a city that keeps on growing.

    Overwhelmingly Positive 95% of 7,108

    5/5 · Perfect

    Calm on the surface, devilishly clever underneath. The five-minute puzzle you’ll play for hours.

  • Dinosaur Polo Club · 2021

    Mini Motorways

    The follow-up: build road networks that keep a busy city moving before traffic grinds to a halt.

    Overwhelmingly Positive 96% of 16,118

    5/5 · Perfect

    Chill until it isn’t. Laying roads has never been this satisfying, or this stressful.

  • Ninja Kiwi · 2018

    Bloons TD 6

    Tower defence with monkey heroes popping waves of balloons. One of the biggest games ever made in New Zealand.

    Overwhelmingly Positive 97% of 232,210

    5/5 · Perfect

    A tower defence masterpiece, with years of free updates and near-endless replay value.

  • Ninja Kiwi · 2017

    SAS: Zombie Assault 4

    Top-down co-op shooter: gear up with friends and hold off endless zombie hordes.

    Very Positive 85% of 5,103

    4/5 · Worth trying

    A co-op zombie shooter fans still play years on, and are still waiting on a sequel to.

  • Black Salt Games · 2023

    DREDGE

    An eerie fishing adventure from a small Christchurch team. Calm by day, something is wrong out there by night.

    Overwhelmingly Positive 96% of 32,933

    5/5 · Perfect

    Fishing, inventory Tetris and creeping dread, blended into one of the best indie games of 2023.

  • RocketWerkz · 2021

    ICARUS

    Session-based survival on a hostile alien planet. Drop in, gather, craft, and get out alive.

    Mostly Positive 77% of 31,693

    3/5 · Has potential

    Plenty to love for survival fans, but lingering bugs and the handling of its DLC frustrate long-time players.

  • RocketWerkz · 2017

    Stationeers

    Hardcore space station building, with real atmospherics, power and programmable logic.

    Very Positive 88% of 5,979

    4/5 · Worth trying

    Deep, demanding space-station engineering for players who love complex systems.

  • A44 · 2018

    Ashen

    A Wellington-made action RPG about bringing light back to a world lost in darkness, with companions who travel beside you.

    Mixed 66% of 1,671

    2/5 · Getting there

    An underrated souls-like with lovely art and loyal companions, let down by awkward co-op and a slow pace.

  • A44 Games · 2024

    Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn

    Guns-and-magic action RPG with fast, mobile combat, from the team behind Ashen.

    Mostly Positive 75% of 1,385

    3/5 · Has potential

    Great combat ideas and a beautiful world, but it feels unfinished and unevenly balanced.

  • PikPok · 2025

    Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days

    Side-on zombie survival in 1980s Texas: scavenge, shelter your group, and make hard calls.

    Very Positive 93% of 3,242

    5/5 · Perfect

    Tense, atmospheric survival that turns PikPok’s zombie series into a strong PC game.

  • PikPok · 2017

    Into the Dead 2

    Run-and-gun zombie survival on mobile, sprinting through the horde to save your family.

    Mobile · no Steam rating

    –/5

    Review pending.

  • PikPok · 2020

    Rival Stars Horse Racing

    Breed, train and race horses, with surprisingly detailed riding and racing.

    Very Positive 92% of 3,631

    5/5 · Perfect

    Gorgeous horses and deep breeding for horse lovers, with some mobile-style grind.

  • Sidhe · 2010

    Shatter

    Brick-breaking reinvented, with suction, blowing and a cult-classic soundtrack, from the studio that became PikPok.

    Overwhelmingly Positive 95% of 663

    5/5 · Perfect

    Brick-breaking reinvented, with a legendary soundtrack. A Kiwi classic that still holds up.

  • Dry Cactus · 2016

    Poly Bridge

    Physics puzzles where you design bridges and watch them hold, or spectacularly not.

    Very Positive 89% of 6,170

    4/5 · Worth trying

    Joyful physics puzzles where every collapse makes you laugh, then try again.

  • Dry Cactus · 2020

    Poly Bridge 2

    Bigger, bolder bridge building, with new materials, hydraulics and a level editor.

    Overwhelmingly Positive 95% of 4,532

    5/5 · Perfect

    The way Poly Bridge was meant to be: consistent physics and smarter tools.

  • Dry Cactus · 2023

    Poly Bridge 3

    The third bridge-building sandbox, adding new worlds and contraptions to engineer.

    Overwhelmingly Positive 96% of 1,483

    5/5 · Perfect

    The best in the series: better physics, better levels, and hours of soothing guitar.

  • Camshaft Software · 2015

    Automation

    The car company tycoon game: design every engine and body, then run the company that builds them.

    Very Positive 93% of 12,449

    5/5 · Perfect

    Unmatched car and engine design depth for anyone who loves how cars really work.

  • UncannyKiwi · 2023

    ScooterFlow

    Physics-based freestyle scootering through real Kiwi skateparks.

    Very Positive 93% of 1,476

    5/5 · Perfect

    Realistic, physics-driven scootering through real Kiwi parks. The scooter game riders waited for.

  • Runaway

    Flutter: Butterfly Sanctuary

    A calm mobile game about raising and discovering butterflies.

    Mobile · no Steam rating

    –/5

    Review pending.

1–8 of 23

Made a game in New Zealand?

Tell us about it. Released or still in progress, every local game is welcome.

Share your game

Recommended games

What to play next.

Fresh picks for today, this week and this month, from free games to big releases. Mostly made in New Zealand, with a few favourites from further afield. Playing great games is one of the best ways to learn how to make them.

Free

    Paid

      Guides

      Never made a game before? Start here. Our getting started guide takes you from an idea to your first playable in five steps, with no experience needed.

      The getting started guide

      From an idea to your first playable

      Choose an engine, decide what you want to make, learn the foundations, make a rough start, then keep building with other people.

      Read the full guide
      1. 01Choose your engineUnity, Unreal Engine or Roblox Studio, and who each one suits.
      2. 02Decide what to buildInspiration, a one-line pitch, and a vision you can see.
      3. 03Learn the foundationsThe handful of ideas every engine is built on.
      4. 04Make a rough startGrey boxes, the core loop, and your first playable.
      5. 05Keep building, keep talkingGame jams, sharing early, and finding your people.

      Engines we recommend

      • UnityThe all-rounder
      • Unreal EngineHigh-end 3D
      • Roblox StudioGentlest start
      Recommended courseHow to Make a Game in Unity 6Jimmy Vegas · YouTube

      Coming later

      Building

      Scoping, prototyping, working with others, and getting through the middle.

      Releasing & what's next

      Stores, launch week, and life after your first release.

      Events

      Where game makers meet.

      Game jams, festivals and conferences across Aotearoa and Australia, all in one place. Dates come from each organiser, so check their site before you book.

      Coming up

      1. Game jam · For hosts

        Global Game Jam 2027: site registration opens

        Schools, studios and meetup groups can sign up to host a local jam site.

        globalgamejam.org

      2. Game jam · For makers

        Global Game Jam 2027: jammer registration opens

        Sign up to make a game in 48 hours, solo or in a team. No experience needed.

        globalgamejam.org

      3. Game jam · Online and local sites

        Global Game Jam 2027

        The theme is revealed on 24 January. Each site runs its own 48 hours within the week, so check your local site's times.

        globalgamejam.org

      Every year

      • Usually May · Wellington

        NZ Games Festival & Play by Play

        Aotearoa's games festival, with the Play by Play conference and the Pavs game awards. 2026 ran 1–10 May.

        nzgamesfest.com

      • Late Sep–Oct · Auckland in 2026

        NZ Game Developers Conference

        Talks, workshops and the Kiwi Games Zone, with 100+ local games. 2026 ran 30 Sep–3 Oct.

        nzgda.com

      • Late Sep–Oct · Wellington

        Wellington Games Week

        A week of satellite events: workshops, exhibitions and tournaments. 2025 ran 27 Sep–4 Oct.

        wellingtongamesweek.com

      • October · Melbourne

        PAX Aus & the Indie Showcase

        Australia's biggest games show, with a juried showcase open to Aussie and Kiwi indies. 2026 ran 9–11 Oct.

        aus.paxsite.com

      Local meetups

      • Auckland & WellingtonNZGDA developer meetupsnzgda.com
      • ChristchurchChristchurch Game Developers, monthlymeetup.com
      • DunedinDunedin Gamedev Meetupmeetup.com

      Running a jam, meetup or showcase? Tell us on Discord and we'll add it.

      Studio directory

      Who's making games here.

      New Zealand studios, from household names to solo developers. Find out who's near you, see what they've made, and visit their sites.

      Making games in New Zealand? List your studio. It's free, and solo developers are welcome.

      Advice & FAQ

      Stuck? You're not the first.

      Straight answers to the questions makers ask most when a project hits a wall. Tap a question to open it.

      1. Sign up as a developer on Steamworks and complete the identity, bank and tax forms.
      2. Pay the Steam Direct fee: US$100 per game. You get it back once the game earns US$1,000.
      3. Build your store page (capsule art, trailer, screenshots, description) and send it for review.
      4. Publish it as a "Coming Soon" page. It must be live for at least two weeks before launch, and this is where you collect wishlists.
      5. Upload your build with Steam's upload tools (SteamPipe), set a price and a release date, and send the build for review.

      There's a 30-day wait between paying the fee and releasing, so start this well before your launch date. Valve's own Steamworks documentation walks through every step.

      Start earlier than feels comfortable. Put your Steam page up months before launch and point everything at it, because wishlists are what Steam uses to decide who sees your game on release day. Share short clips of your game in action, not static screenshots. Join a Steam Next Fest with a demo, post your progress where players of your genre hang out, and email streamers and press who cover games like yours. A clear hook you can explain in one sentence matters more than a big budget.

      Almost everyone does this at first. The fix is scope: pick an idea you could finish in a few weeks, write down exactly what "done" means, and cut anything that isn't on that list. Save new ideas in a notebook instead of starting them. Game jams are great practice because the deadline forces you to finish something, even if it's small. One finished small game teaches you more than five unfinished big ones.

      Go back to the core loop: the thing the player does every few seconds. If that isn't satisfying on its own, extra content won't save it. Watch someone else play without helping them, and note where they get bored, confused or excited. Then change one thing at a time: speed, feedback (sound, screen shake, particles), challenge, or reward. Small changes to how an action feels often matter more than new features.

      First, make it happen reliably, then shrink it: remove everything until you have the smallest setup that still breaks. Read the full error message and search it word for word. Add logging to check what your code is actually doing, not what you think it's doing. If you're still stuck, ask in your engine's forums or the Helm community with the error, what you expected, and what you've tried. And use version control (like Git), so you can always go back to a version that worked.

      Choose a simple, consistent style you can actually pull off: flat colours, low-poly, or minimal shapes can look great when everything matches. Your engine's asset store and sites like itch.io have affordable art packs; just check each licence allows commercial use. Good lighting, a tight colour palette and clean UI do a lot of the work. When you're ready, team up with an artist, but agree on credit and pay in writing first.

      Game jams are the easiest way in: you meet people, see how they work, and find out quickly if you work well together. Join the Helm community, local meetups and groups like the New Zealand Game Developers Association. Show what you've made so others can see your skills. Before starting something serious together, write down who owns what, how any money will be split, and what happens if someone leaves.

      Look at games similar to yours in genre, length and quality, and price close to them. Players compare. Underpricing doesn't automatically sell more copies, and it leaves you little room for discounts later. Many indies launch with a small discount to reward early buyers. Steam suggests prices for each region, which helps players in cheaper markets. Remember that Steam takes a share of each sale, and tax comes out of what's left.

      Yes. The Game Development Sector Rebate supports eligible New Zealand studios, and NZ On Air publishes the criteria and past recipients. The New Zealand Game Developers Association is a good place to hear about funding rounds, events and industry support. Many people also start alongside a day job, or with a publisher who funds development in exchange for a share of sales. Always read publisher contracts carefully, ideally with advice.

      Every developer hits this, often in the middle of a project when the exciting start is over and the finish line feels far away. Take a proper break; rest is part of the work. Then set one tiny goal you can finish today. Keep a devlog so you can see how far you've come, and share progress with people who'll cheer you on. And if a project truly isn't working, it's okay to stop and start something smaller. That isn't failing, it's learning.

      Got a question we haven't answered? Ask the community

      Community first

      Built by the people
      who make the scene.

      Helm starts as a community project. Come and talk shop with other makers from across Aotearoa.

      Join the community on Discord