With over 16,000 indie games now available on the website Itch.io, it’s not always easy to figure out which ones to play. But with the help of their new Randomizer tool, finding a new game to play around with is just as easy as swiping right.
Although the game hosting and distribution site already has a featured games section and tailored recommendations for existing users, the Randomizer allows you to set a few criteria, like whether you want games that are free, what platform they’re on and if they offer local multiplayer. As you browser, each suggestion pops up inside a frame—which didn’t work for me in Chrome, so try another browser if it’s a problem—and when you’re done you can offer feedback about whether or not you liked it before moving on to the next.
In my whirlwind tour of the Randomizer, I ended up playing an oddly soothing game about searching for a beast in a bucolic landscape, a two-player version of hide and seek with little eyeballs on feet, and a split-screen, Inception inspired shooter that was pretty entertaining for the ten minutes it took to beat.
The results are inevitably a grab bag, but if you’re bored and have some time to burn on a Tinder-esque tour through indie gaming, you’ve got nothing to lose. Take the Randomizer for a spin.