Three Intriguing Standouts From the itch.io Summer Sale

Summer is here, and with it the seasonal sales. Plenty of storefronts are running discounts right now, but itch.io is worth singling out for one reason in particular: its open revenue sharing. Sellers there decide what cut the platform takes, anywhere from zero to a hundred percent, with a default of just 10 percent^[1]. In practice that means a larger share of what you spend lands with the people who actually made the game. The summer sale^[2] runs through July 6th, so here are three picks worth a look: two I just bought to try out, and one I already have and think more people should play.

Riftborne

Developer

Pitio Productions

Genre

Strategy, Simulation

Platforms

Linux (x86_64, ARM), Windows

Riftborne is about as unusual as a strategy game gets: a real-time grand strategy title that runs entirely inside your terminal, from developer Pitio Productions, on Linux and Windows^[3]. You start with a single base and grow it into a network of colonies, fleets, supply lines, and contracts. Along the way you build ships, take part in factional warfare, raid neighbors for rare resources, and train spies to infiltrate enemy bases for intel. The developer is upfront that this is a slow, long-form game built around patience and scale, with enemies that adapt to your playstyle over time and even across new saves. It is not a campaign you finish in a weekend.

A game that lives entirely in a terminal is easy to file away as a curiosity and move on, but it was the track record that actually kept it on my list. It released back in March, already sits above 90 percent positive reviews, and has shipped more than 40 updates since launch, alongside a community that looks both active and welcoming. At $6.39 during the sale, down from $7.99, it was an easy one to grab, and I plan to see how far my terminal empire gets this week.

Rebel Wars

Developer

Mananuk

Genre

Shooter

Platforms

ZX Spectrum, Linux, Windows, macOS, Android

Rebel Wars, from developer Mananuk, is a top-down boarding-and-rescue shooter with a twist: it was built for the ZX Spectrum, so it runs on original 1980s hardware as well as Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, and any device that can emulate the platform^[4]. You play a Star Alliance soldier raiding enemy corvettes for objectives like hostage rescues, data recovery, planting explosives, and hacking computers. There are four ship models to learn, access cards to track down for restricted areas, and 360 randomized mission combinations, so no two runs lay out quite the same.

You will not need a forty-year-old machine wedged in a closet to play it, thankfully, so I'll be running it through the Fuse emulator^[5] the developer recommends. At €0.50 on sale, down from €1.00, it is a cheap way to try a game made for the platform. If you want to go further, Mananuk also bundles ten complete ZX Spectrum games together as The Spectrum Compilation for €1.00, down from €2.00^[6], a solid starting point for anyone curious about the system.

Hypnospace Outlaw

Developer

Jay Tholen, TetroniMike

Genre

Simulation

Platforms

Linux, Windows, macOS

Hypnospace Outlaw, by Jay Tholen and TetroniMike, is the one on this list I have already played, and the one I most want to talk other people into. Originally released in 2019^[7], it casts you as a volunteer 'enforcer' moderating a fictional late-90s internet that runs on a remarkably detailed fake operating system. Underneath the period-perfect web pages and desktop clutter there is a real story, and a lot of small things to find.

Half the fun is bumping into things you were not looking for, so I will say almost nothing more about what is actually in there. If you enjoy sandbox games that lean on atmosphere and discovery, it is an easy recommendation, and at $4.99 during the sale, down from $19.99, there has rarely been a cheaper time to try it.

These are only three of the games that caught my eye. There are thousands more indie titles, developer tools, and game assets discounted until July 6th^[2], so it is worth browsing the sale yourself to see what stands out, and supporting the creators behind the work along the way.