Kenshi - a brutal, and sometimes janky squad free roaming game. I have far too many hours in that.
Pulsar - Lost Colony - Fun game if you have a few friends around. Pretend to be Captain Kirk - except chaos.
Rimworld – Dwarf Fortress lite
Dwarf Fortress - Grand daddy inspiration for most other games
Torchlight - Diablo
Project Zomboid - All your top down zombie hunting dreams come true
Carrier Command - Drone carrier warfare
Nebulous Fleet Command - The Expanse.
Does X4 count as Indie?
My little anecdote. I was watching a YT video where the guy spent 10 minutes explaining where to go to download and install python, git, and something else. The entire time I was cringing thinking that’s a one liner.