Itch.io is currently collecting money to help victims of the forest fires in California. As an added incentive, there are tons of creative little games to be had.
In January 2025, California was hit by a devastating natural disaster that, according to current estimates, killed at least 29 people and caused damage estimated at up to 250 billion US dollars, making it one of the most destructive in US history.
It was a series of massive wildfires that began on January 7 and caused widespread destruction to nature and homes. 235,000 people were evacuated. The fires have been contained since January 31, but the damage will be felt for a long time to come.
To help those affected get back on their feet, hundreds of developers have come together and put together a package of 422 games that can be had for just 10 euros. All of the proceeds (minus processing fees) will be donated to a non-profit Californian organization called CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort).
You can check out a small selection of the games in the official trailer:
These games are included in the bundle
Itch.io is a video game website that primarily sells indie games. Accordingly, the California Fire Relief Bundle consists exclusively of small indie gems, creative experiments, and obscure niche products.
But there are 422 of them! And if you look closely, you’ll find a few real hidden gems among the indie games. Here are just a few highlights that caught our eye:
- Tunic: This game looks cute and reminds us of some older Zelda games, but don’t underestimate this role-playing game! It presents some extremely tough challenges.
- Octodad: A hilarious skill game, especially in co-op, in which each participant plays a different body part of an octopus posing as a family man. Warm, tricky and very, very funny.
- SkateBIRD: A skateboarding game where you play a bird and tear up tiny halfpipes. Even Tony Hawk would be impressed. Or is it Tony Bird?
- Hoa: A relaxed platform game with wonderful environments and hand-drawn graphics in a more than dreamy world full of cute creatures.
So it might be worth browsing through the range of games and going on a journey of discovery. You might even discover a game that you hadn’t considered before! Just give it a try and at worst you’ll still have done a good deed.
The goal is to raise $100,000 with the bundle, but so far the campaign has only raised about $60,000 – so there is still hope! Feel free to write us in the comments if you have found something for you in the range of games.
