Independent game developers are selected to demo, screen, and promote their work at the annual IndieCade festival and showcase events.

[6] Additional games from the pool of IndieCade submissions are showcased at a variety of events each year around the world.

Ben Fritz for the Los Angeles Times called IndieCade "the video game industry's Sundance.

IndieCade's board of advisors have included (among others) Seamus Blackley, Tracy Fullerton, Megan Gaiser, Andy Gavin, Carl Goodman, John Hight, Robin Hunicke, Henry Jenkins, Richard Lemarchand, Frans Mayra, Jamil Moledina, Janet Murray, Robert Nashak, Carolyn Rauch, Kellee Santiago, Keita Takahashi, Will Wright, and Eric Zimmerman.

[4] Showcase Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the main showcase was known as the "Game Walk" with several games exhibited in various locations across downtown Culver City: the fire station, NextSpace coworking offices, and the Gregg Fleishman Studio, all turned into temporary galleries for the festival.

Examples of game types included single-player experiences played on a giant screen in front of an audience (SuperHyperCube), multiplayer games that use only certain mechanics such as glowing wands or laser pointers (Johann Sebastian Joust, Renga), and large performance pieces involving many players (Humanoid Asteroids).

During the two-day event, 12 teams began the process of creating a fully functional 3D mobile game for the LG Thrill 4G.

Notable art contributors were Pendleton Ward (creator of Adventure Time), Jason Torchinsky, as well as Amanda Williams and Katherine Rubenstein.