June 26, 2026
promote indie gameindie game marketinggamedevgame promotionindie developers
Building an indie game is only one part of the challenge.
Getting people to notice it is another.
Many developers spend months or years making a game, then start thinking about promotion only when the demo or launch is close. By that point, they are trying to build an audience very late.
Promotion works better when it starts earlier.
You do not need a massive marketing budget. You do not need to post everywhere every day. But you do need to give players repeated chances to discover, understand, and follow your game.
Here are some of the best places to promote your indie game in 2026.
If your game is planned for PC release, Steam is still one of the most important platforms.
A Steam page gives players a place to wishlist your game, watch the trailer, check screenshots, read updates, and eventually buy or play it. Wishlists can also help you measure interest before launch.
The mistake many developers make is creating the Steam page too late.
If your game is far enough to show clearly, consider setting up the page earlier and improving it over time. Your capsule art, short description, screenshots, trailer, tags, and demo all matter.
Steam is not just a store page. It can become one of your main conversion points.
Use other platforms to send interested players there when wishlists are your main goal.
itch.io is especially useful for prototypes, game jam projects, experimental games, demos, and small releases.
It has a strong indie culture and is more flexible than many traditional storefronts. Developers can upload early builds, collect feedback, participate in jams, and test ideas without needing a huge launch plan.
If your game is early, weird, niche, or experimental, itch.io can be a great place to start.
It is also useful because players on itch.io are often more open to unfinished or unusual projects compared to general audiences.
For many indie developers, itch.io is a good first public testing ground.
Reddit can be powerful, but it needs to be used carefully.
Communities like indie development, game development, genre-specific subreddits, and feedback-focused spaces can help you reach players and developers. But Reddit users usually dislike obvious self-promotion.
The best Reddit posts are useful, specific, or discussion-worthy.
Instead of only posting:
Check out my game.
Try something like:
We changed our combat camera after feedback. Does this look easier to read now?
Or:
Which capsule image makes this puzzle game look more interesting?
Reddit works best when you ask for feedback, share something visual, explain your process, or start a real discussion.
Do not treat it like an ad board.
YouTube is useful for trailers, devlogs, tutorials, breakdowns, and long-form updates.
A good trailer can help players quickly understand your game. A good devlog can help players connect with the development journey. A short breakdown can explain a mechanic, design decision, or technical challenge.
YouTube videos also have a longer life than many social posts. A useful devlog or trailer can keep getting discovered after the first day.
You do not need a huge channel to benefit from YouTube. Even a simple video embedded on your game page, shared on social media, and linked in devlogs can improve how players understand your game.
For indie games, video matters because players want to see how the game feels.
Discord is strong for community, but it is not always great for discovery.
A Discord server is useful once people already care about your game. It gives players a place to ask questions, report bugs, follow updates, test builds, and talk with the developer.
But Discord content is not very visible to people outside the server. If all your updates only live inside Discord, new players may never see them.
Use Discord for deeper community, but keep your public-facing updates somewhere discoverable too.
A good setup is:
Each one has a different job.
Short-form social platforms are useful for quick clips, screenshots, GIFs, progress updates, and small development moments.
These platforms can help with visibility, but posts disappear quickly. A clip may get attention for a few hours, then vanish into the feed.
That does not make them useless. It just means every post should lead somewhere.
If someone likes your clip, where do they go next?
Your Steam page? Your demo? Your devlog? Your game page? Your Discord?
Short posts are best when they act as entry points into something more permanent.
Game jams are one of the best ways to meet developers, test ideas, and create something quickly.
Even if the jam project is rough, it can become the start of something bigger. Many good games begin as small jam ideas.
After a jam ends, do not just abandon the page. Write a short postmortem. Explain what worked, what did not, what you might improve, and whether the project will continue.
This gives players and other developers a reason to follow the next step.
A game jam can be your first public checkpoint.
Checkpoint Zero is built specifically for indie game discovery, devlogs, game pages, wishlists, reviews, studios, and player updates.
It works best as the central home for your game’s public journey.
You can still use Steam, itch.io, Reddit, Discord, YouTube, and social media. But Checkpoint Zero helps connect the pieces together so players can see the game, follow updates, read devlogs, discover the studio, and return later.
For indie developers, this matters because attention is often scattered.
Every post should help the game build momentum.
A connected game page makes that easier.
The best place to promote your indie game depends on your stage.
If you need feedback, use Reddit, Discord, game jams, and devlogs.
If you need wishlists, build your Steam page and drive interested players there.
If you need early testing, use itch.io and community spaces.
If you need long-term discovery, create a public game page and keep it alive with updates.
The important thing is not to post everywhere randomly.
Use each platform with a purpose.
Promotion is not only about getting attention. It is about giving interested players a clear path to follow your game.
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