itch.io Spring Selects Series A
On Sale: GamesAssetsToolsTabletopComics
Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
Tags

Content creator quality guidelines

itch.io is home to nearly 1 million projects, and we want to make sure people looking for something new and interesting have the best experience possible. As a content creator, it’s your responsibility to accurately represent your project, and represent it in a way that makes a prospective buyer, downloader, or player interested in what you've created.

These quality guidelines are aspects that a creator should consider when publishing their project pages.

If you follow these guidelines, you're likely to have more players, buyers, and people talking about your work. Your project will be eligible to be indexed in our discovery features, (like browse, search, and recommendations), giving it the opportunity to be found by our millions of monthly users.

If you fail to adhere to these guidelines, a site admin may choose to remove your page from itch.io’s discovery index. Your page will still be accessible via direct access to anyone with the URL, or through your profile page, but since we believe that your page detracts from the browsing experience, it will not be shown on our listings.

This document is continually updated. As we encounter new types of creators publishing their works, we sometimes need to revisit and revise these rules. If you have any suggestions or questions, please get in touch.

Avoid publishing your page before it’s ready

itch.io has a wide range of visibility options. When you decide to make your page public it should be ready for everyone to see. This includes having all images, files, and classifications added as needed. As soon as you publish your page for the first time it’s added to the Most Recent list for people to find it. It can not be put on the top of the Most Recent page again. To get the best results from a newly released project you'll want to publish with something you're proud of.

Keep in mind it is okay to create works in progress, or temporary pages. Just know that as soon as you publicly publish the page ideally it’s ready for others to view it.

In general, you're better off polishing your page before publishing it, otherwise people will be more likely to pass over it when browsing Most Recent.

Note: Feel free to share Draft or Restricted pages, as they aren’t eligible for showing up on our browse & search pages, and will not be placed on top of New Releasees.

Make your metadata accurate

The metadata tab located on your project’s editing page enables you to add various categorizations to your project. Consequently, your project will appear on the respective browsing page on itch.io.

Avoid using the metadata page to add categorizations that are irrelevant to your game. If you intentionally add every classification, we may identify your page as spam and restrict access to your project pages.

Only select platforms your project directly runs on

Do not select a platform (Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, etc.) unless you have a program that runs directly on the respective operating system or device. If your file is something that is not an executable/program, then select another type from the dropdown. For example, if you're uploading graphical assets, change the dropdown from Executable to Graphical Assets. Although a .png can be viewed in Windows, it is not a Windows executable!

If you're uploading a rom, project file, save state, mod, html file, or other non-executable software, don’t select all platforms (even if an emulator or host program supports those platforms). If you aren’t uploading an executable for Windows, Linux, Mac, etc., then do not select that platform. Select a more appropriate type from the drop down if necessary, and use tags to indicate what you're uploading is for. For many alternative platforms, (eg. Commodore 64, NES, GameBoy), there exist tags to classify your project with.

Are you unsure which platforms your project supports? Only select the options that you've actually tested running your project on. For example, if you use Windows, and tested your project on Windows, and aren’t sure of anything else, then only select Windows! Misclassifying a project may result in your page being unlisted. Prefer being accurate.

Use relevant tags, prefer using suggested tags

You're allowed to add free-form tags to your project page to aid in discovery. Please choose tags that are relevant to your project.

  • Prefer using a suggested tag over creating a new one. We make the suggested tags easier to find. If nothing fits then add your own, we may even promote it to a suggested tag.
  • Avoid using tags for classifications available the metadata page. It’s not necessary to add a multiplayer tag if you've classified your game as multiplayer in the Multiplayer support section.
  • Avoid using tag synonyms. If your game is tagged zombies, it does not need a zombie tag.
  • Avoid using tags for things like your name or your project’s name. We already asked you for the title of your project, we don’t need it again. It will not help more people discover your project.

Have any idea for a new suggested tag? Click the Feedback link which can be found on the right side of the page on your dashboard and tell us what you'd like to see.

Adult content must be labeled

If you have a project page that has strong adult themes, then it must be marked. Someone browsing itch.io will only see adult content if they've enabled it on their account settings. We don’t want any surprises for people who do not want to see that kind of content.

Additionally, avoid using explicit images as your cover image.

You can enable on your project’s edit page: Metadata » Classification.

This one is important! If we see that you consistently do not respect the adult content classification then we may remove all of your pages from being indexed on our search and browse pages.

Additionally, review our policies on payment processors and adult content:

Provide a cover image for your project

The cover image is typically the first element someone sees when they discover your game on our browse pages. If you don’t have one, they'll likely skip over it. You can even upload a GIF of your project as the cover image to attract attention.

If you're using an animated cover image, please ensure it doesn’t have seizure-inducing effects as per the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Provide screenshots for your project (if applicable)

Screenshots are an effective way to visually communicate what your project entails. Many users browsing for new content often rely on screenshots to determine if it’s worth their time. Just like cover images, screenshots can also be GIFs. Feel free to use them if they better represent your project.

Even if your project is an embedded browser game, it’s recommended to provide screenshots. We'll display them on different parts of the site.

However, if it’s not suitable to have images for your project, such as a text-only Twine, there’s no obligation to upload them.

Do not choose every language if your game has no language

Our classification page enables you to select the language used in your project. If your project doesn’t contain any written or spoken language, you might be tempted to select all available languages. We strongly advise against this. Instead, please utilize the relevant Accessibility classifications, such as No text.

You should only select a language if your project explicitly includes a translation or was originally created in that language. Misusing the language options may result in your page being delisted.

Do not use unrelated tags or classifications to promote your game

Building an easy-to-browse and accurate database of projects is a priority at itch.io. Adding tags, tools, engines, and classifications that are unrelated to your project in an attempt to increase its visibility is against our rules. If violated, your account will be removed from our browse and search pages, and you will no longer be eligible for our discovery features.

Do not upload misleading content

Do not misrepresent the content you are trying to distribute. Including, but not limited to:

  • Statements about included content that doesn’t exist
  • Fake or misleading imagery regarding your project and the functionality it provides
  • Unrealistic statements about what your project can accomplish
  • Using assets from other products or services to represent your own

Do not create paid content to enter a contest, anything that resembles real money gambling, or content that resembles pyramid-schemes

Do not offer services for on your page that offer the opportunity to make money by any sort of “buy-in” from the viewer, including but not limited to:

  • Buying tokens or other kinds of digital goods to redeem monetary or equivalent prizes
  • Investing on markets by purchase of stake, shares, futures, digital goods, etc.
  • Contests that include a cash prize for buyers of your page
  • The sale of goods that you license to your buyers to directly resell without transformation

Many regions throughout the world have very strict rules around cash prize contests and gambling, for this reason we do not allow these pages to be hosted on our platform.

Avoid uploading ‘reskins’, or many project pages for minor changes

Do not create multiple project pages for projects that are essentially the same but with minor adjustments. If the code or asset changes are substantial it’s okay. Additionally, if you're trying to preserve different versions of the project, eg. jam versus final, it’s okay.

If you need to sell different tiers of the same product you can use our individual pricing tools.

Please try not to upload just Steam keys, or put a link to your Steam store page without uploading any files. Someone buying a game on itch.io wants to to be able to access it on itch.io through our website and app. If possible, your uploads should be DRM free, but it isn’t a requirement.

If you're concerned about maintaining multiple builds, please try out our command line tools. They're significantly easier to use than anything provided by any other store or platform. You can even find integrations with popular game engines.

Prefer uploading your files directly to itch.io

Avoid using third-party download services or links to other platforms that the end-user must go through to access your project’s files.

When publishing your games, software, or other digital content on itch.io, we strongly encourage you to upload your files directly to our platform. Direct file uploading helps maintain the highest level of security, reliability, and user experience.

Uploading your files directly to itch.io ensures that they are always accessible. Third-party hosting services may suffer from downtime, bandwidth limitations, or even close down unexpectedly. With direct uploading, you're guaranteed that your users can download your project whenever they want. This is especially relevant if you're selling your content on itch.io, as we are responsible for ensuring buyers can access the content they have bought.

Avoid obtrusive advertisements or third-party logins

We prefer to see projects that have no advertisements but we realize that this isn’t possible for all developers. If you have advertisements, please don’t make them obtrusive or misleading. Avoid sponsored installers, or ads that prevent someone from playing the game without performing some action.

Please avoid putting third-party login walls in front of your game unless necessary. It’s okay if you need to implement DRM, or save user settings on your server. Avoid doing it for the sake of collecting personal information about a player, or trying to redirect traffic to a third-party service.

Any projects that contain malware, spyware or adware are prohibited and will be banned from our platform. This includes any installers that put advertisements on the user’s operating system or browser.

Avoid using shock images, loud noises, flashing imagery, or obnoxious material

This one can be quite subjective, but if your project’s premise is around shocking the viewer by showing potentially offensive images, flashing colors, loud or annoying noises, or other material that is designed to be obnoxious then we may delist from our browse and search pages.

Game jams

Do not add your game to unrelated jams for promotion

Game jam hosts invest considerable effort into their pages to ensure participants have an enjoyable experience, and can collaborate with others on a unified theme. Please do not submit your project to a jam without consideration, merely to increase exposure for your page. We view such actions as spamming. As a consequence, your account will lose jam submission privileges, and we may even disable your account.

Do not create a game jam to advertise your project

Avoid creating a game jam solely for the purpose of submitting or promoting your own project. Game jams are designed as participatory events, and we expect a reasonable level of effort to be put into their organization. Thinly disguised advertisements are not acceptable and will be removed. Furthermore, your account may be stripped of its privileges to host and participate in game jams.

Do not create a game jam to solicit work

Participants in a game jam should retain all rights and ownership over their work. Do not utilize the jam system to pursue paid work or solicit game developers to produce intellectual property for you or your company. Refrain from hosting a “competition” where the winner forfeits the rights to their work, even if a monetary prize is involved. Such actions are exploitative towards creators. There are numerous other places on the internet where you can hire contractors – itch.io is not the appropriate platform for that.

Sales

Your project should not be constantly on sale

A sale is a unique event where your game can be procured at a discounted price for a limited duration. If your game is perpetually on sale, then it isn’t genuinely on sale. Please adjust the price of your game accordingly. We aim for people browsing game sales to encounter items that are genuinely discounted.

Misrepresenting the cost of your product is illegal in many countries.

Note: Bundles are an exception to this rule. As the discount on a bundle is due to the combined purchase of multiple items, it’s acceptable to have the bundle discount available indefinitely.

Do not use sales to misrepresent your product’s price

Do not alter the base price of your product, then apply a sale to bring your product back to its original price to make it seem like the product is on sale despite the actual price remaining unchanged. This is considered false advertising, and it violates consumer protection laws in many regions.

Avoid creating sales too frequently

Holding sales too frequently diminishes the value of each individual sale. A sale is intended to be a unique event where your product can be purchased at a discount. Avoid using price manipulation and frequent sales to mislead the buyer about the actual price of your product.

Community

If you want to share your own project, do it in the designated area

The Release announcements board is our designated place for creators to announce and show off their own work. Avoid creating self-advertisements in other boards. Your topic will be locked or moved.

Do not advertise your game on other projects' comments or communities

Unless your project is relevant to the other one, do not post advertisements on other communities. It’s considered spamming, and your posts will be removed, and your posting ability may be restricted across your entire account.