Hi itch.io support and community,

I’m looking for clarification and help regarding the visibility of my game “Space dice”.

The project was published, fully public, and initially received good traffic — it even appeared on the top row of the featured jam entries for a while. I filled out all metadata, added a cover, screenshots, description, and the game received active engagement and plays. However, after I made some edits to the page (game description, screenshots, tweaks to layout), my project suddenly stopped appearing in search and browse results. From what I can tell, it seems to be in manual review, because it’s now completely unsearchable by title, and views dropped sharply since then.

I’ve double-checked all my project settings and reread the official documentation regarding indexing and best practices. I’m certain all requirements are met. I already contacted itch.io support (about two weeks ago) and haven’t received a response so far. I’m worried that my entry is missing a critical jam exposure window.

Could you please clarify:

Is there anything I’ve missed that could be delaying indexing?

Is my project or account flagged for some reason?

How long does manual review typically take, and is there anything I can do to help speed up the process?

Is it normal for a previously indexed project to become invisible after edits?

I appreciate any advice or experiences from other developers who faced something similar. Thank you for your time!

Hello. The staff doesn't monitor or reply to the forum (the admin sometimes does, but it's unlikely). If you need official clarification, the only way to contact the staff is through support.

Having clarified that, let's start with a general explanation.
As far as we know, Itch uses an automated algorithm to determine whether a project needs manual review or not. This evaluation occurs not only when you first upload the game, but also whenever you make any update (even if it's just correcting a typo on the page).
Exactly what triggers the algorithm to flag a game for manual review is a secret. Normally, if this happens, you have to wait for a human to review your game/page and re-index it.

The main problem right now is that the Itch.io staff is overwhelmed due to issues with payments for NSFW games, and the wait times are currently much longer than usual. 

Normally, you should wait a couple of weeks before assuming something is wrong. If a lot of time passes, one of two things could happen: A) your game was reviewed, and the staff decided it didn't meet the requirements for indexing, or B) your game is simply "lost" in the list of games awaiting review.

In either case, the best thing to do is contact support (remember that the forum isn't monitored or answered by the staff). Keep in mind, however, that the staff usually doesn't discuss or explain these types of decisions. If you need to expedite the process, the rules state that you should create a forum post, including your support ticket number, but this doesn't guarantee a response. From what I've seen, if everything is okay and your game is eventually reviewed, it will be indexed again without any further notification.

Thank you so much for your response!

I’ve already contacted itch.io support — my ticket number is 309333, in case it helps.

Really appreciate your attention to this issue!