Product Hunt Alternatives for Indie Games: Where Players Actually Look
Players look for games on game platforms, not software launch sites, so the best free alternatives to Product Hunt are itch.io and its game jams, Game Jolt, browser-game portals such as CrazyGames and Poki, a Show HN for playable web builds and the r/playmygame subreddit. Steam is a later step with a per-game fee and a waiting period. Our board adds a free public page.
Why do game launches work differently from software launches?
Product Hunt’s audience is mostly people who like trying software and chatting about it. A player who wants a game has different habits: they browse a store with tags such as horror or puzzle, they follow a jam, or they click a portal’s front page and play for ten minutes. A game also needs to be felt, which means a playable build, a trailer under a minute and a store page with real captures. The places below are ordered by how directly a player can start playing.
Facts come from each platform’s own pages as read on 13 November 2026; where a site refused our check, we say so.
Eight free ways to put a game in front of players
01 itch.io
A store for indie games where, its page says, you can distribute games online for free and set your own price.
- Price
- You can set a minimum price, which can be 0, and let people pay what they want
- Page
- A customised landing page per game with screenshots and downloads
It is the default first home for a small game because the page is yours and the cost is nothing up front. Add a browser-playable build if you can; people click Play faster than they click Download.
02 itch.io game jams
A section for hosting and joining game jams, where, its page says, anyone can create and host a jam.
- Format
- A deadline, a theme and a ranked list of entries
A jam gives a deadline, a crowd of other makers who will play your game and comments from people who made something under the same limits. Even a small result gives you a page and a few honest reactions.
03 Game Jolt
A site whose page describes itself as a place to share your creations.
- What we could read
- Little; its page loaded almost no text for our check
We cannot describe its terms, so open it and read the upload rules and any review step first. It is worth a look as a second listing beside itch.io.
04 CrazyGames developer portal
A portal for publishing browser games, which its page says supports Unity WebGL, Phaser, Construct, Cocos and Godot.
- Pitch
- Publish, manage and monetise browser games
- Read before you upload
- Its terms on review, revenue share and exclusivity
A portal is a different deal from a store: the audience is theirs and the money is shared. It suits short, instantly understood games and does not suit a long, story-heavy one.
Visit CrazyGames developer portal (developer.crazygames.com) →
05 Poki for Developers
A web gaming platform’s developer site, with a developer guide and a Get started button.
- Pitch
- Reach players on the web and get paid, in its words
- Read before you upload
- Its terms and guide
Like any portal it picks what to carry. Keep the first session short, make the load time small and test on a phone browser.
06 Show HN
Hacker News’s section for things people can try.
- Fit
- A game people can open without signing up
- Off topic
- Landing pages and trivial generated one-offs
A tiny browser game with an interesting technical idea, such as procedural levels in a few kilobytes, suits it. A finished commercial game with a Steam page may not.
07 r/playmygame
A well-known subreddit where developers ask people to play their games.
- What we could read
- Nothing; Reddit refused our automated check
Read the rules and pinned posts first, and offer a free build with a short question, such as whether the first minute makes sense.
08 Post your build ideas
Our own free board; we run it, and it is not a games store.
- Use
- A public page that links to your itch.io or portal page
It gives a followed link and threaded comments. The gaming ideas category shows concepts builders are asking for.
Where does Steam fit?
Not at first. Steam’s own page says you pay an app fee for each product you distribute, and that there is a 21-day waiting period between paying it and releasing your first few titles, which gives Steam time to confirm who you are. So Steam is a later step for a game that has proved itself on a free platform, not a free launch. Prepare the page and trailer in the meantime, and read its current terms before paying.
| Place | Cost | Player behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| itch.io | Free per its page | Browse tags, play browser builds |
| itch.io jams | Free to join | Play many small entries |
| Browser portals | Terms to read | Click and play for a short session |
| Show HN | Free | Try, then comment |
| Steam | Per-product app fee and a waiting period | Search a store, read reviews |
What should the first month look like?
- Week 1: put a playable build on itch.io and write the page text before the game is finished.
- Week 2: enter a jam to get feedback, or ask a subreddit with a specific question.
- Week 3: fix what the feedback shows and record a 30-second clip of the best moment.
- Week 4: try a portal or a Show HN, depending on whether the game is a web build.
Our indie game launch playbook and indie game launch checklist give the long version, and where to launch an indie game lists more places.
Does Product Hunt ever suit a game?
Rarely as a main route, though a game that is also a tool, such as a typing trainer, can fit. Its audience is built around software, and its pages refused our automated check, so we rely on its well-known basics. For a general view see Product Hunt alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I launch an indie game for free?
itch.io lets you distribute games for free and set your own price, including zero. Game jams on itch.io, Game Jolt, a subreddit such as r/playmygame and our board are other free routes. Steam is not free: it charges a per-product app fee.
Is a game jam a good launch?
It is a good first test. A jam gives you a deadline, a crowd of other developers who will play your entry and comments on a small build. It will not give you a large audience, but it shows whether the first minute works.
Do browser game portals pay developers?
Both CrazyGames and Poki describe publishing or reaching players with monetisation on their developer pages, but we did not read the revenue terms. Read their agreements for the share, review rules and exclusivity before you upload.
Post your build ideas publishes this page and runs a free launch board that competes with some of the sites it names. Facts about other sites came from their own pages on the date shown above; terms, queues and prices change, so confirm on their sites before you decide. About the publisher.