Where to Sell Your Game Codes as an Indie Game Developer

Looking to sell your indie game? Here's a quick guide to the top platforms:

Platform	Revenue Share	User Base	Key Features
Steam	70% developer / 30% platform	100M+	Large audience, community features
Epic Games Store	88% developer / 12% platform	230M+	Higher revenue share, free games
GOG	60% developer / 40% platform	Smaller	DRM-free, curated selection
Itch.io	Developer chooses (0-100%)	Niche	Full pricing control, indie focus
Humble Bundle	50% developer / 50% platform	Moderate	Charity support, bundles
GameJolt	Up to 100% developer	330M+ visits/year	Early access, devlog tools
Own Website	100% developer	Varies	Full control, more work required

Key considerations:

• Audience size and reach
• Revenue share and pricing control
• Marketing and discoverability support
• Platform features and community tools

Choose based on your game type, target audience, and how much control you want over sales and marketing.

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1. Steam

Steam is a big PC game store with over 100 million users. It's a key platform for PC gamers. To sell your game on Steam:

• Join Steamworks Distribution program
• Pay $100 per game submission
• Get your $100 back after earning $1000

Revenue Share

Item	Steam's Cut	Developer's Cut
Game sales	30%	70%
In-game purchases	30%	70%
Subscriptions	30%	70%

Audience and Games

• Large user base
• Many types of games (indie to big-budget)
• Fair prices
• Good for buyers with game recommendations

Finding Your Game

Steam helps players find new games through:

• Store front page
• Game recommendations
• Search tools

Help for Developers

Steam offers tools to help sell your game:

• Promotion features
• Sales data
• User stats

These tools can boost your game's visibility and sales, which may offset the 30% cut Steam takes.

2. Epic Games Store

The Epic Games Store is another option for indie game developers to sell their games. Here's what you need to know:

Revenue Share

Party	Share of Revenue
Developer	88%
Epic Games Store	12%

Developers can use other payment methods to keep all proceeds, except for in-game purchases.

Users and Reach

The store has over 230 million users, giving your game a large potential audience.

Getting Your Game on the Store

You can self-publish your game on the Epic Games Store. This makes it easier to reach potential players.

Free Games and Visibility

Epic often gives away free games. This can bring more users to the store and potentially to your game.

Help for Developers

Epic offers several benefits:

Benefit	Description
Large Audience	Access to over 230 million users
Higher Revenue Share	Keep 88% of your game's earnings
Language Support	Help with translating your game's store page
Funding	Possible money for exclusive deals

The Epic Games Store is a good choice for indie developers who want to keep more of their earnings and reach many players. However, keep in mind that the store is still growing and may not have all the features of other platforms yet.

3. GOG (Good Old Games)

GOG is a digital game store that sells games without DRM (Digital Rights Management). This means you can play your games without needing to be online or use special software.

How GOG Works for Developers

Aspect	Details
Revenue Split	Developers get 60%, GOG gets 40%
Advance Payment	Possible to get money upfront
Game Library	About 5,000 games (smaller than some other stores)
Game Selection	GOG picks which games to sell

Why Sell on GOG?

Pros	Cons
No DRM appeals to some gamers	Smaller user base than other platforms
Curated game selection can help your game stand out	Less marketing support compared to bigger stores
Some marketing help (store features, social media)	Revenue split not as good as some other platforms

Is GOG Right for You?

GOG can be a good choice if:

• You want to sell your game without DRM
• You're okay with a smaller audience
• You don't need extensive marketing help

However, if you need a larger audience or more marketing support, you might want to look at other platforms too.

4. Itch.io

Itch.io is an online marketplace where game creators can sell their games. It's known for its focus on indie games and gives developers control over pricing and revenue.

How It Works

Feature	Description
Revenue Share	Developers choose how much to share with Itch.io (0-100%)
Pricing	Set any price, including free or pay-what-you-want
Game Types	Mainly indie and niche games

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Full control over pricing	Smaller user base than other platforms
Low or no platform fees	Limited game discovery features
Good for niche games	Less marketing support

User Base and Discovery

Itch.io has fewer users than big platforms like Steam. This means:

• Harder for games to get noticed
• Developers need to do more of their own marketing
• Good fit for games with specific, niche audiences

Marketing Help

Itch.io offers some help to promote games:

• Featured spots on the homepage
• Posts on Itch.io's social media
• But less support than larger platforms

Itch.io works well for indie developers who want control over their game's pricing and are ready to handle most of their own marketing.

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5. Humble Bundle

Humble Bundle is a platform where indie game developers can sell their games. Here's what you need to know:

Revenue Split

Party	Share of Revenue
Developer	50%
Humble Bundle	50%

This split is better for developers than some other platforms offer.

Users and Reach

Humble Bundle has fewer users than big platforms like Steam, but its users like indie games and support good causes.

Getting Your Game on the Store

Humble Bundle picks which games to sell. If they choose your game, it can help more people find it.

Selling on Your Own Website

Humble Bundle gives you a tool called "Humble Widget" to sell your game on your own website.

Help for Developers

Type of Help	What Humble Bundle Offers
Marketing	Shows games on their store and social media
Discoverability	Picks games to show on their front page

Humble Bundle is good for indie developers who want:

• To keep more money from their sales
• To support good causes
• A platform that focuses on indie games

But remember, you'll still need to do most of your own marketing to sell your game.

6. GameJolt

GameJolt is a platform where indie game developers can sell their games. Here's what you need to know:

Revenue Share

GameJolt lets developers choose how much of their earnings to share with the platform:

Aspect	Details
Developer's share	Up to 100%
Platform's maximum share	10%
Tax handling	GameJolt manages taxes, including VAT
Withdrawals	Anytime, or store in GameJolt wallet

Users and Reach

GameJolt has many users:

Metric	Value
Page visits per year	Over 330 million

This gives indie developers a chance to show their games to many people.

Game Development Support

GameJolt offers tools to help developers:

Tool	Purpose
Early Access	Publish games before they're finished
Devlog	Share updates about game development
Revenue streams	Game sales and ad revenue

These tools help developers get feedback and improve their games.

Marketing Help

GameJolt helps developers promote their games:

Feature	Benefit
Marketplace	Sell games directly to users
Partner program	Connect with YouTube and Twitch players

These features help developers reach more people and get more attention for their games.

GameJolt is good for indie game developers who want to:

• Keep most of their earnings
• Reach many players
• Get help with marketing their games

7. Own Website

Selling game codes on your own website gives you full control but requires more work. Here's what you need to know:

Money and Pricing

Aspect	Details
Revenue	Keep 100% of sales
Pricing	Set your own prices
Payment plans	Choose how customers pay

Reaching Customers

Having your own website means:

• You control how your game looks
• You can target specific customers
• You need to do your own marketing

Finding Your Game

On your own website:

• You control how people see your game
• You can make it easy for search engines to find your site
• You need to work on getting people to visit

Marketing and Support

Task	Responsibility
Marketing	You do it yourself
Customer support	You handle it
Website analytics	You track and improve

Selling on your own site takes more time and effort. You'll need to:

• Handle payments
• Market your game
• Support customers

This can take time away from making games. But tools like PayPro Global can help you:

• Sell more easily
• Reduce risks
• Grow your business worldwide

Consider if you have the time and skills to run your own website before choosing this option.

Good and Bad Points

When choosing where to sell your game codes, it's important to look at what's good and bad about each platform. Here's a simple breakdown:

Steam

Good Points	Bad Points
Many users	Takes 30% of your money
Easy to put your game up	Hard to stand out
Players can talk to each other	Less control over marketing

Epic Games Store

Good Points	Bad Points
You keep more money (88%)	Fewer users than Steam
They pick which games to sell	Not as many ways for players to talk
They help indie developers	Hard to stand out

GOG (Good Old Games)

Good Points	Bad Points
Games work without internet	Fewer users than Steam
You keep 70% of your money	Not as many ways for players to talk
They help indie developers	Hard to stand out

Itch.io

Good Points	Bad Points
You choose how much to share	Fewer users than Steam
They help indie developers	Less help with marketing
Players can talk to each other	Hard to stand out

Humble Bundle

Good Points	Bad Points
Special way of selling games	Fewer users than Steam
They help indie developers	Not as many ways for players to talk
Some money goes to charity	Hard to stand out

GameJolt

Good Points	Bad Points
They help indie developers	Fewer users than Steam
Players can talk to each other	Less help with marketing
Easy to put your game up	Hard to stand out

Own Website

Good Points	Bad Points
You keep all the money	More work for you
You set the prices	Fewer people see your game
You talk directly to players	You have to fix any problems

Wrap-up

After looking at different places to sell your game codes as an indie game developer, it's important to think about what's good and bad about each option. Here's a quick look at the main choices:

Platform	Good Points	Bad Points
Steam	Many users, easy to use	Takes 30% of sales, hard to stand out
Epic Games Store	You keep 88% of sales	Fewer users than Steam
GOG	No internet needed for games	Fewer users, less player talk
Itch.io	You choose how much to share	Fewer users, less marketing help
Humble Bundle	Special sales, helps charity	Fewer users, less player talk
GameJolt	Helps indie developers	Fewer users than Steam
Own Website	Keep all money, set own prices	More work, fewer people see your game

To pick the best place to sell your game:

1. Look at how many people use each platform
2. Check how much money you'll keep from sales
3. See what kind of help you'll get with marketing
4. Think about how much work you want to do yourself

By picking the right place(s) to sell your game, you can:

• Get more people to see your game
• Make more money
• Do better as an indie game developer

FAQs

Should I put my game on itch.io or Steam?

Both itch.io and Steam are good places to sell indie games, but they're different. Here's a quick look at each:

Platform	Good Points	Not-so-good Points
Itch.io	- You choose how much to share - Easy to set up - Good for small, niche games	- Fewer users - Less help with marketing
Steam	- Many users - Easy to use - Players can talk to each other	- Takes 30% of sales - Hard to stand out

Pick itch.io if you:

• Want more control over your game's page
• Don't mind fewer users
• Have a small or niche game

Pick Steam if you:

• Want to reach more people
• Are okay with giving up 30% of sales
• Want built-in ways for players to talk

Think about what's most important for your game when choosing where to sell it.