Game developer quick start

Chances are, your software already works with the itch.io app.

But keep reading! This page also contains best practices.

Push builds with butler

The single best way to upload your game to itch.io is with our command-line tool butler.

No, really.

The butler tool:

  • Lets you upload builds up to 30GB (the web limit is 2GB)
  • Uploads only changes from the previous build which means
  • Uploads entire folders directly (no need to create an archive first)
  • Lets all versions be associated to one upload per platform, giving you meaningful analytics
  • Heals permissions for Linux & macOS executables, handles symbolic links properly
  • Performs well even with poor network connectivity (it will keep retrying for a long time)
  • Contains other useful commands for things like:

Save a cloud, use butler to push your builds. We spent way too much time making it lovable.

If you're not using butler, your game will probably still work, but most importantly, your users won't get upgrades.

To learn more about the workflows that the itch.io app plays well with, read the Compatibility policy page.

Tag your uploads

This is already done if you use butler push with a reasonable channel name, see Troubleshooting.

Keep it simple, or ship a manifest

If you have a single top-level executable (Windows), or .app file (macOS), or binary or shell script (Linux), then things should Just Work(TM).

If your game:

  • Requires libraries like Visual C++ Redistributable, DirectX, XNA, etc.
  • Has multiple launch targets (Game, Editor, Manual, etc.)
  • Integrates with the itch.io API.

Then you'll need an app manifest.

Don't be scared. There's examples and a validation tool. You'll see, it's nice.

Test your games

The itch.io app will let you install all your own projects, whether they have a minimum price or not.

If you need help testing your game, here are places you can look for testers:

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