Where to host your game, whatever its size

First, measure and slim down

• Check the size of the exported folder, not the project folder: that is what people will download.
• Remove what is not used: tests, old versions, images or audio that are not in the game.
• Compress images and sound with light formats (for example, OGG for audio) and pack everything in a ZIP or a 7z.
• Offer a small demo separately: it downloads sooner, gets played sooner and is easier to share.

Which option fits, by size

• Up to about 200 MB and playable in the browser: itch.io, Game Jolt or your own website. It is the most convenient for players: one click and play.
• From 200 MB to about 2 GB, to download: itch.io or GitHub “Releases”. Free.
• From 2 GB to about 10 GB: split the game into several files on GitHub, your own storage (Cloudflare R2 includes 10 GB free) or Steam if you want to sell.
• From 10 GB up: Steam (they distribute the game), your own storage (a few cents a month) or a torrent with a direct download as backup.
• If it is free and you want many people to download it at once: a torrent spreads the load among those who already have it.

The options, one by one

• itch.ioFree and made for indie games. The regular upload allows 1 GB per file; with its “butler” tool, 2 GB, and you can ask them for more. Browser games have stricter limits (about 200 MB per file and about 500 MB in total, according to the community; confirm in its help).
• GitHubFree. “Releases” accept files up to 2 GB each, with no limit on the release total, and “Pages” serves simple web games. It is meant for code: for many GB, split the game into several parts.
• Game JoltIndie game platform, with downloadable and browser games. Check its help for the current limits and conditions.
• SteamThe reference PC store: they host and distribute the game, even if it is very big. One-off payment of 100 dollars per game (step by step below).
• Cloudflare R2Your own storage: 10 GB a month free, then 0.015 dollars per GB per month, and no charge for downloads. A 30 GB game would cost about 0.30 dollars a month. You put the link on your page.
• QqBittorrentFree, open-source program to create and share torrents (in depth below).

Steam, step by step

Steam is the way for a big paid game, and it comes with paperwork. This is what Valve asks for today:

• Sign the digital paperwork on Steam Direct and pay the fee: 100 dollars per product. It is not refundable, but it is recouped from your payments once the game reaches 1,000 dollars in revenue.
• Provide your bank, tax and identity details (the account holder must match your ID).
• In Steamworks, prepare the store page, upload the game, configure the features and set the price.
• Valve reviews the page and the game before they go live: it takes one to five days.
• Mind the waiting periods: there are 30 days between paying the fee and being able to release, and the “Coming soon” page has to be public for at least two weeks before release.
• Release whenever you like and update the game when needed.

Torrents, in depth

A torrent spreads the game among the people who have already downloaded it: you pay nothing for traffic and the more people share it, the faster it downloads.

• Create the torrent: in qBittorrent, menu “Tools” → “Create Torrent”, choose your game folder or ZIP and save the .torrent file. Do not move or change the files while you share it.
• Add a web backup, if your version allows it: under “Web seed” or “URL seeds” put the direct address of your download (for example, a file on your own storage). If nobody is sharing it, the download is still served from there.
• Seed: leave the torrent open and sharing, especially in the first days. If you cannot keep your computer on, a “seedbox” service (a server rented for this) does it for you and usually costs a few euros a month.
• Publish it on a page of yours: the “magnet” link and the .torrent file, with a description, the version and the SHA-256 checksum of the file, so people can check it is the original.
• Say clearly that you are the author: that is how it is told apart from unauthorised copies.

The downsides of torrents

Many people do not use torrents, some networks and antivirus programs block them and they are associated with piracy. If you turn off your computer and nobody shares it, nobody can download it. That is why you should always offer a direct download, even if it is slower or limited.

Before you link your game

• Download it yourself from the link, on another computer if you can, and check that it opens and plays.
• Run an antivirus on it: unsigned games made with engines sometimes trigger false positives; if that happens, say so on your page.
• Add a README file with the version, requirements and how to play, and the licence if you use third-party assets.
• If you used artificial intelligence, declare it on your game page.
• Do not use shared folders on Drive, Dropbox or similar as the final download: they have download limits and get blocked when there is a lot of traffic.

Publishing it on NodusPlay

NodusPlay links to pages of yours (itch.io, Steam, your website…) and “Publish a game” only accepts links that start with https. If your download is a torrent, put the “magnet” on a page of yours and link that page.

The terms accept torrents only if they are the official way you yourself distribute your game. If you are looking for the step-by-step on making a game, see Your first game with AI; for the rest of the process, the publishing guide.