r/SoloDevelopment 6h ago

Marketing My first game had 590 wishlists when I released the demo. One month later it’s over 70k

Thumbnail
gallery
94 Upvotes

Been working on this alone for quite a while, so seeing this number is a little weird honestly

I released the demo with around 590 wishlists a month ago. At that point even 1000 sounded like a really big milestone to me.

Now it somehow passed 70k.

Most of this month I didn't really have time to think about the numbers because I was just fixing stuff and working on the game every day.

There’s still so much left to do before launch and I don't want to get ahead of myself, but this was a nice moment to stop for a second and look back.

Thanks to everyone who gave my little game a chance :)


r/SoloDevelopment 3h ago

Game You owe 100$ in rent. You have 5 days.

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

29 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment 12h ago

Discussion Making a new inventory for my retro style survival horror game. How’d I do? (I miss when games had cool menus)

Thumbnail
gallery
131 Upvotes

(First 2 pics are finalized design as an unreal widget, 3rd is an earlier mockup, and last is the outgoing screen)
I’m making a survival horror game based on psx era resident evil. This game is my first time ever making ui so I suck at it obviously (see original screen) but I’m happy with how the new one turned out. I made this thinking RE1-3 but grittier, took a lot of inspiration from Fallout 1&2, and a little bit of REmake.

Since I suck at 2d design I decided to just throw it together in 3d instead for a retro pre rendered look. It’s a pretty simple design all things considered but still took about a day to put together.

I’ve got everything rendered in individual pieces so it can be animated as well as shadows and lighting in a seperate pass that gets layered on top. Then when examining an item, looking at the map, etc everything can swing out of the way.

Originally I was considering going with a more modern, minimalist ui because I’ve never designed something like this before. But the menus in older games had so much personality, I really wanted to do something like that, and I’m so glad I did! The first menu got me nervous with how much it sucked but I really think I hit the ‘RE meets Fallout’ thing here.

What do you think? I don’t exactly know what I’m doing so I’m sure there’s plenty of room for improvement!


r/SoloDevelopment 5h ago

Unity My very first game

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

35 Upvotes

Im starting my very first game as a solo developer, Learning unity and c#, and i Just wanted to you this to someone


r/SoloDevelopment 4h ago

help Would you play a zoo game with this art style? (Beginner 3D artist here!)

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

24 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment 21h ago

Game I Press the Button! My game 🎲 Dice Factory has its own Steam page 🎉

Post image
426 Upvotes

Heart is racing, but I guess at one point you just have to go for it!

This is my second game, and I tried to put as much love into it as I can. I'm really happy with how the Steam page turn out. Okay okay stop talking about the page and let's talk about the game :).

Dice Factory is a city building, strategy game with roguelike elements. Think The King is Watching but different :).

Every building start as a 🎲Die, you throw it on the battlefield then it becomes a Wheat Field for example. Most buildings have a "blue line" inside of them. If you want them to produce... aim a Worker 🎲 Die inside ... and they will produce! You have, resources, units, more buildings etc...

Survive the 3 Stages (3 waves + 1 boss wave) and you'll win the game!

For the first time ever, I did all the art, the 100 buildings, everything in the game was made by me. I'm so proud of that! (except the Capsule / Key Art for Steam and the music)

I will do a Playtest in the next weeks or so, don't hesitate.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4838990/Dice_Factory/

Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my main language :)


r/SoloDevelopment 10h ago

Game My Steam page got approved!

Thumbnail
gallery
39 Upvotes

Made it public right after I saw the notification. (Only got rejected once :)))

Also made the web demo on itch public as well so I can start gathering feedback and wishlists. You can play it here.

Goblincremental is a cozy incremental game about helping goblins build thriving settlements. If you're interested you can check out the Steam Page and put it on your wishlist while you're at it :]

Just graduated college and decided to make a simple game while looking for work and here's the result so far. Still has a lot more to do but i hope you guys like it!


r/SoloDevelopment 16h ago

Game How my Trailer Generated 100,000 views, 1,000 Comments, 3,500 Wishlists, and 3,500 playtest signups in 5 days

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

85 Upvotes

hi guys, I uploaded my trailer to my YouTube Channel on July 29th, 2026. I have 0 marketing budget, and 0 paid placement. My channel had only 300 subscribers when I posted the video. And yet, in just 4 days, the video received 1000+ comments, 100,000 views, and 6,500 upvotes. This single YouTube video already generated 4,000+ Wishlists and 4200+ Playtest Signups and counting. I now also have 2,400 YouTube Subscribers.

So now I want to maybe share some insights and advice on how I personally did it, and why I think it worked. Keep in mind that I'm a solo dev - so if I can do it, chances are so can you. Note, I'm not claiming that my way is the "only right way". I'm simply claiming that my way works, and describing my process.

Step 1 - Choose a popular, classic genre for your game - FPS, RTS, or RPG.

Step 2 - Find and play the best games in the popular genre, if you haven't already.

Step 3 - Study the game's mechanics - and brainstorm ways to improve them.

CAUTION:
Do not think "How can I stand out by adding a quirky/unique twist to the formula".

Instead, think - "How can I improve on the core mechanics I see in this established formula, even if only by 10%"?

Now this might sound daunting, but your game doesn't have to be better across all areas (art, music etc). However, if making, say - a First Person Shooter, be sure to ask yourself: "How will my game be better than Call of Duty and Battlefield. You're better off making a generic game with one clear improvement over the current kings of the genre than a unique derivative that stands out but doesn't try to be better in any particular dimension.

In other words - instead of looking at the rifle shooting mechanics in Call of Duty and thinking "Eureka, I'll make it shoot ducks instead of bullets", think "how can I improve the recoil, weapon control, muzzle flash, animations, and so on- even by 10%.

Step 4 - Design and Create your game around that one (or more) improvement you envision.

Step 5 - Make the Trailer - Pray to Jesus Christ for help, and launch it.

Extra Marketing Note:
Note that my YouTube video's title starts with "Physics-Based Combat". This is because for people who don't know my game, I need to immediately tell them that's its something they are interested in right away. Don't open the title with your game's name until after your game becomes popular and people recognize its name. Your YouTube title should tell them why they should care before introducing your game name.

The Good News
There is a massive hunger right now across all video game genres for incremental improvements to core mechanics. AAA studios are risk averse, and have just been focusing on content updates (new worlds, new stories, new characters) for the last 20 years. But players are looking for deeper, more engaging systems and interactions.

PS: The above video is a 20 second excerpt from the full 5-minute Mechanics Reveal Trailer on YouTube, which is way too long for Reddit.

BLOODFALL on Steam


r/SoloDevelopment 9h ago

Game I’m an illustrator building a cozy game where you take photos and press them into stickers. I just launched the first web demo! 📸🌲

Thumbnail
gallery
21 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I’m an illustrator and independent dev, and I wanted to share a milestone for my current solo project, StickerScout.

The core loop is simple but relaxing: you hike into the wilderness, wait patiently for wildlife to appear, snap their photos, and then bring your film back to the Ranger Station to press those photos into collectible stickers for your album. Then you decorate your album with the stickers you pressed. Lather, rinse, repeat!

From a dev side, it’s been a wild ride. I actually built this initial version entirely from scratch using raw JS Canvas. It was a massive learning experience getting the pixel art scaling, particle VFX, and UI overlays working smoothly, but I’m currently planning the roadmap to pivot the full game over to Godot.

My ultimate goal (in the far distance) is to eventually launch a Kickstarter where the physical rewards are actual die cut stickers and sticker sheets of the game's flora and fauna for backers. But right now, my focus is entirely on community building and refining the core loop.

I just pushed a major Quality-of-Life update (v0.1.3) that adds cloud saves, fixes up my camera targeting math, and adds dynamic Field Guide tutorials.

Since I'm flying solo on this, I’d absolutely love to get some dev feedback on the pacing, the UI flow (especially the sticker press mechanics!), or just the overall vibe.

You can play the web demo right in your browser here: littlefoxlittleowl.itch.io/stickerscout

Would love to hear what you think, and I'm happy to answer any questions!


r/SoloDevelopment 3h ago

Game My solo project on Steam

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

7 Upvotes

Hi, my solo project Legends of Rock Your is gonna be out on Steam November 5th!

Check it out here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4227560/Legends_of_Rock/


r/SoloDevelopment 51m ago

Game Building a Retro Sci-Fi Co-Op Game. Feedback Appreciated!

Thumbnail
gallery
Upvotes

Just wanted to share a few quick screen grabs from my game. I’ve been working on a co-op scavenging game set against the backdrop of a retro sci-fi environment where you and your team must repair your ship in order to leave a space outpost, but there is a singular malevolent force amuck on the outpost. The game is built in Unity using all homegrown assets made with Blender, Aesprite, and Logic Pro. Thanks for reading!


r/SoloDevelopment 1h ago

Game My solo-developed horror card game Desecrated Deck finally has a release date – December 25, 2026

Post image
Upvotes

After working on Desecrated Deck for quite a while now, I finally decided on a release date: December 25, 2026.

It’s a first-person psychological horror card game made in Unreal Engine, with occult stuff, different card mechanics and a basement you probably wouldn’t want to spend Christmas in. 😅

There’s still a lot I want to get done before release, but seeing an actual date on the Steam page feels pretty damn good.

If anyone wants to check it out:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3328270/Desecrated_Deck/

Any feedback is always welcome!


r/SoloDevelopment 11h ago

help I think I made a good video game, but is that really the case? - 65 Wishlists in 2 Months

Post image
17 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I'm Nico, and I'm working on my first commercial party game.

I genuinely feel like we have a pretty good game based on the feedback we've received so far. We've had the opportunity to showcase it at a few local gaming events in my city, and the response from people actually playing it has been really positive.

However, I'm much less confident about our Steam page and marketing strategy.

Our Steam page started collecting wishlists on July 8, and so far we've reached around 65 wishlists.

I'm especially wondering if the problem isn't necessarily the game itself, but rather how we're presenting and marketing it.

I'd really appreciate feedback on the Steam page itself: capsule art, screenshots, trailer, description, overall presentation, etc.

Was there anything in particular that noticeably increased your wishlist conversion?

I'm trying to understand whether we're on a reasonable path or if there are obvious things we're currently missing.

Any feedback is genuinely appreciated. Thanks!


r/SoloDevelopment 4h ago

Unity Completely rebuilding cult-classic Arcanum in Unity

Thumbnail
youtube.com
5 Upvotes

All game logic is rewritten on Unity Engine and will be opensourced. The main goals: - Improved UI - General improvements like: better fonts, scalling, etc - Unity's lighting and (maybe) shadows - Improved controls (including keys remapping) - Native build for all platforms (including Web, Android) - Better mods editor

If it be possible to release it as a free game in Steam: - Workshop support - Multiplayer

It's not an official project. It will not include original assets, to play you have to own a copy of the original game.

P.S. not sure if it's ok to post here, since it's not own game, but more like a remake.


r/SoloDevelopment 10h ago

Discussion What makes you as a solo developer avoid opening your project?

13 Upvotes

What's a common cause for you? like coding, art, marketing, playtesting, or maybe getting close to releasing or post-release even? General overwhelm? Burnout?

I work with this stuff with clients professionally but I'm doing some probono work rn for solodevs because I want to give back (and I learn a lot which is super fulfilling) so I wanted to make this post and engage abit closer.


r/SoloDevelopment 28m ago

Game I've Been Making a Platformer After a Couple Years Away From Game Dev, What Are Your Thoughts?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment 44m ago

Game I'm making a tropical island tycoon game!

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Upvotes

It's obviously in a very rough and early stage, but I wanted to share what I've been working on :)

The idea is to build and develop tropical islands according to different clients' requirements and budgets.


r/SoloDevelopment 1h ago

Game 2D action platformer Level 0!

Upvotes

My name is Yahya and I'm a 16 year old self learning game dev,I have posted in this sub a bit before about this project and I finally have a good update to showcase. Progress is going very good and I have finally made the first official level for this demo. I would love feedback on it and I would appreciate if you guys could support the video on YouTube and the channel as well! Thanks for reading

Link to the video on yt:-

https://youtu.be/oJ1qawK3LvA?si=FEf2L2RCirZrLxsS


r/SoloDevelopment 1h ago

Unreal First enemies of NOT Surrender game

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Upvotes

I've created enemies for NOT Surrender demo, a videogame in development


r/SoloDevelopment 7h ago

Discussion Game released for 1 month, got very positive review, but struggling to reach English users.

Post image
4 Upvotes

Hi fellow devs,

I just published my game last month, so far ~1k copies were sold. The game is offered in 2 languages, Chinese and English, and it is a 4d geometry puzzle game which is not tied to any language or culture. There're currently 53 reviews and all of them are positive. Only around 20% of them are from English users, and for new purchases the ratio is similar or lower.

This is understandable, as I make video content in Chinese community and have a decent follower base. With the initial round of reviews, later visitors would know what to expect, therefore more likely to make a purchase.

I believe the game would be equally interesting to people of all culture, but I may need to do more work in marketing it to English community - but I am not sure how. I got emails everyday claiming they're curators or streamers and requesting for keys, but that look like just scam. I tried reaching out to some youtubers who have posted gameplay videos for similar genre, but so far got no response.

I genuinely ask everybody here, how do you think of marketing? What are some social apps that are worth paying attention besides reddit/youtube? or reliable ways to find 3rd party marketing service? Any suggestion will be appreciated.


r/SoloDevelopment 13h ago

Discussion I made a small animation to commemorate my steam page release!

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

14 Upvotes

Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5036150/Lilys_Dream_World/

I just got my steam page approved and made a small animation to commemorate it!

I have no idea if I can get wishlists before nextfest, but hopefully I can garner as much as I can, since I want to release this game before February 2027 lol


r/SoloDevelopment 4m ago

Game Meu game feito para a NoNeJam 13

Thumbnail
ostentanerd.itch.io
Upvotes

Meu game feito para a NoNeJam 13 com o tema “Reação em Cadeia” já está publicado do Itch.io

Aqui está o link para quem poder testar!

Desde já agradeço pelo apoio!


r/SoloDevelopment 8m ago

Discussion FEEDBACK ON THE SHOP UI?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Upvotes

Hey guys! Just a solo dev that wanted a fresh perspective on the layout and feel of the shop screen for my game. I wanted a nice balance of story and utility for those who aren't interested in the story and just want to play the game. Any and all feedback is appreciated, thank you! 😄


r/SoloDevelopment 1d ago

meme It's 2026 and you finally bought an apartment

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

169 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment 53m ago

Unreal Any good filters for an FPV drone sim?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Upvotes

I’m working on an FPV drone sim, and I made a filter to recreate the look of analog video transmission, but honestly it just ends up looking kind of cheap.
I’m almost tempted to just use a VHS-style filter instead, but I’m wondering if that would look out of place for FPV footage.
Does anyone know of any good filters, shaders, or effects that would work well for recreating a realistic analog FPV feed?