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For indie developers whose games are already built: finding a publisher, funding what comes next, and life after launch.
Can you change your game's name on Steam after release?
Yes, but usually not on your own. Once the store page has passed review, Valve says you can't rename the game unless it has unlocked Profile Features, and asks you to contact Valve first. Of 5,854 paid indie games launched 2020 to 2022, 121 (2.1%) show a different Steam name today. Of the 25 that took a whole new title, Steam's search box still suggests the game for its old name in 4.
How to add Steam trading cards, from 2,354 indie games
Valve turns cards on once a game passes a private bar built on sales and player engagement, not reviews. Then you submit 5 to 15 cards, badges, emoticons and backgrounds for a review of about 2 to 3 days. It is rarely too late: 28.5% of the card launches we could date came a year or more after the game. Of 706 paid indie games launched 2020 to 2022 with 1,000+ Steam reviews, 48% have no cards.
Publishing contracts are written for unreleased games. Here is what to change.
Rewrite the clauses that assume the launch is still ahead. In the two standard agreements indie publishers post publicly, Raw Fury's and Whitethorn Games', deadlines and exit terms run from a release, neither mentions money the game earned before signing, and both repay the advance from all revenue first. Settle the baseline, the dates, the platforms you already have and the way back.
How to revive a dying indie game: what 195 Steam comebacks did
Ship something new. Of 1,493 paid indie games on Steam (2020 to 2022 launches, 100+ first-year reviews) that faded below a third of their first-year pace, 195 (13%) later had a month back at that pace. A 1.0 was followed by one 57% of the time. Otherwise paid DLC, a Major Update or a console version about 5%, a sale post 2%, a quiet month 0.5%.
How long do indie games stay in Early Access?
Of 1,206 paid indie games that opened in Steam Early Access from 2020 to 2022 with 10 or more reviews in their first year, half had released 1.0 within 24 months, and 423 (35%) were still in Early Access in October 2026. The ones that left took a median 12 months. Valve sets no time limit.
How much does it cost to port a game to console?
The fixed costs are small: registering with Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony is free, IARC age ratings are free, and Unity Pro is $2,310 a seat a year. The cost is the port itself, which porting studios price from about $5,000 to $100,000 per platform. Of 921 indie Steam games whose first console version came after launch, 51% got there through a company not credited on Steam.
How to publish your indie game on PlayStation after Steam
Publishing on PlayStation starts with registering as a PlayStation Partner and getting your game concept accepted. Of 5,860 paid indie games launched on Steam from 2020 to 2022, 892 (15%) are on the PlayStation Store. Two thirds arrived after their Steam launch, a median 18 months later, and 47% of those came through a publisher not credited on Steam.
How to publish your game on the Epic Games Store after Steam
Epic's store is open to any developer: register in the Developer Portal, pay a $100 fee per game and pass review. Epic takes nothing on a game's first $1 million a year, then 12%. Of 5,860 paid indie games launched on Steam from 2020 to 2022, 523 (9%) are on Epic, fewer than on Xbox or Switch. At least 54% of them arrived after Steam, and 86% charge the Steam price.
How to publish your indie game on Xbox after Steam
Publishing on Xbox goes through ID@Xbox: register, sign an NDA, get a game concept approved, then pass certification. Applying is free. Of 5,860 paid indie games launched on Steam from 2020 to 2022, 980 (17%) are on Xbox consoles. Two thirds arrived after their Steam launch, a median 18 months later, and 47% of those came through a publisher not credited on Steam.
Where can I sell my indie game?
Almost nowhere in public. On October 9, 2026, none of the 59 listings in Flippa's gaming category mentioned Steam. Released games change hands by private deal. Of 4,121 self-published paid indie games launched on Steam from 2020 to 2022, 393 (9.5%) carry a different publisher or developer credit than in an April 2023 record, and 107 (2.6%) kept their developer and gained a publisher.
Indie game funding for a released game: what 46 programmes allow
We read the rules of 46 indie game grants and funds in October 2026. Eleven will pay for work on a game that is already on sale, such as a port, localisation or new content. Four more will only if they funded the game first or it launched in the last three months. Fourteen rule a released game out in writing, and 17 do not say. Five of the eleven are Australian.
How to get your game on GOG after its Steam launch
GOG is curated: you send a short form with your store link and gameplay footage, and GOG decides. Of 5,860 paid indie games launched on Steam from 2020 to 2022, 613 (10.5%) are on GOG, and half of those arrived after their Steam launch. Steam review score did not predict who got in. Review count, a publisher and genre did. Expect a median 4.5 GOG ratings per 100 Steam reviews.
54% of older indie games charge Turkey the full US price
Steam never changes your regional prices for you. Of 4,777 paid indie games launched from January 2020 to September 2022, 54% charge Turkey the full US dollar price and 53% charge Argentina the same, a default Valve applied in November 2023. And 46% of 4,411 still carry the prices Steam suggested before October 2022. Lowering a price is free. Raising one blocks discounts for 30 days.
12% of older self-published indie games share a bundle with another studio
Steam lets you bundle your game with other developers' games at up to 95% off, paid per item with no split to negotiate. Few released indie games do it. Of 4,108 self-published paid indie games launched on Steam 2020 to 2022, 11.6% share a bundle with another studio's game and 59.7% are in no bundle at all. Most bundles take 10% off.
Two in three older indie games joined Steam's Autumn Sale
Steam allows discounts of 10 to 95% for up to 14 days, with 30 days between discounts and none for 30 days after a release or price increase. Seasonal sales skip the discount cooldown, and 20% or more emails your wishlist. When the 2026 Autumn Sale opened, 67% of 5,860 paid indie games launched 2020 to 2022 were discounted, at a median 60% off.
A third of Mostly Positive indie games later slid to Mixed
Steam labels a game by its share of positive reviews from Steam buyers: 95%+ with 500+ reviews is Overwhelmingly Positive, 80%+ is Very Positive (50+ reviews) or Positive (10 to 49), 70% to under 80% Mostly Positive, 40% to under 70% Mixed. Scores tend to fall after launch. Of 847 paid indie games launched 2020 to 2022 at 70 to 79% in year one, 33% are under 70% now.
How to get your indie game on Switch after Steam
About half the indie games that reach Switch after Steam do it through a new partner. Of 5,860 paid indie games launched on Steam 2020 to 2022, 1,322 (23%) are on the US Switch eShop. 843 arrived after their Steam launch, a median 13 months later, and 51% of those were published on Switch by a company not credited on Steam. For games self-published on Steam, 63%.
How to get your game Steam Deck Verified, from 2,143 Valve ratings
Pass Valve's checklist, then get tested. Valve picks most released games to test itself, and some developers can request a review in Steamworks. Of 5,860 paid indie games launched on Steam 2020 to 2022, 63% are still unrated. Of the 1,119 rated Playable, 36% missed Verified on a single test, most often controller glyphs or text too small to read.
Which languages to localize your indie game into, measured on Steam
Start with Simplified Chinese, then look at your own reviews. Across 1,651 paid indie games launched on Steam 2020 to 2022, games that support Simplified Chinese drew a median 17.5% of their Steam reviews in it, against 1.8% for games that don't. Russian was next, at 8% against 1.4%. Every other language had a median under 3.5% either way.
What does a game publisher actually do?
Usually it pays for development, runs the launch and gets the game translated, and on Steam the launch and the languages show. Of 1,651 paid indie games launched 2020 to 2022 with 100+ reviews in year one, those with a publisher supported a median 8 languages to 4, and Simplified Chinese 87% of the time to 60%. Their second and third years held up about the same.
5.5% of quiet indie launches on Steam later had a bigger year
Rarely, and less often each year. Of 4,209 paid indie games that launched on Steam from 2020 to 2022 with 10 to 99 reviews in their first year, 233 (5.5%) later had a year with more reviews, by August 2026. The odds were 3.1% in year two and under 1% a year from year four. Games that left Early Access or kept posting updates climbed far more often.
Steam update visibility rounds: what they are worth, and who spends them
Every Steam product starts with five update visibility rounds, each running up to 30 days or 1 million homepage impressions and needing a recent community announcement. Across 1,312 paid indie games released 2020 to 2022, a month carrying a Major Update post drew a median 1.38 times the three quiet months before it, and 1.27 times on games four years and older. Half have never posted one.
At the average no-advance cut, a publisher must grow your revenue 47%
On average, 32.1% of net revenue in deals without an advance and 42.1% in deals with one, across more than 130 agreements dated 2017 to 2026 in Voyer Law's 2026 report. Console-only deals averaged 33%. At the 32.1% average, a publisher has to grow your net revenue by 47% before you earn more than you would alone, and more for every cost it recoups.
Indie games get nearly half their Steam reviews after year one
Yes, for years, if Steam reviews are the guide. Of 1,312 paid indie games released on Steam from 2020 to 2022 with at least 100 reviews in their first year, the median game had 47% of its reviews through August 2026 written after that year. Games rated 80% positive or better kept more of their pace, and months with a Major Update post drew more reviews than quiet ones.
61% of Early Access games on Steam show the not-updated warning
Steam adds the warning when an Early Access game goes more than 12 months without a build on its default branch, or without an update post: Patch Notes, a Regular Update or a Major Update. Either one is enough. On September 15, 2026, it showed on 4,889 of the 8,016 released games under Steam's Early Access tag, 61%.
Can you make money from a free game on Steam?
Yes. Steam lets you sell DLC, in-game purchases, a bigger edition or a sequel beside a free game, and if you switch it to paid, Valve says players who have the free license keep it. Yet on September 14, 2026, 312 of the 668 free games tagged Indie on Steam with 1,000+ reviews, 47%, had nothing to buy on their store pages.
Your game is already out. Can you still get a publisher?
Yes, but rarely through the publisher lists developers find first. Of the 53 publishers on one of the most visible lists, one says on its own site that it will look at a game that's already out, one says it takes only unreleased games, and the other 51 don't say or offer no way to pitch. After launch, look for partners who fund what comes next and treat your reviews and players as evidence.
What happens to reviews and wishlists when a Steam game changes hands
At the moment of transfer, nothing players see on the game's own pages changes. The store page, reviews, forums, wishlists and followers stay with the game, and nobody loses their copy. What moves is control and money: store management, payments from the effective date, and access to sales reports from that date on. Once both sides confirm, Valve usually takes 2 to 7 business days.
If you built a game people still care about and believe there is more left in it, .