How to Promote and Publish Your Video Game

You've finished your mini game and you think the hard part is behind you. In reality, the trickiest part is just starting: getting people to play it. Every day, fun games come out and vanish right away, because they never found a single player.

Why publishing your video game isn't enough

Building a game is no longer the hard part, since AI has made it accessible to everyone. Getting it known is. Publishing a game and getting it played are two different things.

Many creators stop at "my game is online somewhere" and are surprised nobody shows up. Just because it exists doesn't mean anyone sees it.

The 4-step method to get your game known

• Make it playable in one click. Every step between "seeing your game" and "playing it" costs you players: downloading, installing, creating an account, etc. An HTML5 file that launches right in the web browser removes all of that at once.
• Make it discoverable. That's the limit of traditional hosts: they give you a URL, but no players. Publish where an audience already exists, on a platform that pushes your game to people who don't know you.
• Get it moving. Share the direct link, since a game playable in one tap travels much better than a file. Show ten seconds of gameplay in a short video on social media, and talk about it in communities that like this kind of game, on Reddit or Discord for example.
• Measure, then improve. Views, likes, shares, comments, saves: these numbers tell you whether the game has potential. Test two variants of the same concept, compare, and launch the next one knowing what your audience likes.

Publishing your game where players are already waiting

On Hoora, your game joins the feed where players discover plenty of other mini games. It's shown to people who didn't know you, it's attached to your profile which they can follow, and your next games are shown to them first. So you no longer start from zero with every release. The app is available on Android and iOS, and it even has its own page in Gizmodo's download section.

To import your game, go to the hooragames.com website and click the purple "Import" button in the left-hand menu.

1. Drop in your HTML file, and a playable preview appears right away.
2. Add a title and a description.
3. Publish.

It's free, and the only limit is a maximum file size of 100 KB. No hosting, no setup, and yes, it really is that simple.

If your game already exists as a file on your computer, see our guide to turning an html file into a playable online game. The details of the import, screen by screen, are in our article on publishing your ai creations.

Not every game follows the same path

A big premium game goes through the stores, an ad campaign and months of preparation. A mini game made with AI doesn't need any of that: instant hosting, an audience that's already there and stats in one place are plenty.

Before showing it off, do one last pass on your phone with our guide to testing an html5 game on mobile. And if you don't have a game to publish yet, our guide on creating a game with ai explains how to generate one in a few minutes.

Frequently asked questions about publishing a video game

• How do you get your game known without a marketing budget? By publishing where an audience already exists instead of sharing a link into the void. A discovery platform like Hoora shows your game, for free, to players who didn't know you.
• Where should you publish your game so it actually gets played? On a platform that makes it playable in one click and gets it discovered by a community. A plain host gives you a URL, but no players. To compare, see our guide on hosting an html5 game for free.
• Do you need the stores to get known? Not for a web or lightweight mobile game. An HTML5 game is shared with a simple link, with no review and no fees, as explained in our guide to publishing a mobile game without the app store.
• How do I know if people like my game? By looking at its stats: views, likes, shares, comments, saves. They show what hooks people and what needs reworking.
• Is video useful for promoting a game? Yes. A short gameplay clip makes people want to try it and travels well on social media, as long as the game is then playable without friction.
• Should you publish often? It helps. A creator who releases several games builds an audience that follows them, as we explain in our guide on becoming a mobile game creator without coding.
• How long does it take to publish? A few seconds. You drop the HTML file and it's online and playable.

A game sleeping in a folder is no use to anyone. Put it online tonight, send the link to three people, and wait for the first views.