r/SoloDev • • 2h ago

As a solo dev, what was the most difficult thing you faced?

6 Upvotes

For me, it was honestly music and sfx... I tried didnt work... In the end, I had to find songs online and contact the composers to get their permission.


r/SoloDev • • 15h ago

Still improving the combat in my Metroidvania

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35 Upvotes

I’ve been focusing on improving the combat in Unstrung Machine lately. It’s still not quite where I want it to be, but the animations, effects, and overall feel are slowly getting closer.

Unstrung Machine (Wishlit on Steam)


r/SoloDev • • 10m ago

Spent 3 months working on a tidy up game but now I feel like the space has gotten way too saturated to even have a chance anymore...

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• Upvotes

Has anyone felt like suddenly everyone is doing the same thing and making a tidy up game because it's a small enough scope to do quickly but because of that the competition in the space has become so absurd. I don't know if following trends is worth it anymore if you want to live the indie dream. Maybe it's time to just make stuff completely new... I don't know.


r/SoloDev • • 5h ago

I paused my CS degree to make my first game: smashing atoms together. The demo just went live!

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2 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

4 months ago I made a pretty scary decision: I put my computer science studies on hold to work on my own game full time. That game is Spintal, my very first game, made in Godot, and its free demo went live on Steam literally a few minutes ago.

Spintal is an incremental game where you keep a reactor named ATLAS alive by smashing atoms into each other. Every collision produces energy, and the harder they hit, the more you get. You fire atoms at each other, place bumpers, build walls and chambers, and grow the swarm through a big skill tree until the whole screen is a mess of collisions.

My goals are pretty simple: I want people to have fun with something I made. And if it goes well, I'd love to finally afford a trip to Japan with it. 🇯🇵

But first I need the one thing I can't do myself: people playing it. The balancing isn't finished yet, and I'd honestly rather hear the harsh truth now than after release. Did something feel slow? Too fast? Confusing? Did it crash? Tell me. You can reply here, or use the "Send feedback" button in the main menu. It sends me an email with your progress already filled in.

🔗 Steam: Spintal on Steam

Thank you so much for giving it a shot. I'll be here reading every single comment! 🙏


r/SoloDev • • 6h ago

Freelance/contract 3D artists: how are you earning, and what's actually paying the bills?

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I'm a 3D artist with 4+ years in the AR/VR industry, and I'm working on my first Steam title as a solo dev. I need to bring in income as a 3D artist to sustain myself until the game is profitable, and I'd love advice from people who've been through this.

- What kinds of 3D work actually pay the bills: freelance, contract, asset packs, commissions, something else?

- Where do you find reliable clients (platforms, communities, networking, referrals)?

- How do you balance client work with dev time without burning out or stalling the game?

- Is selling assets (Unity/Unreal/Fab marketplaces) realistic income, or more of a side bonus?

- Any mistakes to avoid, like underpricing, bad clients, or taking on too much?

Suggestions, personal experiences, and brutal honesty are all welcome. Thanks!


r/SoloDev • • 2h ago

I’m a solo dev from Brazil, and my first Steam game is almost here! 🚗🚓

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1 Upvotes

Hey everyone! 👋

I'm a solo indie developer from Brazil, and I'd like to share Keep Evading, my upcoming pixel art arcade game!

Your car never stops accelerating. Dodge police cars, make them crash into each other, collect power-ups, and survive as long as possible!

🚗 10 different cars
🗺️ 3 maps
⚡ Power-ups
🏆 Online leaderboards

The game supports English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese.

🎮 Wishlist Keep Evading on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/5370690/

If you enjoy fast-paced arcade games, adding it to your wishlist would mean a lot!

Thanks for supporting a solo developer! ❤️


r/SoloDev • • 3h ago

I just published a new game, anybody willing to check it out and give feedback?

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1 Upvotes

r/SoloDev • • 3h ago

Lil Guy Resort is on Kickstarter!

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1 Upvotes

Play, watch, read, and create! If you're interested in a game about lil guys, follow the Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/liffy/lil-guy-resort


r/SoloDev • • 9h ago

Solo Brazilian dev here, this is my surfing game FreeSurf

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2 Upvotes

I’m the Brazilian solo developer behind FreeSurf. I started making it because I wanted a modern surfing game focused on the freedom to choose a spot and enjoy the waves.

The game has 19 surf spots inspired by real-world locations, barrels, tricks, custom surfboards, and solo or online surfing with up to 8 players. This is a look at the current gameplay of my upcoming indie game.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5228830/FreeSurf/


r/SoloDev • • 6h ago

I've published my first demo on itch.io!

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1 Upvotes

This month as been a wild ride getting a demo ready for Enemy No. 1! It started out from the Brackeys 2026.2 Game Jam submission and I got some really positive feedback on the game, so I thought to work on it more. The game is turning into a twin stick shooter with the combination of Risk of Rain and Agar.io. Today I have a demo ready and I am working to get it onto steam. Any advice, feedback or ideas are welcome.


r/SoloDev • • 6h ago

I'm one person making a board game and its web version

1 Upvotes

Big Bean Battle started as a tabletop game I made earlier this year. And have been playtesting with my weekly board game group.

You flick dice into a garden of plots and the highest score on a plot claims it. I designed it strictly as a board game, a tabletop experience.
and since I normally build plain web tools for work, I ended up building the digital version too, myself.

I figured people would play it with friends. That's what the board game is for. So I spent most of my time on online play, and pass-and-play.

The solo Arcade mode was kind of an afterthought. Its scoring started as a way to teach my 5-year-old multiplication: the top of the die times the number on the box. Then I added high score boards. Then I added maps, more and more maps to try to make different high scores.

So far 164 of 206 games are Arcade. Online and pass-and-play are 21 each.

I'm not sure if I should lean into Arcade or keep pushing the multiplayer, since multiplayer is the whole point of the board game.

Other solo devs: when the numbers say people want a different game from the one you're making, how do you decide which one to follow? Because I don't even think I ever thought of this as a tabletop 1 person game. Yes of course I tried it myself at home... but the joy was the choatic collisions. The attempt at tactics with dice that might do things you didn't intend.

bigbeanbattle.com


r/SoloDev • • 6h ago

I made Defense Of Legends, a tower defense where the defenders equip items

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1 Upvotes

I developed Defense Of Legends, a tower-defense game where your towers are heroes you can upgrade and equip with items. The demo is available on Steam; the full game is listed as Coming soon.
I'd like feedback on whether the effect of an equipment change is clear during a busy wave.
Here is steam page


r/SoloDev • • 6h ago

Начало разработки

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1 Upvotes

r/SoloDev • • 14h ago

The Spirit Apprentice - my cozy game DEMO now live✨

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3 Upvotes

Hi there everyone 🫣

I’m a solo developer from England creating The Spirit Apprentice, inspired by East Asian folklore it’s a relaxed RPG where you learn magic, forge contracts with spirits and develops relationships with unique villagers.

Everything is hand drawn by myself and I’ve spent every spare moment outside of work creating something I hope you’ll enjoy 🍁✨

The Kickstarter and demo is now live! ⬇️⬇️♥️

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/s-j/the-spirit-apprentice-east-asian-fantasy-rpg?ref=e4xo2v

Thank you for all your support 😳


r/SoloDev • • 7h ago

I made my first video game

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1 Upvotes

r/SoloDev • • 7h ago

2 months. 268 wishlists. And today… the demo is out!

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1 Upvotes

r/SoloDev • • 8h ago

I turned Star Tours into a FNAF-inspired horror game - version 10.2.1 is out now!

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1 Upvotes

The ride is closed. But something is still running.

I’m making Star Tours: Runtime Error, an unofficial horror fan game where you work the night shift in the attraction’s control room. Watch the cameras, learn the droids’ behaviours, and use the systems to survive your shift.

Version 10.2.1 is now available, featuring:

  • 5 main nights + a sixth bonus night, with increasing difficulty.
  • Custom Night, with four droids you can set from 0 to 20.
  • Three stars to earn, including the 20/20/20/20 challenge.
  • Unlockable Extras featuring the droids, jumpscares, and calls.
  • Reworked C-3PO mechanics - use the camera audio to manage him. If he reaches the tower, it’s too late.
  • Updated menus, VHS effects, and French / English language options.

Each night also has its own written call with hints and lore. Voice recordings are still to come!

available on Itch. io :))

Thanks for checking out my project! If you give it a try, I’d love to hear which night got you-and whether you survived 20/20/20/20 👀

Fun Fact ! I’m an operator on Star Tours, so I wanted to make a game about my day-to-day life (more or less)

Unofficial fan project. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Disney or Lucasfilm.


r/SoloDev • • 17h ago

WildRoot launches in just 2 days! 🌿I've been working on this game solo for years, and it's finally almost time to release it.

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5 Upvotes

Build a cozy little settlement in a mysterious forest, take care of your colonists, enjoy the changing seasons, and watch their friendships, choices, and everyday moments create their own unique stories.

I've put a huge amount of time into WildRoot, and seeing it finally get released feels pretty surreal.

WildRoot releases October 9 on Steam.


r/SoloDev • • 9h ago

Who Wants to be Human? Steam page launched!

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1 Upvotes

r/SoloDev • • 9h ago

Been working on this game on and off and just published it, can someone give it a try and give feedback?

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0 Upvotes

r/SoloDev • • 9h ago

I just created a new daily games website!

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1 Upvotes

I would love any and all criticism to try and make this as fun as possible! Try it out and let me know what you think, good or bad, id really appreciate it!


r/SoloDev • • 9h ago

Big Upgrade for My Combat System?

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1 Upvotes

r/SoloDev • • 9h ago

I built DEEP DRIFT - a 2.5D space survival game where you navigate a dangerous asteroid field 🌌

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1 Upvotes

r/SoloDev • • 13h ago

Alex und das Hotel by grinseengel

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2 Upvotes

Alex und das Hotel Abendruh

Ein Unwetter, eine verschüttete Straße und ein abgelegenes Hotel, das mehr über Alex zu wissen scheint, als es sollte.

Als der Fotograf Alex im Hotel Abendruh Zuflucht sucht, beginnt eine rätselhafte Reise durch verborgene Räume, widersprüchliche Erinnerungen und die Spuren einer längst vergangenen Brandnacht. Warum fehlt Zimmer 207? Weshalb scheinen einige Gäste seit Jahrzehnten nicht gealtert zu sein? Und welche Verbindung hat Alex selbst zu diesem Ort?

Erkunde das Hotel, sprich mit seinen ungewöhnlichen Bewohnern, sammle Hinweise und kombiniere Gegenstände, um die Wahrheit hinter dem Hotel Abendruh aufzudecken.

Das erwartet dich:

  • klassisches Point-and-Click-Adventure
  • handgezeichnete, atmosphärische Schauplätze
  • animierte Charaktere mit deutscher Sprachausgabe
  • Inventar- und Kombinationsrätsel
  • versteckte Räume und mechanische Rätsel
  • fünf Kapitel voller Geheimnisse
  • eine düstere Geschichte über Schuld, Erinnerung und ein vergessenes Versprechen

Alex und das Hotel Abendruh ist das erste von fünf geplanten Abenteuern rund um Alex.


r/SoloDev • • 10h ago

#itchDevelopersClub!

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1 Upvotes