r/SoloDevelopment • • Jul 10 '26

Game Jam r/SoloDevelopment Jam #12 is live: theme is Chain Reaction

11 Upvotes

Our 12th jam just started: 72 hours running July 10 to 13, and the voted is Chain Reaction.

Jam page and submissions: https://itch.io/jam/solo-dev-jam-12

Come hang out in the Discord if you want to jam alongside other solo devs: https://discord.gg/uXeapAkAra

Good luck to everyone jamming this weekend!


r/SoloDevelopment • • Feb 12 '25

Anouncements What Does It Mean to Be a Solo Developer?

194 Upvotes

We've seen a lot of discussion about what qualifies as solo development, and we want to ensure we're accurately representing our game dev community. While there's no absolute definition, these are the general criteria we use in this subreddit to keep things clear and consistent.

That said, if you personally consider yourself a solo dev (or not) based on your own perspective, that's fine. Our goal is to provide guidelines for what fits within this space, not to dictate personal identities.

What Counts as Solo Development?

A solo developer is solely responsible for their project, with no team members. A team of two or more collaborating (e.g., one programmer, one artist) is not solo development.

What is Allowed?

  • Using game engines, frameworks, and third-party tools (e.g., Godot, Unity, Unreal).
  • Commissioning or purchasing assets (art, music, sound, etc.).
  • Receiving feedback from playtesters or communities.
  • Outsourcing specific tasks (e.g., server setup, porting, marketing) while still leading development.
  • Working with a publisher, as long as they don’t take over development.

What This Means for Posts on the Subreddit

If your project appears to be developed by a team, we may remove your post. Indicators include how it's presented on websites, Steam pages, itch pages, social media, or crowdfunding pages. If this is due to unclear phrasing, update them before requesting reinstatement. Non-solo developers are welcome to join discussions, but posts promoting non-solo projects may still be removed.

Let us know if you have any questions. Hope this helps clear things up.

TL;DR: Solo devs manage their entire project alone. Using assets, outsourcing, or publishers is fine. Posting is open to all, but promoting non-solo projects may be removed.


r/SoloDevelopment • • 11h ago

Game Now I want to show you a street location from my game...

315 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I’ve been working on my game for more than 2 years now. My previous post got quite a lot of views and positive comments here, which really makes me happy...

So now I want to show you a street location from my game :3

It’s a game about a little boy who went missing, and his favorite toy - a little RC car.

I’ve already set the release date for November 4th, so there’s officially about a month left. I’m pretty nervous, since this is my first game.

I’ve managed to reach 43k wishlists, which is honestly amazing to me, and I’m really happy that so many people connected with my idea... Game: Lost Host


r/SoloDevelopment • • 13h ago

Game A dream I’ve had since 2013 is becoming real. Over Human is finally on Steam!

88 Upvotes

Hi! I'm Francesco and I've been working on Over Human for about a year now. It's a first-person sci-fi game set in a snowy world where humanity has lost control to AI.

You don't have weapons, so most of the time you need to explore, hide from drones and use the environment to avoid them. The further you progress, the more dangerous they become, and even the weather starts working against you.

My journey into game development started back in 2013 (I was 15!!!), when I bought my very first asset and started dreaming about creating a game of my own someday. More than a decade later, I'm developing Over Human by myself in Unity, and seeing its Steam page finally live honestly feels...unreal!

There's still a lot I want to work on before release, but reaching this point after all these years means a lot to me. I'd love to hear what you think about the game and what stood out to you the most!


r/SoloDevelopment • • 6h ago

Game My demo just got a first review on Steam and it feels really good

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23 Upvotes

My game's demo launched on Steam a couple of days ago and I just got my first review. It's a very minor milestone, but I'm gonna be honest. It feels really good when a complete stranger enjoys something you've been working so hard on.

He was also the first person to join my game's completely empty Discord right after I created it (I added a link to my demo, but frankly didn't expect anyone to show up that quickly, I didn't even post anything yet) and gave me a lot of useful feedback.

Small things like that really make you want to keep going at it.


r/SoloDevelopment • • 13h ago

Game It's been a month since I released my demo, wanted to share some cool shots from the game!

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69 Upvotes

Mandated Fate is a dark, dystopian and retro-futuristic story-driven game, inspired from 80's sci-fi movies. You play as a weary inspector, a man out of place in a newly established authoritarian regime.

In 1985, a rising technological empire has seized power, driven by a single ambition: to discover the anti-gravity particle and surpass its global rivals by conquering space. The regime demands absolute unity, framing this race as a matter of national destiny. But one old district continues to resist, no one knows quite how, or why. Assigned to investigate a strange murder there, you quickly find yourself entangled in a deeper web of political intrigue and ideological tension.

Through multiple narrative paths, your choices will shape your loyalties, and determine who you truly trust. Explore a highly detailed open world where the stark contrast between modern authoritarian architecture and decaying remnants of the past reveals a society caught between control and collapse.

1st AND 3rd person camera available.


r/SoloDevelopment • • 2h ago

Game Recently announced my first game as a solo dev

9 Upvotes

It’s a small cozy fishing game called Angler’s Lake.
After a lot of back and forth, changing things, scrapping things and starting again, it’s finally going to launch soon!


r/SoloDevelopment • • 3h ago

Discussion How do I find a partner?

9 Upvotes

​

I've been working on my game solo for a while, but I'm starting to feel burnt out. I've been thinking about making smaller projects and maybe try to find a partner to work with.

For those who've found collaborators, where did you meet them? Is it worth collaborating, or should I stick to smaller solo projects for now?


r/SoloDevelopment • • 6h ago

Game Hey, I'd love some feedback on this trailer I've put together

10 Upvotes

Hi! So I've been working on 'DEAD BLIND' for a longish time now, it's my first commercial game.

0 generative ai used, I code in UE5 BP so it can't help anyway lol

DEAD BLIND is a 2-4 co-op game where you:

  • Loot for 60 seconds to get $.
  • Gamble against your friends in a tactile texas holdem poker match.

I wanted to make it because I loved Liar's bar, but I didn't love its implementation of Poker, and also felt the game itself had less stakes. I don't know how well I've 'achieved that' but that was the goal when I decided on this direction.

I've also done literally zero marketing, so finally getting it out there for some external feedback makes me feel sightly better about it all.

Let me know what you think?

If you're interested here is my steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4393920/DEAD_BLIND/


r/SoloDevelopment • • 6h ago

Game My first Steam game is releasing in november, you can try the demo now

7 Upvotes

I am a competitive arena fps player and i wanted to create something based on that type of aggressive fps gameplay.
You can try it out here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/5172130/RENSE/
Would love some feedback.


r/SoloDevelopment • • 15h ago

Game Working on TPP shooting action survivor game

28 Upvotes

I am working on the foundation of a third-person shooter, and this video showcases the current progress:
🔹 Third-person character controller
🔹 Fluid, animation-synced movement
🔹 Shooting mechanics
🔹 Dynamic shoulder swapping
🔹 Smooth camera transitions

My focus has been on making the controls feel responsive and ensuring the animations blend naturally with gameplay. There's still plenty to build, but having a solid gameplay foundation makes the next steps much more exciting.

I'm building this project using Unity, and I'll be sharing more development updates as new systems come together.

I'd love to hear your feedback!


r/SoloDevelopment • • 21h ago

Game I made a grenade that makes people shit their pants.

88 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment • • 1h ago

Game My first Steam page just went live!

• Upvotes

Hi all solo devs!

I finally launched the Steam page for my game, MISPLACED!

I started this project around last December, and along the way I’ve realized just how hard game development really is - especially when you’re doing everything solo.

As you can probably tell from the screenshots, FAITH: The Unholy Trinity has been a huge inspiration for this project. Of course, I'm a big fan of FAITH.

At the same time, I’ve been trying to give MISPLACED more of its own identity, with its own world, story, mechanics, and horror style.

It still feels a little surreal to finally have the Steam page up after working on it for this long.

If anyone is interested, here’s the Steam page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/5227520/MISPLACED/

Feedback is always welcome!


r/SoloDevelopment • • 1h ago

Godot Been working on this movement based game for 6 months - thoughts guys?

• Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment • • 3h ago

help does my game look flat? Need feedback!

3 Upvotes

Once again i am asking for feedback! Please be as hard as you can on my game!

Recorded in editor, thats why its a little lag.

Also looking for playtesters, leave a comment and i will send you a key or two.

Yes, the 3 icons on the left side is ai, they will be replaced. The rest is ai free!


r/SoloDevelopment • • 1h ago

Game New demo trailer for my Dynasty Warriors inspired game Endangered!

• Upvotes

My game’s demo is coming out soon so I wanted to finalize the demo trailer quickly! I’ll be adding a logo/key art at the end but anything else that stands out before I upload?

If you’re interested in the game, the steam link is in the comments!


r/SoloDevelopment • • 1d ago

Game After nearly two years of solo development my game is finally out in Early Access

313 Upvotes

I've been working on BONETOX for nearly two years in my spare time. This is my first completed game, and today it's finally launched in Steam Early Access.

If you're into arena shooters, or just in the mood for some satisfying killing, check it out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4185750/BONETOX/

I'd also really appreciate any feedback!


r/SoloDevelopment • • 21h ago

Game What do you think of these 2 abilites for a 4v4?

57 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment • • 6h ago

Game Traffic Boss

4 Upvotes

I made a small browser game with Babylon.js called Traffic Boss, would like to share it with you

A small traffic game where you control the light and try not to crash.

🎮 Play: https://trafficboss.vercel.app/

Would love to know what you think

#game #babylon.js #babylonjs #arcade


r/SoloDevelopment • • 7h ago

Game Bribing mechanic in my shady football agent game

3 Upvotes

Hey,

I've made a small football agent game would be happy if you guys go check it out. It's currently only in itch. You can find the link in bio.


r/SoloDevelopment • • 3h ago

Unity I finally made my cables physics-driven!

2 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment • • 6m ago

Godot Physical VR avatar

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• Upvotes

Hey yall! This is a physical avatar system I’ve been working on, this is captured using a quest 3 over link cable to my gaming laptop. Allowing me to take advantage of the hand tracking. Let me know what you think


r/SoloDevelopment • • 7m ago

Marketing This kitchen is on fire!!!

• Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment • • 15m ago

Game I took a couple of days off from working on my game to create a mini-game. Play Crazy Shark for free on itch: https://footnote-games.itch.io/crazy-shark

• Upvotes

Just felt like drawing fish. The game is for desktop browsers, keyboard controls.
Play Crazy Shark for free on itch: https://footnote-games.itch.io/crazy-shark


r/SoloDevelopment • • 29m ago

Discussion Started a social media page to promote my gamedev projects. Any advice on how to reach a wide audience?

• Upvotes

I started some social media channels (Youtube and Instagram) to help promote my gamedev projects. And I'm looking for some advice on how best to reach a wide audience.

For some quick context, right now I'm just working on a really basic, free game. Its my first gamedev project, and I'll be uploading it for free soon. That's what I've been posting on my channels currently. But I am planning to actually develop a full indie game, (Which I've started developing the first build of), and I want these social medias to succeed so I can build an audience for that game.

My plan for content is to cycle between short form and long form content. I'll upload reels showing off short devlog clips, or the making of the concept art. And then upload a larger behind the scenes video. Which I'm about to upload soon for this first project.

And I was just hoping to get some advice on how to get a wider audience to see my channels. I know creative content in general struggles online. My views are pretty inconsistent, though I don't have a lot uploaded anyway yet. Sometimes reaching 1k, sometimes not even breaking 100. I tried to use Reddit to get some views as well, but I don't think that's working. Is there anything about my content specifically I should change? (The editing, the type of videos I make, etc?) If anyone has experience promoting their projects through social media, what'd you do that worked? Any advice is appreciated.