The Indie Developer’s Guide to Publishing Without a Publisher

When it comes to being an indie developer, the freedom to make the game you want and to release it under your own terms is one of its biggest advantages. But if making a game can be hard, releasing it doesn’t necessarily get much easier. Self-publishing is a massive challenge that goes beyond just making a great game—from marketing and community building to platform approvals and post-launch support, going solo means wearing many hats.

So, how do you do it? You plan, of course! Just like when making your game, without a structured plan it’s easy to get overwhelmed, burn out, or miss critical steps that could make or break your launch. But fear not: we’re indie developers ourselves, we’ve done quite a few game releases, and in this guide we’ll break down how indie teams can navigate the self-publishing journey—without losing their minds in the process.

1. Know What You’re Signing Up For

Publishing isn’t just about uploading your game to Steam or consoles (or app stores!) and then sitting and waiting for people to play it (we wish…). It involves:

• Marketing & PR – Building hype, securing press coverage, and managing social media.
• Storefront Management – Navigating platform requirements, setting prices, and optimizing your store page.
• Community Engagement – Running a Discord, responding to feedback, and managing expectations.
• QA & Certification – Meeting platform-specific requirements and fixing last-minute bugs.
• Post-Launch Support – Patching issues, releasing updates, and handling customer support.

A publisher would normally handle many of these tasks, but as an indie dev, it’s all on you. The key is the same as when making your game: break everything down into manageable steps and set realistic expectations for your team and your audience. And to do this you need… yep, a lot of project management. After all, we didn’t decide to make Codecks (a project management and community management tool built for game dev, in case you’re new to our blog) just by chance, did we? We did it because it was needed!

When it comes to breaking down things into manageable tasks and how project management can do that, we’ve written a blog post all about that topic, aptly titled Why Project Management is Essential for Indie Game Development Success.

2. Plan Your Timeline Backward from Launch

Too many indie teams finish their game and only then start thinking about launch prep—which is, honestly, launch suicide. The best approach? Work backward from your target release date and build a timeline that includes:

• Pre-launch (6–12 months before release)
• Mid-stage (3–6 months before release)
• Final stretch (1–3 months before release)
• Post-launch (after release)

3. Store Pages & Wishlists: Start Early

Your store page is one of your most powerful marketing tools, and it needs to be optimized months before release. Key things to focus on:

• High-quality trailer & screenshots – Your game’s first impression matters.
• A clear, engaging game description – Hook players with a compelling pitch.
• Tagging & discoverability – Use the right genres and keywords to get found.
• Wishlist campaigns – The more wishlists, the better your launch-day visibility on platforms like Steam.

When it comes to your Steam page specifically, don’t worry: we’ve written a blog post all about how to make a good one, titled Designing your Steam Store page (Best Practices). It’s one of our most popular posts, and we think it can really help!

4. Don’t Neglect Marketing (Yes, You Have to Do It!)

Hey, don’t roll your eyes at us, we don’t make the rules! Make that Bluesky account, get those Discord posts going and reach out to those streamers! A great game without marketing is like screaming into the abyss—and with so many games being released these days, believe us when we say the abyss doesn’t scream back. 

Indie games thrive on community-driven marketing, so find what works for you:

• Social media & devlogs – Regular updates on Twitter, Bluesky, Reddit, and Discord.
• Press & influencers – Reach out to journalists and streamers well before launch.
• Playable demos – Let players try the game early to generate buzz.
• Collaborations – Cross-promote with other indie devs or bundle deals.

As you try out these channels, you’ll see that some deliver better results than others. Find the ones that work best for you, and focus on those. But… Yes, you have to do it! 

We know how annoying this can be, which is why we focused on making sure Codecks has features that can help—like Discord integration, for example, or Open Decks, to keep your community updated and involved in the development of your game. In general, for managing all these channels even a simple workflow, like a list of marketing tasks separate from development tasks, can make a big difference. And for this, Codecks is perfect.

5. Launch Day & Beyond: Keep the Momentum Going

Do you know how in a rollercoaster there’s always that part where the ride stops, makes you think the ride is over, and then BAM you have another drop or loop? Well, game dev can be a bit like that, and post-launch is that final loop that can catch developers by surprise. 

Many devs see launch day as the finish line but, believe us, it’s just the start. Key things to prepare for (memorize these, really, you’ll need them):

• Technical issues – Be ready to hotfix any major bugs immediately. Yes, there will be bugs, we guarantee you.
• Community engagement – Monitor forums, social media, and Discord for feedback. Again: Codecks is here to help!
• Post-launch updates – Plan for patches, content updates, or DLC to keep interest high.
• Sales strategy – Know when and how to discount your game without undervaluing it.

Avoiding the “Post-Launch Burnout”

It’s tempting to move on to the next project after launch, but keeping your game alive through updates, community interaction, and ongoing marketing is crucial. A structured approach—like a post-launch roadmap—helps keep expectations clear and prevents post-launch fatigue, which is essential at a stage where game dev fatigue will already be taking a toll.

6. Keeping It All Together: Why Planning and Organization Matter

With so many moving parts, it’s easy to lose track of tasks—and that’s why project management is E.S.S.E.N.T.I.A.L. It’s a good project management tool that’ll allow you to:

• Prioritize – Know what to focus on next, whether it’s bug fixes, content updates, or marketing.
• Collaborate – If you’re working with a small team, having a system to track who’s responsible for what prevents confusion.
• Track Feedback – Keeping a centralized place for player feedback and feature requests makes it easier to plan post-launch updates.

How do we know this? Because we’ve been through it (Maschine-Mensch, our co-founder Riad’s studio, is literally just about to release a new game). And that’s exactly why Codecks exists: to help game devs such as you and us deal with all this. The goal is simple: to reduce chaos and keep the focus on making your game successful. 

Final Thoughts: Is Self-Publishing Right for You?

Self-publishing gives you full control, but it also means taking on all the responsibility. Some indie teams thrive with this freedom, while others prefer partnering with a publisher to offload marketing, funding, or platform negotiations. There’s no one-size-fits-all, really: it depends on you and your team.

If you’re up for the challenge, though, keep all the things we wrote about here in mind. Make sure you have a clear roadmap, a solid marketing plan, and the right tools to keep everything on track. And most importantly—don’t go at it alone. Whether it’s your team, your community, or fellow indie devs, collaboration is key to a successful indie launch.

And back to that “right tools” part… Codecks has more than 50.000 registered organizations and is used by studios worldwide for a reason. Why not make a free account and try it out?