How to Actually Finish Your First Indie Game (7 Tips That Work)

Steven Marrone·January 26, 2026·0 comments

After countless tutorials, prototypes, and half-finished projects, most indie developers never actually ship a game. The problem isn’t skill—it’s execution. Here’s how to break the cycle and finally release something in 2026.

Contents

Quick Answer

  • Best advice: Make a game you can finish in 1-3 months, not 1-3 years
  • Scope is the #1 killer of indie projects—cut ruthlessly
  • Set a public deadline and stick to it no matter what
  • Your first shipped game beats your 10th unfinished prototype
  • Feature creep will destroy you—freeze features early

Tip 1: Scope Smaller Than You Think

Every new developer makes the same mistake: their first project is an open-world RPG with crafting, multiplayer, and procedural generation. This is a recipe for failure.

The 90-10 rule states that 90% of a game can be built in 10% of the time, but the remaining 10% takes 90% of the time. Polish, bug fixes, edge cases, menus, saving/loading, tutorials—these “small” things add up fast.

What to do instead:

  • Pick a game that takes 5-15 minutes to complete
  • Limit to 1 core mechanic (not 5)
  • No procedural generation for your first game
  • Single-player only (multiplayer triples development time)
  • Target 1 platform initially

Think Pong, not Skyrim. You can always expand after you ship.

Tip 2: Prototype Before You Commit

Before investing months into art and systems, spend a weekend building a minimum viable prototype. Does the core mechanic feel good? Is it actually fun?

Many developers spend weeks on beautiful pixel art before realizing the gameplay doesn’t work. Prototypes should be ugly—placeholder squares and circles are perfect.

A good prototype answers:

  • Is the core loop engaging?
  • Does it feel good to play (even with no art)?
  • Can you see yourself playing this for hours?
  • Is it technically feasible with your skills?

If the prototype isn’t fun, pivot or pick a new idea. Don’t polish a broken concept.

Tip 3: Finish Ugly First

Build the entire game—start to finish—with placeholder art. This is called a “vertical slice.” You should be able to play from the title screen through credits before adding any polish.

Why? Because many developers spend 6 months on the first level, then burn out. If you build the whole skeleton first, you can see the finish line. That visibility is motivating.

Finish ugly priorities:

  1. Core gameplay loop
  2. All levels/content (rough versions)
  3. Main menu, pause, and game over screens
  4. Save/load functionality
  5. Audio (basic sound effects)
  6. THEN polish art, animations, and juice

Tip 4: Set Hard Deadlines

Work expands to fill the time available. A game with no deadline will never ship. Set a public release date and commit to it.

Effective deadline strategies:

  • Game jams: Ludum Dare, GMTK Jam, and others force you to ship in 48-72 hours
  • Public announcements: Post your release date on social media or itch.io
  • Trailer deadlines: Commit to showing gameplay by a specific date
  • Festival submissions: Many have fixed deadlines (Steam Next Fest, etc.)

If you miss your deadline, ship anyway—even if it’s smaller than planned. Cutting features is better than cutting the project.

Tip 5: Learn to Say No (Feature Freeze)

Scope creep kills more games than bad code. Every “small addition” extends your timeline by weeks. Feature freeze means no new features after a certain point—only bug fixes.

How to handle new ideas mid-development:

  • Write them in a “Future Ideas” document
  • Ask: “Does this make the game shippable, or just bigger?”
  • If it’s not in the original scope, it’s post-launch content
  • Use the “Needs/Wants” method—finish all Needs before any Wants

Feature freeze should happen at 60-70% completion. After that, you’re polishing and fixing, not adding.

Tip 6: Playtest Early and Often

Don’t wait until your game is “ready” to show people. Playtest from the prototype stage. Fresh eyes catch problems you’ve become blind to.

Where to find playtesters:

  • Friends and family (they’ll be nice, but watch their faces)
  • Reddit communities (r/playmygame, r/indiegaming)
  • Discord servers for your engine (Godot, Unity, etc.)
  • Local game dev meetups
  • Itch.io early access

Don’t explain how to play—if your tutorial doesn’t work, that’s feedback. Record sessions if possible.

Tip 7: Ship It Imperfect

Your first game will not be your best game. That’s okay—it’s not supposed to be. The goal is to complete the full development cycle: concept → prototype → production → polish → release → post-launch.

Lessons you only learn by shipping:

  • How to write a store page and marketing copy
  • The actual work involved in builds and deployment
  • What players actually care about (vs. what you think they care about)
  • How to handle bug reports and feedback
  • The emotional rollercoaster of public release

A released game with flaws teaches you more than a perfect game that only exists in your head.

Pro Tips

  • Track your hours: You’ll be shocked how long things actually take—use this data for future estimates
  • Build individual systems: If a full game feels overwhelming, build small standalone systems (inventory, dialogue, save system) and combine them later
  • Take breaks: Burnout is real. A week off beats abandoning the project entirely
  • Join a game jam: Shipping a 48-hour game proves to yourself you can finish things
  • Document as you go: Future-you will thank present-you for comments and notes
  • Celebrate milestones: Finished a level? Share a GIF. Small wins keep motivation high

FAQ

Q: How long should my first game take to make?
A: Aim for 1-3 months of active development. Anything longer dramatically increases the chance of abandonment. Game jams are excellent for forcing completion in hours, not months.

Q: What’s the best engine for finishing games quickly?
A: Use whatever you’re most comfortable with. Godot, Unity, and GameMaker are all excellent for small projects. The “best” engine is the one you’ll actually ship with.

Q: Should I release for free or charge money?
A: For your first game, release for free or “name your price” on itch.io. The goal is completion, not profit. You can monetize game #2 or #3 when you have experience.

Q: How do I know when my game is “done”?
A: Done is when it’s playable from start to finish without game-breaking bugs. It doesn’t need to be perfect—it needs to be complete. Set your definition of “done” before you start.

Q: What if I get stuck and lose motivation?
A: Take a short break (days, not weeks), then return with a smaller scope. Cut features until you can see the finish line again. Motivation follows action—sometimes you just need to push through.

Summary

Finishing your first indie game comes down to scope control and commitment. Start small, set hard deadlines, freeze features early, and ship something—even if it’s imperfect. The lessons from one completed project are worth more than a dozen abandoned prototypes. Now stop reading and start building.

Steven

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