How to Fund an Indie Game Without a Publisher
Without a publisher, a solo or tiny-team game starts on savings, part-time work and a scope small enough to finish, then topped up with a demo, a crowdfund, a grant or a tax credit. This guide covers each route with the fees and rules from the platforms' and funders' own pages, plus a runway example you can copy.
Key takeaways
- Fund the first year yourself: savings, a part-time or contract job, and a scope cut to fit the runway you actually have.
- Steam Direct costs $100 per game and is recoupable once the game makes $1,000 Adjusted Gross Revenue, so the store is not the expensive part.
- Valve says Early Access is not a way to crowdfund development: you need a playable game at the time of purchase.
- Kickstarter takes 5% of a funded project plus roughly 3-5% Stripe processing; Patreon takes 10% plus processing and payout fees.
- Grants and credits are real but regional: UK Games Fund Content Fund offers £100,000 to £250,000, Screen Queensland up to $200,000, and the UK Video Games Expenditure Credit is 34% of qualifying spend.
On this page 18
- TL;DR
- Why go without a publisher at all
- Step 1: Fit the scope to the money you have
- Step 2: Keep income coming in
- Step 3: Build wishlists and a demo before you ask for money
- Step 4: Use Early Access only once the game is fun
- Step 5: Crowdfunding and Patreon
- Step 6: Grants, funds and tax credits
- Revenue-share funding vs keeping everything
- Worked example: what you keep from $10,000 of sales
- Frequently asked questions
- Can you make an indie game without a publisher?
- Can I use Steam Early Access to fund development?
- How much does Kickstarter take from a game campaign?
- Are there grants for indie games?
- Do I have to give up my IP to get funding?
- Launch your game on ZeroRaised
- Sources
Short answer: Without a publisher, you fund the game yourself first: savings, a part-time or contract job, and a scope small enough to finish on that runway. Once there is something playable, you add money from players (a demo that builds wishlists, a crowdfund, Patreon, then Early Access) and, where you qualify, a regional grant or a games tax credit.
Every fee, amount and rule below comes from the platform's or funder's own page, checked on 11 Nov 2026. Anything we could not verify today is left out. The advice in between is ours and marked as such.
TL;DR#
- Self-fund the first playable. No store, crowdfund or grant will pay for the very first prototype. Savings, freelance work and tight scope do.
- Stores are cheap to enter. Steam Direct is $100 per game, recoupable after $1,000 Adjusted Gross Revenue (Steamworks). itch.io lets you choose its cut from 0% to 100% (itch.io).
- Early Access is not a funding round. Valve says "Early Access is not a way to crowdfund development of your product" (Steamworks).
- Crowdfunding costs about 8-10% in fees. Kickstarter takes 5% if funded plus "roughly 3-5%" processing (Kickstarter).
- Grants are regional and competitive. UK, Australian and some private funds are listed below with verified amounts.
Disclosure: ZeroRaised is a launch site for products built without institutional VC. We have no commercial relationship with any store, platform or fund mentioned here and earn nothing if you use them. Facts come from the linked sources as checked on 11 Nov 2026.
Why go without a publisher at all#
A publisher can pay for development, marketing and porting, usually recouping from your revenue and taking a share after, sometimes with rights to the IP or sequels. Our read: self-funding fits a game small enough to ship on your own runway, made by someone willing to market it, who wants to keep the IP. It fits a large 3D project with heavy art and porting costs least.
It is also not either/or. LocalThunk built Balatro alone and wrote that the soundtrack from Fiverr was "(at the time) the only money I had spent or planned to spend on the game." Later, "After a bunch of negotiations I finally sign a publishing deal with Playstack" (LocalThunk, Balatro Timeline). Self-funding to a strong demo gives you leverage if you ever do talk to a publisher.
Step 1: Fit the scope to the money you have#
Start from runway, not from the dream version of the game. Work out how many months you can fund, then design a game that ships in that time with a margin.
Worked runway example (ours, illustrative numbers):
| Line | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Rent, food, bills (your real number) | $2,000 |
| Software, assets, contractor art | $150 |
| Total burn | $2,150 |
| Part-time contract income | -$1,200 |
| Net burn from savings | $950 |
With $12,000 saved, that is about 12 months of runway (12,000 / 950 ≈ 12.6). If your honest estimate for the game is 18 months, you either cut scope, raise the contract income, or plan a funding step at month 9 (a demo, a crowdfund or a grant application) and treat it as a decision point, not a certainty.
Scope tips (ours): polish one core loop, prefer systemic designs that stretch a small art budget, buy music and UI packs instead of spending months on them, and set a kill date with the number (wishlists, demo players, backers) that tells you to keep going.
Step 2: Keep income coming in#
The least glamorous route is often the most reliable: a job. LocalThunk started Balatro using "about 3 weeks of vacation time from my IT job" and only went full time later: "I had some money saved up, so starting this month I really leaned into it" (Balatro Timeline). LocalThunk described the original goal plainly: "making games is my hobby, releasing them and making money from them is not."
Options that fit around a game (ours): contract porting, engine or art work; part-time employment, whose predictable hours make runway easier to plan; and tutorials or asset packs from your own pipeline. Our read: three or four days a week on the game with steady income often ships more than five anxious days on dwindling savings.
Step 3: Build wishlists and a demo before you ask for money#
Every later funding route gets easier with proof that players want the game. On Steam, that proof is wishlists.
Chris Zukowski, who studies Steam marketing, wrote in October 2026 that "Wishlists aren't perfect, but they do predict how many units a game will sell," based on a survey of 160 games (How To Market A Game). The same post reports "wishlist inflation": games in 2023-2025 sold about half as many units per wishlist at launch as in 2020-2022.
LocalThunk's own numbers show how a store page can compound: "By end of May, Balatro had 48 wishlists on Steam" and "By launch day, Balatro has 208,401 wishlists on Steam" (Balatro Timeline). Treat that as one exceptional result, not a benchmark.
Steam Next Fest is Valve's free festival for unreleased games with demos. Valve says it "occurs three times a year, in February, June, and October" and is open to unreleased games that meet criteria including: "Has not previously joined a Next Fest; titles may only participate in ONE Next Fest", "Will include a publicly playable demo by the time Next Fest begins" and "The base game store page must be published and public" (Steamworks Next Fest). Because you get one shot, our advice is to enter with your strongest demo, not your first.
Steam Direct itself is cheap: "pay a $100 USD (or equivalent) fee for each new app," which is "recoupable in the payment made after your product" has "at least $1,000.00 Adjusted Gross Revenue" (Steamworks).
Step 4: Use Early Access only once the game is fun#
Early Access can bring revenue before 1.0, but Valve is direct about what it is not:
- "Early Access is not a way to crowdfund development of your product."
- "You should not use Early Access solely to fund development."
- "Early Access titles must deliver a playable game or usable software to the customer at the time of purchase."
All three are from Valve's Early Access documentation. Our read: Early Access can fund a game that already has a satisfying loop and a content plan, not the search for the fun.
Step 5: Crowdfunding and Patreon#
We cover campaign planning in depth in how to crowdfund a software product; here is what is specific to games.
Kickstarter. "If a project is successfully funded, Kickstarter collects a 5% fee," and "Stripe, our payments processor, will also collect a payment processing fee (roughly 3-5%)." If you miss the goal, "no fees are collected" (Kickstarter help).
Game-specific advice (ours): launch with a demo already out, prefer digital rewards (keys, soundtrack, credits) over physical ones that eat budgets in shipping, set the goal at the minimum that ships the game, and remember that a campaign rarely creates an audience from zero.
Patreon. Patreon lists "10%" of "the income you earn on Patreon," "Plus payment processing, currency conversion, and payout fees, and applicable taxes" (Patreon pricing). Our read: it suits devs who already post devlogs, as top-up income rather than a budget.
itch.io pre-orders and early builds. itch.io uses open revenue sharing: "You (the seller) can decide what percentage of your sales will go towards itch.io, from 0% to 100%," with "the default rate, 10%" (itch.io payments). itch.io also notes that most PayPal and Stripe card transactions carry "a fee of $0.30 + 2.9%."
Step 6: Grants, funds and tax credits#
Our wider list of startup grants for bootstrapped founders covers general programmes. These are game-specific, with terms as published on 11 Nov 2026:
| Programme | Region | Type | Amount (from their page) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Games Fund Content Fund | UK | Grant | £100,000 to £250,000 | "Now open for EOIs." Also runs Prototype and Starter funds |
| UK Video Games Expenditure Credit | UK | Tax credit | 34% of qualifying expenditure | Game must be certified British by the BFI; at least 10% of core costs in the UK |
| Screen Queensland Games Grants | Queensland, Australia | Grant | Up to $200,000; up to $300,000 over a project's lifetime | No repayment; 75% of team in Queensland; last round closed 23 August |
| Wings Fund | Global | Recoupable funding | Max $500k project funding | Studios led by women and gender-marginalized devs; premium PC games |
| Indie Fund | Global | Investment | Most projects $10,000 to $50,000 | "We will not fund games without a playable prototype." |
Details worth knowing:
- UK Video Games Expenditure Credit. "You can claim an expenditure credit at a rate of 34% of your qualifying expenditure." Qualifying expenditure is the lower of "80% of total core costs" and "the amount of UK core costs" (GOV.UK). It is claimed through Corporation Tax, so it is for companies, and it pays back money you have already spent rather than funding you up front.
- Screen Queensland. Caps run from "Funding capped at $20,000" for a prototype to $200,000 for full release (Screen Queensland).
- Wings Fund. Its homepage lists "100%" for "Your IP & Publishing Rights" and "50/50" for "Rev share till recouped" (Wings Fund).
Also check Epic MegaGrants (Unreal projects), Creative Europe MEDIA (which covers "film, TV, video games and XR"), the Canada Media Fund and Screen Australia. We could not load their current terms today, so we quote no amounts.
Our read: write one application pack (pitch, budget, schedule, trailer, demo link) and adapt it per funder.
Revenue-share funding vs keeping everything#
Between a grant (no repayment) and a full publisher deal sits recoupable funding: you take cash now and pay it back from revenue, often with a share after. Before signing, ask (ours): what is recouped and from net or gross revenue, what the split is during and after recoupment, who owns the IP, sequels and ports, whether their share has a cap or end date, and what happens if the game is cancelled. If a deal touches your IP, pay a lawyer for an hour. For a wider view of non-dilutive options, see ways to fund a product without venture capital.
Worked example: what you keep from $10,000 of sales#
Illustrative, ours, using verified fees and ignoring tax, refunds and currency conversion:
| Route | Fees | You keep from $10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| itch.io at default 10%, card payments | 10% itch.io + 2.9% + $0.30 per sale | About $8,410 on 1,000 sales of $10 |
| itch.io at 0% share | 2.9% + $0.30 per sale | About $9,410 on 1,000 sales of $10 |
| Kickstarter, funded | 5% + roughly 3-5% processing | About $9,000 to $9,200 before rewards |
| Patreon | 10% + processing and payout fees | Under $9,000 |
Arithmetic for the itch.io default row: $10,000 minus $1,000 (10%) minus $290 (2.9%) minus $300 (1,000 x $0.30) = $8,410. For Steam, plug in the revenue share from your Steam Distribution Agreement. Our read: fees are a small lever next to runway and wishlists.
Frequently asked questions#
Can you make an indie game without a publisher?#
Yes. Self-publishing on Steam costs $100 per game through Steam Direct, and that fee is recoupable once the game reaches $1,000 Adjusted Gross Revenue. itch.io lets you set its revenue share anywhere from 0% to 100%, with a 10% default. The hard part is not access to stores, it is paying for your time until launch, usually with savings and part-time work.
Can I use Steam Early Access to fund development?#
Not as your only source. Valve's Early Access documentation says it is not a way to crowdfund development and that you should not use it solely to fund development. Early Access titles must deliver a playable game at the time of purchase. It can bring in revenue for a game that is already fun, but it will not pay for building the first playable version.
How much does Kickstarter take from a game campaign?#
If the project is funded, Kickstarter collects a 5% fee and Stripe collects a payment processing fee of roughly 3-5%. If the project does not reach its goal, no fees are collected. Budget for reward fulfilment and backer surveys on top of those fees.
Are there grants for indie games?#
Yes, mostly regional. The UK Games Fund Content Fund offers £100,000 to £250,000 grants and was open for expressions of interest when we checked. Screen Queensland offers grants of up to $200,000 with no repayment, for teams at least 75% based in Queensland. Indie Fund is investment rather than a grant, usually $10,000 to $50,000, and needs a playable prototype.
Do I have to give up my IP to get funding?#
Not with self-funding, crowdfunding, Patreon, grants or tax credits. Some funders that recoup from revenue also leave IP with you: Wings Fund lists 100% of IP and publishing rights staying with the developer and a 50/50 revenue share until recouped. Read every agreement for revenue share, recoupment and rights before signing.
Launch your game on ZeroRaised#
ZeroRaised is a launch directory for products built without institutional VC, and self-published games count. When your demo or 1.0 is ready, submit it for free, and use our guide on how to launch a bootstrapped app to plan launch week. For more funding guides without investors, join the ZeroRaised newsletter.
Sources#
- Steamworks: Steam Direct fee, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- Steamworks: Early Access, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- Steamworks: Steam Next Fest, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- itch.io: Payments and open revenue sharing, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- Kickstarter Help: What are the fees?, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- Patreon pricing, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- UK Games Fund, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- GOV.UK: Claiming Video Games Expenditure Credits, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- Screen Queensland: Games Grants, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- Wings Fund and Wings Fund FAQ, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- Indie Fund: Apply, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- Creative Europe MEDIA strand, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- LocalThunk: Balatro Timeline, last checked 11 Nov 2026
- How To Market A Game: Wishlist inflation is real, but you still need them, last checked 11 Nov 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can you make an indie game without a publisher?
Yes. Self-publishing on Steam costs $100 per game through Steam Direct, and that fee is recoupable once the game reaches $1,000 Adjusted Gross Revenue. itch.io lets you set its revenue share anywhere from 0% to 100%, with a 10% default. The hard part is not access to stores, it is paying for your time until launch, usually with savings and part-time work.
Can I use Steam Early Access to fund development?
Not as your only source. Valve's Early Access documentation says it is not a way to crowdfund development and that you should not use it solely to fund development. Early Access titles must deliver a playable game at the time of purchase. It can bring in revenue for a game that is already fun, but it will not pay for building the first playable version.
How much does Kickstarter take from a game campaign?
If the project is funded, Kickstarter collects a 5% fee and Stripe collects a payment processing fee of roughly 3-5%. If the project does not reach its goal, no fees are collected. Budget for reward fulfilment and backer surveys on top of those fees.
Are there grants for indie games?
Yes, mostly regional. The UK Games Fund Content Fund offers £100,000 to £250,000 grants and was open for expressions of interest when we checked. Screen Queensland offers grants of up to $200,000 with no repayment, for teams at least 75% based in Queensland. Indie Fund is investment rather than a grant, usually $10,000 to $50,000, and needs a playable prototype.
Do I have to give up my IP to get funding?
Not with self-funding, crowdfunding, Patreon, grants or tax credits. Some funders that recoup from revenue also leave IP with you: Wings Fund lists 100% of IP and publishing rights staying with the developer and a 50/50 revenue share until recouped. Read every agreement for revenue share, recoupment and rights before signing.