itch.io

Overall Opinion: If you're a fan of indie games, itch.io is something you can't miss. The website was originally launched in 2013, and it took less than two years for the site to gather more than 15,000 titles. Any developer that could not get their games approved on the major stores decided to try their luck on the indie market, and many of them have done well thanks to itch.io. With over 40,000 games in the current itch.io library, it would be hard not to find a game that you would enjoy in the selection. A good portion of the games are completely free, and those that do come with a premium cost aren't usually that expensive. It's a bit like shopping in the Games section of the iTunes or Android stores, but with significantly more options in each genre. The site is was launched by Leaf Corcoran in March of 2013, and he provided a short briefing of the site's details in a blog post on his personal site. He laid out the payment model that essentially described a game store in its simplest form, but he initially focused more on the idea of a single location with various pages focused on individual games. His vision was an advanced catalog, and the system in place now is exactly that. Not only does the itch.io system feature a dedicated website and a mobile app, but there is a desktop app as well. This is helpful for installing game content, and it is compatible with Linux, Mac, and Windows systems. Most users of itch.io will tell you that the desktop app is the best option for playing games through a PC. For developers, the system can be quite lucrative. Itch.io only charges 10 percent of the total cost of each sale made through the platform, but it is possible for developers to offer them a larger cut through their account settings. Games are priced in an interesting way as well. Instead of offering a single price for each file, the developer provides a minimum they are willing to accept, and this might include no cost at all. Players can purchase games for the minimum cost, or they can pay more to show their support of that particular developer. You'll find that this model allows many games to be hosted and accessible at no charge. Hardcore fans support the developers by paying more than the minimum amount, and it keeps the platform afloat. Users can buy games with a wide range of currency options, including credit, bank draft, and cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Obviously it would be nice if all the games were completely free, but that would be a relatively unrealistic expectation from such a platform.

Pros: Unique Gaming Community Over 40,000 Games

Cons: Pay-to-Play