4. Publishing and Sharing Your Game
You've built a great game! Now let's put it in front of gamers!
Not done with your game creation yet? We recommend you to check out: 1. Getting Started to learn more about the tools you'll be mastering; 2. Creating Your First Game to get your first game up and running; 3. Improving and Refining Your Game where you'll be perfecting it!
This guide covers how to share your game instantly with a link, how to submit it to the Cipher Game Lobby where everyone can play it, and what happens after publishing your game.
Sharing Your Game (Before Publishing)
You don't need to publish on the Cipher Game Lobby immediately if you're not ready! You can still share it. Every project has a Share button that generates a link instantly.
When Do You Use Sharing?
Game creation on Livestream Share the link with your audience so they can play along while you build on stream. You build the game live, they play it in real time.
Getting feedback before you publish Send the link to your friends and family, or on our Discord. Find out what's broken, confusing, or fun before it goes live.
Testing on different devices Open the link on your phone or another computer to see how your game plays outside the workspace.
How to Share
Open your project in the workspace.
Click Share in the top toolbar.
A "Share your game" popup appears with a Public link.
Click Copy link.
Send that link to anyone. They can play in their browser immediately
Quick-tip: The link stays the same even when you update your game. When you make changes, anyone who opens the link gets the newest version automatically.
Publishing to the Cipher Game Lobby
Publishing puts your game in the Cipher Game Lobby, which is where gamers go to discover, show their support and play games by independent creators! Your game will show up as a card listed in a grid alongside other creators' games.
Before You Publish
Make sure your game is ready for everyone to play:
Does the game work from start to finish? The game loads, the player can interact with it, and there's a clear ending (game over screen, win state, score display).
Can someone figure it out without you explaining? If the controls aren't obvious, make sure they're shown on a title screen or instructions overlay. After all, you won't be standing next to every player!
Have you tested it in Fullscreen? Hit Fullscreen and play through the entire thing at least once.
Does the title screen work? If your game has a Play button or Start screen, make sure it actually responds when clicked.
How to Submit
Publishing goes through a quick review process where the Cipher team will check for major issues and flag up to you if any requires fixing before it goes live.
Open your project in the workspace.
Click Submit for Review in the top toolbar.
Fill in the Game Details popup:
Game Name — The name players see in the lobby (Max. 30 characters)
Game Description — What the game is about (Max 250 characters)
Game Cover Image — A 16:9 image that represents your game. This is the biggest thing on your card and the first thing players notice. Accepted formats: JPEG, JPG, PNG (Max. 10 MB)
Click + Submit for Review.
Quick-tip: If you try to upload the wrong file type, you'll see "Unsupported file formats." If your image is over 10 MB, you'll see "File is too big." Resize or compress it and try again!
What happens after you submit
Your game enters one of these states:
Under Review
Your game is tested for any major gameplay issues
Published
Your game is live in the Cipher Game Lobby
Unpublished
Removed from the lobby (Can be republished after fixes)
Once published, your game appears in the lobby with your cover image, game name, avatar, and nametag. Players click Play Now to launch it.
After You've Published Your Game
Keep improving! Publishing doesn't freeze your project, so you can keep making changes. All updated versions will go live automatically through the same link.
Tell people about it. Share your game with your audience or show people how to locate your game on the Cipher Game Lobby!
Stream the whole process. For creators seeking new, unique and engaging fan-service or stream ideas - why not build a game live, publish it, then having your community play it in real time?
Collect feedback! Use it to make your game better.
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