GamesNarrative and adventure games playbook
Narrative and adventure games grow through curated showcases, critics and players telling each other 'you have to play this', not through mechanics clips. Outpost finds the festivals and writers that fit your story, protects your twist, and records every action with a receipt.
01 · DISCOVERY
Narrative players follow curators: showcases like Day of the Devs, awards like the IGF, conventions like AdventureX (the UK's convention for narrative-driven games), and critics at outlets that review story games. Adventure Gamers keeps a database of over 5,000 adventure games. On Steam, the Story Rich, Choices Matter and Point & Click tags and Next Fest demos bring in players looking for their next story.
Notice a striking image or a line of writing, read a preview or watch a showcase segment, wishlist, try the demo to see if the voice lands, then buy at launch or when a trusted critic recommends it. Some players watch a full playthrough instead of buying, so the hook has to be in playing it yourself: choices, atmosphere, pacing.
02 · CHANNELS
Ranked 5 (essential) to 1 (optional) by the research for this industry.
Day of the Devs, Wholesome Direct (for cozy stories), AdventureX and IGF put narrative games in front of press and players who seek them out. Day of the Devs says it weighs novelty and unique perspective, which suits story-led games.
Story games are reviewed, not just covered. Adventure Gamers, games press with strong criticism sections, and newsletters about narrative design are where players decide. Send a clean build, a spoiler guide and a clear embargo.
A demo lets players hear the voice. Make the first ten minutes the strongest writing in the game and end on a question, not a menu.
Creators who play narrative games are great for reach, but a full playthrough can replace a purchase. Ask for spoiler-light coverage, offer an early chapter, or suggest they stop before the twist.
Short narrative prototypes on itch.io and game jams build an audience for your voice. Devlogs about writing choices draw players and other developers.
BUSINESS MODEL · LIVE
The same channel can be a strong fit for a paid game and a poor one for a free one. Each line below is a rule or rating from Outpost's knowledge base, with its source; your own plan is built from your answers.
HTML5 (browser-played) games on itch.io can only take donations; to sell access the project must be set to Downloadable.
itch.io offers three pricing modes per project: no payments, $0-or-donate (a suggested donation that can be skipped), and paid with the set price as a minimum that buyers may exceed.
Premium games are Steam's core model: discounts of 20% or more can trigger wishlist emails, discounts run 10-95% (launch discount max 40%) with 30-day cooldowns, and seasonal sales are exempt from the between-discount cooldown.
Free-to-play and Early Access games may enter Steam Next Fest if unreleased, with a public demo, a public store page, and only one Next Fest per title ever.
itch.io's quality guidelines tell creators to avoid sponsored installers and ads that block play until the player acts, and itch never puts ads on creator pages.
Steam does not accept applications with advertising-based business models, so an ads-funded game must remove ads or monetize differently for its Steam build.
itch.io has no general in-game purchase system; its 'sub-products' API sells add-ons through itch's checkout for redemption on the developer's own site or service.
Steam does not accept blockchain games that issue or allow exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs.
Free-to-play games on Steam are generally not eligible for curated discount spotlights (Daily Deals, Midweek and Weekend deals), and in-game content discounts are run from the developer's own backend.
Steamworks' onboarding rules, microtransaction, free-to-play and Inventory docs set no specific odds-disclosure rule for paid random items, so Steam loot boxes are governed by regional law, rating boards and the Steam Inventory drop system.
Desktop games installed through the itch app need an app manifest if they require redistributables (Visual C++, DirectX, XNA), have multiple launch targets or use the itch.io API; simple single-executable builds work without one.
itch.io's butler docs say the backend rejects builds above 30GB total uncompressed size; the itch app docs say 'the web limit is 2GB'; a 2020 community thread showed a 1 GB web-upload message, now likely out of date.
itch.io tags butler uploads by channel name: names containing win/windows, linux, mac/osx or android become Windows, Linux, Mac or Android downloads; architecture cannot be tagged.
itch.io HTML5 zips should not contain more than 1,000 files after extraction (a default limit; itch.io says to contact them if it doesn't suit the project).
Read from Outpost's knowledge base on Nov 8, 2026; every line links its source.
03 · YOUR FIRST MONTH
A sample month. Your own plan is built from your audit, stage and goal, and paid options only ever appear as optional boosts.
Week 1 · days 1–7
Week 2 · days 8–14
Week 3 · days 15–21
Week 4 · days 22–30
DEADLINES · LIVE
Read from Outpost's knowledge base when this page loads. Expected dates follow the organiser's usual pattern and are labelled until the organiser confirms them.
04 · WHERE TO BE LISTED
Costs are as published by each destination when the research was reviewed; check before you pay for anything.
dayofthedevs.org
A free, curated showcase from Double Fine and iam8bit. Selection values novelty and a unique perspective.
igf.com
The long-running indie awards at GDC. 2027 submissions are closed; plan for the next cycle (submissions opened in August and closed in September this year).
$75 per entry ($25 student); waivers available
adventurexpo.org
The UK's convention for narrative-driven games, run by volunteers since 2011. The next one is 7 and 8 November 2026 in London.
Check the exhibiting page
adventuregamers.com
Reviews, news and a database of over 5,000 adventure games. Make sure your game is listed and pitch reviews.
wholesomegames.com
For cozy and gentle narrative games. Submissions open seasonally, and it opposes AI-generated art.
No fee mentioned
partner.steamgames.com
Valve's demo festival. The February 2027 edition runs 22 February to 1 March, with registration closing 10 January 2027. A game can appear only once.
Free (needs an existing Steam app)
itch.io
Good for early prototypes, jam builds and narrative experiments, with a community that likes unusual games.
Free (you choose the revenue share)
dopresskit.com
A free, standard press kit format journalists recognise.
PC STORES · LIVE
For PC games already on Steam: what Epic offers and asks, from Epic's own pages where they could be read.
Epic Games Store developers keep 100% of the first US$1M net revenue per product per calendar year (resetting each 1 January from 2026, applied automatically), then 88/12.
Epic First Run is an opt-in 6-month Epic-exclusive window paying 100% net revenue; it is open only to new games not previously released on another third-party PC store, and afterwards the standard 100%-of-first-US$1M then 88/12 terms apply.
Epic lets games use their own or a third-party payment solution for in-app purchases, keeping up to 100% of that revenue.
Epic requires multiplayer games sold on other PC stores to support crossplay with them, and products added to its publishing tools after 9 March 2023 to enable Epic achievements if they offer achievements on other PC stores.
Listing on Epic Games Store is paid. $100 per product plus local taxes; not refundable but recouped after $1,000 on EGS. Developer keeps 100% of the first $1M net revenue per product per year (resets every Jan 1 from 2026), then 88/12, applied automatically to Epic-processed payments. A separate opt-in 'Epic First Run' gives 100% for a 6-month exclusive. Free alternative: itch.io or the Microsoft Store PC path (free)
05 · SEARCH DEMAND
Primary search
narrative game marketing
Below the provider’s reporting threshold: real demand, too small to report.
DataForSEO Google Ads, US/en, Oct 2026 (primary keyword below reporting threshold; related 'adventure games' 14,800/mo, 'narrative games' 590/mo)
Comparing: show why you
Comparing: show why you
Comparing: show why you
Learning: answer with guides
06 · AVOID
Trailers and store pages that give away the central reveal remove the reason to play. Write a spoiler guide for press and creators and stick to it yourself.
Narrative games live on voice. A trailer of walking and ambient music says nothing. Lead with a line of dialogue or narration that makes people curious.
Story players want to know how long the game is and whether choices matter. Say it on the store page; vagueness leads to refund-driven reviews.
Full playthroughs can replace a purchase for linear stories. Give creators a suggested stopping point or an early chapter, and favour creators who cover the game rather than finish it on stream.
Curated shows and awards close months before they air. IGF 2027 submissions are already closed. Keep a calendar a year ahead.
07 · WHAT OUTPOST DOES
Builds a festival and showcase calendar (Day of the Devs, Wholesome Direct, AdventureX, IGF, Next Fest) with every submission deadline tracked
Finds YouTube critics and writers who have covered comparable story games and logs each personal pitch you send with a receipt
Drafts press pitches and a spoiler guide so press and creator coverage protects your twist
Publishes 'games like' and story-game pages on your site, aimed at searches that grow over months
Tracks AI-search answers for prompts like 'best narrative indie games', next to the wishlists you share by source
Every action Outpost takes gets a receipt: the live URL, a timestamp and what it drove, or “nothing yet”.See how receipts work
08 · QUESTIONS
Sell the question, not the answer: the premise, the mood and the first choice. Give press and creators a spoiler guide and a suggested stopping point, and keep the reveal out of your own trailer and capsule art.
Both. They bring reach, but a full playthrough of a linear story can replace a purchase for some viewers. Ask for spoiler-light coverage or an early chapter, and favour games with choices that make people want their own run.
For a distinctive narrative game, often yes. Entry is $75 ($25 for students), with waivers available. 2027 submissions closed on 13 September 2026, so plan for the next cycle.
The UK's convention for narrative-driven gaming, run by volunteers as a non-profit since 2011. The next one is 7 and 8 November 2026 in London. Check its exhibiting page for how to show a game.
Next Fest (22 February to 1 March 2027, register by 10 January) is the main demo event. Steam has run a Visual Novel Fest before (March 2025), so watch the Steamworks events page for story-adjacent fests.
Narrative games often sell in waves: a festival or showcase, a strong review, a sale. Expect months of build-up before launch and a long tail afterwards as critics and players keep recommending the game.
Often yes, as a second store once your Steam page is working, if your game meets Epic's rules: Epic Games Store developers keep 100% of the first US$1M net revenue per product per calendar year (resetting each 1 January from 2026, applied automatically), then 88/12. Epic First Run is an opt-in 6-month Epic-exclusive window paying 100% net revenue; it is open only to new games not previously released on another third-party PC store, and afterwards the standard 100%-of-first-US$1M then 88/12 terms apply. Epic lets games use their own or a third-party payment solution for in-app purchases, keeping up to 100% of that revenue. Epic requires multiplayer games sold on other PC stores to support crossplay with them, and products added to its publishing tools after 9 March 2023 to enable Epic achievements if they offer achievements on other PC stores. Listing on Epic Games Store is paid. $100 per product plus local taxes; not refundable but recouped after $1,000 on EGS. Developer keeps 100% of the first $1M net revenue per product per year (resets every Jan 1 from 2026), then 88/12, applied automatically to Epic-processed payments. A separate opt-in 'Epic First Run' gives 100% for a 6-month exclusive. Free alternative: itch.io or the Microsoft Store PC path (free) Epic First Run is irreversible for its six months, so Outpost asks you to confirm it before planning it.
10 · EVIDENCE
Every fact on this page comes from one of these sources.
IGF 2027 fees ($75, $25 student), submissions 10 August to 13 September 2026, finalists in January 2027, awards on 3 March 2027 at GDC (1 to 5 March 2027)
AdventureX is the UK's only convention dedicated to narrative-driven gaming, volunteer-run since 2011; next event 7 and 8 November 2026 in London
Adventure game reviews, news and a database of over 5,000 titles
Free curated showcase; selection weighs novelty and a unique perspective
Next Fest February 2027 dates and 10 January 2027 registration deadline; dates listed on the page: Next Fest Oct 19-26, 2026; Steam Scream V Fest Oct 26 - Nov 2, 2026; Auto-Battler RPG Fest Nov 16-23, 2026; Winter Sale Dec 17, 2026 - Jan 4, 2027; Desktop Companion Fest Jan 14-18, 2027; Shop Keeper Fest Jan 25 - Feb 1, 2027; Couch Co-Op Fest Feb 8-15, 2027; Next Fest Feb 22 - Mar 1, 2027; Real-Time Strategy Fest May 10-17, 2027; Next Fest Jun 14-21, 2027; Summer Sale Jun 24 - Jul 8, 2027 (checked Oct 20, 2026)
Steam Visual Novel Fest ran 3 to 10 March 2025
Wholesome Direct seasonal submissions for cozy and wholesome games
Last reviewed . Search volume: DataForSEO Google Ads, US/en, Oct 2026 (primary keyword below reporting threshold; related 'adventure games' 14,800/mo, 'narrative games' 590/mo).
FREE WEBSITE AUDIT
Paste your website. Outpost reads it, scores your visibility, finds your competitors and shows the first fixes, free. Then the playbook above becomes your own campaign, measured in wishlists and players.
See plans and pricing