GamesPuzzle games playbook
Puzzle games spread through play: a browser version on a web portal, a Steam demo, a clever level shared as a GIF. Outpost prepares the portal submissions, Steam events and puzzle-community outreach that put your first levels in front of the right players.
01 · DISCOVERY
Puzzle players come from three overlapping places. Web portals like Coolmath Games, Poki and CrazyGames bring large casual audiences to free browser builds. Steam and itch.io are where fans of 'thinky' puzzle games browse tags, demos and curators. Mobile stores serve casual puzzlers. Enthusiast outlets such as Thinky Games, with its curated database and Thinky Direct showcase, and puzzle-game communities are where dedicated fans look for their next favorite.
Play a browser build or demo, hit the 'aha' moment, then wishlist or buy the full game. On portals, money comes from licensing or ad revenue share rather than sales, so many developers use a web version as the top of the funnel for a premium Steam release.
02 · CHANNELS
Ranked 5 (essential) to 1 (optional) by the research for this industry.
A free HTML5 slice reaches casual puzzle players at scale. Coolmath wants 'thinking' games without violence and buys a non-exclusive license. Poki hand-picks games and prefers a web-exclusive deal. CrazyGames starts you in a limited Basic Launch to test the game with players. The deals conflict, so choose deliberately.
Puzzle fans on Steam try before they buy. A demo with your best early 'aha' moment builds wishlists, and Next Fest (once per game) multiplies that, if the demo is ready.
Thinky Games runs a hand-curated puzzle database and the Thinky Direct showcase. Steam Curator Connect reaches puzzle-focused curators with up to five keys each. Both are enthusiast audiences that drive word of mouth.
A puzzle's hook is one clever rule. A short GIF that shows the rule and the twist travels further than any description, in puzzle and indie communities alike.
Jams are where many puzzle hits start as prototypes, and itch.io's puzzle tags reach players who seek out experimental designs.
Players search for solutions and for games similar to the ones they finished. Official hint pages and honest 'if you liked X' posts catch both kinds of intent.
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.
CrazyGames documents no paid-download or subscription model; games are free to play and monetize through ads and, by invitation, IAP.
Steam Curator Connect sends up to 5 copies to each of up to 100 curators as licences, which is a lever for paid games; how it applies to free-to-play titles was not verified.
HTML5 (browser-played) games on itch.io can only take donations; to sell access the project must be set to Downloadable.
In-game purchases on CrazyGames are invite-only, run through Xsolla, and are limited to signed-in users.
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.
Coolmath Games requires games with no advertising (not even for the developer's own site), no external links, and no violence or foul language, and pays through a non-exclusive licence instead.
CrazyGames allows only SDK-requested ads: midgame ads at most once every 3 minutes (the SDK enforces it) and never while the user is playing, optional rewarded ads, at most 2 in-game banners per screen and only on screens open 5 seconds or more on average, and ad-blocker users must be able to play normally (features may be blocked with a notice).
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.
CrazyGames documents no paid-download or subscription model; games are free to play and monetize through ads and, by invitation, IAP.
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.
Poki does not allow in-app purchases or 'remove ads' UI; all monetization is Poki SDK ads (commercialBreak/rewardedBreak), with no other ad systems.
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.
Coolmath Games accepts only HTML5 games (no Flash or plugins) and requires them to have no ads, no external links, no stats counter reporting back to the developer, and name entry disabled.
CrazyGames expects games to work on Chrome and Edge; games that run poorly on Safari are disabled there, Chromebook play is disabled unless smooth on a 4 GB RAM device, and Unity games are disabled on iOS by default pending review.
CrazyGames limits a game to 1,500 files.
CrazyGames requires an initial download of 50MB or less, measured from the start of loading to the SDK 'Gameplay start' event (or as total file size when the SDK is not integrated), and 20MB or less to be eligible for the mobile homepage.
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.
coolmathgames.com
Wants 'thinking' HTML5 games (logic, strategy, problem solving) with no violence, and pays for a non-exclusive license.
Free to submit (Coolmath pays you)
poki.com
Hand-picked web portal. The preferred deal is web-exclusive, splitting revenue 50/50 on players Poki brings.
Free to apply (revenue share)
crazygames.com
Basic Launch tests your game with a limited audience before Full Launch. You can publish elsewhere too.
Free (revenue share at Full Launch)
itch.io
Home for puzzle prototypes, jam games and demos, with puzzle tags.
Free (creator-set revenue share)
partner.steamgames.com
Demo festival, once per game. February 2027 registration closes January 10.
Free (needs a Steam app)
partner.steamgames.com
Reach puzzle-focused Steam curators with up to five keys each.
thinkygames.com
An enthusiast puzzle-game site with a hand-curated database and the Thinky Direct showcase.
Free (editorial)
reddit.com
A community dedicated to puzzle video games, where mechanic GIFs and demos get feedback.
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
puzzle 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 'puzzle games' 74,000/mo, 'indie puzzle games' 480/mo.
Comparing: show why you
Ready to act: make it easy
Comparing: show why you
Learning: answer with guides
06 · AVOID
Poki's exclusive deal rules out other web portals and counts Discord and YouTube Playables as web, with a five-year default term. Steam and app stores stay yours. Decide before submitting anywhere else.
CrazyGames caps the initial download at 50MB (20MB for its mobile homepage), and Poki targets under 8MB. A trimmed, fast-loading slice is a different build from your Steam game.
Puzzle hooks are hard to explain and easy to see. A five-second GIF of the rule and the twist beats a paragraph of copy.
The demo needs the core 'aha' to convert, but not the late-game twists. Test where players stop and where they start wishlisting.
Stuck players search for solutions. If you don't publish official hints, third-party pages own that traffic and the link back to your store page.
07 · WHAT OUTPOST DOES
Compares the portal deals (Coolmath license, Poki exclusive, CrazyGames launch stages) using current terms from Outpost's registry, before you commit.
Prepares portal submissions for you to upload and tracks each one with a receipt: build, date and status.
Plans your Steam calendar from the official schedule, including the January 10 deadline for February 2027 Next Fest.
Drafts mechanic-GIF posts and curator outreach for you to post and send, and records every message.
Tracks whether AI assistants mention you for prompts like 'puzzle games like Baba Is You'.
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
Often, yes, as a slice that leads to the full game. Portals reach casual puzzle players at a scale most indie Steam pages never see. Pick the deal type first, because exclusive and non-exclusive routes conflict.
They're different deals. Coolmath buys a non-exclusive license for thinking games and requires no ads or external links in its build. Poki hand-picks games and prefers a web-exclusive revenue share. Many puzzle developers go non-exclusive on Coolmath and CrazyGames, or exclusive on Poki, but rarely both.
It depends on the portal. Coolmath doesn't allow external links in the game, and Poki requires links to go through its SDK. Plan the funnel per portal, and keep your game's name memorable so players can search for it.
Not on Steam's published calendar through July 2027. Use Next Fest, seasonal sales and third-party showcases instead, and make your own launch moments with demos and updates.
If the controls work on touch, mobile can be a large market for puzzles, but it's a separate launch with its own store pages and pricing. Many developers prove the game on web or Steam first.
Portal plays can start within days of a launch. Wishlists, curator coverage and walkthrough SEO build over months. Outpost logs each step so you can see what's working before sales move.
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.
HTML5 'thinking' games, no violence, no ads or external links; Coolmath buys a non-exclusive license.
Every game hand-picked; 50/50 on Poki-driven players; links via SDK; initial download target under 8MB.
Web-exclusive deal scope, including Discord and YouTube Playables; five-year default term.
Basic Launch with a limited audience; initial download limits of 50MB (20MB mobile homepage).
Publishing elsewhere is allowed.
Next Fest dates; no puzzle-themed fest on the Oct 2026 - Jul 2027 calendar.; 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)
Registration by January 10; once per game.; 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)
Up to 100 curators, five copies each.
Thinky Games ran its first Thinky Direct showcase in 2025 and maintains a curated puzzle database.
Last reviewed . Search volume: DataForSEO Google Ads, US/en, Oct 2026. Primary keyword below reporting threshold; related 'puzzle games' 74,000/mo, 'indie puzzle games' 480/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