How to fund an indie game
2 min read
By Eduardo Orellana ·
Indie games are funded in roughly seven ways: your own savings and a scope small enough to fit them; public and platform grants; crowdfunding such as Kickstarter; Early Access sales; ongoing support such as Patreon; a publisher's advance; or private investment. Without a publisher, the realistic mix is savings plus a small scope, then grants and crowdfunding once you have a demo and an audience. Each costs something different: time, equity, revenue share or the pressure of backers.
The cheapest funding is a smaller game
Before choosing how to raise money, choose how much you need. A game half the size needs half the money and ships in half the time, and a first released game is worth more to every later funder than an unfinished ambitious one. Most self-funded indies start there.
The routes
- Savings or part-time work: no strings; limits scope and speed.
- Grants: national and regional screen agencies, platform funds, engine funds. Free money, competitive and slow. See our grants guide.
- Crowdfunding: Kickstarter and similar. Works when you already have an audience. See does Kickstarter still work.
- Early Access: sell the game while you finish it, if it is fun now.
- Patreon or memberships: steady support from followers of your devlogs. See Patreon for developers.
- A publisher's advance: in exchange for a revenue share, often with marketing.
- Investors: equity in your studio, for studios aiming to grow, not one game.
Without a publisher
The common path: fund a vertical slice yourself, put up a Steam page and a demo, build an audience with devlogs and a festival, then apply for grants and run a crowdfunding campaign with proof in hand. Early Access can carry the last stretch if the game suits it. Every step also makes a publisher deal better if you later want one.
Where Flockbay fits
Flockbay is free to build with, including a daily hosted AI allowance or your own Claude or ChatGPT, which lowers what a first game costs. Its publishing tools (the Steam page, trailers and devlogs from real gameplay, posts, ads on your own accounts, playtests) are free in beta until 1 December 2026. It takes no share of your sales. This is general information, not financial advice.