Patreon for game developers: does it work?
2 min read
By Eduardo Orellana ·
Patreon works for game developers who already have an audience, usually from devlogs or a community, and want steady monthly support while they build. Patrons pay for closeness to the work: early builds, devlog access, a say in decisions, credits. New creators since August 2025 pay a 10% platform fee plus payment processing, according to reporting on Patreon's change. For most indies it covers part of the costs, not all of them.
Patrons pay for the journey, not the product
A Kickstarter backer pre-orders a game. A patron supports a person making one, month after month. That is why Patreon suits developers whose followers already enjoy watching the game take shape, and why it rarely works before there is anything to watch.
What to offer
- Early builds of the game for higher tiers.
- Devlogs and behind-the-scenes posts before anyone else.
- Votes on decisions you are genuinely open about.
- Credits: a name in the game.
- Keep tiers few and rewards cheap to deliver: your time is the scarce resource.
Fees
Creators who joined Patreon after 4 August 2025 pay a single 10% platform fee, plus payment processing (commonly reported as 2.9% plus $0.30 per charge for pledges of $3 or more). Creators who joined earlier kept their old plan rates. Check Patreon's own pricing page for current terms.
Where it fits
Treat Patreon as a supplement: a few hundred or thousand dollars a month that extends your runway, alongside savings, grants or sales. Its other value is accountability: patrons expect regular posts, which keeps devlogs going.
Where Flockbay fits
Flockbay's Video studio makes narrated devlogs from your real gameplay, the regular posts a Patreon depends on. Free in beta until 1 December 2026; Flockbay takes no share of your income.