Community Overview
About r/gamedev
The subreddit covers various game development aspects, including programming, design, writing, art, game jams, postmortems, and marketing. It serves as a hub for game creators to discuss and share their insights, experiences, and expertise in the industry.
The community at a glance
r/gamedev is a Subreddit for Game Designers with roughly 2.1M members. It has been around since 2008. It has both a forum and a live chat communication style. On the Hive Index it ranks #8 in the Game Design communities list.
Roughly 141K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Game Dev, Game Development, and Looking For. Common discussion themes are Advice Requests and Solution Requests. Product recommendations often mention game engine, macbook pro m1, and macbook.
Community Topics
Subreddit Analysis
via GummySearchYearly: +141K members
Growth: +7.3% / year
Member growth over time
All time (yearly)
- 2013: 32K members
- 2014: 38K members
- 2015: 28K members
- 2016: 39K members
- 2017: 52K members
- 2018: 65K members
- 2019: 88K members
- 2020: 130K members
- 2021: 96K members
- 2023: 712K members
- 2024: 479K members
- 2025: 154K members
- 2026: 102K members
2013
+32K new
2014
+38K new
2015
+28K new
2016
+39K new
2017
+52K new
2018
+65K new
2019
+88K new
2020
+130K new
2021
+96K new
2023
+712K new
2024
+479K new
2025
+154K new
2026
+102K new
Past year (monthly)
- Oct: 8K members
- Nov: 13K members
- Dec: 12K members
- Jan: 13K members
- Feb: 11K members
- Mar: 13K members
- Apr: 13K members
- May: 12K members
- Jun: 13K members
- Jul: 12K members
- Aug: 12K members
- Sep: 3K members
October 2025
+8K new
November 2025
+13K new
December 2025
+12K new
January 2026
+13K new
February 2026
+11K new
March 2026
+13K new
April 2026
+13K new
May 2026
+12K new
June 2026
+13K new
July 2026
+12K new
August 2026
+12K new
September 2026
+3K new
Themes
- Advice Requests21 posts in the past month
- Free game dev resources, sorted by licence risk — because "free to download" isn't "free to ship
- Postmortem of a solo dev's first game - $7K gross in 2 weeks
- How do I vet people I make games with?
#121Advice RequestsFree game dev resources, sorted by licence risk — because "free to download" isn't "free to ship · Postmortem of a solo dev's first game - $7K gross in 2 weeks · How do I vet people I make games with? - Solution Requests8 posts in the past month
- How much is your usual marketing budget for smaller game devs?
- Where should I publish my PC game with zero budget?
- Hey guys, can you tell me where i can get CC0 sounds for a game?
#28Solution RequestsHow much is your usual marketing budget for smaller game devs? · Where should I publish my PC game with zero budget? · Hey guys, can you tell me where i can get CC0 sounds for a game? - Pain & Anger6 posts in the past month
- i am starting to loose all motivation and hope, my 5 year portfolio just became basically worthless
- 15 months unemployed after 10 years in game development. Feeling completely stuck
- Today we are releasing our failed game: a postmortem.
#36Pain & Angeri am starting to loose all motivation and hope, my 5 year portfolio just became basically worthless · 15 months unemployed after 10 years in game development. Feeling completely stuck · Today we are releasing our failed game: a postmortem. - Self-Promotion3 posts in the past month
- I open-sourced the technical layer I was rebuilding in every Unreal project (save, flow, loading, audio)
- Had my co-op plague doctor horror game reposted by Indie Games Hub & Gamespress! Its that easy:)
- Just finished my first devlog
#43Self-PromotionI open-sourced the technical layer I was rebuilding in every Unreal project (save, flow, loading, audio) · Had my co-op plague doctor horror game reposted by Indie Games Hub & Gamespress! Its that easy:) · Just finished my first devlog - Ideas2 posts in the past month
- I automated my Blender → UE5 pixel art animation pipeline because doing 6+ manual steps for every animation got old fast
- Do you guys have game ideas that you dont have time to make but would love if someone made them ?
#52IdeasI automated my Blender → UE5 pixel art animation pipeline because doing 6+ manual steps for every animation got old fast · Do you guys have game ideas that you dont have time to make but would love if someone made them ?
Topics
- Game Dev17 posts in the past month
- Questions from a newbie gamedev
#117Game DevQuestions from a newbie gamedev - Game Development13 posts in the past month#213Game Development
- Looking For9 posts in the past month#39Looking For
- Struggling8 posts in the past month#48Struggling
- Marketing7 posts in the past month#57Marketing
Flair
- Discussion86 posts in the past month
- We were robbed at Gamescom
- The S-tier code pattern to learn if you want to make your game FAR more modular, moddable, and designer-friendly.
- Over 700 games launched on Steam in a single week for the first time 🫠
#186DiscussionWe were robbed at Gamescom · The S-tier code pattern to learn if you want to make your game FAR more modular, moddable, and designer-friendly. · Over 700 games launched on Steam in a single week for the first time 🫠 - Question74 posts in the past month
- Is everyone paying for a Microsoft Azure subscription so their game doesn't show an "untrusted developer" warning when downloaded from Steam??
- How much of a game is actually code vs data?
- Is it a bad idea to disable my demo before release?
#274QuestionIs everyone paying for a Microsoft Azure subscription so their game doesn't show an "untrusted developer" warning when downloaded from Steam?? · How much of a game is actually code vs data? · Is it a bad idea to disable my demo before release? - Industry News16 posts in the past month
- Aggro Crab announces their plan to bankroll indie games
- The Witcher 4 dev is "still predominantly using people" over AI in development, says CEO, but "everybody has to make those judgments on their own"
- ‘It’s heartbreaking’: Numerous Gamescom devs say their equipment was stolen
#316Industry NewsAggro Crab announces their plan to bankroll indie games · The Witcher 4 dev is "still predominantly using people" over AI in development, says CEO, but "everybody has to make those judgments on their own" · ‘It’s heartbreaking’: Numerous Gamescom devs say their equipment was stolen - Postmortem10 posts in the past month
- 3 years, 3 finished games, +$150k net revenue. Postmortem of my solo developed, self-published, node-based games
- My game made $46,000 in net Steam revenue. Next game made less than $200. Here’s what I changed for game #3.
- Please fix your game's Inventory Screen
#410Postmortem3 years, 3 finished games, +$150k net revenue. Postmortem of my solo developed, self-published, node-based games · My game made $46,000 in net Steam revenue. Next game made less than $200. Here’s what I changed for game #3. · Please fix your game's Inventory Screen - Marketing8 posts in the past month
- My game sold only 11 copies in 6 weeks, but I don't think the price is the problem
- For those who already launched: what marketing effort turned out to be a complete waste of time?
- Tyr's launch trailer does almost everything right and we all should learn from it
#58MarketingMy game sold only 11 copies in 6 weeks, but I don't think the price is the problem · For those who already launched: what marketing effort turned out to be a complete waste of time? · Tyr's launch trailer does almost everything right and we all should learn from it
Product recommendations
- game engine24 posts in the past month
- best game engine for this (besides unity)
- Is there such a thing as the best game engine, or is it dependent on what you want to do?
- Best software engine for making a very simple historical RPG?
#124game enginebest game engine for this (besides unity) · Is there such a thing as the best game engine, or is it dependent on what you want to do? · Best software engine for making a very simple historical RPG? - macbook pro m12 posts in the past month
- Which MacBook Pro m1 would you recommend for game development?
- Which MacBook Pro m1 would you recommend for game development?
#22macbook pro m1Which MacBook Pro m1 would you recommend for game development? · Which MacBook Pro m1 would you recommend for game development? - macbook1 post in the past month
- Recommend me a Macbook for game dev. No, I don't have a choice.
#31macbookRecommend me a Macbook for game dev. No, I don't have a choice. - laptop1 post in the past month
- Best Laptops for Game Development
#41laptopBest Laptops for Game Development
View full analysis on GummySearchSynced 9/8/2026
Community Reviews
Frequently asked questions
- Who is r/gamedev for?
- Best for Game Designers enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion, live chat.
- Is r/gamedev free to join?
- This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
- How many members does r/gamedev have?
- Roughly 2.1M members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
- What platform is r/gamedev on?
- r/gamedev runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
- What topics does r/gamedev cover?
- On the Hive Index, r/gamedev is organized under Game Designers.
- How do I join r/gamedev?
- You can join r/gamedev by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
- What are the Game Design communities like?
- Communities for game developers and designers at indie studios and beyond. Discord is the primary hub, with communities for feedback on prototypes, finding collaborators like artists and musicians, getting indie game jobs, and talking craft across all stages of development.
Added 12/23/2021
Monthly Stats
- 28
- Views /mo (-26%)
- 26
- Visitors /mo (-10%)
- 2
- Referrals /mo (-60%)
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