r/gamedev

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 2.0M members. It has been around since 2008. It has both a forum and a live chat communication style. On the Hive Index it ranks #5 in the Game Design communities list.

Roughly 136K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Game Dev, Game, and Looking For. Product recommendations often mention game engine, macbook pro m1, and macbook.

On Reddit
Established 2008
2.0M Members

Community Features

This community has a forum

This community has a realtime chat

Subreddit Analysis

via GummySearch
Yearly: +136K members
Growth: +7.1% / 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: 88K members

Past year (monthly)

  • Sep: 8K members
  • 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: 730 members

Topics

  • Game Dev
    18 posts in the past month
    #1
    Game Dev
    18
  • Game
    16 posts in the past month
    #2
    Game
    16
  • Looking For
    15 posts in the past month
    #3
    Looking For
    15
  • Game Development
    14 posts in the past month
    #4
    Game Development
    14
  • Struggling
    10 posts in the past month
    #5
    Struggling
    10

Flair

  • Discussion
    65 posts in the past month
    1. My game was stolen by Chinese "developers" and they’re actually making money from it?!
    2. Gabe Newell once said piracy isn't even in the top 10 things that can destroy your game. So what actually is?
    3. Why are there so many DOOM clones but almost no Half-Life 1 clones?
    #1
    Discussion
    My game was stolen by Chinese "developers" and they’re actually making money from it?! · Gabe Newell once said piracy isn't even in the top 10 things that can destroy your game. So what actually is? · Why are there so many DOOM clones but almost no Half-Life 1 clones?
    65
  • Question
    64 posts in the past month
    1. Is RPGmaker really that horrible?
    2. Is studying game development at university worth it?
    3. How do people actually get into game writing?
    #2
    Question
    Is RPGmaker really that horrible? · Is studying game development at university worth it? · How do people actually get into game writing?
    64
  • Feedback Request
    21 posts in the past month
    1. Where can I get sounds to create a game?
    2. Is anybody here actually using Playfab with over a thousand players and can tell me what it costs you?
    3. We’ve just updated the demo of ForMind and would love to hear your thoughts
    #3
    Feedback Request
    Where can I get sounds to create a game? · Is anybody here actually using Playfab with over a thousand players and can tell me what it costs you? · We’ve just updated the demo of ForMind and would love to hear your thoughts
    21
  • Postmortem
    10 posts in the past month
    1. We made $361,657 gross revenue in the first 24 hours after releasing our 4 month game
    2. A one-line SQL query was silently wiping my players' cosmetics on every deploy
    3. Make an Admin Discord Account for your Community Server
    #4
    Postmortem
    We made $361,657 gross revenue in the first 24 hours after releasing our 4 month game · A one-line SQL query was silently wiping my players' cosmetics on every deploy · Make an Admin Discord Account for your Community Server
    10
  • Marketing
    6 posts in the past month
    1. Releasing with 61,000+ Wishlists - 2 person - what we did/learnings
    2. Have you submitted your trailer to GameTrailers or Indie Games Hub?
    3. Dark Fantasy Tavernkeeper - Hand-Drawn Character Portrait by Juan Art
    #5
    Marketing
    Releasing with 61,000+ Wishlists - 2 person - what we did/learnings · Have you submitted your trailer to GameTrailers or Indie Games Hub? · Dark Fantasy Tavernkeeper - Hand-Drawn Character Portrait by Juan Art
    6

Product recommendations

  • game engine
    24 posts in the past month
    1. best game engine for this (besides unity)
    2. Is there such a thing as the best game engine, or is it dependent on what you want to do?
    3. Best software engine for making a very simple historical RPG?
    #1
    game engine
    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?
    24
  • macbook pro m1
    2 posts in the past month
    1. Which MacBook Pro m1 would you recommend for game development?
    2. Which MacBook Pro m1 would you recommend for game development?
    #2
    macbook pro m1
    Which MacBook Pro m1 would you recommend for game development? · Which MacBook Pro m1 would you recommend for game development?
    2
  • macbook
    1 post in the past month
    1. Recommend me a Macbook for game dev. No, I don't have a choice.
    #3
    macbook
    Recommend me a Macbook for game dev. No, I don't have a choice.
    1
  • laptop
    1 post in the past month
    1. Best Laptops for Game Development
    #4
    laptop
    Best Laptops for Game Development
    1

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 2.0M 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.