Quick Guide

Discovering Games

Discover homebrew games created for classic platforms like NES, Commodore 64, Game Boy, Amiga, and 20+ more. Filter by platform, genre, release status, or compatibility (MiSTer FPGA, real hardware, emulators). We're always adding new games — every week we find and curate more titles for the collection.

Your Account

Create a free account to unlock these features:

• Watch — Get notified about updates and changes to games
• Wishlist — Save games you want to buy later
• Favorites — Mark games you love
• Follow Creators — Get notified about new releases
• Library — Access all your purchases and updates

Purchasing & Downloads

Many games are free. Others use pay-what-you-want pricing where you choose your price, or fixed pricing set by the creator.

Payments are processed securely through Stripe. After purchase, you get immediate access to download the game files. Your library tracks updates so you always have the latest version.

There's no application or approval to become a creator — anyone can do it. Just create an account and start adding your games. Fill in the details (title, description, platforms, screenshots) and upload your files.

If you want to sell your games, connect a Stripe account. If you're releasing for free, you don't even need that. Set your pricing: free, pay-what-you-want, or fixed price. IndieRetroGames takes no cut — 100% of what buyers pay goes directly to you.

When you first join, your games go through a quick review before being published. This is simply to ensure no racist, defamatory, pornographic, or otherwise harmful content appears on the platform.

How It Works

1. Create Your Game
   Fill in all required details, upload files and screenshots. Save as draft anytime.
2. Submit for Review
   Click "Submit for Review", accept the terms, and your game enters the review queue.
3. Quick Approval
   Reviews are typically completed within 1-2 hours. We just check that the content is appropriate.
4. Published!
   Once approved, your game is live. If rejected, you'll get feedback and can resubmit after making changes.

After demonstrating consistent quality content, creators can be granted Trusted Creator status. This unlocks significant benefits:

• Instant Publishing — No review queue. Click "Publish" and your game is live immediately.
• In-Place Editing — Update published games directly without creating new versions.
• Trusted Badge — Shows on your profile and game pages.

How to Become a Trusted Creator

There are two ways to become a trusted creator:

• Claim a game — If your game is already listed on IndieRetroGames, claiming it automatically grants you trusted status.
• Build a track record — Submit quality content through the review process. Once we see you're a legitimate creator, we'll grant you trusted status.

Why This System Exists

The review process keeps the platform safe by ensuring no inappropriate or offensive content gets published. Once you've shown you're a legitimate creator, the trusted status removes that friction so you can publish instantly.

We spend a lot of time finding and curating homebrew games to build a comprehensive catalog. If you're the creator of a game that's already listed, you can claim it to take full control.

How Claiming Works

Claiming is instant and automated — no waiting for manual review. Here's how it works:

1. Find your game on IndieRetroGames and click "Claim this game"
2. You'll receive a unique verification code
3. Add the code to your original game page (e.g., on itch.io) — as plain text, an HTML comment, or a meta tag
4. Click "Verify and Claim" — we'll automatically check for the code
5. Once verified, ownership transfers to you immediately

What You Get

Once verified, you have complete control over the listing:

• Edit all game details, descriptions, and metadata
• Upload or update game files and ROMs
• Add screenshots, videos, and other media
• Set pricing (free, pay-what-you-want, or fixed price)
• Receive payments directly to your Stripe account
• Trusted Creator status — claim a game and you're automatically granted trusted status, letting you publish future games instantly

Claiming is completely free and gives you the same capabilities as if you had uploaded the game yourself.

Connect your Stripe account to receive payments. When someone buys your game, the payment goes directly to your Stripe account. We don't hold funds or take any percentage.

No platform fees. What buyers pay is what you get (minus Stripe's standard processing fees).

Stripe handles payouts according to their standard schedule, typically within a few business days depending on your country.

We know many players love having physical cartridges for their retro consoles. While we don't currently manufacture or sell physical editions, it's something we'd love to explore in the future.

In the meantime, if you're a creator who sells physical copies of your game elsewhere, you can add a link directly to your game page on IndieRetroGames. This lets players easily find where to buy the cartridge version.

Have ideas on how we can better support physical releases? We'd love to hear from you — vote on the roadmap or get in touch.

Can't find what you're looking for? Get in touch and we'll help.

Contact Us