It may seem hard to believe, but there is more to modern video games than bloated military propaganda and free-to-play mobile Skinner boxes. The indie development scene has never been more vibrant, enabling a diverse array of artists to create games that are thought-provoking, morally poignant, radically ideological, or just plain kooky. Many larger indie games have found widespread success on traditional digital distribution platforms, but how do curious gamers find the smaller ones left by the wayside? Itch.io is an excellent gaming marketplace to discover fascinating new PC games, as well as Linux, macOS, mobile, and even browser-based titles.
(Credit: itch.io)The Pink Market
Itch.io, active since 2013, is a digital game store dedicated to curating and highlighting indie games you won't find anywhere else. It includes fantastic tools for buyers and sellers alike. Know ahead of time that the library caters to a particular indie-centric audience. However, if you're tired of mainstream gaming blockbusters and want to explore the more artistic corners of what the medium has to offer, check out the itch.io marketplace. Even if you're not a gamer, itch.io is still well worth checking out for its selection of soundtracks, books, comics, and physical tabletop games to purchase.
When using itch.io, you spend most of your time in the pleasing, pink pastel web interface. Its excellent features, while not as varied and numerous, are as good as those found in our Editors' Choice pick Steam—if not better in some cases. The robust browsing tools let you filter games by expected categories, such as platform and price. The service includes PC games, as well as Android and iOS games, but doesn't offer console titles like the Xbox app. However, you can get even more granular and even accessibility-conscious. For example, you can search for "colorblind friendly Windows games under $10 that last a few hours and include VR headset support." The randomizer even lets you set some filters to serve up a new game you’ve never seen before—something the itch.io library excels at.
The itch.io community, with its significant population of niche and marginalized artists, values inclusivity and accessibility. No corporate gatekeepers here. These tools help shoppers ensure they are buying a game they can play. As a bonus, the desire to make games as easy to enjoy as possible means that many games are available for free, as a DRM-free download, or playable right in your browser through HTML5.
(Credit: itch.io)I'm not saying artists shouldn't be paid for their labor, however. In fact, itch.io prominently features personal websites from creators that usually include a donation option. But considering that the subject and style of many games on the platform limit their potential audiences, it's understandable that creators might want to remove as many barriers as possible between a patron and the work. Developers frequently provide updates on their work in the site's Devlogs section.
Itch.io offers an optional, robust desktop client. This lets you install and launch games, as well as browse user-created catalogs and bundles, such as Games To Help You Stay Inside and Virtual Pets. You can also access the full itch.io website and all the buying and socializing power it provides, right in the desktop app. It's extremely useful, especially thanks to regular updates.
However, you often receive a Steam key after purchasing a game on itch.io, so you'll still have to get used to Steam and the DRM copyright protection that comes with it. You can even read an official explanation on how to get itch.io running on Steam Deck. Similarly, Mobile game listings point you toward links to the appropriate app store. Itch.io isn’t afraid to partner with other game stores when it makes sense. In the past, the store has teamed up with Humble Bundle (owned by PCMag’s parent company, Ziff Davis) to offer incredible deals on games that also supported charities for racial justice or relief in Ukraine.
(Credit: itch.io)Are Video Games Art?
Itch.io's level of transparency, making sure users are acutely aware that there are people behind the games they buy, informs its social aspects, too. As in Steam and GOG.com, itch.io users can interact with each other on forums. Due to the site's independent vibe, the scene feels more intimate and good-natured. There are, for example, forums dedicated to finding new collaborators for your project. Searching for creators willing to help with foreign language translation and cultural sensitivity reads? They're here.
You can even host a game jam, an event in which individuals or groups attempt to create a game in a set period. These tools are valuable for buyers and sellers alike, so the separation doesn't really matter. Developers regularly reach out to fans directly. When you sign up, even if you have no intention of selling games, you receive a yourname.itch.io subdomain in case you ever change your mind. You manage your creations through the desktop app. There's even a game assets store where you can get sound effects, character models, textures, and more. This is an excellent platform for folks getting used to game development software. Only the Epic Games Store offers similar support to creators and consumers. That makes sense, considering that Epic also owns the popular Unreal Engine.
Itch.io is a fantastic digital distribution platform, but it is important to remember it predominantly features a specific type of game. The highest-profile releases are indie darlings, such as Treachery in Beatdown City and Return of Obra Dinn. These aren't Call of Duty or Halo in terms of size and scope, so if those big-budget titles are the games you want, you need to look elsewhere.
However, itch.io is appealing precisely because it features games most people would never have otherwise heard of. Where else would Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan, a 2D action-RPG from Cameroon, receive top billing? How else am I going to play Frog Fractions or Game of the Year 420 Blaze It? The free Twine exploration of mental health, Depression Quest, is available on Steam. Still, on itch.io you won't have to suffer through mean-spirited user reviews from the hostile gamer community.
Why You Should Game on a PCScratch That Itch
With its expansive library and impressive features, Steam is a phenomenal way to buy PC games, and it's still our Editors' Choice pick. Monopolies are terrible and anti-consumer efforts, so we should champion competition in the digital game store space. Itch.io is a robust, full-featured, community-driven marketplace, and it provides access to a crucial niche of alternative games and performs an essential service for the gaming industry.