Best Subreddits to Promote an Indie Game
Game dev subreddits are promo-aware by design: everyone is building something. Screenshot Saturdays, feedback threads, and devlog culture give indie games more sanctioned promo lanes than most niches get.
6 communities, 6.3M combined members, ranked by each subreddit's own rules.
Where promotion is tolerated (with care)
These communities allow product mentions under their stated conditions. Read the linked rules before posting, the conditions are specific.
r/SideProject 787.5K members · ~270 posts/day
Promo-friendlyYes, you can promote your project in r/SideProject, because the community description and sidebar explicitly say it is for sharing side projects and receiving constructive feedback. The stated requirement is the submission format: "When submitting a link to a project or startup, please use this format: [Project name] - [Short description]."
r/alphaandbetausers 40.1K members · ~86 posts/day
Allowed with conditionsYes, you can promote your product in r/alphaandbetausers, but only if it fits the subreddit’s testing purpose and follows the posting rules. Posts must include a link to a product that is ready to be tested, use stage and system tags, include a description, and must not be just an email signup, launch waitlist, or future testing application page; spam, non-alpha/beta links, and NSFW products can be removed.
Participate first, promote rarely
Promotion here is heavily restricted or the rules leave it unstated. Build a presence by being useful; an occasional relevant mention may survive, a pitch will not.
r/Twitch 2.9M members · ~16 posts/day
Strictly limitedYou generally should not promote your product in r/Twitch. The rules are especially restrictive under Rule 2, "Advertisement Guidelines," which say "Don’t post an account name or link," "Don’t post tools, apps or services without prior mod permission," and "Don't post a link to a YouTube video, social media account, blog, or similar website." There is a narrow exception if you have prior mod permission for tools, apps, or services, and the sidebar also lists a "Services Megathread," so you should check whether your topic belongs in that megathread.
r/gamedev 2M members · ~51 posts/day
Strictly limitedYou generally cannot promote your product in r/gamedev. Rule 4 says, "This community is not for self-promotion" and that posts with only links to social media or game pages "will result in a ban." Narrow exceptions exist when a link has a valid game development purpose, such as seeking feedback, sharing a post mortem or analytics, sparking discussion, or offering a learning opportunity.
r/IndieDev 422.1K members · ~250 posts/day
No explicit promo ruleThe provided rules do not address self-promotion directly. The sidebar says, "there are no strict rules here, use common sense when you post," and the only explicit content restriction is Rule 1, "Capsule Comparison Post Ban, Except on Wednesdays," so Reddit-wide norms apply.
r/SomebodyMakeThis 95.3K members · ~3 posts/day
Strictly limitedYou generally cannot promote your product in r/SomebodyMakeThis. Rule 2, "No Promotions," says posts promoting "Products, Ideas, or Platforms" for selling or enrolling users are not permitted, and it only allows certain promotions inside a pinned thread in the Highlights section. The public description also says, "Did you create something? Share it with us in the monthly Creator Showcase thread!"
Get the threads, not just the subreddits
PulseFox watches these communities daily, scores every post for relevance to your product, and drafts the reply. You post from your own account.