Creator FAQ - itch.io
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Table of contents
* What does itch.io give me?
* How much does itch.io cost?
* How are payments handled? What about VAT & VAT MOSS?
* What limits apply to projects and accounts?
* Does itch.io take ownership of the content I upload?
* Does itch.io impose any DRM (Digital Rights Management)?
* Can I give some people access to my game without having them pay?
* Does itch.io have a widget? Can I embed itch.io into my own webpage?
* Can I use custom CSS on my game/jam/profile
* Is adult content allowed?
* Can I share the information itch.io collects about my buyers publicly or with third parties?
What does itch.io give me?
As a creator, itch.io gives you the ability to design a page where people
can download any projects you've uploaded. You can optionally put a minimum
price on your page (which can be 0), giving people the opportunity to pay you
what they think you deserve.
Learn more about pricing options
All files and images are hosted on itch.io so you don t need to worry about
building a website or storing your project files anywhere. Usage information is
collected and displayed to you, such as how many times your pages are being
viewed, downloaded, and purchased.
itch.io handles all the technicalities behind hosting and selling your
content.
Get a tour itch.io for developers
How much does itch.io cost?
itch.io costs nothing to use. You are free to create pages and upload your
content without ever having to pay anything. Advertisements will never be
placed on any of your pages.
You get to decide how much you want to support itch.io by choosing
what percentage of your sales should go towards our operational costs
and continued development of the platform. We call that open revenue
sharing .
Read the announcement
How are payments handled? What about VAT & VAT MOSS?
itch.io never collects any sensitive payment information from buyers.
Instead, it relies Stripe & Paypal to handle transactions securely.
itch.io supports two payout models depending on your needs: Direct to
you , where each purchase is a transaction to your Paypal or Stripe account,
and Collected by itch.io, paid later . You can pick which mode you want to
use from the seller settings page on your account.
EU VAT (European Value-Added Tax) compliance is automatic when using
Collected by itch.io, paid later . Direct payments involve a bit more work
on your part, but itch.io gives you all the tools you need to do it.
Learn more about payment options & VAT
What limits apply to projects and accounts?
We put some limits on new accounts to prevent abuse. We can disable them
by request, all you have to do is contact us .
* There is a soft limit of 20 project pages.
* Individual file size is limited, and you should have 10 files max per page.
The limit can be raised to by request .
Because itch.io lets users download the files exactly as you uploaded them
you can upload any kind of project for any kind of platform. There are no
restrictions.
We have classifications for tools, comics, books, soundtracks, assets, and
physical games. If that s not enough, you can even customize the noun by which
itch.io refers to your project.
Does itch.io take ownership of the content I upload?
No. You will always fully own your content. You are free to remove it at any
time. You can read more on the terms of use . itch.io just asks for
the minimum amount of rights necessary to run the site, such as permission to
show your game page and host your game s assets.
Does itch.io impose any DRM (Digital Rights Management)?
No. itch.io lets users download the games exactly as you uploaded them. No
modifications are made to the files you upload.
Can I give some people access to my game without having them pay?
Sure. You can generate what itch.io calls, download keys . A download key is a
special URL that gives someone full access to download your game without
having to buy it. This is perfect for giving out copies of your game to press
or backers of a crowdfunding campaign.
You can track how many times the key has been used, give the key a name to
identify it, and revoke it if you think it is being abused.
Learn more about download keys
Does itch.io have a widget? Can I embed itch.io into my own webpage?
Yes, itch.io has a iframe based widget. From your dashboard you can find the
Widgets link to get your game s widget code. The widget allows someone to
complete the entire purchase or download flow.
Learn more about the itch.io widget
Can I use custom CSS on my game/jam/profile
You sure can… but it s disabled by default. First make sure what you are trying
to design can t be done with the built-in theme editor. If it can t, then you
consider applying for CSS. We manually approve accounts for CSS due to
implications about accessibility and long term support of pages when using
custom CSS.
Learn about applying for CSS access
Is adult content allowed?
We don t allow hosting content that includes sexualized images or videos of
real-life humans. Fictional, illustrated, and rendered content is generally
fine, assuming it s legal. AI-generated imagery that is designed to resemble
photographic content of real people is not allowed. Content glorifying sexual
violence is not permitted. Depictions of minors, minor-presenting, or suggested
minors in a sexual context are not allowed and will result in account
suspension.
Our policy is not an invitation to push the boundaries of what is acceptable.
Violations that result in administrative action are permanent with no chance
of appeal. Any funds on the account will not be eligible for payout. There
is no second chance.
If you plan to collect money for your content, then you must adhere to the
acceptable use policy of all respective payment processors that your account
utilizes :
Read Paypal's Terms
Read Stripe's Terms
Read Payoneer's Terms
The following is a non-exhaustive list of prohibited themes present in card
processing networks. We are unable to support the sale of any works containing
these topics:
* Non-consensual content (real or implied)
* Underage or barely legal themes
* Incest or pseudo-incest content
* Bestiality or animal-related
* Rape, coercion, or force-related
* Sex trafficking implications
* Revenge porn / voyeur / hidden cam
* Fetish involving bodily waste or extreme harm (e.g., scat, vomit )
It’s almost impossible to come up with an exhaustive list of unacceptable
products to sell, so often we have to take content reviews one at a time. If an
issue arises with your account that isn t already covered by our policy, then
we will contact you and share what options you may have.
If you've collected money while in violation of terms, we may be forced to
refund or freeze all pending transactions, as accounts that are in violation
of our terms are not eligible for payouts.
See more: Terms of Service - Acceptable Payment Forms
Can I share the information itch.io collects about my buyers publicly or with third parties?
No! Sharing private, identifiable information that itch.io collects about
buyers is a violation of our privacy policy. The itch.io dashboard provides
sellers with tools and information to help identify any suspicious activity or
abuse. This information can only be used for your personal records and for
necessary bookkeeping.
Publicly sharing this information or with third-party services may result in
the suspension of your account . If you have any issues or concerns, please
contact us .
The information includes fields such as: Email address, Name, IP Address,
Country Code, and Transaction IDs.
Do not automatically sign people up for mailing lists. If you want your
buyers to subscribe to your list, you must obtain explicit consent from them.
Appropriate methods for mailing-list sign-up include providing a link on your
project s description, installation instructions, or within your project
itself. ( Learn more about
GDPR )
The email address provided by itch.io, along with the email tool, is available
for you to contact buyers with news specifically related to their transaction.
This information cannot be shared or sold to third parties.
Follow itch.io on YouTube , Bluesky , X , Facebook , or Join our Discord for new games and site updates.
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- Horror games [direct]
- Game development [direct]
- Assets [direct]
- Comics [direct]
- Sales [direct]
- Bundles [direct]
- Jobs [direct]
- Tags [direct]
- Game Engines [direct]
- About itch.io [direct]
- FAQ [direct]
- Community rules [direct]
- Hosting a jam [direct]
- Support & contact [direct]
- Finding existing purchases [direct]
- Quality guidelines [direct]
- Getting started [direct]
- Access control [direct]
- Search & Browse [direct]
- Designing your page [direct]
- Interacting with fans [direct]
- Widget embed [direct]
- HTML5 games [direct]
- Limited releases [direct]
- Exclusive content [direct]
- Custom CSS [direct]
- Kickstarter [direct]
- Patreon [direct]
- How buying works [direct]
- Getting paid & VAT [direct]
- Pricing [direct]
- Download keys [direct]
- Hosting a sale [direct]
- Co-op bundles [direct]
- Two-factor authentication [direct]
- Followers [direct]
- itch.io app FAQ [direct]
- App guide [direct]
- Overview [direct]
- OAuth Applications [direct]
- Server-side API reference [direct]
- JavaScript API reference [direct]
- Sub-products reference [direct]
- Press Kit [direct]
- Become a Sponsor [direct]
- Terms of service [direct]
- Privacy Policy [direct]
- Cookie Policy [direct]
- Read the announcement [direct]
- Read Paypal's Terms [direct]
- Read Stripe's Terms [direct]
- Read Payoneer's Terms [direct]
- Learn more about
GDPR [direct]
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