Short answer: Game Jolt and Newgrounds come closest to itch.io as open platforms where anyone can publish. Steam has by far the most players, GOG sells DRM-free games, and the Epic Games Store gives away free games regularly.
- Game Jolt open platform with a community
- Newgrounds browser games and animation
- Steam largest PC store
- GOG DRM-free games
itch.io is popular with indie developers because anyone can upload a game, set a price, including “pay what you want”, and join game jams. For players it is a place to discover experimental games. These are the alternatives, for players and makers.
Game Jolt
Game Jolt is the most similar: an open platform for indie games with a strong community, many free games and fan games.
Newgrounds
Newgrounds has been around for a long time and is known for browser games, animation and art. Many well-known indie makers started there.
Steam
For reach there is no beating Steam. Developers pay a fee per game to publish, and the store is far more crowded, so standing out takes more effort.
GOG
GOG sells games without DRM, so you keep the installer yourself. The store is curated, so not every game is accepted.
Humble Store
The Humble Store sells indie games and is known for bundles, with part of the money going to charity.
Epic Games Store
The Epic Games Store regularly gives away free games, among them many indie titles. For developers the store is also curated.
For developers
Many indie makers publish on several platforms at once: itch.io or Game Jolt for demos and feedback, and Steam or GOG for the launch. Read the revenue share and the rules on each platform’s own developer pages, because they differ.
