How to Publish a Unity Game on Steam, itch.io and Google Play

To publish a Unity game, make a clean release build in Build Profiles, check that your Unity license covers you, then upload the build to a store. itch.io is the quickest start and costs nothing. Steam charges 100 US dollars per game and takes about a month to set up, and Google Play needs a developer account plus a 14-day test for new personal accounts. This guide walks through all three and ends with a launch checklist.

Final checks in Build Profiles (formerly Build Settings)

In Unity 6, the old Build Settings window is called Build Profiles. Open it with File > Build Profiles. A release build is the version players get, so it should be clean, fast and named properly.

1. Turn off Development Build. It adds debugging tools and slows the game down. Use it only for testing.
2. Check the Scene List. Every scene the game needs must be ticked. The scene at the top loads first, so that should be your title screen.
3. Fill in Player settings. In Edit > Project Settings > Player, set the Company Name, Product Name, Version and icon. The product name becomes the name of your game's program.
4. Decide on the splash screen. With Unity 6, the "Made with Unity" splash is optional, even on the free plan. Find it under Player > Splash Image.
5. Pick a compression method. LZ4HC builds more slowly but makes smaller release files than LZ4.
6. Build into an empty folder, one per platform and version, such as Builds/Windows-1.0.

Then test the build on a different computer, ideally a friend's. Missing files, wrong resolutions and save bugs often show up only outside your own machine. When you share a Windows build, zip the whole folder, but leave out any folder whose name ends in DoNotShip.

Unity plans and licensing basics

Unity doesn't take a share of your sales. What matters is which plan you're allowed to use.

• Unity Personal is free while your revenue and funding stay at or below 200,000 US dollars over the last 12 months.
• Above that, you need Unity Pro, which costs 2,310 US dollars per seat per year as of November 2026.
• The Runtime Fee is gone. Unity announced a per-install fee in 2023 and cancelled it in September 2024. It doesn't apply to any game.

These numbers come from Unity's pricing page, as of November 2026. Also check the license of everything else in your game. Asset Store packs can usually be used in games, but fonts, music and free downloads from other sites each have their own rules. Some require you to credit the creator. If you used AI to make art, sound or text, read how to use AI to make a Unity game for the store disclosure rules.

Which store should you start with?

Each store suits a different stage. Here is how they compare as of November 2026. Fees change, so check each store's own page before you set a price.

A common path is to put a free demo or a jam game on itch.io first, learn from players, then take a bigger, polished game to Steam or the phone stores.

How to publish a Unity game on itch.io

itch.io is an open store for indie games. Anyone can upload, there is no review, and you can publish for free. That makes it the best first step.

1. Create an account and open your dashboard. Start a new project and give it a title.
2. Choose the kind of project. Pick Downloadable for a PC build or HTML for a game that runs in the browser.
3. Upload your zip. For a PC build, upload the zipped folder and tick the platform, such as Windows.
4. Set a price. Free, paid or "name your own price". If you charge money, payouts need an adult and a tax form.
5. Add a cover image (630 by 500 pixels is recommended), screenshots and a short description.
6. Fill in the AI Disclosure section, then switch the page from private to Public.

For a browser version, install Web Build Support in Unity Hub and build with the Web profile. Zip the contents of the build folder so that index.html sits at the top of the zip. Upload it, mark it to be played in the browser and set the viewport size, such as 960 by 600. itch.io allows up to 1,000 files and 500 MB once unzipped.

Read itch.io's own guide to HTML5 uploads if something doesn't load. Later, you can use butler, itch.io's free command-line uploader, to push updates in seconds.

How to put a Unity game on Steam

Steam is the biggest PC store, and it has more rules. You join through Steamworks, Valve's site for developers. Because it involves contracts, tax forms and a bank account, a parent or guardian usually needs to set it up and own it if you're under 18.

1. Sign up and pay the Steam Direct fee: 100 US dollars per game. Valve pays it back once the game earns 1,000 US dollars in adjusted gross revenue, which is roughly your sales after refunds.
2. Complete the paperwork: legal name, identity check, tax interview and bank details. Valve says this takes 15 to 30 days.
3. Build your store page: description, screenshots, a trailer and capsule images, the cover art shown in several fixed sizes. Submit it for review.
4. Go "Coming Soon". Your page must be public for at least two weeks before release, so players can wishlist it.
5. Upload the build with SteamPipe, Steam's upload system. Download the Steamworks SDK. Its tools folder has ContentBuilder, which uploads with steamcmd, a program you run by typing commands. Windows users can use the SteamPipe GUI tool with buttons instead. Then set the build live on the default branch, the version all players download, and submit it for review.
6. Fill in the content survey, including questions about AI-generated content.
7. Release. You can't release sooner than 21 days after paying the fee.

Steam keeps 30% of each sale, and less only for games that earn many millions. Valve aims to review store pages and builds in 3 to 5 business days, but asks you to allow at least 7. The Steam Direct page lists the current rules. Achievements and cloud saves are optional extras you can add later.

Google Play basics for Unity games

If your game runs on phones, Google Play is the biggest Android store. The short version, as of November 2026:

• Account: a Play Console developer account costs 25 US dollars once. You must be 18, and Google verifies your identity.
• Testing rule: personal accounts created after November 13, 2023 must run a closed test with at least 12 testers, opted in for 14 days in a row, before release. The official testing requirements explain the details.
• Build: upload an Android App Bundle (AAB) that targets Android 16 (API level 36), signed with your upload key.
• Forms: a privacy policy, the Data safety form about the data your game collects, and a content rating questionnaire.

Preparing the build, touch controls and phone testing are covered in how to make a mobile game in Unity. The full store process, screen by screen, is in how to publish a game on Google Play. Aiming for iPhones too? See how to publish a game on the App Store.

Store page tips that get clicks

On every store, people decide in seconds. A good page matters as much as a good build.

• Cover art that works when tiny. Big shapes, a readable title and one clear focus. Test it at thumbnail size.
• Gameplay first. Your first screenshots and the first seconds of your trailer should show actual play, not menus or logos.
• A one-sentence hook. Say the genre and what makes your game different, such as "a co-op puzzle game where you swap bodies".
• Honest tags and age ratings. They decide who sees your game, and wrong ones bring the wrong players.
• Start early. A Steam page collects wishlists for as long as it's live, so publish it months before launch if you can.

For a full marketing plan, read how to promote your indie game. Then add your game to the Unity games list on Mutop100, where players browse by engine and vote for their favorites.

Your launch checklist

1. The release build runs on a computer other than yours.
2. Development Build is off, and test cheats are removed.
3. The version number is set in Player settings and shown in the menu.
4. There are basic settings: volume, fullscreen and a controls screen.
5. Credits list every asset, font and song, and every license is checked.
6. The store page has cover art, at least five screenshots, a short trailer and a clear hook.
7. AI questions are answered honestly on every store.
8. Your project and any signing keys are backed up in two places.
9. Players know where to report bugs, such as a Discord server or your itch.io comments.
10. You have a plan for launch day: posts, a devlog and listings in game directories.