itch.io

Good luck with the demo. One date check: the October Next Fest runs 19 to 26 October, not from the 14th, per the Steamworks page. The final submission deadline is 28 September. I keep the fest and sale dates with their sources here if it helps: https://covermygame.com/events?from=itch

One thing the replies above skip: when. Every store runs fests and sales on a fixed calendar, and a demo that lands two weeks before a themed fest your game fits gets seen; the same demo a week after it doesn't. Steam publishes the fest dates on the partner site, itch has the jam calendar, GOG and Epic announce theirs the day they start, and nobody keeps them in one place with the deadlines. I got tired of it and made one, with the official page linked for every date: https://covermygame.com/events?from=itch

Short version for the next six weeks: Next Fest submission closes 28 September, Autumn Sale is 1 to 8 October, Next Fest runs 19 to 26 October, Scream Fest for horror 26 October to 2 November. If you plan a demo, plan it against one of those.

Veeeeeeery late reply, but this thread still comes up in search so it's worth updating. The advice above still holds: small channels, the business email behind the button on the channel page, and look at who covered a game like yours recently rather than searching by genre. The paradox someone mentioned, streamers looking for games and devs looking for streamers and neither finding the other, is exactly what got me building coverMyGame: devs find channels by what they already covered and send the key directly, creators join free with no subscriber minimum. Not open yet, waiting list: https://covermygame.com/waitlist?side=dev&from=itch

YouTuber here, taking requests from this thread: No Time For Reviews, https://www.youtube.com/@NoTimeForReviews, small channel, indie only. Reply or message me a link and I'll look at it.

For everyone waiting in a thread like this: it works about once a year. Searching YouTube for a game like yours and emailing the channels that covered it recently works far better. I'm building coverMyGame for the finding part, not open yet: https://covermygame.com/waitlist?side=dev&from=itch

Sorry for resurrecting old thread but I just found it out.

Another small channel here doing the same thing, No Time For Reviews on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NoTimeForReviews , indie only, no horror requirement on my side. Devs in this thread, feel free to send me a key as well.

Obbo, since we're both on the receiving end: I'm building a thing where devs find channels like ours by what we already cover and send the key directly, no subscriber minimum. It's called coverMyGame, not open yet. If you want a look: https://covermygame.com/waitlist?side=creator&from=itch

Answering from the other side, I run a small indie review channel (@NoTimeForReviews on YouTube). What gets a game played on mine: the dev emailed me directly, the game was close to something I'd already covered, and the message showed they'd actually watched a video. That's it. Press kits and store page polish matter less than people think at this size.

What doesn't work: posting in threads and waiting, or mass emails that open with "Dear creator". And for what it's worth, I'm building a tool that finds channels by what they already covered, because the finding is the part everyone gets stuck on. Not open yet, but it's called coverMyGame if you want to look it up.

YouTuber here, so replying to the whole thread: No Time For Reviews, https://www.youtube.com/@NoTimeForReviews, small channel, indie only. Send a key or a demo link and I'll look at it, I reply either way.

For everyone else posting links here: this thread works about once a year. Searching YouTube for a game like yours, opening the channels that covered it recently, and emailing them one honest line works far better. I got tired of doing that by hand and I'm building coverMyGame for the finding part. Not open yet, waiting list: https://covermygame.com/waitlist?side=dev&from=itch

Adding one to the list: No Time For Reviews, https://www.youtube.com/@NoTimeForReviews. Small channel, indie only, mostly short reviews of PC and mobile games. If you've got a demo or a key, send it, I look at everything that comes in and reply either way.

Also, because lists like this one are exactly the problem: they go stale the moment a channel stops uploading, and you can't tell from here which of these 150 still take keys. I'm building coverMyGame for that, it reads each channel's last upload, subscriber count and language and matches on what they already cover, then you send the key yourself. Not open yet, waiting list if you want a look: https://covermygame.com/waitlist?side=dev&from=itch