About this template
Most indie games die from scope, not from bad ideas. A two-to-four-person team can ship something remarkable in a year, but only if the scope gets cut hard after the prototype and never creeps back. This 12-month template follows the shape that actually works: a tight concept and design document, a prototype that proves the core mechanic is fun before anything else gets built, a vertical slice that becomes the marketing asset, then production, alpha, beta, and a launch backed by a Steam page that has been collecting wishlists for months. Open it in the app and drag any bar to fit your dates.
How a 12-month indie game plan breaks down
Month 1 — Concept and game design
The concept phase locks the core idea before any code gets written: what is the core loop, who is this game for, and how does it stack up against comparable titles. The game design document (GDD) does not need to be exhaustive — a living 10-15 page document that covers the core mechanic, primary loop, and scope boundaries is enough for a small team to start prototyping against.
- Write the one-page pitch and core loop
- Research 3-5 comparable titles
- Draft the game design document (GDD)
- Define scope boundaries and cut list
Months 1–2 — Engine setup and prototyping
Before art or content, the team needs to prove the core mechanic is fun in isolation — grey-box, no art, no audio, just the verb the player repeats. In parallel, engine and tooling get set up: version control, build pipeline, and the project structure the team will live in for a year. If the prototype is not fun after two weeks of iteration, rework the mechanic instead of pushing forward on hope.
- Set up engine project and version control
- Build the grey-box prototype of the core mechanic
- Playtest internally and iterate on feel
- Lock the core mechanic before moving to art
Months 3–4 — Art style and vertical slice
With the mechanic proven, the team explores 2-3 visual directions and picks one — reversing this decision later is expensive. The vertical slice is one fully polished level or scene: final art, audio, and UI on a small, representative slice of the game. It becomes the pitch to publishers, the trailer footage, and the reality check on whether the full scope is achievable in the time left.
- Explore 2-3 art style directions
- Select final art direction
- Build the vertical slice (one polished level)
- Playtest the vertical slice with outside players
Months 5–8 — Full production
This is the long middle where most of the game actually gets built: remaining levels, the full art pass, music and sound effects, and secondary systems (inventory, save/load, settings menu, achievements). Small teams should build content in the same order players will encounter it — it surfaces pacing problems early instead of at the end when there is no time left to fix them. Alpha marks every system in place, even if rough.
- Build remaining levels
- Full art pass on all assets
- Compose music and record sound effects
- Build secondary systems (save/load, settings, achievements)
- Alpha build — every system in place
Months 8–10 — Playtesting, beta, and polish
Beta means feature-complete: no new systems, only fixes and balance. Run structured playtesting rounds with fresh players who have never seen the game — the team is too close to notice what is confusing. Track every piece of feedback in one place and triage weekly. Polish is unglamorous but this is where a game goes from functional to good: camera feel, juice, audio mixing, and the first 10 minutes.
- Beta build — feature complete, no new systems
- Run 2-3 structured playtesting rounds
- Triage and fix reported bugs weekly
- Polish pass — camera, juice, audio mixing
- Balance difficulty and pacing from playtest data
Months 9–12 — Marketing and launch
Marketing for an indie game should start long before this phase (the store page and wishlists ideally open at the vertical slice), but this is the final push: trailer, press kit, and influencer outreach. Wishlists in the weeks before launch predict the launch-week sales curve more than almost any other metric. Release day itself is an anticlimax if the groundwork is done — the real work is the patch that follows.
- Produce the launch trailer
- Publish the store page and build wishlists
- Press and influencer outreach
- Launch / release
- Ship the first post-launch patch
Tips from shipped indie games
- Prototype the core mechanic before writing a line of narrative or art — if it is not fun grey-box, more content will not fix it.
- Open the Steam page at the vertical slice, not at launch. Wishlists gathered over 6+ months are what drive the launch-week algorithm boost.
- Cut scope right after the prototype, not during crunch. A feature is easier to cut in month 3 than to finish in month 11.
- Recruit playtesters who have never seen the game. The team is too close to it to notice what is confusing.
- Budget a real post-launch patch cycle. Day-one reviews are volatile, and a fast fix to the top complaints protects the rating curve.
- Keep a public devlog or social presence from the vertical slice onward. Press and influencers respond better to games they have watched develop.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it really take a small team to make an indie game?
Most 2-4 person teams ship a first game in 12-24 months. This template targets the tighter 12-month case, which usually means a smaller scope — one core mechanic done well rather than several done adequately.
What is the most common reason indie games slip their timeline?
Scope creep during production — adding "just one more" system or level after alpha. The fix is cutting hard right after the prototype and treating the cut list as final.
Can I open this template and customize it?
Yes. Click "Open this template in the app" — it loads instantly, and you can drag, rename, and re-color every task. The app runs entirely in your browser. Your data never leaves the device.