Best Places to Publish a Web Game in 2026
Last updated: September 2026.
You finished a web game. Now what? Where you publish it shapes how many people play it, whether you earn anything, and how much control you keep. The platforms range from instant-and-free self-publishing to curated portals with millions of players and a tougher bar. The one-line answer for 2026: itch.io for freedom and the best split, CrazyGames or Poki for the biggest audience, and your own domain for control. Here's the full rundown, with the trade-offs that actually matter.
The comparison
| Platform | Reach | Revenue model | Approval | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| itch.io | Large (indie) | You set the cut (default 90% you / 10% itch); paid, donations, free | Instant, no gate | Indie, paid/PWYW, jam games |
| Newgrounds | Medium, community | Ad rev-share to creators | Portal voting | Free browser games, art/animation crowd |
| CrazyGames | 50M+ monthly players | Ad rev-share (% not in public docs) | QA + review | Action/arcade/casual, big audience |
| Poki | ~100M MAU | Web-exclusive deals: 100% if you bring players / 50% if Poki does. Non-exclusive: flat license fee | Rigorous, playtested | Polished, optimized casual games |
| Discord Activities | Discord's servers and DMs | In-app purchases via Discord's Premium Apps (Discord keeps 15% to 30%) | App review for the directory | Social and multiplayer games you play with friends |
| GameJolt | Community | Marketplace cut capped at 10% | Instant | Building a fanbase, low-fee sales |
| gd.games (GDevelop) | Community | Session-based ad earnings | Private then public | GDevelop users, free hosting |
| GX.games (Opera) | Opera GX players | Free hosting, no revenue share advertised | GameMaker export | GameMaker users wanting a one-click web home |
| Y8 | Long-running portal | 50% of in-game ad revenue (Y8 Managed Partnership) | Upload + approval | Casual HTML5 games, extra syndication |
| Armor Games | Smaller | Upfront sponsorship/licensing fee | Email pitch, curated | Polished games wanting a paycheck |
| GameDistribution / GameMonetize | Network reach | Rev-share (33% / 45%+) | Dashboard + review | Passive syndication for casual games |
A note on the big two portals: Poki and CrazyGames have the biggest audiences but the highest bars and mandatory SDKs. Poki's partnership page now spells out two tracks: web-exclusive deals run on revenue share, non-exclusive ones are a one-time flat license fee with no share, and the exact terms are set per game. itch.io has the most freedom and the best revenue split but you bring your own traffic. Kongregate closed open submissions in 2020, and as of September 2026 its submission checklist still asks you to contact the team for a QA pass rather than upload, so treat it as a pitch, not a self-serve listing. The Y8 and Discord figures come from Y8's developer portal and Discord's Premium Apps support page, and the GameDistribution share is in its developer agreement (33% of net revenue, paid once you clear EUR 100).
Self-publish first: itch.io
For most indies, itch.io is the default starting point. You upload an HTML5 build (a ZIP with index.html), it embeds in an iframe, and you're live in minutes with no approval gate. You set the revenue split (the default gives you 90%), and you can charge, take donations, or go free. The catch is that itch doesn't bring much sustained traffic on its own. You drive players to it. That's covered in our how to get more plays on itch.io guide, and the basics in the itch.io launch guide.
The big portals: CrazyGames and Poki
If you want a built-in audience of tens of millions, the casual portals are where it is, but they're selective.
- CrazyGames (50M+ monthly players per its developer FAQ) accepts HTML5/WebGL games. A basic listing needs little, but a full launch with monetization requires their SDK and passing QA, including working with ad blockers and landing straight into gameplay. Payouts are monthly once your balance clears €100.
- Poki (100M+ monthly players, 1B+ gameplays a month) is the most rigorous: a multi-stage pipeline with playtesting, judging games on quality, player fit, and technical soundness. Its SDK is mandatory, and on a web-exclusive deal the revenue split hinges on who brings the player (100% when you do, 50% when Poki does). Non-exclusive placements are a flat license fee instead.
These suit polished, highly optimized casual games, and going through their process is real work.
Community platforms: Newgrounds, GameJolt, gd.games
- Newgrounds is community-first, with a portal-voting system and ad revenue sharing. Great for free browser games and the art/animation crowd.
- GameJolt caps its marketplace cut at 10% and is built around following and fanbase-building.
- gd.games gives GDevelop users free hosting with session-based ad earnings and one-click publishing from the editor.
Distribution networks: GameDistribution, GameMonetize
These syndicate one HTML5 upload across many partner sites for passive reach, in exchange for a bigger cut and a mandatory SDK. GameDistribution takes a larger share (its developer agreement sets your share at 33% of net revenue, paid within 60 days of the monthly report once you pass EUR 100). GameMonetize offers a higher split and fast, low-threshold payouts. Good for casual, puzzle, and .io games where volume matters more than the split.
Don't forget self-hosting
An HTML5 game is just static files, so you can host it free on GitHub Pages, Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, or Vercel, on your own domain, taking no revenue cut and keeping full control of SEO and analytics. The downside is zero built-in audience. A common approach: self-host the canonical version for your own brand and SEO, and also publish on itch.io and a portal or two for reach. If your game was built in a creator like Cinevva, you can also share it instantly by link and submit it to the showcase.
How to choose
Match the platform to your goal. Want maximum freedom and the best split? itch.io plus self-hosting. Want the biggest audience and you've got a polished casual game? Poki or CrazyGames. Want an upfront payment for a finished quality game? Pitch Armor Games. Want passive syndicated reach? A distribution network. Want to play with friends inside a chat app? Discord Activities take the same web build. And if China is on your map, mini games on WeChat and Douyin are a separate track with their own SDKs and approval, covered in our WeChat and Douyin mini-game guide and the China mini-game platforms overview. Most indies publish in several places at once: itch.io as home base, a portal for reach, and their own link for control.
Common Questions
Where should I publish my HTML5 game?
Start with itch.io: it's instant, free, gives you the best revenue split, and lets you charge or go free. For a bigger audience, submit polished casual games to CrazyGames or Poki (both have selective reviews and mandatory SDKs). Most developers publish in multiple places: itch.io plus a portal plus their own self-hosted link.
Which web game platform pays the most?
It depends on traffic and model. itch.io gives the best split (you keep 90%+ by default) but you bring the audience. Poki and CrazyGames have huge built-in audiences but share ad revenue on their terms. Armor Games pays an upfront sponsorship fee for quality games. There's no single best; high split with low traffic can earn less than a smaller split with millions of players.
Do I need an SDK to publish a web game?
On itch.io, Newgrounds, and GameJolt, no, you just upload. On the big portals (Poki, CrazyGames) and distribution networks (GameDistribution, GameMonetize), an SDK is required for monetization and full launch. The SDK handles ads and platform features. Factor that integration work in when choosing where to publish.
Can I publish the same web game on multiple platforms?
Usually yes, unless you agree to an exclusive deal (Poki's revenue-share track, for example, is tied to web exclusivity, while its non-exclusive track is a flat fee, per its partnership page). Self-hosting plus itch.io plus a non-exclusive portal is a common combination. Read each platform's terms, since exclusivity and revenue share are often linked.
What are the best platforms to self-publish a game in 2026?
For a web game, our ranked short list as of September 2026 is: itch.io first, because it's instant, free, and lets you set the platform's cut yourself. CrazyGames second for the biggest reachable audience (50M+ monthly players) on an ad revenue share. Poki third, with a similar audience but a stricter bar and exclusivity attached to its revenue share. Discord Activities fourth if your game is social, since it reuses the same web build and sells items through Discord. Then Newgrounds for a community that still votes on games, GameDistribution for passive syndication, and for China the WeChat and Douyin mini-game track. If you also want a downloadable release, Steam's Direct fee is $100 per game, recouped once the game earns $1,000, which makes it the obvious add-on rather than a replacement for a web launch.
Build one in the browser and share it with a single link.
Related
- How to Get Your Game on Poki: the submission funnel and revenue split, in depth
- CrazyGames Developer Guide: the portal, the SDK, and the payouts, in depth
- How to Publish a Game on Discord Activities: shipping a web game inside Discord
- Publish WeChat and Douyin Mini Games: the China mini-game track
- China Mini-Game Platforms: WeChat, Douyin, and the rest compared
- Web Game Monetization: What the Data Actually Says: what each platform pays, sourced
- How to Launch Your Game on itch.io: the step-by-step
- How to Get More Plays on itch.io: driving traffic once you're live
- How to Promote an Indie Game With No Budget: marketing on $0
- Steam Next Fest Strategy: if you also go to Steam
- Best Web Game Engines for 2026: building the game first