Itch.io Game Pages Per Day Double to Over 6,000 in Two Months, but Downloads Haven’t

The number of new itch.io game pages being created each day has doubled in roughly two months, and the platform says the audience has not grown to match. The figures point to a flood of generative AI projects, a problem many developers had already noticed on Steam.

Itch.io shared the data in a Bluesky post late on October 31. Its graph showed about 3,000 new pages created per day in August 2026. By October 30, the figure was above 6,000. In replies, the platform indicated that AI-made projects account for the majority of the new pages, according to Polygon’s reading of the thread. PC Gamer’s coverage similarly framed AI-generated “slop” as the likely cause, though itch.io’s public statements are brief, and the data shows volume rather than a detailed breakdown of who is uploading what.

More itch.io game pages, but not more players

The most telling detail may be what did not change. Itch.io confirmed in another reply that downloads and purchases have not doubled since August. No graph accompanied that statement, so the exact trend is unclear. But the implication is plain: the supply of games is growing much faster than the number of people playing or buying them.

That matters because itch.io works differently from a curated storefront. It is open to almost anyone, which has made it a home for student projects, game jam entries and experimental work. Many better-known indie developers also use it, and games there are often given away in charity bundles. The openness that makes it valuable also makes it easy to flood.

What it means for indie developers

For developers who hand-craft their games, a larger pile of new releases without a larger audience means a smaller share of attention for each one. Discovery is already a major challenge for small teams, and the new numbers suggest it is getting harder.

Itch.io does ask developers to disclose when they have used AI, but that is a labeling measure rather than a restriction. Whether disclosure is enough to keep AI-generated pages from crowding out other work is the open question the numbers raise.

A wider storefront problem

Itch.io is not alone. Polygon notes that Steam is similarly crowded, and that Steam Next Fest demos have been drowned out, or even copied, by AI-made competitors. One example it cites is the team behind Drunken Goddess Reflux, which canceled its Next Fest demo over concerns about AI clones.

Neither platform has announced new restrictions in response to the latest figures, at least in the material reviewed here. Unless that changes, the pattern in the data is likely to continue: itch.io game pages multiplying quickly, while the players who might discover them stay roughly where they were.

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