It’s not just Steam: New game pages created per day on Itch.io have doubled in the last two months, with AI slop the likely culprit
Indie game storefront itch.io has revealed that the number of new game pages created daily on its platform has doubled over the past two months, rising from approximately 3,000 to over 6,000. Data shared in late October shows the dramatic increase occurred between August 3 and October 30, 2026, with AI-generated games widely suspected as the primary driver behind this explosion of submissions.
The influx represents a significant challenge for the gaming ecosystem. itch.io has long served as an accessible platform for independent developers to distribute both free and commercial games, hosting student projects, game jam entries, and works from established indie studios. The platform’s low barrier to entry has been central to its appeal in the indie gaming community.
However, the flood of AI-generated content is making it increasingly difficult for genuine indie developers to gain visibility for their hand-crafted games. With thousands of new pages added daily, legitimate projects risk being buried under algorithmically-generated titles created with minimal human input or artistic merit.
This problem is not unique to itch.io. Similar trends have been observed on Steam, where AI-generated content has also proliferated significantly, with evidence visible in metrics like submissions at recent Steam Next Fest events. The broader issue reflects ongoing tensions within the gaming industry over how platforms should handle the rise of generative AI tools and their impact on independent creators.