itch.io for HTML5 games: upload limits, revenue share and AI tags

itch.io is an open storefront and host. Anyone with an account can upload a browser game as a ZIP, and itch.io serves it in an iframe on the project page. There is no platform SDK, no ad network and no approval step before a page goes live by URL. It suits developers who want a public page and a playable link today, people shipping game jam entries, and anyone who wants to sell or take donations under their own terms. What it does not do is pay you from ads: itch.io never places ads on your pages.

How submission and review work

You create a project, choose HTML as the kind of game, upload the build and fill in the page. New pages are private until you set them to Public. Publishing and being indexed are separate: a public page is playable by URL straight away, but appearing in search and browse has conditions, one of which is an uploaded cover image.

When a new account sells its first project, the page goes into a moderator review queue before it is indexed. The docs describe this as generally a few business days, and the game stays playable by direct link meanwhile. Established sellers with no history of issues skip this step, while internal abuse checks can also send a page to human review. Pages that break the quality guidelines can be de-indexed later.

Technical requirements

The HTML5 upload doc is the reference. The main points:

• Format. A multi-file game is a ZIP with index.html as the entry point; a fully self-contained game can be one HTML file. Only ZIP is accepted: .rar, .tar.gz and .7z are not (common pitfalls).
• Limits (ZIP file requirements): at most 1,000 files, 500 MB total after extraction, 200 MB per file, and 240 characters per file name including its path. File names are case sensitive and must be UTF-8. itch.io invites you to contact them if these limits do not fit your game.
• Upload size. The docs mention an upload size limit on new accounts without giving the number. The creator FAQ lists other new-account limits, a soft cap of 20 project pages and 10 uploaded files per page, both raised on request.
• Paths. The game is served from a subdirectory of itch.io’s HTML CDN, so absolute paths starting with / break. Requests to a folder path or to a file name with the wrong case return 403, not 404. Requests to other domains must use HTTPS.
• Embedding. You choose between embedding at a fixed width and height or click to launch in fullscreen. Click-to-play is on by default; the doc warns that auto-started games may have audio muted by the browser. itch.io can add a fullscreen button, and scrollbars are hidden unless you enable them.
• Mobile. Mark the project Mobile Friendly if it works on phones. On mobile the game always launches fullscreen, and unmarked games show a compatibility warning (mobile support). Since fullscreen and mobile viewports change size, the canvas should resize to its container.
• Compression. The CDN gzips HTML, JS, CSS, SVG, WASM, WAV, GLB and PCK files itself. Pre-compressed gzip files are detected by content; Brotli is recognised only by a .br extension (compression).

On SDKs: none is required. itch.io’s JavaScript API (api.js) attaches buy buttons on external websites; it is not an in-game SDK. The HTML5 doc also scans uploads to detect engines such as Unity, PICO-8 or Twine for browse listings. It says nothing about SharedArrayBuffer or cross-origin isolation headers, so if your build needs threads, test it on a private page before release.

Monetization and payouts

itch.io uses open revenue sharing: you pick what percentage of each sale goes to itch.io, from 0% to 100%, and the default is 10%. Payment processor fees are separate. For most card payments through Stripe, the docs quote $0.30 + 2.9%.

For browser games, the constraint is the payment model: HTML5 games can only take donations. To charge for access, the doc says to set the project kind to Downloadable. In-game ads are tolerated as long as they are not obtrusive and do not block play, according to the quality guidelines, which also discourage third-party login walls.

Payouts depend on the payment mode:

• Collected by itch.io. Revenue becomes available 7 days after purchase, the minimum payout is $5.00 USD, the payout review takes at least 7 days (typically 10-14), and money goes out via PayPal or Payoneer after a tax interview.
• Direct to you. Each payment goes straight to your own PayPal or Stripe balance, so there is no itch.io threshold.

Exclusivity and rights

itch.io is not exclusive. Under section 4 of the terms, you keep ownership and grant itch.io a worldwide non-exclusive licence to host and promote your content. That licence ends within a commercially reasonable time after you remove the content; users keep access to copies they already obtained. The FAQ says the same in plain terms. A non-exclusive licence leaves you free to publish the same build elsewhere. Publishers must be over 18 or have parental or guardian consent (terms, section 2).

AI-generated content

itch.io has explicit rules. The quality guidelines ask you to tag generative-AI use in the AI Disclosure section of the project edit page. Tagged projects appear on an AI Assisted browse page. Traditional game AI such as pathfinding or procedural generation needs no tag. The guidelines say disclosure is strictly enforced for asset pages, and that pages made predominantly with AI and minimal human input are treated as spam. Separately, the FAQ bans AI-generated imagery that resembles photos of real people in the adult content section.

Before you submit

• ZIP (not RAR or 7z) containing index.html as the entry point, under 1,000 files, 500 MB extracted, 200 MB per file, paths under 240 characters.
• All asset paths relative; file name case matches the code exactly.
• External requests use HTTPS.
• Canvas resizes to its container; Mobile Friendly is ticked only if the game works on phones.
• Audio starts after a click or tap, since auto-started games may be muted.
• Cover image (315x250 minimum, 630x500 suggested), 3-5 screenshots, genre and up to 10 tags.
• AI Disclosure filled in if the project contains generative-AI material.

The Portal Readiness Checker can check some of this locally: ZIP structure, total size and file count, absolute or external URLs, service workers, SharedArrayBuffer/threads usage, the viewport meta tag, touch handlers, audio started before a gesture, and localStorage use. It cannot check your page metadata or AI disclosure. For the cover and screenshot conventions across portals, see thumbnails and metadata.

What is not published

• The ZIP upload size cap for new accounts (only that one exists).
• A first-download or load-time budget: itch.io limits extracted size, not what loads first.
• SharedArrayBuffer support or custom response headers: the HTML5 doc does not cover them.
• How long indexing review takes beyond “generally a few business days”.