← Solo Game Dev
Day 23 of 30✓ Sent
Monetisation — Ads, IAP, Premium, and What Actually Works for Solo Devs
Understand how games make money and which model fits your game and audience.
Email subject:Monetisation — Ads, IAP, Premium, and What Actually Works for Solo Devs
Topics Covered
- •Premium ($1-10): you pay once, play forever. Best for narrative games, puzzle games with clear value. Lower volume, higher quality audience.
- •Free with ads: rewarded video (player chooses to watch for reward), banner/interstitial (intrusive, damages experience). Only viable at scale.
- •Free with IAP: hints, extra lives, cosmetics, level packs. Works for puzzle/casual. Design the game around the IAP from day one.
- •Subscription: rare for indie, works for utility games or content-heavy games with ongoing updates.
- •Steam vs mobile monetisation: Steam players expect premium or free. Mobile has trained players to expect free.
- •The honest truth: most games make almost nothing. Design for the experience first. Monetisation is secondary for your first game.