← Solo Game Dev
Day 28 of 30✓ Sent
Realistic Timeline — What 3, 6, and 12 Months of Solo Dev Actually Looks Like
Set a realistic schedule for your first shipped game — accounting for your health, workload, and available time.
Email subject:Realistic Timeline — What 3, 6, and 12 Months of Solo Dev Actually Looks Like
Topics Covered
- •3-month game: 30-level casual puzzle, one mechanic, AI assets throughout. Achievable at 1-2 hours/day.
- •6-month game: 50-level puzzle with narrative layer, or short narrative game (30-45 min play time), or simple arcade game.
- •12-month game: roguelite with meta-progression, full narrative game with voice acting, or polished action game.
- •Your context: solo consulting work, health recovery — be honest about available hours. 1 hour/day consistently > 8 hours on weekends.
- •The compound effect: one system per week adds up fast. Week 4 = input, movement, camera, basic UI.
- •AI as a multiplier: a solo dev with AI tools works at roughly 2-3x the pace of one without — factor this in