The browser is a first-class format there
itch.io supports HTML, JavaScript and CSS games that run directly in the browser. A developer can upload a ZIP containing an index.html and the required assets, or a self-contained HTML file for a tiny project. The result can be embedded on the project page rather than treated as a second-class download.
That matters because every extra step between seeing a game and playing it sheds people. Browser-native distribution turns a project page into a playable demo, and for many small games it can be the full product.
The constraints are healthy
The platform puts practical limits around HTML uploads: file counts, extracted size and individual file size. Those limits are not glamorous, but they encourage the same discipline a good web game needs anyway — small payloads, reliable paths and assets that do not waste the player’s time.
itch.io also recommends responsive exports for games that can adapt to different window sizes. Mobile-friendly HTML projects can launch full-screen on phones, which is exactly the kind of behaviour a browser game should be designed to handle rather than patched in later.
Discovery still depends on presentation
Uploading a ZIP is not a marketing plan. itch.io’s own creator guidance stresses accurate presentation, strong project pages and direct uploads. Projects that meet quality expectations can participate in browse, search and recommendation surfaces; weak or misleading pages can lose that discovery opportunity.
That is the useful lesson for Xarmo too. Distribution works better when the destination page clearly explains the game, shows what makes it different and lets the player start quickly.
It is a culture, not just a checkout
The strongest reason itch.io remains interesting is that it still feels built for experiments. Game jams, tiny tools, strange prototypes and personal projects can sit beside polished commercial work without needing to imitate a console storefront.
For browser games, that gives creators a place to test whether an idea travels outside their own site. If a game can earn clicks and completed sessions on itch.io, that is a much stronger signal than friends telling you the homepage looks nice.
What Xarmo should ship there
For Xarmo, the strongest starting point is the games with the clearest one-sentence hook and the fastest onboarding. Brickshift and Neon Drop fit that test. The aim would not be to mirror the whole catalogue on day one; it would be to learn which game earns attention from people who did not arrive through xarmo.com.
Keep exploring
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