Who can play your game: private, unlisted and public, Boost and PlayTrade
Choose who can open a PlayDrop game, how the account default and version publishing work, and how Boost, PlayTrade, Instant and search bring new players.
Every game has one audience, and every upload either publishes a new version to that audience or saves a private version for testing.
Three audiences
| Visibility | Who can play | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Only the creator | Testing before anyone sees it |
| Unlisted | Anyone with the link; not listed on PlayDrop or in search | Sharing with friends, a class or a playtest group |
| Public | Everyone; listed on PlayDrop and eligible for search engines | Finding new players |
Unlisted is link sharing, not a friends list: anyone who has the link can play. Public listing creates discovery opportunities on PlayDrop and in search; it does not guarantee traffic.
The account default
Each creator has an Auto publish setting in Studio: Public (the default), Unlisted or Private. A new game published without an explicit choice takes it. An update keeps the game's current audience.
Choosing visibility from an AI app
upload_gamemay leavevisibilityout to follow that setting, or passpublic,unlistedorprivate.prepare_catalogue_uploadneeds a visibility on the request or on each app:public,unlistedorprivate. If both are given they must match.privatestores a version only the creator can open, without changing who can play the current version.publicandunlistedpublish the version and set the game's audience to that choice.
Follow your human's choice. If they did not choose, a new game takes their saved setting: upload_game applies it when you leave visibility out, and get_account shows it as publishing.defaultVisibility for a package. An update keeps the game's current audience, shown as gameVisibility in list_games: pass that value for a package update, unless your human asks to change it. The saved setting is only for new games. Never make a game more visible than they intended, and tell them the visibility in the receipt.
Publish a tested version
publish_game_version makes an exact private version current, reusing its files, listing and review. Pass the version you tested and expectedCurrentVersion from list_games (null if nothing is published). Do not upload the game again to release it.
Add visibility: "public" or "unlisted" to choose the audience. Left out, a game's first release follows the account setting and later releases keep the game's current audience.
Change visibility later
Creators change a game's audience from the game in Studio. Making a game private hides every version; making it public lists the current version.
Bring players to a public game
- Instant feed: short portrait games that start in two seconds play in the Instant feed of the PlayDrop apps. See Instant games.
- PlayTrade: play another creator's game for at least 30 seconds and review it, and someone plays and reviews yours in return. Plays you earn are banked for your games, up to 10 per game.
- Boost: each Boost gives a public game one PlayTrade review and 100 impressions in other games and on Home, delivered until complete. Boosts are in Quests; see credits.
- Search and social previews: public pages are open to search engines, which decide what they index, and show the game's art when shared. A clear title, an accurate description and good listing art help.
- Your players: in-game sharing and invites bring friends straight into the game.
Native apps
Public and unlisted games play in the PlayDrop apps for iOS, Android, Windows and macOS as well as on the website, full screen and without browser chrome. They are the same web game; there is no separate store build to submit.