# 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.

Source: https://www.playdrop.ai/create/learn/distribution

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_game` may leave `visibility` out to follow that setting, or pass `public`, `unlisted` or `private`.
- `prepare_catalogue_upload` needs a visibility on the request or on each app: `public`, `unlisted` or `private`. If both are given they must match.
- `private` stores a version only the creator can open, without changing who can play the current version.
- `public` and `unlisted` publish 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](https://www.playdrop.ai/create/learn/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](https://www.playdrop.ai/quests); see [credits](https://www.playdrop.ai/create/learn/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](https://www.playdrop.ai/create/learn/listing-assets) help.
- **Your players:** in-game [sharing and invites](https://www.playdrop.ai/create/learn/social) 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.

## Related guides

- [Publish from your AI app](https://www.playdrop.ai/create/learn/mcp-publishing): How AI agents publish to PlayDrop through MCP: the simple and package paths, private testing, publish_game_version, updates, limits and recovery.
- [Listing art and video](https://www.playdrop.ai/create/learn/listing-assets): The listing images and videos a PlayDrop game can have, their paths, formats and orientations, and how to make art that works in feeds, search and previews.
- [Instant games](https://www.playdrop.ai/create/learn/instant-games): What makes a PlayDrop game Instant: portrait play, guest access, at most 10 MiB of startup files and a two-second start, and how it differs from regular games.
- [Sharing, friends and invites](https://www.playdrop.ai/create/learn/social): Share a game with an image or clip, read launch payloads, pick friends, send invite and challenge cards in PlayDrop Chat, and recommend other games.