Editorial policy

Last updated: 21 October 2026

Selection

We publish games that have just appeared on itch.io's newest HTML5 feed. A game must have a working HTML5 frame, a cover, at least two screenshots, an English description of at least 900 characters, and no adult or asset-pack tag. We do not import old catalogues or publish pages for games that are already old news.

Playability

Before a game is published, the frame is fetched with the itch.io referer. The page must return HTML with a game canvas or script. If the frame does not load, the game is not published. We re-check published frames on every run and remove a page if the game stops working.

Guide standards

Every published page has at least 1,000 words across a clear structure: what the game is, how to play, controls, first-run tips, content and replayability, presentation, who it is for, and a FAQ. The guide may only use the developer's description as evidence. Controls, numbers, prices, platforms, and free claims are checked against that description. If a detail is not there, it is not invented.

AI assistance

We use a language model to draft guides from the developer's description. The draft is not published until it passes the evidence and length checks. A guide that fails is not published at all; we do not publish a thin fallback page.

Corrections and removal

Email hello@debutplay.com with the game URL and the correction. Removal requests from developers are honoured; the page is taken down and the URL is removed from the sitemap.

Independence

DebutPlay is not paid for coverage. A game cannot buy a page, a better position, or a guide. Outbound links go to the developer's itch.io page.