Can I submit without a playable build?
Yes. An approved source-only project appears in the full catalog and gets a public detail page. A live build is required for Play now and chart eligibility.
Get your browser game played
Vibe Arcade is for creators with a public GitHub-backed game who want another discovery surface and useful player signals, not hosting or monetization.
Is Vibe a fit?
A strong fit
- You maintain a public GitHub repository and can push to it.
- You want a player-facing page with direct repository and creator credit.
- You already host a browser build, or want to list a source-only project first.
- You want likes, chart visibility, approximate opens and returns, and broken-build reports without installing an SDK.
- You want to keep existing hosting and add another discovery path.
Probably not a fit
- You need Vibe to host or deploy the game files.
- You need payments, advertising, revenue sharing, or private repositories.
- You need per-player analytics, playtime, comments, follows, or an SDK.
- You require instant publication, guaranteed traffic, or a review-time SLA.
From repository to discovery
Keep the code and build where they already live. Vibe adds the moderated player-facing layer around them.
- 01
Connect a repository you control
Sign in with GitHub, paste a public repository, and let Vibe verify that your account can push to it.
- 02
Shape the player-facing listing
Write the reason to play, choose the primary genre, record provenance, and optionally add the externally hosted live build.
- 03
Pass moderation before publication
Every submission starts pending. Approved source-only projects get a public page; approved live builds can enter Play now and the charts.
Direction, not surveillance
Vibe is designed to answer one practical question: are people opening, liking, and returning to the game?
- Player response
- Total and recent likes, plus current chart positions when eligible.
- Opening behavior
- Raw launch taps and approximate recent browser-game starts.
- Return signal
- The subset of recent browsers that started the game on an earlier UTC date.
- Build health
- Current broken-build reports and a direct way to mark the build fixed.
These are aggregate, privacy-limited signals. They are not verified unique players, sessions, retention rates, or proof that an external build finished loading.
Questions, answered
Does Vibe Arcade host my game files?
No. Your code stays in GitHub and your live build stays with its existing host. Vibe stores the listing and opens the URL you provide in a new tab.
Why must the repository be public and writable by my account?
Public access lets the listing point to inspectable source. GitHub push permission establishes that the signed-in submitter controls that repository.
Is an SDK required?
No. Vibe records a launch when a player follows its Play link. The external game does not integrate a Vibe SDK.
Can I keep my itch.io or existing project page?
Yes from Vibe's technical side. A Vibe submission does not move, copy, or replace that page. Keep the existing destination and provide the browser-build URL you want players to open.
What happens after I submit?
The listing stays pending until a moderator approves or rejects it. Track status and rejection feedback in Your games; Vibe does not currently publish a review-time estimate or send review emails.
Will edits keep an approved game public?
No. Any actual edit returns an approved listing to pending review and temporarily removes it from public discovery. The repository identity and stable game-page URL stay fixed.
Bring the game you already built
Keep your repository and host. Add a clear player pitch, submit once, and earn a place in the arcade after review.