Free tools for making games

Templates, checklists and short guides for indie and solo developers. Copy them, download them, use them anywhere. No account needed.

Templates

Game design document template: A short, honest game design document you can fill in over an evening, plus how to keep it alive instead of letting it rot.
Game development roadmap template: A phase-by-phase roadmap from first prototype to launch and after, with the question each phase has to answer before you move on.
Game character sheet template: A character bible template for game writers and designers: who they are, what they want, how they look and how they sound.
Game devlog template: A simple structure for devlog posts that people actually read, and a habit that keeps you posting.
Playtest feedback questions: The questions worth asking after a playtest, how to ask them and how to tell advice from information.
Bug report template for games: A bug report format that gets bugs fixed: what to write, what to attach and how to rate how bad it is.

Steam page checklist: Everything to have ready for your Steam store page, in the order you’ll need it.
Indie game marketing checklist: A realistic marketing timeline for a small team, from the first prototype to launch, without a budget.

How to scope an indie game: Scope is the main reason small games don’t get finished. A practical way to size a game you can actually ship.