10 common game dev mistakes

10 common game dev mistakes ☠️

(and how to avoid them)

If you’re building games, avoid these traps.
Each one can cost you months of work and serious $$.

𝟭. 🕵️ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁
• Research the market and genre first
• Spot gaps and trends before prototyping

𝟮. 💭 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻”
• Ship a prototype every month
• Track D1/D7/D30 metrics
• Cut anything that doesn’t improve them

𝟯. 🧩 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁-𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵
• Lock your MVP scope
• New features must beat existing KPIs in A/B tests

𝟰. 🎮 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗧𝗨𝗘
• One mechanic per screen
• Finish the tutorial in <2 mins
• End the first session with a wow moment

𝟱. 💸 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 > 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁
• Hit ≥40% D1 and >10% D7 before adding monetization
• Retention first — monetization will follow

𝟲. 📅 𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲-𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻
• Draft a 90-day calendar pre-launch
• Include events, updates, and offers

𝟳. 📉 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 & 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘀
• Track every core action
• Monitor dashboards daily
• Hot-fix crashes within 24h

𝟴. 🛠️ 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘁 𝘀𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹
• Block time for bi-weekly refactors
• Enforce code reviews
• Set a performance budget per feature

𝟵. 📢 𝗨𝗔 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱
• Prototype ad creatives alongside the game
• Lock CPI targets with early A/B tests

𝟭𝟬. 🔁 𝗡𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗽
• Run regular playtests
• Collect feedback via Discord and surveys
• Turn top issues into sprint tasks

Avoiding these mistakes won’t guarantee a hit.
But they will massively increase your odds.

Which of these have you run into before?