What should a game pitch deck include?

The hook, gameplay video, core loop, unique selling points, audience and comparable titles, platforms and business model, current state, team, budget, milestones, the ask and evidence of player interest, in around 10–15 slides.

Do I need a vertical slice to pitch a game?

It is strongly recommended. A short, near-final-quality section of the game shows the publisher that your team can deliver the quality promised in the deck.

How do I choose which publishers to pitch?

Pick publishers whose catalogue matches your genre, platform and budget size, check how they market similar games, follow their submission process and talk to developers who worked with them.

What do publishers look for in a pitch?

A clear hook, a fun and polished slice, a credible team, a realistic budget and plan, and evidence that players care, such as wishlists or playtest results.

What terms should I check in a publishing deal?

The revenue split before and after recoupment, which costs are recouped, IP ownership, milestone payments and failure terms, marketing commitments, and rights to ports and sequels.

How to Pitch a Game to a Publisher: The Deck That Works

The short answer

A strong publisher pitch shows the game in the first seconds, explains the hook in one sentence, and backs it with a playable vertical slice, a realistic budget and milestones, a team that can deliver and evidence that players care, such as wishlists or playtest results. Keep the deck to around 10–15 slides, target publishers whose catalogue fits your game, and read deal terms carefully before signing.

The deck, slide by slide

Slide	What it should show
1. Title and hook	Game name, key art and one sentence on why it is different
2. Gameplay	A GIF or short video of real gameplay
3. Core loop	What the player does, minute to minute and session to session
4. Unique selling points	Three reasons players will choose it
5. Audience and comparables	Who it is for and two or three successful similar games
6. Platforms and business model	Where it launches and how it earns
7. Current state	What is built, with a link to a playable build
8. Team	Who is making it and what they have shipped
9. Budget	Total and major cost lines
10. Timeline and milestones	Key dates from now to launch
11. The ask	Funding amount and services wanted
12. Evidence	Wishlists, playtests, community, press

The vertical slice

A vertical slice is a short section of the game at near-final quality: art, audio, game feel and UI. It answers the publisher's biggest question, "can this team make the game look and play like the pitch?", better than any slide. Five to fifteen minutes of polished play beats an hour of rough content. Our prototyping guide shows how to get there.

Choosing publishers

Study their catalogues: do they publish your genre, platform and budget size?
Look at how they market games similar to yours.
Check their submission process and follow it exactly.
Ask developers who worked with them about the experience.

A smaller publisher that loves your genre often does more for your game than a large one that does not.

Budget and milestones

Publishers want to see that you know what the game costs. Break the budget into team, contractors, tools, audio, localisation, QA and contingency, and tie milestones to playable deliverables. Unrealistically low budgets are a red flag, not an advantage. Our cost calculator and cost guide help sanity-check numbers.

Evidence that players care

Numbers reduce risk for publishers: Steam wishlists, demo downloads and playtime, playtest scores, community size and engagement. Valve notes that wishlisters are notified at launch and on discounts, which is why publishers ask about wishlists; see our Steam wishlists guide.

The meeting

Open with the hook and gameplay within the first minute.
Keep the deck short and leave time for questions.
Offer to play the build live or hand it over.
Listen: questions reveal what the publisher is worried about.
End with a clear next step.

Follow-up

Send the deck, a build link, the trailer and answers to any open questions within a day or two. Keep updates short and occasional; a meaningful milestone, such as a successful demo or festival, is a good reason to get back in touch.

Deal terms to check

Term	What to look for
Revenue split	The split before and after recoupment of the advance
Recoupment	Which costs are recouped, including marketing
IP ownership	Whether you keep the IP and under what conditions
Milestones	Payments per milestone and what happens if one slips
Marketing commitment	A minimum spend or specific activities
Rights	Ports, sequels, merchandise and territories

Get a lawyer experienced in games to review the contract before signing.

Common pitch mistakes

Ten slides of story and lore before any gameplay.
Comparable titles that are huge hits made by much larger teams.
A budget that is clearly too low for the scope.
No playable build, or a build that crashes in the meeting.
Asking for funding without saying what the money will deliver.

Pitching remotely

Many pitches now happen on video calls. Test screen sharing and audio beforehand, have gameplay video ready in case the live build stutters, and send the build link before the call so the publisher can try it. Keep a shorter version of the deck for calls, since attention drops faster on screen than in a room.

If publishers say no

Many good games are rejected for reasons unrelated to quality: portfolio fit, timing or budget. Ask for feedback, improve the slice, and consider other routes such as grants, crowdfunding or self-publishing; see how to fund an indie game.

Getting a pitch-ready build

We build prototypes and vertical slices on fixed milestones, so you can pitch with a playable game. See our quote form or PC game development.

Sources: GDC Vault: pitching and business talks · Steamworks: wishlists · UK Games Fund · Kickstarter: fees. Checked October 20, 2026.

How to pitch a game to a publisher: the deck that works