Why Was My Game Archived?

You have uploaded your game to indiexpo, but after some time you may notice that it has been archived and moved to the Relics section.

Why does this happen?

There are a few reasons why a game may be archived. The goal is to keep the active sections of indiexpo focused on games that are available, maintained and reaching players, while still preserving older or less active projects.

Trampled Flower

Broken download links

One of the most common reasons is a broken external download link.

If your game uses an external website to host its files and that link is no longer available, players can no longer download the game correctly. In this case, the game may be archived and moved to Relics.

If you are the author, you can fix this by updating your game and adding a working downloadable file (or another working external download link). Once the game has been properly updated, it can return to the active sections of indiexpo.

Very low activity

Another reason is very low player activity.

indiexpo is a platform focused on helping players discover and play indie games. As the library grows, we need to keep the main discovery areas useful and manageable for both players and developers.

For this reason, games that receive very little activity may eventually be moved to Relics.

This does not necessarily mean that there is something wrong with the game. It may simply be an old project, a small experiment, a game that is no longer maintained, or a project that has not found its audience.

Instead of keeping every inactive game in the main discovery areas indefinitely, we move some of them to Relics while preserving the game and its history.

The Witch in the Woods

"How can my game get new players if it is archived?"

This is a common question, and the answer is simple: an archived game is no longer part of the active discovery system.

A game in Relics is not promoted in the same way as an active game. Therefore, it should not be considered a place where a game can continue to grow its player base on its own.

The purpose of Relics is to preserve games that are no longer active enough to remain in the main sections of indiexpo, without simply making them disappear forever.

If you want your game to start reaching new players again, the solution is to update the game and bring it back to the active sections.

This is particularly useful when you have released a new version, fixed important problems, added new content, or replaced a broken download link.

Even if your game is archived, the users can continue to left comments and follow your game.

What happens when a game becomes a Relic?

Being moved to Relics does not mean that your game is deleted from indiexpo completely.

The game page and its history are preserved. Players can still view the page, read and left comments, follow the game and vote for it.

However, the game is no longer treated as an active game for the main discovery experience.

How can I bring my game back?

If your game has been archived, you can update it at any time.

Add a new downloadable file or otherwise update the game, and it can be brought back to the active sections of indiexpo.

Think of it as a way to tell us:

"This game is active again."

A new version can also give your game another opportunity to reach players who may have never discovered it before.

Why does indiexpo archive games?

The Relics system helps us balance two important goals.

Bittersweet Birthday

First, we want indiexpo's active sections to remain focused on games that players can actually discover and play.

Second, we don't want older or inactive projects to simply disappear.

Relics allows us to do both: keep the active library focused while preserving games that have been part of indiexpo.

So if you find your game in Relics, don't consider it the end of its journey.

If you have a new version, new content or a working download, update your game and bring it back.

Your game can return to indiexpo's active discovery areas — and get another chance to find its players.