Solo Game Development: Trap or Actually Doable?

Everyone tells you solo game development is impossible.

Too much work. Too many skills required. You need a team for art, another for audio, someone for programming, a designer, maybe a marketing person.

Then you look at Stardew Valley.

One person. Four and a half years. Over 41 million copies sold. Eric Barone taught himself everything coding, pixel art, music composition, design. He worked 10 hours a day, seven days a week, lived with his parents to save money, and his girlfriend worked two jobs to support them both.

So which is it? Trap or actually doable?

The Reality No One Talks About

Here's what I've learned working on my own farming game in Godot.. solo game development is both harder than you think and more achievable than ever before.

The trap isn't that it's impossible.

The trap is thinking you can build the next Hollow Knight in six months while working a full-time job.

I have some experience with Godot and started working on a farming-type game. I bought the assets for it, so potentially after a few months or a year or two I might release a demo. Still working on it.

Notice I said "a year or two" for a demo. Not a full release. A demo.

That's the first reality check.

Why Game Dev Is Actually Harder Than Web Development

I've built web apps. I've shipped SaaS products. Game development is different.

With a web app, you can launch with basic CRUD operations and a clean UI. Users forgive rough edges if the core functionality works.

With games, players expect..

• Smooth animations and responsive controls
• Polished audio that reacts to gameplay
• Visual feedback for every action
• A core gameplay loop that's fun from minute one
• Art style that's cohesive across hundreds of assets
• Performance optimization so it doesn't stutter

Miss any of these and your game feels "janky." Players uninstall within minutes.

You're not just building functionality. You're building an experience.

That's why over 70% of indie developers cite "scope too large" as the reason their game never shipped. They underestimate what "polish" actually means.

Why 2025 Is The Best Time To Start

Here's the counterpoint.. solo game development has never been more accessible.

Ten years ago, you needed..

• Deep C++ knowledge for any serious engine
• Manual memory management and low-level graphics programming
• Custom tools for everything from level editors to particle systems
• A composer, or spend months learning music theory
• An artist, or suffer through MS Paint sprites

In 2025, you have..

Godot and Unity with visual scripting and easy-to-learn languages. Godot is completely free with no licensing fees. Unity's Asset Store has thousands of ready-made systems save yourself weeks of work.

Asset stores where you can buy professional-quality art, audio, and systems for a fraction of what hiring would cost. I bought my farming game assets for less than $100. Would've taken me months to create them myself, and they'd look worse.

AI tools that generate textures, write dialogue variations, and help with code. Unity is integrating AI directly into the editor for asset generation and automating repetitive tasks.

Free resources everywhere. YouTube tutorials, Discord communities, open-source tools. The barrier to entry is lower than it's ever been.

Balatro a poker roguelike hit one million sales in under a month in 2024. Made by one person. Manor Lords sold one million copies in one day. Also one person.

It's doable. But you need realistic expectations.

The Success Stories Everyone Cites

Let's talk about the games that prove solo development works.

Stardew Valley Eric Barone, 4.5 years of development. Sold over 41 million copies. He learned programming, pixel art, and music composition from scratch. Worked alone for the entire development cycle (except multiplayer networking later).

Undertale Toby Fox, 2.7 years of development. He handled design, programming, writing, and music. Hired Temmie Chang for some artwork. The game became a cultural phenomenon and generated millions in revenue from a $51,000 Kickstarter.

Cave Story Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya, 5 years of development (some sources say 10 years if you count early iterations and refinement). Created everything solo story, art, animation, music, engine programming. Released it for free in 2004. Later got commercial releases.

These aren't outliers. They're proof of concept.

But notice the pattern.. multi-year development cycles. Not six months. Not "I'll build it on weekends."

The Modern Success Stories You Haven't Heard

The wins didn't stop in 2016.

Balatro (2024) LocalThunk's poker roguelike deckbuilder. One million Steam sales in under a month. Peak of 38,000 concurrent players. Focused scope, polished execution.

Manor Lords (2024) Medieval city builder. One million sales in one day. Single developer who knew when to use assets and when to build custom systems.

Rusty's Retirement Inspired by Stardew Valley. 500,000 copies sold. Minimal marketing. The developer understood their niche and executed.

These games didn't have massive budgets or teams. They had focused scope, clear vision, and realistic timelines.

The Real Trap.. Scope Creep and Perfectionism

Here's where most solo devs fail.

You start with a simple idea. Maybe a farming sim with 5 crop types and a small village.

Then you think.. what if I add seasons? And fishing? And mining? And relationships with 20 NPCs? And a skill tree? And mod support?

Suddenly your 6-month project is a 3-year project.

Scope creep is the silent killer of indie games. It's not dramatic. It's slow. You keep adding "just one more feature" until your game is unshippable.

Perfectionism is worse.

You spend hours tweaking a single animation that 90% of players won't notice. You rewrite your dialogue system three times because it's not "elegant" enough. You add shaders and post-processing effects instead of finishing your core gameplay loop.

I've done this. You've probably done this.

The solution isn't to build a worse game. It's to define your MVP and ship that first.

What a Realistic Timeline Actually Looks Like

Let's be honest about numbers.

For a simple game (puzzle, arcade, small scope)..

• 3-6 months part-time
• 1-3 months full-time
• Think Flappy Bird or a basic roguelike

For a medium game (platformer, small RPG, farming sim)..

• 1-2 years part-time
• 6-12 months full-time
• This is where most solo devs should aim

For a complex game (large RPG, open-world, narrative-heavy)..

• 3-5+ years
• Only attempt this if you have financial runway and experience shipping smaller games

One developer with zero game dev experience shipped their first Steam game in 18 months while keeping their day job. That's the realistic pace for beginners.

Not 30 days. Not 90 days. 18 months for something shippable.

If you're working full-time, double it.

When to Buy Assets vs Build From Scratch

This is where I saved myself months of work.

Buy assets when..

• It's not core to your game's identity
• Learning the skill would take longer than your entire dev timeline
• Professional assets are affordable (under $200)
• Your time is better spent on unique mechanics

Build from scratch when..

• It's your game's main hook (unique art style, innovative mechanics)
• Assets don't exist for what you need
• You genuinely enjoy that part of development
• You have the skills already

I bought my farming game assets because I'm not an artist. I could spend 6 months learning pixel art and create mediocre sprites, or spend $100 and get professional work immediately.

The choice was obvious.

My time went into the gameplay systems, the feel of planting and harvesting, the progression loop. That's where I add value.

My Current Reality Check

I'm working on a farming game in Godot. I bought the assets. I have some programming experience.

My timeline? A year or two for a demo.

Not a full game. A demo. A small, polished slice that proves the concept works.

If that goes well, maybe another year for a 1.0 release. Maybe longer.

That's the honest timeline. I'm not quitting my day job. I'm not working 80-hour weeks. I'm building something sustainable that I can actually finish.

This is what realistic solo game development looks like in 2025.

The Advantages You Actually Have

Solo development isn't just harder. It has real benefits.

Full creative control. No design-by-committee. No compromises. Your vision stays pure.

Faster decisions. No meetings. No convincing a team. You pivot when you need to pivot.

Lower financial risk. My total investment so far is under $200 for assets and my time. No salaries. No office rent.

Authentic marketing. Players love supporting solo devs. Your story becomes part of your game's appeal. ConcernedApe's story is part of Stardew Valley's success.

These aren't small advantages. They're why solo development can compete with small studios.

What You Should Do Next

Here's what actually matters..

Start smaller than you think. Your first game should take months, not years. Build a tiny vertical slice. Polish it. Ship it. Learn from it.

Define your MVP ruthlessly. What's the one thing that makes your game fun? Build that first. Everything else is optional until that core loop works.

Use assets strategically. Don't reinvent the wheel. Buy what you can. Build what makes your game unique.

Set a deadline. Games without deadlines never ship. Give yourself 6-12 months for your first project. Cut features if you have to, but ship something.

Join a community. Discord servers for Godot, Unity, indie dev. You need other people who understand the struggle. You need accountability.

Start here..

Pick your engine this week. Godot if you want free and lightweight. Unity if you want a massive asset store.

Build something tiny. A single mechanic. A character that moves and jumps. A farming plot where you plant one crop.

Make that feel good. Then add the next piece.

Solo game development isn't a trap if you go in with open eyes.

It's a trap if you think you'll build Stardew Valley in six months while watching Netflix.

But if you're willing to put in 1-2 years of focused work, scope ruthlessly, use assets strategically, and actually ship something instead of chasing perfection?

It's absolutely doable.

I'm proving it to myself right now. One farming plot at a time.