Plan and test game mechanics

A mechanic needs an observable rule: an action, a change in state and feedback to the player. Before adding more systems, test whether the first action, win condition and restart work together. The existing guides below provide the starting workflow and debugging checks.

Open Mechanics collection ↗

Prepare a game for publishing

Publishing starts with a game that can be tested, understood and maintained. Check the available creator controls, audience settings and safety requirements before a release. Use the publishing guide for the sequence, and the troubleshooting guide for an actual blocked step.

Open Publish collection ↗

BC-0271 · TROUBLESHOOTING

Editorial review 2026-09-27

Published Build Game Is Not Visible

For a published game that is not visible, first define where it is missing: the intended destination, an eligible player's access path, search or recommendations. Publication, audience access and distribution are separate outcomes. A missing recommendation is not proof that Publish failed.

Symptom

A game described as published is absent from a particular destination or discovery/access context.

Immediate action

Name the missing surface and verify the actual publication result and intended destination separately.

Diagnostic branches

Publication has no confirmed result.: Use publishing-state diagnosis before investigating distribution.
The destination exists but displays a viewer restriction.: Follow the legitimate audience or moderation notice.
The direct destination works but recommendations do not show it.: Treat distribution as unverified rather than repeating publication.

Least-destructive change

Preserve the published candidate and avoid speculative reuploads or audience changes.

Retest

The report identifies the exact missing surface.
Creator and viewer access are not conflated.
Direct reachability does not guarantee recommendation placement.

Escalation

Use official assistance for an unresolved destination or notice; use discovery guidance when the issue is exposure rather than publication.

Working notes

Check whether publication was actually reported for the intended project and candidate. If the action never returned a result, use publishing-state guidance. If it did, inspect the exact known destination through a legitimate creator or eligible-player path instead of relying only on a search query.

An existing destination can still show an audience or moderation notice. Preserve its wording and distinguish the affected viewer from the creator. The creator's access does not establish that every viewer can enter, and a viewer's restriction does not prove the destination was deleted.

When the direct destination is reachable but a discovery surface does not show it, record that narrower fact. Search wording, recommendations and promotion involve different questions from whether the game exists. Do not repeatedly republish, manipulate engagement or promise a waiting period that produces distribution.

Use the verified boundary to choose the next task: unresolved publishing outcome, legitimate audience requirements, moderation notice, or accurate discovery presentation. Keep the destination's actual version and content intact while investigating visibility.

Examples

Direct-versus-discovery record: intended destination opens for an eligible player; no Home placement observed. Publication access is confirmed in that context, recommendation placement is not.
Viewer distinction: the creator opens the game while the recipient sees an audience notice. Record the restriction and follow audience guidance instead of calling the game missing for everyone.