Hey guys!

We're back with another guide, and this one might be the most important yet. After covering short-form videos and trend participation, it's time to talk about trailers! If you're a game developer, you already know a trailer needs to be done right, because it's your game's first impression. It'll also act as promotional material everywhere, from your Steam page to YouTube, which means it needs to capture your game perfectly enough to send people straight to your store page to wishlist or buy it.

This is also something we've seen come up a lot lately in the indie dev scene, particularly on Reddit. While almost everyone knows game trailers are important, the how is still a common question. So we're breaking it down for you. It’s worth also noting that our guidance here is aimed towards indie game developers. If you’re a AAA studio, the rules are certainly a little different. As an indie, you need to convey your unique experience, variety and quality with which it is executed.

3 Trailer Categories

You've probably come across a lot of trailer types out there, but what are they exactly?

Teaser Trailer: This is the trailer that shows your game exists, is being developed, and is coming out. The goal is to convey the gameplay vibe, giving people a sense of what it'll feel like to play. Since you might not have a lot of assets ready yet, this is a good place to show just a glimpse of gameplay as it might sit on your Steam page for a while, acting as the first impression for your game.
Announcement Trailer: This is your primary marketing piece that drives the bulk of your campaign and lives on your Steam page. Ideally, this one should explain core gameplay loops, narrative stakes, or character challenges (e.g., explaining roguelike mechanics or setting the premise for a narrative adventure) using on-screen titles. You can also highlight a wide variety of shots and environments to demonstrate depth and value proposition so viewers know the game isn't just one repeated mechanic! You need to ensure your audience walks away from this trailer understanding what you actually do in your game.
Launch Trailer: If you're planning to release the game in the next month or so, this is the trailer you'll need. This trailer will include the release date and available platforms, and focuses on showing the game in a new light: later-game areas, advanced story twists (shots taken out of context are not spoilers), or augmented/subverted gameplay mechanics to excite returning followers. It's recommended to keep this one around 30 seconds!

Of course, you don't always have to follow these categories, and you're free to prepare more trailers if you have the means to! Some studios release a Release Date Announcement Trailer a month or two before the release, while others prepare a Launch Trailer on their launch day to celebrate. Some also prepare a Gameplay Trailer to showcase more of the gameplay side, and though it's relatively uncommon, there are even Accolades Trailers to highlight what reviewers or the community are saying.

The Common ‘Bad’ Practices

Below, we've listed some common examples of bad practices when making trailers. Note that these might not apply to bigger studios or publishers, but that's because they've already established themselves in the market and can generally get away with logo-heavy trailers or just showing snippets of gameplay without giving more context.

Super long runtime and slow pacing: People have limited attention spans these days, so keep it short and sweet. Avoid making trailers overly long or lingering on a single scene for too long, and don't just hang on one scene forever.
Leading with studio logos: Wasting the critical opening seconds showing brand or developer logos when you don't carry massive name recognition. Almost everybody in the indie scene will tell you this, so ditch those logos and replace them with your gameplay instead!
Cinematic fluff or lore dumps: Creating rambling, purely cinematic trailers with rumbly voiceovers that focus heavily on world lore rather than actual playability. People want to see what the game actually is, so leaning too hard into those two things can do more harm than good.

Do These Instead!

Now that you’ve read the common bad practices indie devs usually do, here are some things you can do instead to make your trailer look better overall:

The 3-Second Rule: Show active gameplay within the first 3 seconds instead of using developer and publisher logos. This will also be useful for your game pages because if you hover over the Steam page, for example, the trailer starts to play and it will show you the gameplay. You could also choose some high-dopamine supercuts of your game before slowing down to set the scene, similar to modern movie trailers or YouTube B-rolls!
Snappy cuts and visual variety: Show diverse player interactions (e.g., combat, dialogue, crafting), varied environments, and distinct color schemes. If there isn't much variety in the gameplay, then show off different environments, different places where it happens. Even just different color schemes can really help add some visual variety to keep people's attention.
Showing UI elements: Including on-screen UI elements across shots helps viewers instantly recognize it as gameplay instead of a cutscene. You can still mix in cinematic shots for atmosphere, but make sure UI and gameplay footage show up too, so players know exactly what to expect from your game.
CTA CTA CTA: Depending on what stage your game is in, you will still need to add a call-to-action at the end of your trailer. Whether it’s to tell everyone to wishlist, play the demo, or to join your Discord server, a CTA gives people a clear next step, so they know exactly what to do after watching! Younger audiences like to see ways they can get involved immediately, and older fans prefer ‘passive’ engagements (if that’s a thing) like wishlisting for later, or joining the mailing list.
Keep Your Trailers 30-90 Seconds MAX: Ideally, your trailer should be 60 seconds max, though you can prepare a 90-second version for special occasions (for an accolades or gameplay trailer, for example). This matters because a lot of events require a 60-second submission, so having one ready means you won't have to cut your footage last minute.

Aside from the usual social media marketing, a trailer is often the first (and sometimes only) chance to convince someone your game is worth their time. Be sure to put these practices to work before you draft your storyboard!

If you need further guidance on trailer creation or just game marketing in general, feel free to reach out to us to brainstorm some ideas together. We offer a 30-minute consultation free of charge with no obligation to move forward if you don’t feel like we’re a good fit for your current needs. See you soon👋