# Publishing Your Game

Once you've customized your game, it's time to publish and share it with the world.

## Publishing Options

![Publishing options](/img/create-game/publish-creategame.jpg)

### Save as Draft

Not ready to publish yet? Save your work as a draft:

- Click **Save as Draft**
- Access drafts from **Manage Games**
- Continue editing anytime

### Create Game (Publish)

Ready to go live:

1. Click **Create Game**
2. Your game is created and becomes playable
3. You'll be shown sharing options with your game link

---

## Game States

Games can be in one of these states:

| Status | Description |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| **Draft** | Work in progress, not publicly playable |
| **Published** | Live and playable via link |
| **Archived** | Hidden from public, preserved for records |

You can change a game's status from the **Edit Game** page:

| Current Status | Available Actions |
| -------------- | ----------------- |
| Draft | **Publish Game** or **Archive** |
| Published | **Unpublish** (back to Draft) or **Archive** |
| Archived | **Restore to Draft** |

---

## Managing Your Games

Access your games from the **Manage Games** page (via the sidebar menu):

<video autoplay loop muted playsinline preload="none">
  <source src="/vdo/create-game/manage-game-creategame.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
</video>

### View All Games

See all games you've created with:

- Thumbnail
- Status badge (Draft / Published / Archived)
- Play count
- Title and description
- Search, sort by title, creation date, or play count

### Game Actions

Each game card has four action buttons:

| Action | Description |
| ------ | ----------- |
| **View** | Opens the game in a new tab |
| **Edit** | Opens the game editor to update assets, settings, and prizes |
| **Share** | Opens the share modal with link, QR code, and embed options |
| **Delete** | Permanently deletes the game (cannot be undone) |

### Edit a Game

Click **Edit** to:

- Update visual assets
- Change game configuration
- Modify prize configurations
- Update post-game CTAs
- Change game status (publish, unpublish, archive)

:::note[Live Changes]
Changes to published games take effect immediately. Players will see the
updated version.
:::

### Delete a Game

To permanently delete a game:

1. Click the **Delete** button
2. Confirm the deletion in the dialog

:::caution[Warning]
Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. All play data and analytics will be
lost.
:::

---

## Sharing Your Game

After publishing, a sharing screen appears with multiple ways to distribute your game:

### Direct Link

Every game gets a unique URL that you can copy and share anywhere.

### QR Code

Generate and download a QR code for physical marketing:

- Click **Generate QR Code**
- Download as PNG
- Use in print materials, posters, or displays

### Embed on Your Website

Two embedding options:

- **Simple iframe** — Copy the `<iframe>` snippet and paste it into your website HTML
- **Floating Play button** — A fixed button that opens the game in an overlay; supports [Shopify](/sharing/shopify), [Shopline](/sharing/shopline), and general HTML

See [Embed on Website](/sharing/embed) for iframe details and [Floating Play Button](/sharing/floating-play-button) for the overlay widget.

### WhatsApp Sharing

Share your game link directly via WhatsApp from the sharing screen.

### Connect Your Data

After publishing, you can connect your game data to external platforms:

- Braze, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier, and Webhooks
- Visit the [Connections](/connections/overview) page to set up integrations

---

## Player Experience

When players open your game, they can:

- **Play** the game
- **Like** your game (requires sign-in)
- **Share** via their device's native share menu or clipboard
- **Replay** after finishing
- **Record & Share** — Record their gameplay as a video, then upload and share or download it
- **View High Scores** — See the leaderboard

---

## Game URLs

### Standard URL (for players)

```
https://app.dailyplay.ai/play/[game-id]
```

### Embedded URL (for iframes)

```
https://app.dailyplay.ai/embed/[game-id]
```

---

## Analytics

Track your game's performance:

- **Total Plays** — How many times your game was played
- **Unique Players** — Individual users who played
- **Top Scores** — Leaderboard of best performances
- **Engagement** — Likes and shares

See [Analytics](/sharing/analytics) for more details.

---

## Best Practices

### Before Publishing

- Test the game on mobile and desktop
- Verify all images load correctly
- Check prize configurations (if applicable)
- Review post-game CTA text

### After Publishing

- Share on social media and messaging apps
- Monitor initial plays for issues
- Collect feedback from early players
- Iterate and improve based on analytics

---

## Troubleshooting

### Game not loading

- Check your internet connection
- Try refreshing the page
- Clear browser cache

### Images not displaying

- Verify image files are under 5MB
- Use supported formats (PNG, JPG, WEBP)
- Re-upload if generation failed

### Analytics not updating

- Analytics may have a slight delay
- Check back in a few minutes

## Next Steps

- Learn about [Sharing Options](/sharing/share)
- Set up [Embedding](/sharing/embed) for your website
- Configure [Analytics](/sharing/analytics) tracking