r/videogames rules, stats, and what to post

A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/videogames: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.

Members: 727.1K
Community age: Created May 2008, 18 years
To post: No minimum in the rules
To comment: No minimum in the rules
Self-promotion: Banned
Links: Not mentioned in the rules
Promo risk: HighFrom the rules, not from removal counts

Checked November 2, 2026 from the community's public Reddit pages:

Best hours to post in r/videogames

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Subreddits like r/videogames

Subreddits like r/videogames are r/GTA, r/truegaming, r/gamingsuggestions, r/Workers_And_Resources, r/FiveMServers, r/StreamersCheating, r/topmains and r/SpaceCraftGame.

r/videogames alternatives compared: members, karma to post and self-promo rules.
Subreddit	Members	Karma to post	Self-promo
r/GTA	3.6M	None listed	Banned
r/truegaming	1.5M	None listed	Banned
r/gamingsuggestions	400.6K	None listed	Banned
r/Workers_And_Resources	40,932	None listed	Limited
r/FiveMServers	35,387	None listed	Limited
r/StreamersCheating	23,847	None listed	Limited
r/topmains	12,610	None listed	Not listed
r/SpaceCraftGame	2,509	None listed	Banned

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By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog.

Subreddit guides combine public Reddit source URLs, captured rules, visible verification dates, and Rankhog's account-safety workflow.

Rule summary

Follow Reddit’s Sitewide Rules: All users must adhere to Reddit's Content Policy.
Seriously Offensive Language & Harassment: We maintain a **zero-tolerance** policy for toxic behavior. This includes, but is not limited to: racism, sexism, hate speech, targeted harassment, stalking across threads/subreddits, attacking sexuality, homophobia/transphobia and personal attacks (including attacks on a user’s family or personal life). Users violating this standard will be subject to a permanent ban at moderator discretion.
Non-gaming Related Content: All posts must be related to video games. This includes, but is not limited to: pictures, meme templates, questions, videos, and relevant discussions. Posts not related to video games or gaming will be removed.
Low Quality Content: Posts that are low quality will be removed at the discretion of the moderation team. Low-quality posts that will be removed: 1. Personal lists like: "top games", "about me", "favorite games" 2. Vague questions and **game suggestions** 3. Posts with vague titles 4. Other repetitive posts or memes 5. AI generated content 6. Surveys, kickstarts, petitions, or spam 7. Research solicitation/interviews/data mining
Hacks, Cheats, Piracy-related Content: Posts or comments that promote, request, provide, or facilitate video game piracy, cheats and hacks **are not allowed**. Discussions about emulators and modifications to games that do not affect other players’ experiences (in the case of single player games) may be allowed.
NSFW Content: We do not allow NSFW posts, imagery, suggestions, or commentary in our subreddit. As a SFW community subreddit, all content deemed NSFW will be automatically removed.
Spoiler Content: All video game spoilers in posts and comments must be marked as such. Formatting: `>!SPOILER GOES HERE!<` Spoilers are not allowed in submission titles.
Self Promotions: Self-promotion is only allowed in the Weekly Showcase megathread. Self-promotion refers to: - sharing your own content (videos, streams, articles, or projects) - Steam links to personal creations/games - spamming links to other peoples' games Buying, selling, trading, or promoting products—including game keys, accounts, merchandise, or other services—is **not allowed** anywhere on the subreddit.
Buying, Selling, or Trading: Posts or comments attempting to buy, sell, trade, give away, or advertise items or services are not allowed. This includes both physical items and digital goods such as video game codes, keys, or accounts. r/videogames is a place for discussion about video games, not a marketplace.
Non-English Content: Any post you make should be written in English. You are still welcome to comment non-English comments, but keep posts in English (use a translator if you must).
Redirect to megathread: This includes controversial posts, complaints specific to a single game, posts that are too short to generate meaningful discussion, repetitive topics with the same takeaways, and similar low-effort content. We redirect these kinds of comments to the megathread, where these topics can be more easily discussed without overpopulating the general feed with them.

Works well

Genuine participation in existing game discussions, where you share opinions and help people without mentioning your work
A specific question with a clear title, like asking for advice on a particular mechanic or genre, as long as it is not vague
A walkthrough or guide you wrote about a game, shared for its usefulness rather than to drive traffic
Your own game or project posted once inside the Weekly Showcase megathread, where the rules allow it
Thoughtful replies that mark spoilers properly with the required formatting when a game's story comes up

Avoid

Posting a link to your own article, video, or project anywhere outside the Weekly Showcase megathread
Writing an AI generated post, since AI content is listed as low quality and gets removed
Sharing a survey, petition, or kickstarter, which the rules call spam and ban outright
Data mining or asking for interviews with members for research, which is explicitly banned
Offering game keys, accounts, merchandise, or services in any thread
Posting personal lists like a top games list, since those are named as low quality content that gets removed

What r/videogames Is For

r/videogames is a general hangout for almost anything related to video games. The description lists community content, guides, news, memes, and walkthroughs as the expected fare, so the people posting here are players, not developers looking for beta testers. It is a discussion-first room. The rules back this up by saying the subreddit is a place for discussion about video games, not a marketplace. Anything you post has to be about video games, written in English, and interesting enough to spark conversation.

Rules That Matter Before Posting

The rule that decides almost everything for a founder here is “Self Promotions”. It says self-promotion is only allowed in the Weekly Showcase megathread, and it names videos, streams, articles, and projects, plus Steam links to personal creations. The same rule says buying, selling, trading, or promoting products, including game keys, accounts, merchandise, or other services, is not allowed anywhere on the subreddit. “Buying, Selling, or Trading” reinforces that this is a place for discussion about video games, not a marketplace. “Low Quality Content” matters a lot too, because it lists vague questions and game suggestions, vague titles, repetitive posts and memes, AI generated content, surveys, kickstarts, petitions, spam, and research solicitation, interviews, and data mining as removal reasons. “Non-gaming Related Content” requires every post to be related to video games. “AI generated content” sits inside the low quality rule, so a chatbot-written post will not survive. “Redirect to megathread” pushes controversial posts, complaints specific to a single game, posts too short to generate meaningful discussion, and repetitive topics into the megathread. Finally, “Non-English Content” requires posts to be written in English.

What To Post

The honest answer for a founder is that the general feed is not open for promotion, so your one sanctioned spot is the Weekly Showcase megathread under the “Self Promotions” rule. If your product is a game, a tool for gamers, or a project the community might genuinely enjoy, put it there and follow the megathread format. Outside the megathread, the only path is to participate as a gamer, not a marketer. Join discussions, answer questions, and share real knowledge about games. If you ever start a thread, make it a specific, well-titled question or discussion about video games that invites real back and forth, because vague titles and posts too short to generate meaningful discussion get removed or redirected.

What To Avoid

The fastest way to get removed is self-promotion outside the Weekly Showcase megathread, and the rule is explicit that promoting products is not allowed anywhere on the subreddit. Surveys, petitions, kickstarters, and research or interview requests all fall under the low quality rule and will be removed. AI generated content is named as low quality, so do not paste in something a model wrote. Personal lists like favorite games, vague questions, vague titles, and repetitive memes also get removed. Selling, trading, or giving away game keys, accounts, or merchandise trips both the self-promotion rule and the buying, selling, or trading rule. Off-topic posts get removed under the non-gaming rule, and posts not in English get removed too. Piracy, cheats, and hacks are banned outright, and toxic behavior under the offensive language rule can earn a permanent ban. Unmarked spoilers are not allowed, and spoilers never belong in a title.

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Common questions about r/videogames

What subreddits are similar to r/videogames?

Subreddits like r/videogames are r/GTA, r/truegaming, r/gamingsuggestions, r/Workers_And_Resources, r/FiveMServers, r/StreamersCheating, r/topmains and r/SpaceCraftGame.

Can I promote my product here?

No, self-promotion is only allowed in the Weekly Showcase megathread. Anything else gets removed, and products cannot be promoted anywhere on the subreddit.

Is AI written content allowed?

No, AI generated content is listed under the low quality rule and will be removed.

Can I run a survey or interview members?

No, surveys, petitions, and research or interview requests are all named in the low quality rule and banned.

What makes a post survive here?

Keep it strictly about video games, write it in English, give it a clear specific title, and make sure it invites real discussion rather than a one-line take.