Itch.io Tackles Low-Quality AI Games by Deleting Terabytes and Adding Filters

Independent game distribution platform Itch.io has deleted terabytes of low-quality AI-generated games, implemented stricter AI disclosure policies, and introduced a new 'NoAI' filtering option for users. This action follows a massive surge in daily uploads that doubled platform volume from August to October without a corresponding increase in downloads. As generative AI tools lower the barrier to content creation, digital storefronts face overwhelming floods of automated spam that degrade user experience and obscure genuine indie projects. Itch.io's policy shift reflects a broader industry trend where platforms must actively curate their ecosystems and enforce transparency to protect content discovery. Between August 3 and October 30, daily game uploads on Itch.io surged from roughly 3,000 to over 6,000. Out of about 1.77 million total games on the platform, roughly 13.2 million—about 7.5%—carried AI-generated tags before the cleanup.