Submitting your HTML5 game to BentoTiles is straightforward - but there are things you can do to make the review process faster and smoother.
Building an HTML5 game is an achievement worth celebrating. Getting it played by real players is even better. BentoTiles offers indie developers a free, curated distribution channel with global reach - and the submission process is simpler than you might think.
That said, there are things you can do before you click "Submit" that will dramatically improve your chances of quick approval, and things that will cause your submission to fail review. This guide covers all of it.
Before you submit anything, run through this checklist:
✅ The game loads completely - Click "New Game," watch the full loading screen, get to a state where actual gameplay is possible. If there are any JavaScript errors in the browser console during this process, fix them.
✅ The index.html is at the root - Your ZIP must contain an index.html file at the top level. Not inside a subfolder. Not named game.html. index.html, at the root.
✅ All paths are relative - When your game is hosted on BentoTiles, it won't be at the URL you tested it on locally. If you have any hardcoded absolute paths (like http://localhost:3000/assets/sprite.png), they will break. Use relative paths: ./assets/sprite.png or just assets/sprite.png.
✅ The game works without a local server - Some game frameworks require being served from an HTTP server (not file://). Test your ZIP by running a simple HTTP server locally (npx serve . or python -m http.server) to verify it works exactly as it will on BentoTiles.
✅ The game works on mobile - Not all games need to be mobile-friendly, but if yours isn't, indicate that clearly in your metadata. Games with no mobile support that don't disclose this get marked down in review.
Your game's metadata is what players see before they click play. Good metadata dramatically improves your game's discoverability and click-through rate.
Title - Clear, concise, and accurate. Avoid clickbait titles that promise things the game doesn't deliver.
Description - Write 2–4 sentences that actually describe the gameplay experience. "A fun game" is not a description. "A one-button infinite runner where you must time your jumps to the beat of the background music to avoid incoming obstacles" is a description.
Tagline - One punchy sentence that captures the core appeal. This appears on the game tile.
Thumbnail - This is the most important visual asset. It should clearly represent what the game looks like in action - a screenshot of actual gameplay, not just the title screen logo. Recommended: 1280×720px.
Category - Be accurate. A puzzle game submitted as an action game will be recategorised during review. Consistent category placement helps players find your game.
Controls - Describe exactly how to play. "Click to jump" or "WASD to move, mouse to aim, left click to shoot." Players shouldn't have to guess.
Age Rating - Be honest. Games with mature content rated as "All Ages" will be rejected.
A game that takes 30 seconds to load on a 4G connection will frustrate players and get poor reviews. Here's how to keep load times fast:
Compress your images. Use WebP format instead of PNG or JPG where possible. Run images through a tool like Squoosh or ImageOptim before packaging.
Bundle your JavaScript. Multiple small JS files generate multiple HTTP requests. Tools like Webpack, Vite, or Parcel bundle all your JavaScript into one or two files.
Load assets progressively. Show a loading screen and stream large assets (audio, level data) in the background rather than blocking on everything before showing any UI.
Minimise audio file sizes. OGG format at 128kbps is generally indistinguishable from higher quality for game audio and is half the file size.
A reasonable target: a complete game ZIP should be under 10 MB. Games over 50 MB will face heavier scrutiny during review.
BentoTiles serves players on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. Test your game in at least Chrome and Firefox before submitting. Safari has quirks around audio autoplay and certain WebGL features that are worth checking.
Once your game is submitted, our review team will test it within 5–7 business days. Here's what happens:
Check your email for updates at every stage. You can also log into your developer dashboard to see the current status of your submission.
Once your game goes live, keep an eye on your analytics dashboard. You'll see:
Use this data to prioritise updates. A game with high play counts but low session durations might need a better onboarding experience. A game with lots of dislikes might have a technical issue on a specific device.
Good luck - we're excited to see what you've built. If you have questions during the submission process, reach out at hello@bentotiles.com.