How to Write a Press Release for a Video Game: Examples and Tips

A press release can help a journalist understand a game announcement quickly. It gives a publisher, developer or PR contact a clean source of facts, a quote, useful links and approved assets. It can also sit untouched in an inbox while the team wonders why nobody covered the game.

The difference is rarely just the writing.

A good press release starts with a real announcement, gives the important information early and makes the next step obvious. It still has to reach the right people with a relevant pitch. Sending the same document to a large contact list is distribution, not a complete PR strategy.

I looked at releases published through GamesPress and announcements on newsrooms including 2K Newsroom, Gameloft Newsroom and Xbox Wire. They are useful because they show how real announcements are handled, not because any one of them is a perfect template.

What is a press release?

A press release is a structured announcement issued by a company, studio, publisher or organisation. It gives media and other interested readers the basic facts about something the sender considers newsworthy.

For a game, that announcement might be:

a release date;
a new game reveal;
a demo or playtest;
a publishing agreement;
a major update or expansion;
a new platform release;
a funding or studio announcement;
a trailer tied to a genuine news event;
a milestone, partnership or event appearance.

A press release is not the same as a press kit. The release explains the news. The press kit supplies the factsheet, descriptions, screenshots, videos, logos, credits and contact information that help somebody cover it.

My guide on what to include in a video game press kit covers those supporting materials in detail. A journalist should be able to read the release and quickly find the assets needed to understand or illustrate the story.

What is the role of a press release?

A press release does a few practical jobs.

It creates a reliable source of information. If the studio announces a release date, platform list, publisher or partnership, the release should state those facts clearly and consistently.

It gives the announcement a shape. A journalist should not have to assemble the basic story from a trailer, a social post, an old store page and a folder of images.

It gives the team approved language to work from. A journalist does not have to copy it, but the facts, names, dates and links are easier to verify.

It can make the announcement discoverable. A release published through a newsroom, GamesPress or a distribution service may be indexed by search engines and found by journalists researching a topic. That helps, but it is not the same as editorial coverage.

It also gives a pitch something concrete to point towards. The release is the information hub; the pitch explains why the story matters to that particular recipient.

A press release cannot create news where there is no news. It cannot replace a trailer that does not explain the game, a store page that does not convert interest or a relationship with the people you are asking to cover the announcement.

Start with the announcement, not the template

Before opening a press release template, write down the announcement in one sentence.

Finji has announced that Usual June will launch on October 28, 2026, alongside a new demo.

That sentence contains the company, game, date and reason for the announcement. It gives the release a clear starting point.

If the sentence is closer to this, stop and think:

Our studio is excited to share more details about our unique and immersive game.

That may be a description of the project, but it is not an announcement. There may still be a story, but it has not been identified yet.

The announcement could be the release date, a demo, a new publisher, a platform launch or an event appearance. Find that specific change first. Then decide whether a press release is the right tool.

A press release structure that works

Most useful game press releases contain the same basic parts. The familiar format helps a busy reader find the information quickly.

1. A clear headline

The headline should state the news. It does not need to explain the entire game.

Examples from real game announcements include:

These headlines tell the reader what has happened. They do not rely on a vague phrase such as “A new adventure begins” to carry the announcement.

A headline can be more creative when the announcement has a distinctive angle, but clarity should come first. A journalist who cannot tell what has been announced will not get much further.

2. A useful subheading or standfirst

A subheading can add the second most important detail. It might mention a demo, trailer, platform, partnership or release window.

The GamesPress release for Usual June immediately adds that a new demo is live. That gives the reader a reason to care about the release-date announcement now rather than later.

3. Location and date

The opening commonly begins with a location and date, followed by the company and the announcement.

Grand Rapids, Michigan – August 28, 2026: Finji, the studio behind Overland and Canabalt, and publisher of TUNIC and Night in the Woods, announced that Usual June will launch on October 28, 2026, on PC via Steam.

The location may matter less for a small remote studio than it once did, but the date remains useful. It establishes when the release was issued and helps journalists place the announcement in time.

4. The news paragraph

The first paragraph should answer the basic questions:

Who is making the announcement?
What has happened?
Which game is involved?
When does it happen?
Where or on which platforms?
Why is the announcement relevant now?

Do not hide the release date beneath three paragraphs of mood-setting copy. The reader may never reach it.

5. A short explanation of the game

Once the news is clear, explain what the game is and what the player does. This section should be specific enough for a journalist to understand the experience without copying a store-page description full of generic adjectives.

The Usual June release explains that players fight monsters, talk to ghosts and investigate a mystery threatening a city. That is more useful than describing the game only as an “exciting” or “immersive” experience.

6. Features or supporting detail

A short list can make a release easier to scan. Use it when the features add useful information, not simply to repeat marketing language.

BLUEY’S HAPPY SNAPS uses feature sections to explain photography, local co-op, locations and the game’s family audience. It also gives readers a key-information block covering title, genre, audience, platforms, release timing and languages.

That format is particularly useful for an indie developer because it separates the story from the facts a journalist may need to check.

7. A quote with a job to do

A quote should add a point of view, not repeat the announcement.

Weak quote:

We are thrilled to announce our exciting new game and cannot wait for players to enjoy it.

Stronger quote:

We built the demo around the part of the game we most wanted players to understand: how June’s conversations with the dead change the way she investigates the city.

The second quote gives the reader something worth using. It explains a choice, adds context and gives the announcement a human voice.

The quote does not need to sound like an advertisement. In fact, it is usually more useful when it sounds like a person explaining something specific about the project.

8. The next action

Tell the reader what they can do now. Depending on the announcement, that could be:

watch a trailer;
download a demo;
wishlist the game;
sign up for a playtest;
visit the store page;
read a developer blog;
request review information;
download the press assets.

The next action should be real and available. Do not send people to a page that is not live or promise a demo that is still months away.

The SlashZero announcement makes its next actions clear: players can download the time-limited demo, add the game to their wishlist and follow the developer’s channels. The Usual June release points readers towards the demo, wishlist and official updates.

9. About section and contact details

The boilerplate explains who the studio or publisher is. It should be short, factual and reusable.

Include:

the studio or publisher’s role;
relevant previous games or experience;
the official website;
a media contact;
asset or press-kit links.

Do not turn the boilerplate into a company history lesson. Its job is to help the reader identify the organisation behind the announcement.

What real press release examples reveal

Reading published releases is more useful than copying a generic press release template. Search for announcements in the same category as your own.

GamesPress examples

GamesPress is useful because it contains releases from studios, publishers and PR teams across the games industry. Look at Usual June, Blink and Die: Replay and The Dark West.

The releases show different approaches:

Usual June leads with a release date, demo and showcase appearance.
Blink and Die: Replay uses the game’s long development history as part of the news, then explains the new demo and updated version.
The Dark West uses a demo launch and trailer as the announcement angle.

The point is not that every release needs the same number of sections. The structure should follow the news. A release-date announcement, a demo announcement and a partnership announcement will need different copy.

Publisher newsrooms

Big publishers provide another useful comparison. Use 2K Newsroom, Gameloft Newsroom, Xbox Wire and official developer or publisher newsrooms to study how announcements are presented.

For example, the Xbox Partner Preview from March 2026 shows how an official platform newsroom packages several game announcements. Each entry leads with the title, gives the launch timing and platforms, adds a short description and explains the next step. An indie developer can study that order without trying to imitate the scale of the event.

Gameloft’s BLUEY’S HAPPY SNAPS announcement shows how a publisher can define its audience and product promise early. The release says who the game is for, how local co-op works and what platforms are supported before moving into the company background.

An indie studio should not copy the scale of these announcements. It can copy the discipline: state the news, explain the experience, identify the audience, give the facts and make the next action clear.

Use Google searches to find useful examples

You do not need to wait for a PR agency to give you examples. Google’s site: operator lets you search a specific newsroom or press-release platform.

Try searches such as:

site:gamespress.com "demo" "Press release"
site:gamespress.com "launches" "Steam"
site:newsroom.2k.com game announced
site:gameloft.com/newsroom game announces
site:news.xbox.com indie game coming
site:nintendo.com/us/whatsnew game announced

Add the type of announcement you are preparing: release date, demo, publisher, partnership, early access, new trailer or launches today.

Read at least five comparable examples. Note:

how much information appears before the first quote;
whether the headline leads with the game or the announcement;
how the first paragraph handles platforms and dates;
whether the game description explains what the player does;
where the trailer, demo and asset links appear;
how the contact and boilerplate are presented.

This is research, not an invitation to reuse somebody else’s wording. Study the reader’s route through the information, then write your own announcement.

Use news searches to test whether the story travelled

Publishing a release does not prove that it created coverage. Search the game title and announcement after the release goes live.

Compare the GamesPress page for Usual June with coverage from Gematsu, Game Informer and Saving Content. They do not all tell the story in the same way. That is useful: editorial coverage selects the details its audience needs.

The SlashZero announcement gives a more recent example. Its GamesPress release announced a new trailer and a time-limited demo during PlayStation’s September 3, 2026 State of Play. PlayStation.Blog included the game in its showcase roundup, while other coverage picked up the demo window, playable characters and launch timing. That makes it possible to compare the supplied release information with the details selected for the audience of a platform newsroom.

That comparison can show:

whether coverage appeared at all;
which part of the story outlets used;
whether the headline or central message travelled;
what information journalists added or removed;
which images or trailers were used;
whether the story appeared because of the announcement, an event, a pitch or several factors together.

Do not claim that a press release caused every article you find. A game may be covered because a journalist saw it at an event, received a direct pitch, had an existing relationship with the publisher or was already following the project. The search is still useful because it shows how the announcement looks in a real editorial environment.

A press release is not the pitch

This is where many indie campaigns stop.

The press release is a source document. The pitch explains why this recipient should care about the story now.

A pitch should usually include:

a personal greeting;
the announcement in one or two sentences;
why it fits the journalist’s coverage;
the most useful link;
the relevant timing or embargo information;
a clear offer, such as an interview, preview build, demo access or assets.

A pitch to a journalist who covers survival horror should not look identical to a pitch to somebody who covers business partnerships or family games. The announcement may be the same, but the editorial reason changes.

Do not send the full press release as the only text in an email and expect the recipient to discover the angle. Give the journalist a reason to open it. If the release is short and the announcement is clear, attach or link it after the personal explanation.

My practical guide to PR in gaming explains why PR is a process of finding the right story, audience and timing rather than simply sending material to as many people as possible.

PR is more than sending the release

A press release is one asset inside a PR campaign. The wider work may include:

deciding whether the announcement is genuinely newsworthy;
identifying the right media, creators and communities;
building relationships before the announcement;
preparing a press kit and review information;
agreeing an embargo or launch timing;
pitching individually;
arranging interviews or previews;
tracking replies, coverage and follow-up questions;
sharing coverage through the game’s own channels;
correcting inaccurate information;
keeping the story alive with demos, updates or new campaign beats.

There is no shame in sending a release through GamesPress or another distribution route. It can give the announcement a public home and make assets easier to find. It becomes a problem when distribution is treated as the campaign itself.

A list of recipients is not an audience strategy. A high open rate is not coverage. A page indexed by Google is not a journalist deciding that the story is worth publishing.

When should an indie use a press release?

Use one when there is a clear announcement and the document will help people understand it.

Good opportunities include:

a confirmed release date;
a major platform announcement;
a publishing agreement;
a new demo or playtest;
a significant update or expansion;
a launch or early-access release;
a partnership that affects the game or its audience;
a trailer connected to a meaningful announcement.

A press release may be the wrong tool when there is no new information, the team is announcing a minor development detail or the only available angle is that the studio is “excited”. In those cases, a developer blog, social post, newsletter, community update or direct pitch may work better.

A practical pre-send checklist

Before you send a video game press release, check:

Does the headline state the news?
Can the first paragraph stand alone as a short news brief?
Are the release date, platforms, names and links correct?
Does the copy explain what the player actually does?
Is the quote specific enough to add value?
Are the trailer, demo, store page and press kit live?
Can a journalist download useful assets without asking for permission?
Is there a named press contact who will respond?
Have you identified the journalists and creators who fit the story?
Does each pitch explain why the recipient is relevant?
Do you know what you will do after sending it?
Have you decided how you will record coverage, replies and useful traffic?

If the answer to the final three questions is no, the release is not ready to carry the campaign by itself.

How to write a press release that has a chance of being used

The best press release is not the one with the most adjectives or the longest description. It makes a real announcement easy to understand and easy to follow up.

Start with the news. Use a headline that says what happened. Put the essential facts in the opening. Explain the player experience in concrete language. Add a quote that gives the reader a reason to include it. Provide the assets and contact details. Then pitch the story to people who have a reason to cover it.

GamesPress pages and publisher newsrooms can show you how real announcements are assembled. Google’s site: searches can help you find comparable examples. News searches can show how those announcements were interpreted by journalists. None of those steps removes the need for a relevant story or a personal pitch.

A press release can support good PR. It cannot do the whole job alone.

How to Write a Press Release for a Video Game: Examples and Tips

What is a press release?

What is the role of a press release?

Start with the announcement, not the template