Game Metadata

Every game on PlayRen needs metadata so it can be properly displayed, searched, and launched. This page describes all metadata fields.

Required Fields

These fields must be provided for every game:

title

The display name of the game as shown to users.

Type: String
Max length: 200 characters
Example: "The Garden of Forking Paths"

slug

A URL-friendly unique identifier. Used in URLs and API calls.

Type: String (lowercase, hyphens, no spaces)
Max length: 100 characters
Example: "garden-of-forking-paths"
Must be unique within your partner catalog.

developer

The name of the studio or individual who created the game.

Type: String
Max length: 150 characters
Example: "Starlight Studio"

description

A full-text description of the game displayed on the game detail page. Supports plain text.

Type: String
Max length: 5000 characters
Example: "A branching narrative adventure set in a mysterious garden where every choice leads to a different reality..."

launcher

The filename of the shell script used to start the game inside the Docker container.

Type: String
Example: "garden-of-forking-paths.sh"

This must match the launcher script filename inside your tar.gz archive.

renpyDir

The name of the Ren'Py game directory (the folder inside game/ that contains save data). This is used for save file management.

Type: String
Example: "GardenOfForkingPaths-1698234567"

Optional Fields

These fields enhance the game's listing but are not strictly required:

thumbnail

URL or path to the game's cover image. Displayed on game cards and the detail page.

Type: String (URL)
Recommended size: 460x215 pixels (Steam capsule format) or 16:9 ratio
Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP

screenshots

An array of screenshot URLs displayed on the game detail page.

Type: Array of strings (URLs)
Recommended: 3-5 screenshots
Recommended size: 1280x720 pixels

releaseDate

The original release date of the game.

Type: ISO 8601 date string
Example: "2024-06-15"

contentRating

An age rating or content warning label.

Type: String
Example: "Teen", "Mature", "All Ages"

languages

Languages supported by the game.

Type: Array of strings
Example: ["English", "Japanese", "Spanish"]

website

A URL to the game's official website or store page.

Type: String (URL)
Example: "https://starlightstudio.com/garden"

Providing Metadata

Metadata is submitted via the partner API when registering a game:

curl -X POST https://play.ren.bd/api/partners/games \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "title": "The Garden of Forking Paths",
    "slug": "garden-of-forking-paths",
    "developer": "Starlight Studio",
    "description": "A branching narrative adventure...",
    "tags": ["Visual Novel", "Romance", "Mystery"],
    "launcher": "garden-of-forking-paths.sh",
    "renpyDir": "GardenOfForkingPaths-1698234567",
    "thumbnail": "https://storage.example.com/garden-cover.jpg",
    "contentRating": "Teen"
  }'

Updating Metadata

To update metadata for an existing game, send a PATCH request to the same endpoint with the slug:

curl -X PATCH https://play.ren.bd/api/partners/games/garden-of-forking-paths \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "description": "Updated description..." }'

Only the fields you include in the request body are updated. Omitted fields remain unchanged.

Next Steps

Adding Games — Package and upload your game files.
API Reference — Full partner API documentation.