Finding the right social media platform as a game developer: X, Threads, Bluesky or Mastodon

For many indie developers and small studios, social media is still one of the most important tools for visibility. Whether you want to share development progress, build a community, or promote your release, platforms like X, Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon can help you reach players and other developers. However, the social media landscape has changed a lot in the last few years. New platforms appeared, communities moved around, and algorithms behave differently depending on where you post. For developers, the big question is simple. Where should you spend your time? In this article we look at four platforms that are currently relevant for developers. We compare their audiences, demographics and user distribution. Then we look at which platform works best depending on your goals.

Platform	Strength	Weakness	Best content
X	Strong developer community	Hard to grow followers	Short videos, funny clips
Threads	High reach and discoverability	Algorithm driven	Images and short videos
Bluesky	Tech and news focused audience	Smaller user base	Informational posts with images
Mastodon	Open, decentralized community	Slow growth	Dev discussions and devlogs

X (formerly Twitter): The long time hub for developers

X started in 2006 as Twitter and quickly became one of the most important platforms for real time communication. For more than a decade it was the central hub for developers, journalists, game studios and tech communities. Even today, many game developers still use X to share development progress, trailers, memes and industry discussions. While the platform has changed significantly in recent years, the game dev community is still quite active.

Global user distribution

X (Twitter) Top 10 Countries by Total Registered Users (2026)

Rank	Country	Total Users (Millions)
1	United States	105.1
2	Japan	74.5
3	Indonesia	26.6
4	Poland	25.3
5	India	25.1
6	United Kingdom	23.3
7	Germany	22.4
8	Turkey	20.5
9	Mexico	17.6
10	Saudi Arabia	16.6

Table 1: The United States and Japan dominate the user base on X, showing how strongly the platform is rooted in North America and East Asia. X(Twitter) Top 10 Countries by Monthly Active Users (MAU)

Rank	Country	MAU Estimate (Millions)
1	United States	104.0
2	Japan	70.9
3	Indonesia	25.2
4	India	24.1
5	United Kingdom	22.9
6	Germany	21.6
7	Turkey	19.7
8	Mexico	16.9
9	Brazil	16.0
10	Saudi Arabia	15.7

Table 2: X Monthly activity closely mirrors the total user distribution, with the United States and Japan leading engagement.

Demographics

X (Twitter) Gender Distribution

Gender	Share
Male	65%
Female	35%

Table 3: X has a noticeable male majority, which is common across many tech and gaming communities. X (Twitter) Age Distribution

Age group	Share
18 to 24	30%
25 to 34	34%
35 to 44	20%
45 to 54	11.7%
55 to 64	8%
65+	6%

Table 4: Most users fall into the 18 to 34 range, making the platform especially relevant for younger adult audiences.

Who should use X as a game developer

X is still one of the strongest places for developer communities. Many industry professionals, publishers and journalists are active here. It is also a place where discussions around game development happen in real time. However, it is not always easy to grow a following from scratch.

Tips for promoting your game on X

From personal experience, videos work best on X. Short clips that show gameplay or funny moments often perform better than static images. Some useful tips:

Post short gameplay clips
Funny or surprising moments perform well
Engage with other developers regularly
Reply to posts and participate in discussions

The community often feels close knit, which is great for networking but makes growth slower.

Threads: Meta’s fast growing conversation platform

Threads launched in 2023 as a platform by Meta and is closely connected to Instagram. The biggest advantage of Threads is that it can use the Instagram social graph, which helped it grow extremely fast. Today the platform has hundreds of millions of users and is still expanding.

Global user distribution

Threads Top 10 Countries by Total Registered Users (2026)

Rank	Country	Total Users (Millions)
1	Taiwan	94.86
2	United States	66.83
3	India	54.20
4	Brazil	36.40
5	Japan	31.64
6	Mexico	12.30
7	United Kingdom	6.50
8	Canada	2.60
9	Australia	1.40
10	Vietnam	0.90

Table 5: Threads has seen massive adoption in Asia and the Americas, with Taiwan, the United States and India leading downloads. Threads Top 10 Countries by Monthly Active Users (MAU)

Rank	Country	MAU Estimate (Millions)
1	India	54.2
2	Brazil	36.4
3	United States	33.9
4	Taiwan	20.0
5	Mexico	16.0
6	Vietnam	15.0
7	Japan	14.0
8	Germany	12.0
9	Philippines	7.0
10	United Kingdom	5.3

Table 6: India and Brazil currently drive the largest share of active engagement on Threads.

Demographics

Threads Gender Distribution

Gender	Share
Male	63%
Female	37%

Table 7: Threads also shows a male majority, though the distribution is slightly more balanced compared to some other platforms. Threads Age Distribution

Age group	Share
18 to 24	20%
25 to 34	33%
35 to 44	19%
45 to 55	12%
55 to 64	8%
65+	6%

Table 8: The platform attracts a broad adult audience, with strong representation across the 25 to 44 age groups.

Who should use Threads as a game developer

Threads is currently one of the easiest platforms to gain visibility on. Because the algorithm focuses heavily on discovery, new accounts can quickly reach a large audience.

Tips for promoting your game on Threads

Threads seems to want users to have a good experience when they start posting. When you begin using the platform, your posts may receive many views. Use that moment.

Post regularly during the first weeks
Use images because the platform is connected to Instagram
Short videos also perform well
Reply to comments to increase reach

In my experience it is easier to gain followers here compared to most other platforms.

Bluesky: A growing platform for tech, news and developers

Bluesky started as an initiative related to Twitter but later became an independent social platform. Its goal is to create a more open and decentralized social network. Since opening to the public it has grown steadily and now has tens of millions of users.

Global user distribution

Bluesky Top 10 Countries by Total Registered Users (2026)

Rank	Country	Total Users (Millions)
1	United States	21.6
2	Brazil	4.7
3	Japan	3.7
4	Canada	3.3
5	United Kingdom	3.2
6	Germany	1.9
7	France	1.2
8	Australia	0.9
9	India	0.8
10	Spain	0.7

Table 9: Bluesky’s user base is heavily concentrated in the United States, which accounts for roughly half of all registered users. Bluesky Top 10 Countries by Monthly Active Users (MAU)

Rank	Country	MAU Estimate (Millions)
1	United States	3.20
2	Japan	1.30
3	Brazil	0.70
4	United Kingdom	0.61
5	Canada	0.45
6	Germany	0.42
7	France	0.35
8	India	0.25
9	Australia	0.22
10	Netherlands	0.18

Table 10: Daily activity is strongly centered in the United States and Japan, with smaller but active communities in Europe and Brazil.

Demographics

Bluesky Gender Distribution

Gender	Share
Male	62%
Female	38%

Table 11: Like most tech focused platforms, Bluesky currently has a higher share of male users. Bluesky Age Distribution

Age group	Share
18 to 24	36%
25 to 34	27%
35 to 44	15%
45 to 54	9%
55 to 64	8%
65+	5%

Table 12: Bluesky has the youngest audience among the platforms compared here, with a large share of users under 34.

Who should use Bluesky as a game developer

Bluesky has a younger and tech focused audience. Many users are interested in news, discussions and information rather than pure entertainment.

Tips for promoting your game on Bluesky

Informational posts often perform well here. If you share development insights, engine experiments or technical challenges, people are more likely to engage. One important detail is accessibility. On Bluesky, good alt text for images is important and appreciated by the community. Useful tips:

Share development insights
Use images with descriptive alt text
Post news and progress updates
Engage in discussions

Mastodon is an open source social network that runs on a federation of independent servers. Instead of a single platform, thousands of servers are connected to each other. The platform is especially popular in Europe and among tech communities.

Global user distribution

Mastodon Top 10 Countries by Total Registered Users (2026)

Rank	Country	Total Users (Millions)
1	Germany	4.05
2	United States	3.45
3	Netherlands	1.10
4	United Kingdom	0.95
5	France	0.85
6	Japan	0.80
7	Canada	0.75
8	India	0.55
9	Malaysia	0.45
10	Brazil	0.35

Table 13: Mastodon usage is strongly concentrated in Europe, especially in Germany and neighboring countries. Mastodon Top 10 Countries by Monthly Active Users (MAU)

Rank	Country	MAU Estimate (Millions)
1	Germany	0.40
2	United States	0.34
3	United Kingdom	0.12
4	France	0.09
5	Japan	0.08
6	India	0.06
7	Netherlands	0.06
8	Malaysia	0.05
9	Canada	0.05
10	Brazil	0.04

Table 14: Active users are distributed across several countries, though Germany clearly leads engagement.

Demographics

Mastodon Gender Distribution

Gender	Share
Male	66%
Female	34%

Table 15: The platform shows a similar gender distribution to other developer oriented networks. Mastodon Age Distribution

Age group	Share
18 to 24	23%
25 to 34	31%
35 to 44	19%
45 to 54	12%
55 to 64	8%
65+	5%

Table 16: Mastodon’s audience is largely composed of users between 25 and 44 years old, which aligns well with many tech communities.

Who should use Mastodon as a game developer

Mastodon is more niche but the community can be very engaged. Many users are developers, open source enthusiasts and tech professionals.

Tips for promoting your game on Mastodon

Growth on Mastodon can be slower because the platform is fragmented across servers. Some useful strategies:

Choose a server with an active tech community
Share development progress and devlogs
Engage in discussions
Interact with other developers

Personally I find it more difficult to gain followers here compared to other platforms.

My personal recommendations as a game developer

Every platform has its strengths and weaknesses. From my personal experience: X Still great for developer communities. Videos work best, especially funny gameplay clips. However, gaining followers can be difficult. Threads Currently one of the easiest platforms for reach. When you start posting content, you often get a lot of views at first, but that tends to slow down later. Try to make the most of that initial momentum. Use images and videos and take advantage of the early visibility. Bluesky Great for sharing news, facts and development insights. Posts with images work well, but make sure to include good alt text. Mastodon More European and more niche. The community is friendly but growth can be slow. In the end, the best strategy for many indie developers is simple. Try multiple platforms, see where your audience reacts, and focus on the one that works best for your game.

Finding the right social media platform as a game developer: X, Threads, Bluesky or Mastodon

Quick comparison: Which social media platform is best for game developers?

X (formerly Twitter): The long time hub for developers

Global user distribution

Demographics

Who should use X as a game developer

Tips for promoting your game on X

Threads: Meta’s fast growing conversation platform

Global user distribution

Demographics

Who should use Threads as a game developer

Tips for promoting your game on Threads

Bluesky: A growing platform for tech, news and developers

Global user distribution

Demographics

Who should use Bluesky as a game developer

Tips for promoting your game on Bluesky

Mastodon: The decentralized social network

Global user distribution

Demographics

Who should use Mastodon as a game developer

Tips for promoting your game on Mastodon

My personal recommendations as a game developer

Stay in the Loop.