Game requirements

This page describes the requirements for gamess published in the Yandex Games catalog.

Games are tested in simulated user environments. If we find an issue but it doesn't occur on the developer's device, the issue isn't considered resolved.

Note

The game passing moderation doesn't mean Yandex confirms that it complies with the law of any territory and/or that it doesn't violate the rights or legitimate interests of third parties.

Moderators will review your app for compliance with the requirements. Moderation usually takes from three to five working days.

Last updated: March 17, 2025.

Technical requirements

The Yandex Games SDK is installed in the game. See more by going to Install and use the SDK.
You don't have to be registered or logged in to third-party services to launch and use the SDK. You can log in with your Yandex ID. Learn more.
1. You'll only be authorized after you perform a voluntary action like pressing a special button in the game. The authorization prompt clearly and unambiguously explains the reason for authorization. Learn more.
2. The game has the guest login option or you can play it without logging in. If that's the case, in-game progress must be saved.
When you minimize the game page on desktop and mobile devices, the sound stops playing. Learn more
Payments are only made through the Yandex Games SDK.
Ads are only called via the Yandex Games SDK.
The game must meet the requirements for the device types you listed when applying for publication.
1. For mobile devices:
  1. The game is in full-screen mode during launch or gameplay.
  2. If the user can enter data like their player nickname or a document name in text boxes, the keyboard automatically appears when they select them.
  3. Visual elements aren't deformed or stretched disproportionally when the screen orientation and/or available area size are changed. If the game only supports one orientation, select it when you're filling out the draft. In the other orientation, the user will be shown a prompt to rotate their device.
  4. (No longer applicable.)
  5. The game is entirely gesture-controlled. You can add the mobile device accelerometer to the control mechanics.
  6. The system player triggered by the game doesn't appear in any browser. Learn more
  7. There's no WebGL notification when the user opens the game.
  8. A long tap in the game doesn't select an area or open the context menu.
2. For desktop devices:
  1. The active area stretches vertically or horizontally to fit the available space (not counting sticky banners).
  2. The long-to-short side ratio of the active area should not exceed 1:2.
  3. Visual elements aren't deformed or stretched disproportionally when the available area size is changed.
  4. The game is controlled using a keyboard or mouse.
  5. The system player triggered by the game doesn't appear in any browser. Learn more
  6. The game should not implement keyboard shortcuts that are used to perform specific functions or commands in the operating system or applications.
  7. Interacting with the internal game field does not lead to highlighting the field or opening the context menu.
3. For TVs (learn more):
  1. The game takes up the entire screen area. Full-screen mode is available.
  2. Arrows on the TV remote can be used to control the game. Arrows on the TV remote are enough to play the game in its entirety.
  3. The Back and OK buttons on the TV remote are supported.
  4. There are no in-game purchases.
  5. No links to other games by the developer.
In the interests of the game working correctly anywhere in the world, the program code doesn't use absolute URLs that link to the Yandex S3 servers.
The internal element, button, and graphics sizes are adapted for display and interaction in a way that avoids the possibility of accidentally pressing something and makes all elements easily accessible.
In games with internal progress (like new levels, records, achievements, and skills), changes are saved right after the user performs an action or when they press the save button. Refreshing the page shouldn't affect the saved data. Learn more.
The game renders correctly, including during window resizing:
1. The active area doesn't go beyond the screen area. No elements are cut off. Learn more.
2. Browser page scrolling (using the system scroll bar) or swipe-to-refresh is not available. With that said, you can implement your own content scrolling in the game.
3. Internal elements and texts don't overlap or cover other elements. Learn more.
4. It's possible to control the game with one hand and stay in the main scene without additional scrolling or swiping. The internal playing area may be moved in strategy games, RPGs, and other genres that feature a large playing area.
If you save data to a cloud, list it when you're filling out the draft.
Yandex Advertising Network (YAN) monetization is enabled. Learn more
For in-game purchases:
1. The consummation method is enabled.
2. The use of the portal currency complies with the requirements of the In-game purchases section.
3. The game progress is saved on the server and available on different devices.
4. All in-game purchases have a cost that's shown as a figure and portal currency name.
5. The image, name, contents, and specifications of the item purchased by the user must match the parameters specified in the purchase offer.
There are no technical messages, errors, crashes, or freezes after some time of use or during specific user actions. For example: rotating the screen, long pressing on the game field, gestures and swipes, minimizing the browser, opening ads, navigating browser history, and other ways of interaction. Learn more.
The game is complete and not in the development or preliminary testing stage. Learn more.
The content and appearance of embedded ad units aren't changed. Service ad units can't be imitated, for example, by creating custom full-screen units or RVs with your own buttons.
(No longer applicable.)
There are no technical ways of restricting gameplay based on the URL where the game is open.
You must adhere to the documentation and game requirements when initializing the Yandex Games SDK and using its methods:
1. The SDK must be initialized exactly as described on the SDK installation and use page. Learn more.
2. When the user can begin gameplay, the LoadingAPI.ready() method from Game Ready must be called. Learn more.
3. The use of GameplayAPI is optional. However, if GameplayAPI methods are used in the game, the sending of the start() and stop() events must strictly adhere to the timing requirements specified in the Gameplay section.
4. Tracking game_api_pause and game_api_resume events is optional. However, if ysdk.on() and ysdk.off() methods are used in the game, the event handling logic must strictly follow the description in section Pause and Resume Events.
The game works correctly in browsers and on platforms with the environment selected in the draft. List of browsers and platforms:
1. In browsers: Yandex Browser, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari, and the Yandex mobile app.
2. In OS: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, and Mac OS X 10.6 and above (Snow Leopard, Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, and Mojave).
3. In mobile OS: Android 5.0 and above and iOS 9.0 and above.
4. On Android TV.
The total size of all game files does not exceed 100 MB in uncompressed form.
An index.html file has been added to the root of the archive. File and folder names do not contain spaces or Russian characters.
The use of interactive artificial intelligence (AI) in games is prohibited. The use of materials within the game that were pre-generated using AI is allowed.
Game updates must preserve its core concept. It is prohibited to upload an entirely different game as an update.

UX requirements

The game is well-designed in terms of gameplay content, convenience, and quality. We control the quality of games and may refuse to publish them if they don't pass our quality check.
The game or accompanying description fields provide a complete description of the controls.
The game matches the genre you listed in the description.
The game meets at least one of the criteria for the presence of game mechanics. Learn more.
(No longer applicable, see Item 6.)
If the game mechanics involve gradually moving through a story or levels, game progress can be saved. If the game is endless or there's a competition for the highest score, records can be saved.
The age tag matches the game content.
The game difficulty increases gradually. The story/setting are clear.
Playing through the entire game takes more than 10 minutes. For example, a casual game with 10-20 levels, a quiz game with multiple topics and 15-20 questions for each topic, or a puzzle game with multiple tasks. For the gameplay to take at least 10 minutes, quizzes must have at least 100 questions. The questions can't be repetitive or extremely similar (different answer options or different wordings of the same question). Learn more.
The game is localized into at least one language selected in the draft. The recommended minimum for publication is localization into Russian for RU, BE, KK, UK, and UZ, and English for all other languages.
(No longer applicable, see item 1.8.)
(No longer applicable.)
The game is popular among users: within the last 100 days, the Rating has been at least once generated for the game.
The game includes automatic language detection via SDK.

Content requirements

(No longer applicable, see item 8.)
(No longer applicable, see item 8.)
(No longer applicable, see item 8.)
Missing:
1. (No longer applicable, see item 8.)
2. Materials about magic or divination.
3. Realistic depictions of violence and/or cruel treatment of children or animals.
4. Images of references to politics, political situations, political figures, intrastate or interstate conflicts, or wars.
5. Images or references to religion, religious figures, or religious symbols.
6. Conclusions or predictions regarding a player's life and health, including predicting diseases, as well as predicting the date, time, or circumstances of death.
The creator owns the copyright to all materials. If needed, you can include the developer's "Privacy Policy" and "License Agreement" in text form within the game. All materials are sent for moderation by the creator or another authorized person.
The game isn't partially or entirely a copy of another game in the catalog or another game by the same developer. If the game is a sequel or part of another game, it's only accepted as a separate game if the game graphics and mechanics are completely changed. Otherwise, update the previous game by adding the new content. Learn more.
There are no operations with non-game valuables or real money:
1. The user can't win or withdraw real money or prizes that aren't in-game valuables, including physical objects, subscriptions, non-game content, or a monetary equivalent of a prize.
2. The game isn't an online store, gambling game, or online lottery.
3. There are no microtransactions or external purchases of any kind. Only internal purchases via the Yandex Games SDK are allowed.
The portal currency is determined automatically, with SDK methods used to specify it. To learn more, see Portal currency display.
Video clips can only be integrated into the game such that they don't allow visiting external resources to use the interface. Video integration via the YouTube player doesn't meet that condition. Because of that, games featuring integration with YouTube aren't accepted. If you need to integrate videos, we recommend using your own hosting or embedding the video in an archive.

Ad requirements

There are no ads from third-party advertisers, including static ad images and text.
If a user clicks an ad and returns to the game afterwards, their progress is saved.
The orientation of all ad units matches the game orientation.
Advertising does not interfere with interacting with the game and is shown only during logical pauses. Learn more.
If you use rewarded ad mechanics, the user can watch a rewarded video if they want to (for example, by pressing a special button) and receive a reward in a game.
1. The button to watch a rewarded ad must be linked to a text or another button that clearly indicate:
  - The user is about to watch an ad in exchange for a reward.
  - The specific reward the user will receive.
2. The reward for watching an RV ad is an extra bonus (for example, boosters, extra moves, level skips, bonus levels, and others) that enhances the core game experience and doesn't affect the player's ability to continue playing.
Additional ad unit placement rules:
1. Additional ad units can only be sticky banners.
2. Custom RTB banners are prohibited.
During fullscreen ads (interstitial or rewarded videos), the game sound and gameplay must be paused.

Requirements for descriptions and promotional materials

Promotional materials must meet the following requirements:
1. Elements and materials from the presented game are used, or those directly related to the game.
  1. It is prohibited to use gameplay from other games in promotional materials and identical promotional materials in different games.
  2. Screenshots must showcase real gameplay of the game, which should occupy no less than 70% of the image. The remaining part can be used for framing or visual effects.
  3. Video materials (except for promotional ones) should demonstrate real gameplay of the game, which must occupy no less than 70% of their duration. The remaining time can be used for visual decoration.
2. The materials show what the game is about, demonstrating its features, advantages, and uniqueness to attract users.
3. The game's name, for each language selected in the draft, must be identical across the game and all draft materials, including text fields and all promotional materials. Learn more.
You have filled in all required request fields: Title, Description, How to play, Version, Categories, Icon, Cover, Sources, Supported platforms, and Orientation. Screenshots are added in keeping with the instructions.
Text field data and promotional files follow the standards for content, length, size, format, and duration specified in the draft according to the requirements for each field. The current standards are specified in the draft form.
The tags and keywords match the topic and content.
(No longer applicable, see item 8.)
Screenshots from the game can't be used as icons/covers.
(No longer applicable, see item 8.)
(No longer applicable, see item 8.)
All media assets (videos, icons, covers, screens, GIFs) may have a black background on the sides or top and bottom if it is an integral part of the game, rather than a fill color due to scaling.
(No longer applicable, see item 8.)
Repeating symbols like spaces and hyphens can't be used to reach the minimum threshold for the draft's text fields. Duplicate texts in different draft fields can't be used either.
The game name in the catalog is unique for all languages selected in the draft.

Recommendations

The developer's or publisher's email address is provided.
The sound can be turned off.
Gameplay can be paused.
The Games Console opens without errors.
The game's name doesn't contain the word "game" unless they're an integral part of the name.
The name is short.
There are no buttons and controls that do not provide benefits when interacting within the game on the declared platforms. For example, the exit button in the main menu.
For games with complex mechanics, it is recommended to implement tutorials at the start.
If the language in the game is chosen manually, switching to another one can be done without knowing the preinstalled language:
- All menus and settings leading to language selection are represented by universal icons (e.g., gear for settings, globe for localization).
- Languages are indicated by emoji flags of the respective countries or the language names are written on them. (Русский, Беларуская, English, Español).

(No longer applicable.)

Text and media content requirements

The following rules apply to text and media content (images, videos, and game objects) for all Yandex Games objects, including game descriptions, promotions, purchases, and games. If the game doesn't meet the requirements, it may not be published or may later be removed from publication.
Texts:
1. The text follows the grammar and punctuation rules of the selected language.
2. The text's meaning matches the selected object (game or promotion name, description, how to play).
3. Those that change depending on the language and are significant for the gameplay have been translated into the respective language. Learn more.
4. The text contains no profanity in any language.
5. The text doesn't contain prohibited materials.
Media content:
1. Good quality, no visual artifacts (pixel compression artifacts, excessive shadows, monochrome frames, truncated text in icons/covers).
2. The media reflects what the object is about (icon, color, ad clip, or purchase). It's not a random image or video.
3. The content has no borders or rounded corners.
4. There are no system interface elements like status bar, phone battery indicator, etc. However, any elements of the game (for example, health meter or timer) are permissible.
5. There is no pornographic or erotic content, no images of items imitating sex organs and/or references to sexual intercourse, and no materials that offend an individual or a group of people based on sex, nationality, or religion. Learn more.
6. The content is safe, ethical, suitable for all ages, and complies with the service rules. Otherwise, Yandex Games reserves the right not to feature the game on the home page, in thematic sections, collections, and other platform materials, or to reject it for publication. Learn more.
7. There are no other prohibited materials.
Links in texts and media content:
1. It is acceptable for other games by the developer (More Games and similar sections) to be featured only in the Yandex Games catalog. Links must be embedded through the SDK. Learn more.
2. They do not lead to any external resources: creator's website, the game itself, stores and studios, third-party games, partner sites, file downloads, or malicious pages. Also, links within logos and other graphic elements are not allowed. As an exception, placing a graphic brand of a partner company or creator is permitted without specifying the domain or other URL elements. For example, for the name "CompanyName.ru," the format "CompanyName" is allowed.
3. Allowed for communities on social networks under the following conditions:
  1. The community is dedicated to one or more games by this developer, placed in the Yandex Games catalog.
  2. The group name mentions Yandex Games.
  3. The group doesn't publish links to external resources or any other materials unrelated to the game.
4. Redirecting users to external sites is prohibited, whether through automatic redirection (triggered by user action or inaction) or by suggesting they visit external resources (for example, "search online" or "view full version").

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