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Create your first app

The Get started wizard is the primary path for studio owners: register your game on the shared platform and start connecting clients right away. Nothing is saved until you finish — closing the wizard mid-flow does not leave a half-created app in your org.

Every new app runs on the managed shared Game API — you do not choose hosting, provision VMs, or wait for a dedicated stack. See Shared environment & billing for free-tier limits and usage billing.

Prerequisites​

  1. Sign in to the Management UI.
  2. Belong to an organization (create one from My Orgs if you are new).

Free tier: each org can create up to platformConfig.freeAppsPerOrg apps (default 3) with no wallet balance required.

For usage above the free allowance, fund the org wallet and set up auto-billing (saved card) during or after onboarding. Studio billing runs through the org wallet only — not legacy account-level donations or property-token checkouts.

Open Get started​

After creating an org, you are redirected to Get started automatically. You can also open it from:

  • The org Overview tab — Get started or Create app in the setup checklist.
  • The sidebar Get started link (when you belong to one org).
  • Apps tab — Create app.
  • Direct URL: /orgs/:orgSlug/get-started.

Wizard steps​

1. App details​

Enter your game's display name and identifier (URL slug). Copy on this step explains that you are registering the product — not uploading a build. An optional short description can be added.

On the same step you pick the datacenter the app will live in. It is required and permanent: an app's data lives on one node in one datacenter, fixed when the id is minted. The wizard lists only datacenters that can currently place an app.

2. Review and create​

The review step summarizes your app. Press Create app.

There is no billing step and no card: every new app is created on the managed shared Game API (createApp has no hosting argument to choose), and a new organization's free app quota covers it. No separate publish step or provisioning wait — when create succeeds, the app is immediately usable. Wallet funding and auto-billing are set up afterwards from the Wallet tab, and only matter once metered usage exceeds the monthly allowance.

Success​

You see an App created confirmation. Open app dashboard navigates to /orgs/:orgSlug/apps/:appSlug.

On the app dashboard (and in API responses):

  • deploymentTarget = shared
  • runtimeStatus = active
  • gameApiUrl points at the tier's shared endpoint (for dev: https://ck.dev.crowdedkingdoms.com)

Use that URL (or values returned from mintAppToken) to connect game clients — see Connecting to your app.

Cosmetic UI gaps

The app list may still show a DRAFT badge or a "Publish to shared environment" banner while runtime is already active. Safe to ignore for connectivity — rely on runtimeStatus and gameApiUrl from the API.

Wallet and auto-billing​

SituationWhat to expect
Within free app quotaCreate with no card; a monthly usage allowance per app at no cost.
Beyond free quotaCreation still succeeds; fund the wallet or enable auto-billing so usage past the allowance keeps running.
Metered usage above allowanceDebited from the org wallet; enable auto-billing so apps stay online when balance runs low.

Fund the wallet from the Wallet tab if creation or usage requires it.

Alternate paths​

PathWhen to use
Apps tab → Create app (same wizard)Adding another game product.

Dedicated and developer-sandbox environments are not offered. Every app uses the shared platform (publishAppToShared). Contact Crowded Kingdoms if you need enterprise isolation.

Troubleshooting​

SymptomWhat to check
App shows DRAFT but API says activeKnown cosmetic gap — use gameApiUrl and mintAppToken to connect.
runtimeStatus not activeCheck wallet balance, spend caps, or subscription state — see Shared environment & billing.
Game API returns APP_TOKEN_REQUIREDMint an app-scoped token with mintAppToken — the identity session token cannot drive gameplay.

Next steps​