My game scope keeps growing. How do you control feature creep while still improving the game?

[MohamedAjmalH]

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I’m working on an indie game and I’ve noticed that my scope keeps expanding as development goes on. New ideas, quality-of-life features, and “this would be cool to add” moments keep popping up, and while they improve the game on paper, they also slow down progress and push deadlines.

I want to keep improving the game without falling into endless feature creep. I’m especially interested in practical methods that actually work in real projects, not just theory.

[Mithzzx]

Use:

A fixed “core loop” definition

A feature priority list (Must / Should / Nice-to-have)

Feature freeze milestones

Time-boxed experiments

If a feature doesn’t support the core loop, move it to a post-launch list.

[Kirtan148]

To control feature creep while still improving the game:

Define a clear core goal for the game and only add features that directly support it.

Keep a “later” list for new ideas instead of implementing them immediately.

Limit features per milestone—adding something new means cutting or simplifying something else.

Time-box experiments so new ideas don’t derail progress.

Build a playable version early and polish only what players actually interact with.

Save non-essential improvements for post-launch updates.

Focus on finishing the core experience first — improvement is easier after release than before.