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You cannot make a publicly delivered game demo impossible to copy. You can, however, make abusive automation more expensive, keep unreleased material out of anonymous reach, preserve availability for real players, and collect enough evidence to tune controls and respond to incidents. The practical answer is a layered setup: separate public and private assets, deliver public files through a controlled CDN or reverse proxy, apply endpoint-specific limits, detect suspicious behavior, authorize sensitive downloads, and monitor every decision.
Start with the right security goal
A public demo has to send code, assets, metadata and often a complete installer to an unknown visitor. Anything a legitimate player can receive can eventually be copied by that player. Signed URLs, bot controls and a CAPTCHA can control access before delivery; none of them turns a delivered file into an uncopiable object.
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Define success in operational terms instead of promising “AI-proof” content:
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches- Keep unreleased builds, source code, debug material, signing keys and privileged APIs out of anonymous paths.
- Reduce automated enumeration, bulk downloading and repeated scraping of public pages and APIs.
- Protect the origin and preserve bandwidth and service capacity for real players.
- Make suspicious activity visible through useful logs and measurable control decisions.
- Apply enough friction to high-confidence abuse without locking out players on shared networks, VPNs, privacy browsers or assistive technology.
OWASP classifies automated collection or copying of accessible application data as OAT-011. For a demo, that can include the landing page, JavaScript bundles, manifests, patch metadata, screenshots, audio, public APIs and installer archives—not just search-engine crawling.
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Map what is public before choosing a control
Inventory every object and route that a browser, launcher or download manager can reach. Classify it by whether it is promotional, required for the public demo, or privileged. An obscure URL is not authorization.
| Surface | Typical exposure | Required treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing pages | HTML, screenshots, trailers and public copy | Serve through the controlled edge; use caching, sensible rate limits and monitoring. |
| Client bundles | JavaScript, configuration and feature flags shipped to the browser | Assume a visitor can inspect and copy them. Remove secrets and privileged endpoints. |
| Manifests and patch metadata | Version lists, object names, hashes and update paths | Limit enumeration and avoid exposing unreleased versions or internal paths. |
| Public APIs | Leaderboards, demo data, account or session operations | Use endpoint-aware limits, authorization where appropriate and schema-level logging. |
| Installers and archives | Large files that consume bandwidth and can be mirrored | Use controlled download authorization, velocity limits and origin protection. |
| Unreleased builds and source | Development binaries, repositories, symbols and original assets | Remove from anonymous delivery. Require explicit authentication and authorization. |
| Development and privileged APIs | Admin, build, telemetry or internal service endpoints | Keep off public routes and restrict by identity and network policy. |
This separation is the highest-value step. A bot rule cannot compensate for a debug archive or source repository that is publicly addressable.
Put normal delivery behind a controlled edge
Use a CDN or reverse proxy as the normal public entry point. Configure the origin so it accepts requests only from the intended delivery layer where your architecture supports that restriction. AWS guidance for game security describes limiting origin access to authorized CDNs as a best practice; the objective is to stop a scraper from bypassing edge rules after discovering an origin hostname or IP address.
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A controlled edge also gives you one place to apply caching, web-application-firewall rules, bot signals, rate limits and request logging. It does not replace authorization in the application; it makes enforcement consistent before traffic reaches the origin.
Use different limits for different endpoints
Do not give a homepage, metadata API and multi-gigabyte installer the same request budget. OWASP’s Bot Management and Anti-Automation Cheat Sheet states: “Rate limiting is the foundational control.” Treat that as a design starting point, not a single number to copy everywhere.
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Choose keys that match the abuse pattern
When available, evaluate more than the source IP. Useful dimensions include IP address, session, account or other identity, endpoint, autonomous system number and, where justified by your player base, geography. A single IP limit is easy to evade with residential proxies and can punish an entire school, office or household that shares an address.
Prefer sliding windows or token buckets
Fixed windows can permit a burst at the boundary between two windows. Sliding-window and token-bucket approaches smooth that edge case and let you express both a sustained rate and a short burst allowance. Keep the exact internal thresholds private; expose a generic 429 Too Many Requests response when a client must slow down, without publishing a map of the limits that an attacker can optimize against.
Give large downloads their own policy
Count bytes and concurrent transfers as well as request counts. A client that requests a small range repeatedly can create the same load as a full download while avoiding a simple “one request per file” rule. Apply separate controls to full-file requests, range requests, manifests and patch objects. Preserve resumability for legitimate players, but flag unusual range patterns, high concurrency and download velocity for further evaluation.
Combine bot signals instead of trusting one test
Automated browsers can look like normal browsers, and real players can look unusual when they use privacy tools or shared connections. Use signals as evidence that is combined over time, not as infallible identity proofs.
- Network reputation: IP and ASN history can identify data-center or previously abusive sources, but residential proxies and shared networks reduce certainty.
- Transport and protocol traits: TLS or HTTP characteristics may reveal automation patterns when they differ from ordinary browser traffic.
- Browser automation indicators: Signals associated with Selenium, Puppeteer or similar automated browsers can support a decision. AWS documents bot-control capabilities for monitoring, blocking or rate-limiting this type of traffic.
- Session continuity: Missing cookies, constantly changing sessions and impossible navigation sequences are stronger when combined with other evidence.
- Request sequencing: A human-like visit normally loads a page, then selected assets. Rapidly enumerating every manifest, API route or archive is a different pattern.
- Velocity and concurrency: Track objects per minute, bytes over time, simultaneous downloads and repeated retries.
- Range behavior: Repeated small ranges, overlapping ranges or requests that abandon and restart at unusual points can indicate bulk extraction.
Use a privacy-conscious design. Retain only the identifiers and raw fingerprint data needed for security and operations, and align retention with your privacy notice. OWASP cautions against indefinite storage of raw fingerprints.
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Respond in graduated stages
A hard block on the first suspicious signal creates false positives and teaches an attacker exactly which rule fired. Start with observation, then increase friction as confidence grows.
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- Observe: Log the signal, endpoint, volume, response status and decision while continuing to serve the request.
- Slow or narrow: Add latency, lower the session’s quota or restrict expensive endpoints while preserving access to ordinary pages.
- Challenge selectively: Ask for a privacy-conscious browser challenge or another step only when the risk justifies the friction. Make an accessible path available for players who cannot complete a particular challenge.
- Require stronger authorization: Move the operation behind a login, invite or session-bound download token when anonymous access is no longer appropriate.
- Block with evidence: For high-confidence abuse, deny the request, revoke the short-lived token and record the reason so support staff can investigate an appeal.
Honeypot routes and tarpits can help identify non-human enumeration, but they should be isolated from real game content and logged as signals rather than treated as proof by themselves.
Protect downloads with authorization
When a public file is genuinely public
If anyone may download the demo without an account, the file is still public content. Use edge controls, bandwidth and velocity monitoring, caching and origin restriction to manage abuse. Do not pretend a hidden filename or robots.txt makes the archive private.
When access should follow a controlled action
For an invite-only build, a partner preview or a download that follows an authenticated action, issue a short-lived, session-bound signed URL or route the request through an authenticated download endpoint. Bind the authorization to the intended object and expiry where practical. Rotate signing keys safely, keep secrets on the server, and never embed a long-lived signing key in client-side JavaScript.
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Protect the origin as well as the link
A signed URL is ineffective if the same object is available through an unprotected origin path. Require the edge or application authorization at every route that serves the object, and test alternate hostnames, directory traversal variants and range requests. Revoke or expire tokens when you detect abuse rather than relying only on a permanent blocklist.
What robots.txt can and cannot do
robots.txt communicates crawler preferences and can help compliant crawlers avoid a path. It is useful for declaring policy and, in some designs, for exposing a honeypot path that compliant crawlers should not visit. It is not authentication, encryption or an access-control layer.
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A non-compliant bot can ignore the file and request a public installer directly. Robots.txt therefore cannot protect a downloadable game file, prevent API enumeration or stop an automated browser. Enforce those decisions with server-side authorization, edge rules, rate limits and monitoring. Avoid listing sensitive paths merely to “hide” them; a published disallow rule can reveal that the path exists.
Log the evidence needed to tune controls
Security decisions are only useful when you can explain and adjust them. Record, subject to your privacy obligations:
- Timestamp, endpoint path, method and response status.
- Request and response sizes, including range boundaries where relevant.
- Download completion, abandonment, retries and concurrency.
- Session, account or token decision identifiers that do not expose unnecessary personal data.
- Which rule or signal caused observation, throttling, challenge, authorization or blocking.
- Origin-versus-edge result, so bypass attempts are distinguishable from ordinary delivery.
Review for faster-than-normal navigation, repeated object enumeration, unusual range requests, high concurrency, non-human sequencing and direct-origin attempts. Compare these patterns with legitimate launcher updates and players on shared networks before tightening a rule. Preserve enough evidence to support an abuse report, then delete raw data when the operational and legal need ends.
A practical rollout for a small studio
- Inventory: List every public page, API, manifest, asset, installer, patch endpoint and origin hostname. Include routes used only by launchers or update clients.
- Classify: Mark each item as promotional, required for the public demo, authenticated or internal. Remove unreleased and privileged material from anonymous paths.
- Close origin bypasses: Put public delivery behind the intended CDN or reverse proxy and restrict direct origin access. Verify the result from an external network.
- Instrument first: Add request, byte, completion and decision telemetry before enabling aggressive blocks. Establish a baseline from real player traffic.
- Set endpoint policies: Use separate limits for pages, APIs, manifests, range requests and large downloads. Use sliding-window or token-bucket logic and return generic 429 responses when appropriate.
- Deploy detection in monitor mode: Combine reputation, automation, session, sequencing, velocity and range signals. Inspect false positives involving VPNs, privacy browsers, accessibility tools and shared networks.
- Add graduated friction: Slow or narrow uncertain sessions, challenge selectively, then require authorization or block high-confidence abuse.
- Authorize controlled downloads: Issue short-lived, object-bound tokens for builds that should not be freely anonymous. Keep signing secrets server-side and test expiry and revocation.
- Review operations: Document who can change limits, revoke tokens, investigate appeals and preserve incident evidence. Recheck accessibility and privacy before launch.
Choosing the right control mix
No single feature covers every boundary. The following comparison describes the role and trade-off of each approach.
| Approach | Best protection boundary | Player friction | Operational strengths | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDN and reverse-proxy controls | Public pages, assets, APIs and origin bypasses | Usually invisible | Centralizes caching, limits, WAF rules and edge logs | Cannot authorize a file that is also exposed through an alternate origin path |
| Endpoint-specific rate limits | API enumeration, manifest abuse and download volume | Invisible until a threshold is reached | Simple, measurable and adaptable to different resource costs | IP-only policies can be evaded or can punish shared networks |
| Behavior and bot signals | Automated browsers, proxies and abnormal navigation | None when used for observation; variable when challenged | Combines multiple clues and supports graduated decisions | Signals are probabilistic and can produce false positives |
| Browser challenge or CAPTCHA | Uncertain sessions that need extra evidence | Visible and potentially inaccessible | Adds friction without requiring an account for every visitor | Not universally effective; determined automation can adapt |
| Login, invite or signed URL | Controlled builds and privileged downloads | Highest, because the player must complete an authorization step | Creates an explicit access decision and a revocable, time-limited grant | Does not prevent copying after a legitimate client receives the file |
| Monitoring and evidence | Every boundary, including incident response | Invisible | Enables tuning, appeals and abuse reports | Provides no prevention without a response policy |
Common mistakes and how to correct them
Relying on robots.txt as a lock
Why it fails: It is voluntary crawler guidance, not enforcement.
Correction: Keep it for policy communication, then enforce with authorization, edge rules, limits and logs.
Using one global IP limit
Why it fails: It treats a homepage request and a large archive as equal, while shared networks and proxies distort identity.
Correction: Use endpoint-aware budgets and combine IP with session, identity, endpoint and other appropriate signals.
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Blocking on the first anomaly
Why it fails: Players using VPNs, privacy tools or assistive technology can resemble automation.
Correction: Observe first, then slow, challenge or authorize according to confidence, with an appeal path for legitimate users.
Hiding a build at an unguessable URL
Why it fails: Links leak through logs, referrers, chat, launchers and enumeration; obscurity is not authorization.
Correction: Remove the file from anonymous storage and require explicit, short-lived authorization.
Protecting the CDN but leaving the origin open
Why it fails: A scraper that finds the origin can bypass every edge rule.
Correction: Restrict origin access to the intended delivery layer and test direct requests and alternate hostnames.
Putting secrets in the game client
Why it fails: The client is delivered to the person you are trying to restrict; its code and embedded values can be inspected.
Correction: Keep signing keys and privileged credentials server-side, and issue narrow, expiring grants.
Keeping unlimited raw fingerprints
Why it fails: It increases privacy risk without guaranteeing better detection.
Correction: Retain the minimum evidence needed for the stated security purpose and delete it on a documented schedule.
Bottom line for an indie demo
Build the defense around separation and evidence: public content at a controlled edge, private content behind real authorization, endpoint-specific limits, multiple bot and behavior signals, graduated responses and privacy-conscious telemetry. Use signed URLs when access should be controlled, but describe them honestly as short-lived authorization rather than copy prevention. A public demo remains downloadable by design; your job is to make abusive automation less profitable, keep privileged material private and keep real players online.
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