A Year in Review: 2025 Kickstarter Highlights

In many ways, 2025 asked creators and communities to hold more than ever before. Rising costs, economic uncertainty, and the continued erosion of traditional support systems for art and independent work made it a challenging year to build anything new. And yet, across categories and continents, creators and backers on Kickstarter responded not by pulling back, but by leaning in. They funded ambitious ideas, rallied around passion projects, and proved that creative work still thrives when people are empowered to support one another directly.

What followed became Kickstarter’s biggest year to date, not as a fluke, but as a reflection of a deeper cultural truth: that even in moments of instability and exhaustion, there is a ravenous appetite for originality, independence, and community-driven creation. From record-breaking campaigns to new tools designed to help creators succeed on their own terms, 2025 showed that the future of creativity isn’t dictated from the top down; it’s built together, project by project.

Here are 16 moments that defined 2025 on Kickstarter (numbered 1 to 16, in no particular order).

01. Kickstarter + Tubi launched the FilmStream Collective

Earlier this year, Kickstarter partnered with Tubi to bring 21 Kickstarter-funded films to a global streaming audience. Handpicked for the FilmStream Collective, these films are now streaming on Tubi, connecting independent filmmakers with both funding and distribution beyond traditional studio systems.

02. EufyMake's printer becomes the biggest crowdfunding project ever

Talk about breaking records. EufyMake’s E1 Personal 3D-Texture UV Printer became the largest crowdfunding campaign in history, showing how community support can propel bold innovation to unprecedented heights.

03. Design & Technology had its biggest year ever

Design & Technology had the category’s biggest year in Kickstarter history. Even amid rising costs and supply-chain challenges, backers showed up for ambitious ideas. Standout campaigns included EufyMake’s record-breaking E1 Printer, Snapmaker’s U1 Color 3D Printer and Peak Design’s Roller Pro Carry-On. These, and many other projects underscored how community-backed design and technology continue to scale, even in a challenging year.

04. Publishing Delivered Its Second-Biggest Year

Publishing raised more than $45M in 2025, second only to the record-setting year driven by Brandon Sanderson in 2022. The category saw major momentum this year, with multiple publishing projects surpassing $1M—more than any previous year—underscoring the strength of fan-built models. Those standout campaigns include Ali Hazelwood and Adriana Herrera's After the End, Lit Escalate's The First Law, Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl, and Wraithmarked’s Book of Remembrance, which, developed in tandem with its community, became the publisher’s second-biggest campaign ever and helped the team adapt to tariff pressures that followed their record-setting campaign the year before.

05. Kickstarter Pledge Manager Launched

We introduced Kickstarter Pledge Manager, giving creators more flexibility to manage add-ons, fulfillment, and post-campaign engagement in one place. Since launch, Pledge Manager has continued to evolve with creator input to better serve our community. Sign up for Release Notes to stay tuned for our latest updates to this feature.

06. Pre-Launch Updates Gave Creators a Head Start

We launched Pre-Launch Updates to help creators engage followers and build momentum before launch. Creators can now post updates directly to their pre-launch page, which are emailed to followers — making it easier to share progress, build excitement, and keep projects top of mind ahead of launch. The feature reflects a growing emphasis on community-building, helping creators start conversations earlier and launch with confidence.

07. Pledge Over Time Rolled Out

Pledge Over Time gives backers increased payment flexibility and gives creators more ways to convert interest into support. By letting backers split pledges into interest-free monthly payments, higher-tier rewards became more accessible, ambitious projects felt easier to say "yes" to, and more ideas reached their full potential.

08. Secret Rewards and Featured Rewards Launched

New tools like Secret Rewards and Featured Rewards give creators more ways to tell their stories and reward their communities. Secret Rewards make it possible to offer invite-only tiers to loyal supporters, build early momentum, and create moments of exclusivity, while Featured Rewards helps creators spotlight the tiers that mattered most.

09. Learning Lab Video Curriculum Launched with Launch Boom

The Learning Lab Video Curriculum, created in partnership with Launch Boom, expanded access to crowdfunding education. The program helps creators navigate the complexities of launching in an increasingly competitive environment. To take the free course, sign up here.

10. Open Calls Helped More Creators Launch

In 2025, Kickstarter ran six Open Calls, including the brand-new Micro Game May, supporting nearly 700 first-time creators and 800 returning ones. With close to an 80% success rate, Open Calls continued to lower barriers and set creators up for success.

11. A New Community Advisory Council Cohort Joined

We welcomed a new cohort to the Community Advisory Council, bringing diverse creator voices directly into platform conversations. The group helps ensure that decisions continue to reflect the needs of the community itself.

12. Kickstarter After Dark Launched

By popular demand, we launched Kickstarter After Dark, a dedicated newsletter that helps NSFW projects reach the right audiences and makes it easier for backers to discover them. If you'd like to subscribe, you can sign up here.

13. Comics Hit New Highs

Hebru Brantley’s FLYBOY graphic novel made waves, while THE TRANSFORMERS Compendium Set raised over $4.6 million to become the most-funded comics campaign in Kickstarter history. Together, they highlighted the enduring power of fandom-driven storytelling.

14. Major IPs Found New Life in Games

Several established titles found new life through successful projects that expanded their brands, including Adventure Time Card Wars, Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Game, Alien RPG, and Assassin's Creed® Animus - The Board Game, among others.

15. Roll-and-Write Meets Creator Education in Zine Form

A roll-and-write zine turned the Kickstarter launch process into a game, offering a playful, accessible entry point for new creators and reminding us that creativity grows when knowledge is shared. The project reflects how closely we’re listening to creators and building resources that meet them where they are.

16. The Creative Independent Published 296 Interviews About The Creative Process

Our sister site, The Creative Independent had a busy 2025. TCI began 2025 with a conversation with Willow Smith about empathy as the seed for creativity and continued to publish one conversation with a different creative person a day, five days a week, for the rest of the year. This included interviews with the indie pop artist Clairo, writer and sound healer J Wortham, comedian Fred Armisen, musician Ichiko Aoba, The Artist's Way author Julia Cameron, musician Laufey, and writer and podcaster Peyton Dix.

Popular pieces from the archive included conversations with writer Ocean Vuong, jazz musician Kamasi Washington, poet Nikki Giovanni, comedian Sabrina Brier, composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, and multi-Oscar winning filmmaker Sean Baker.

2025 was a reminder that even in uncertain moments, creativity endures. When challenges mount, innovation often flourishes in unexpected places—powered by people willing to back what they believe in. As we move into the year ahead, the Kickstarter community remains a place where ideas are supported, voices are amplified, and creative work continues to move forward together.