Wondering exactly how to share levels in Backrooms Game Creator? The fastest method is to finalize your map in the Editor tab, package the map data into a .brc file via the Export menu, and publish it directly to the Steam Workshop or share the raw file via Discord. Whether you've built a hyper-realistic replica of Level 0 or an entirely new liminal nightmare, getting your creation into the hands of other players is the final hurdle.
While Outlaw Games has provided a robust toolset for customizing enemies, tweaking fluorescent lighting, and placing items, the actual sharing pipeline can be slightly opaque for first-time architects. This guide breaks down the exact steps to package, export, and distribute your custom liminal spaces so they rank on the community pages and function flawlessly for whoever downloads them.
Pre-Export Checklist: Is Your Liminal Space Ready?
Before you even look up how to share levels in Backrooms Game Creator, you need to ensure your map won't instantly crash a friend's game. The community Workshop is flooded with broken, inescapable yellow rooms that get downvoted into oblivion. To stand out, your map needs structural integrity.
First, verify your spawn points. Every map must have at least one valid "Player_Spawn" node. If you forget this, players will clip through the floor into the void upon loading. Second, check your entity pathing. If you've placed custom enemies—like a highly aggressive Hound or a lurking Smiler—ensure you've baked the NavMesh. Without a navigation mesh, entities will stand frozen in place or clip through your drywall, ruining the psychological tension.
Lighting optimization is another critical step. Backrooms Game Creator uses dynamic lighting for its eerie, humming fluorescent fixtures. Too many overlapping light sources will tank the frame rate on lower-end rigs. Bake your static lights before exporting. Finally, establish clear win or exit conditions. A liminal space without an exit is just a soft-lock. Make sure you've placed an "Exit_Trigger" that transitions the player to the success screen or the next level.
Building a Liminal Masterpiece: What Makes a Map Worth Sharing?
Beyond technical stability, take a critical look at your geometry and pacing. The most successful maps on the Workshop understand that the Backrooms are terrifying because of what you don't see. Spamming twenty Smilers in a single hallway isn't scary; it's annoying. A good map relies on environmental storytelling.
Place a single folding chair facing a blank wall. Leave a trail of empty Almond Water cans leading to a dead end. Use the game's dynamic audio emitters to place a faint, low-frequency hum just behind the drywall.
Furthermore, respect the player's time. A liminal space should feel vast and oppressive, but it should never be boring. If you've built a massive maze, ensure there are unique landmarks—a sudden change in carpet texture, a flickering red exit sign, or a subtly sloped floor—so players can orient themselves. Maps that trap players in endless, identical loops without any progression logic are rarely played twice. Build an experience, not just a trap.
Step-by-Step: How to Share Levels in Backrooms Game Creator
Once your map is polished, the actual export process takes only a few clicks. Here is the definitive workflow for packaging your creation. First, click File > Validate Map to run a diagnostic. Second, navigate to File > Export Level Package to open the packaging suite. Third, fill out the metadata, assigning a Difficulty Rating like Entity Hazard. Fourth, click Capture Thumbnail while in free-cam mode. Finally, click Build Package to compile your geometry into a single .brc file.
When capturing that thumbnail, don't just snap a random wall. Frame a shot that captures the eerie vibe of your space—perhaps a dark corridor with a single flickering light. This image is the first thing players see on the Workshop, and a compelling thumbnail drastically increases your download rate. The compiled .brc (Backrooms Creator) file will automatically drop into your Documents/BackroomsGameCreator/Exports folder.
Uploading to Steam Workshop vs. Direct File Sharing
When figuring out how to share levels in Backrooms Game Creator, you have two primary distribution methods: the integrated Steam Workshop or direct file distribution. The Steam Workshop offers One-click installs and automatic updates, making it ideal for 90% of creators. Direct File Distribution, on the other hand, gives you Total control over distribution, which is perfect for private server events. If you use direct sharing, the recipient must place the file into their Imports folder.
Steam Workshop Integration
Immediately after generating your .brc file, the Editor will display a Publish to Workshop button. Clicking this opens an overlay where you agree to the Steam Subscriber Agreement and push the file live. You can set the visibility to "Public," "Friends Only," or "Hidden." Hidden is highly recommended for your first upload so you can subscribe to your own map and playtest it from the user's perspective before pushing it to the public feed.
Direct File Distribution
If you want to bypass Steam or share your map with players who bought the game on a different storefront, you need to share the raw file. Navigate to your Exports folder, grab the .brc file, and upload it to a file-hosting site or drop it directly into a Discord channel. To play it, the recipient simply places the file into their local directory and launches the game. This method is heavily favored by competitive speedrunning communities who need to ensure the map file hasn't been secretly updated by the creator.
Managing Custom Entities and Audio in Shared Maps
One of the most common issues players face when learning how to share levels in Backrooms Game Creator is missing custom assets. If your level relies on standard assets, the .brc file will be tiny. However, if you've imported custom textures or custom audio, you must ensure the Include Custom Assets box is checked during the export process. Custom textures must be .png or .jpg formats. Custom audio strictly requires .wav or .ogg files. Furthermore, if you tweak an entity's logic, that data is saved in a Logic .json file that must remain bundled with your map.
.%20Callout%202%3A%20%22Custom%20textures%20must%20be%20'.png'%20or%20'.jpg'%20formats.%22%20(quoted).%20Callout%203%3A%20%22Custom%20audio%20strictly%20requires%20'.wav'%20or%20'.ogg'%20files.%22%20(quoted).%20Callout%204%3A%20%22Entity%20data%20is%20saved%20in%20a%20'Logic%20.json'%20file.%22%20(quoted).%20Clean%20line%20weight%2C%20exploded%20perspective%20showing%20the%20files%20lifting%20out%20of%20the%20folder.){kind=link}
If you used an .mp3 for your ambient drone, the game will ignore it during export, leaving your level completely silent for the downloader. Always convert your audio files before importing them into the Editor.
Similarly, texture resolution matters. Packing 4K textures for every single wall panel will bloat your file size and cause stuttering for players. Downscale your custom wall textures to 1080p or 2K maximum. The inherent VHS-filter aesthetic of the game naturally hides lower-resolution textures anyway, so there is no need to sacrifice performance for ultra-HD drywall.
Troubleshooting: How to Share Levels in Backrooms Game Creator Without Errors
Even the best architects run into bugs. Here are the most frequent errors that interrupt the sharing process. First, the dreaded Error 404: Missing NavMesh occurs when you forget to bake entity pathing. Second, if you see Upload Failed (Limit Exceeded), it means your map is larger than the 500MB maximum file size. Third, the Map Version Incompatible error strikes when you build on an experimental beta branch rather than the stable release.
To fix the NavMesh issue, simply go back to the Editor, open the AI tab, and click Generate NavMesh. If you are hitting the 500MB file size limit, you need to compress your custom textures or split the map into a "Part 1" and "Part 2". Finally, always ensure your Steam client is set to the main public branch of the game before hitting the export button. Maps built on beta branches contain code hooks that will instantly crash a standard player's client.
Advanced Tactics: Creating Campaigns and Level Transitions
For ambitious creators, sharing a single room isn't enough. The game allows you to link multiple .brc files together to form a mini-campaign. To do this, you must use the Level_Transition trigger.
Instead of setting the trigger to "Exit Game," set it to "Load Custom Map" and input the exact file name of your next level (e.g., Level0_Run.brc). When you upload this to the Workshop, you must package all associated maps into a single "Collection." This ensures that when a player subscribes to your campaign, Steam downloads all the necessary files simultaneously. If you fail to create a Collection, the player will hit the transition door and be thrown back to the main menu with a "File Not Found" error.
FAQ: How to Share Levels in Backrooms Game Creator
Where are my exported map files located?
By default, your packaged .brc files are saved to C:\Users\[YourName]\Documents\BackroomsGameCreator\Exports on your local drive.
Can I monetize my custom levels? No. Outlaw Games' Terms of Service and Steam Workshop rules strictly prohibit paywalling custom maps. You can, however, link to a Patreon or Ko-fi in your Workshop description.
Why is my map completely dark when my friend plays it?
You likely forgot to bake the lighting. Dynamic lights do not always render correctly on lower-end PCs or different graphics APIs. Go to Render Settings > Bake Lighting before exporting your final .brc file.
Can console players download my PC maps? Currently, Backrooms Game Creator is PC-only. If the game is ported to consoles in the future, cross-platform mod support would depend on the publisher, pixel games, implementing a proprietary mod browser similar to Bethesda's Creation Club.
Why are my custom entities standing still? This is a pathing failure. You must generate a NavMesh in the AI tab before exporting. Entities cannot move without a baked navigation grid telling them where the floor is.
The liminal horror genre thrives on community iteration. Outlaw Games has handed players the tools to build their own nightmares, but the ecosystem only survives if those nightmares are shared. By mastering the export pipeline, optimizing your assets, and utilizing the Workshop effectively, you ensure your creations don't just sit on a hard drive. Build it, package it correctly, and let the community get lost in your architecture.
Sources
- Outlaw Games Developer Logs and Patch Notes
- Steam Community Workshop Guidelines
- Backrooms Game Creator Official Discord FAQs and Modding Channels
- Video Game Insights: Steam Stats for Backrooms Game Creator