This disclosure relates to a production method of a display substrate, a display substrate, and a display apparatus. This production method comprises steps of: forming a thin film for a pixel defining layer used to define a light-emitting area of each sub-pixel on a base substrate; forming nanoparticles in a preset area of the thin film for the pixel defining layer, wherein the preset area is an area corresponding to a place between adjacent sub-pixels; and performing patterning treatment on the thin film for the pixel defining layer formed with the nanoparticles, with a material in the preset area being retained, to form a pattern of the pixel defining layer.