Steam Coming Soon page: post it and set the date
28 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
Your Coming Soon page is where wishlists start. Until it is live, every trailer, devlog and festival mention has nowhere on Steam to send people. This guide covers when to post it, the three steps in Steamworks, and how to set the release date it shows, from Valve's Coming Soon page and release dates docs, checked 28 Oct 2026.
What a Coming Soon page does
Valve describes it as a page with information about your game, to start building an audience and to give players a place to learn more and add it to their wishlist. Once it is visible to customers, three things switch on:
You need branding images, a written description and, ideally, a gameplay trailer. The trailer is recommended at this stage, not required. You can update the page whenever you need to once it is live. The asset list is in the store page checklist.
When to post it
For a new product the page must be up for at least two weeks before release. That is the minimum. Valve's advice is to post it as soon as you are ready to talk publicly about the game, and it sees no strong downside to a page being up a long time before release.
In Valve's words, players who wishlist a game two years ahead of release can be just as likely to buy it as someone who wishlisted two weeks ahead. The one caution: if the game may change a lot before release, early wishlisters may be confused. Valve suggests you may want to wait until you are fairly confident in your art direction and core feature set.
Posting it in three steps
Two different "two weeks". The Coming Soon page must be public for at least two weeks before release. Separately, the release date locks two weeks before the date you set. Plan for both.
Sources: Coming Soon page. Checked 28 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
Setting the release date
The release date tells players when to expect the game and places it on upcoming releases lists. Set it on your game's landing page in Steamworks: on the right, find Specified release date and click the edit icon.
You always enter an exact intended date. Players do not see it, but Valve uses it to know roughly when games plan to release and to send you messages, such as an invite to Steam Next Fest or a reminder to submit your build for review. What players see is a display option you pick, and you can switch between them before release:
| Display | Listed as |
|---|---|
| Exact date "Aug 24, 2023" | That date |
| Month and year "August 2023" | Last day of the month |
| Quarter "Q3 2023" | Last day of the quarter |
| Year "2023" | Last day of the year |
| No date "Coming Soon" | Behind all games with a date |
Valve does not want to give away your backend date, so a vaguer display lists the game at the last possible date of its range. Players see each option in a format familiar to their region. Valve says you can contact it any time for advice on which display to use.
The two-week date lock
You can change the release date until two weeks before the specified date. Inside that window the game starts showing up more in upcoming releases lists, and from then on the date can no longer be adjusted. Valve sends a reminder before the cutoff, so that is the moment to move it if you need to.
Lists such as Popular Upcoming depend on the release date, and some events, Steam Next Fest among them, are only open to unreleased games. Press, media and streamers also want to know if a game is out next week or next year.
Weekends. The date picker hides Saturdays and Sundays because the Steam team is not available to help with issues then. Valve generally does not recommend a weekend release, but if the game is reviewed and ready, the release button still works.
Early Access games also have a planned 1.0 date picker, on the Early Access tab of Edit Store Page, with the same choice of an exact date or a vaguer timeframe. Once published it shows in the Early Access description and in players' personal calendar of upcoming games.
Sources: Release dates. Checked 28 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
Where a broadcast fits
Once you press Post as Coming Soon, the page can carry a live broadcast before launch, as covered in broadcasting before launch. For a page that has to win wishlists for months, a stream that shows the game moving does that job around the clock. Loopcast keeps a store page broadcast running from an uploaded video, with no PC left on at home, billed per minute on air. You can try it free for 7 days, no card needed. The full sequence to release day is in the Steam launch checklist.
FAQ
How long before release does a Steam Coming Soon page have to be up?
At least two weeks for a new product. Valve recommends posting it much earlier, as soon as you are ready to talk about the game in public.
Does a Coming Soon page go live once Valve approves it?
No. After approval you press the green "Post as Coming Soon" button yourself. Valve asks you to submit the page for review at least 7 business days before you want it live.
Can I hide the exact release date on Steam?
Yes. You must enter an exact intended date in Steamworks, but players do not see it. The store can show the exact date, the month and year, the quarter, the year, or just "Coming Soon".
When can I no longer change my Steam release date?
You can change it until two weeks before the specified date. Inside that window the game shows up more in upcoming releases lists and the date locks. Valve sends a reminder before the cutoff.
Can I release my game on a weekend?
You can, but Valve does not recommend it. The date picker hides weekends because the Steam team is not available to help then. If the game is reviewed and ready, the release button still works.