Steam event visibility: where events show and how stats count
30 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
You write a Steam event once, and Steam pushes it to every place it fits. Where it actually shows depends on the category you pick and on whether players are in the right context to act on it. This guide covers where events appear, how to keep the Library tidy, which event types skip which places, and how Steam counts impressions and clicks, from Valve's event visibility and event stats docs, checked 30 Oct 2026.
Where events appear
Posting events needs the Edit App Marketing Data permission on your Steam account. Each event goes to three main areas:
| Area | Where the event shows |
|---|---|
| Steam Community | Your community hub, and the activity feed of players who follow your game |
| Steam Store | Your store page, and the store home page with an Update Visibility Round |
| Steam Library | The Library home page, and your game's Library detail page, for players who play it |
The category you choose when you create an event changes how it looks, which fields it has and where it is surfaced. For a big update, the Major Update event is the one that can reach What's New; for the store home page, pair it with an Update Visibility Round.
The Library What's New section
What's New is pinned to the top of the Library home page. Valve built it to tell players about content for games they own, such as updates, tournaments, DLC and in-game events, and it may bring back players who have not played in a while. It is not a place to advertise other products or services. Players can personalize which games and event types they see there, and how often.
Valve says ideally only one, or at most two, of your events should be visible there. Lots of old events may tire players and teach them to ignore your content. You can hide older ones in two ways:
Hidden events are not deleted. They stay in order on your game's Library detail page and wherever players look at past events. Valve suggests hiding older events:
Featured Event
Your game's Library page normally lists events newest first. If an event has the Featured Event flag, the newest flagged one shows above them all. It stays there until the player has seen it, then for 48 hours more, before it drops into its place in the list. To turn it on, open the event's Options tab and enable Display as a Featured Event on the Library Game Detail page?
Event types that skip some places
Most events appear everywhere, with three exceptions:
| Type | Does not show | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Patch notes | Not on the Library home page or your store page | Lets you list small changes without pushing them in front of every player |
| Sale or discount | Not in owners' Library | Aimed at prospective players: store page and community hub |
| Cross Promotion | Not on the Library home page or your store page | Required for posts mainly about other games, stores or platforms; shows on your hub and in followers' feeds |
Sources: Event visibility. Checked 30 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
How an event page is put together
Valve's event examples page breaks an event into the parts players see. The image sizes are in Steam capsule art sizes.
On your game's Library page, three kinds of image tell players where the game stands: the hero image and logo for your branding, the Featured Event at the top, and patch notes in a more compact format to show they matter less.
Valve says players expect the Library hero to stay consistent and recognizable, so it should not carry text about most events. In rare cases you may change it to reflect a big change in the game, such as a major content update, the start of a new season, a new character, or a long-running seasonal event like a multi-week Halloween or Christmas update. Library art rules are in Steam artwork overrides.
Sources: Event examples. Checked 30 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
How event stats count
For each event, and across all of them, Steamworks shows how many times it appeared in each place and how many times players clicked to view it.
| Impression location | What it is |
|---|---|
| Library home page | Your event in the What's New row at the top of the Library home |
| Library Featured Event | The highlighted event just below Play or Install on your game's Library page |
| Library activity feed | Your recent events further down your game's Library page |
| Store product page | The recent events section of your store page, at most two at a time |
| Steam Community | Your community hub main page and its news tab |
Not every owner sees each event on the Library home page: they may not sign in while it is valid, or many other games may post at the same time. The store page section leaves out some types, such as patch notes and cross promotions. If your reads run ahead of impressions, players are finding the event outside Steam, for example on social media, and opening it directly.
Sources: Event stats. Checked 30 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
Where a broadcast fits
Valve's event docs say nothing about broadcasts, but one fact links them: events show on your store page, and that is where a store page broadcast plays. Loopcast keeps one running from an uploaded video, billed per minute on air; the broadcast event guide covers pairing it with an event. You can try it free for 7 days, no card needed.
FAQ
Where do Steam events appear?
In three main areas: the Steam Community (your community hub and the activity feed of followers), the Steam Store (your store page, and the home page with an Update Visibility Round) and the Steam Library (the Library home page and your game's Library detail page).
How many events should be visible in the Steam Library What's New section?
Valve says ideally one, or at most two. Players who see lots of old events may tire of them and learn to ignore your content. You can hide older events when you publish a new one, or from the Events and Announcements Dashboard.
Are hidden Steam events deleted?
No. Hidden events still appear in order on your game's Library detail page and anywhere players look at past events.
Why do patch notes not show on my Steam store page?
On purpose. Small updates and patch notes do not appear in high-visibility places such as the Library home page or your store page, so players can find your bigger updates and announcements more easily.
How can my event have more reads than impressions?
Impressions only count when the event is seen on the Steam Library, Store or Community site. A player who finds the event outside Steam, for example on social media, and opens it directly counts as a read with no impression.