Hosting a third-party sale event on Steam: steps, rules and featuring
31 Oct 2026 · 7 min read
Steam lets outside organizers run their own sale events, with a custom landing page on Steam. This guide is the organizer's side: the steps, the rules Valve asks hosts to agree to, and the featuring an event can get, from Valve's Hosting Third-Party Sales Events doc, checked 31 Oct 2026. If you only want to join someone else's event, see Steam third-party sale events. Developer, publisher and franchise sales run from your creator page instead.
The six steps
Valve says to plan at least three months for a first event, and more for curated featuring.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Submit your idea | Through Valve's submission form, which opens a ticket with the Steam Events Team. They review the proposal and confirm you agree to the hosting rules. A non-creator event needs a new Community Group to host it. |
| 2. Confirm participants | Send the confirmed games' App IDs in your ticket. The team can add an optional custom discount slot to participants' discount tools; it is not exempt from the 30-day cooldown. |
| 3. Build the event | Once approved, the event tools are enabled so you can stage a sale page and invite participants. |
| 4. Ask about featuring | With a confirmed participant list, the team assesses whether the event qualifies for extra curated featuring. |
| 5. Request review | From the Sale tab of the Sale Event Editor. Reviews typically take 2 to 3 business days, and completing this step typically locks the page. |
| 6. Publish | Whenever you are ready; publishing immediately triggers the automatic visibility. The page stays visible until you hide it. |
A few late participants after step 3 or 4 are fine. Valve's operational tips: keep a spreadsheet of every participating App ID, show only your header banner to someone new to the project to check it explains the event, and if your ticket auto-closes, open a new one quoting the old number.
Building the sale page
Step 3 is where the page itself gets built. Valve's sale page docs say a sale event has two parts: an announcement, which shows as news on your developer homepage or Steam Curator page, and the landing page with the games, broadcasts and events you set up. The account rules are the same as for a creator page, see Steam developer pages.
Broadcasting is a separate tab and off by default; how to turn it on and which stream plays first is in Steam sale page broadcasts.
Sources: Sale Page Tools: Information for Partners, Sale Page Tools: Minimum Requirements, Sale Page Tools: Section Types. Checked 31 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
The hosting rules
Valve notes that adding a game to your sale page, even unpublished, shows its developer your contact info, event name and date in their Steamworks dashboard.
What featuring an event gets
Automatic, in most cases (Valve may exclude very large, unthemed or repeat-similar events):
Curated, for very few events: homepage placements such as the takeunder, or Daily, Midweek and Weekend Deals. Valve says events in their first year are in general not eligible. What it looks for: broad representation of a clear, specific topic, games with high customer interest, a strong off-Steam presence, discount participation for discount events, little overlap with other featured events, and fit with the promo calendar. Featured events also deliver layered PSDs (theme, "presented by", dates) at least two weeks before the start and localize the sale page themselves. Off Steam, Valve encourages hosts and participants to promote the event, for example with a shared asset kit.
Valve's work-back schedule
| When | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 3+ months out | Submit the proposal, with a plan and interested games |
| 3 months out | Build the sale page and add games that agreed to join |
| 2 months out | Remind participants to enter discounts and plan livestreams |
| 2 weeks out | Submit the sale page for review; curated events deliver PSDs |
| 1 week out | Approved page; final reminders to participants |
| Day 0 | The event begins |
There is no fixed limit on how many events you run or join, but the 30-day discount cooldown still applies, and Valve may reject similar events run too often or back to back. Coming Soon games, Early Access games, demos, playtests and Follow buttons are allowed if on topic. Charity events are allowed under the same rules.
Sources: Hosting Third-Party Sales Events. Checked 31 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
Where a broadcast fits
Valve's hosting doc mentions livestreams as part of some events, but the broadcast setup is its own topic; see sale page broadcasts. A store page broadcast keeps your game in motion on its own store page. Loopcast keeps one running from an uploaded video, billed per minute on air. You can try it free for 7 days, no card needed.
FAQ
How long does it take to set up a third-party sale event on Steam?
Valve says to plan for at least three months if it is your first event, and more if you hope for curated featuring, since Steam's promotional calendar fills up 6 to 10 weeks in advance.
Can I charge games to join my Steam sale event?
Not for placement on the Steam sale page. Valve allows a participation fee only for off-Steam features, such as physical booth space or a segment in a produced livestream.
Can I call my Steam sale event a Fest?
Valve asks you to avoid naming it a "Fest" unless that name predates its Steam promotion, because the term is reserved for official Steam-hosted events.
How long does a Steam sale page review take?
Valve says reviews typically take 2 to 3 business days. Completing the review usually locks the sale page.