Steam launch checklist: from Coming Soon to release day

Releasing on Steam is a sequence of lead times: a fee, a page that has to be up for two weeks, two reviews that each want a week, and a discount that must be set before you press the button. Here is the order to do it in, with the dates Valve actually enforces. Progress is saved in this browser.

The checklist (25 items)

0 of 25 done

3+ months out

Months before

0/5

Pay the $100 app fee. It is per game and not refundable, and Valve pays it back once the game reaches $1,000 in adjusted gross revenue.RequiredGet the Coming Soon page live as early as you can. Every week it is up is a week of wishlists. Valve's minimum is two weeks before release.RequiredStart broadcasting on the Coming Soon page. An unreleased game can broadcast as soon as the page exists. Broadcasting before launch.Loopcast can do thisChoose your Next Fest. You get one, and it works best a few weeks to a few months before release. Next Fest checklist.Check the calendar before you pick a date. To join a seasonal sale, a game has to be released at least 30 days before it starts. To be in the Winter Sale on 17 Dec 2026, release by 17 Nov. Events calendar.

6 to 4 weeks out

Store page and assets

0/5

Finish every required asset: header, small, main and vertical capsules, library capsule, header, hero and logo. Every size.RequiredAt least five gameplay screenshots at 1920x1080 or larger, four of them marked suitable for all ages.RequiredA trailer. One is required to release, and a gameplay trailer should be first because Steam cuts the microtrailer from it.RequiredSubmit the store page for review. It has to go before the build. Reviews take 3 to 5 business days; Valve asks you to allow 7.RequiredDecide the launch discount. Optional, 10% to 40%, for 7 to 14 days, and it must be set before release. Valve suggests 10% to 15%.

3 to 2 weeks out

Build and outreach

0/5

Submit the release build for review, again with 7 business days of slack.RequiredConfirm the Coming Soon page has been public for at least two weeks.RequiredSend keys to press and creators with an embargo time that matches your release.Draft the launch announcement as a Steam event, plus your posts for launch day.Swap the broadcast video for launch: the release trailer or the strongest gameplay you have. What loops well.Loopcast can do this

release day +7

Launch week

0/5

Press Release App yourself. The game does not release on its own when the date arrives.RequiredKnow the wishlist email goes out automatically on release, to everyone who wishlisted. That is the payoff for every week of Coming Soon.Keep the store page broadcasting all week. Launch week is when most of your visitors arrive. Why it matters.Loopcast can do thisBe online for the first 48 hours. Answer reviews and threads, patch crashes, post update notes.Check the page logged-out once a day: price, discount, broadcast, reviews.

the first months

After launch

0/5

Wait 30 days before your first discount. Steam allows none in the 30 days after release, and requires 30 days between discounts. Seasonal sales are exempt from the gap, not from the release wait.RequiredWishlisters get an email on a discount only if the cheapest package is discounted, with a two-week cooldown per game.Use Update Visibility Rounds once launch visibility has ended, for major updates.Join the themed fests that fit your genre and the seasonal sales. Calendar.Broadcast during sales and big updates, when traffic spikes again. Scheduling.Loopcast can do this

What the broadcast does across a launch

A Coming Soon page cannot be played, so the broadcast is the closest a visitor gets to the game before release. It is the same player in every stage: on the Coming Soon page for months, through Next Fest, on launch day and during your first sale. The only thing that changes is which video plays. A full month on air is the $20 pack (32 days); a launch week is $5. Pricing.

The Steam launch checklist for indie developers