Steam Points Shop items: sizes, rules and review
31 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
The Steam Points Shop is where players exchange Steam Points for items themed on games: avatars, frames, profile backgrounds, stickers and startup movies. The items come from developers. Valve says they let fans show off art from your game in their profile, friends list and chat, and calls them "a great way to increase the visibility of your game." This guide covers every item type with its sizes, the rules and the review, from Valve's Points Shop Items doc, checked 31 Oct 2026.
Where to make and upload them
Download Valve's templates and upload the items on your game's Community Item Admin page: in Steamworks, Edit Steamworks Settings, the Community tab, then Community Items (e.g. Trading Cards). Each game has its own page, so items for several games go to each game's page. Items are separate from trading cards, which have their own rules.
Item types and sizes
Valve lists the animated types in order of popularity. Everything should loop.
| Item | Where players see it | Files (Valve's specs) | How many |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animated avatar frame | Anywhere the profile avatar shows | 224x224 APNG under 2 MB, plus a 224x224 still PNG | 1 to 4 |
| Animated avatar | Anywhere the profile avatar shows | 184x184 GIF under 2 MB, plus a 184x184 still JPG under 300 KB | 1 to 4 |
| Animated profile background | The Steam profile | 1920x1080 MP4 and WebM under 4 MB each, a 1920x1080 still JPG under 350 KB, and 300x168 MP4 and WebM previews under 1 MB | 1 to 4 |
| Animated mini-profile background | On hover in the friends list and across the Community | 640x570 MP4 and WebM under 4 MB each, plus a still JPG under 350 KB | Not stated |
| Animated sticker | Chat and profile item showcases | 150x150 APNG under 300 KB with alpha in each frame, plus a still PNG | 2 to 6 |
Game Profiles
A Game Profile bundles items themed together: a new animated avatar, avatar frame, mini-profile background and profile background, plus 5 RGBA colors that theme the profile sections. Valve says the colors should complement the art without hurting legibility. You can have several per game, and Valve suggests theming them around updates or new DLC. A Game Profile also needs a logo, shown in the inventory and the Points Shop: 96x96 and 512x512 JPG stills under 350 KB, with your game's logo art but not necessarily its name.
Startup movies
Startup movies play when a Steam Deck starts or, optionally, wakes, and in Big Picture mode on desktop. Valve says they will eventually play on Steam Machine too. They have sound and video.
| Spec | Valve's rule |
|---|---|
| Size | 1920x1200, expecting a crop to 1920x1080 in Big Picture on most displays |
| Length | 3 to 10 seconds |
| File | WebM or MP4, 50 MB at most, no transparency (alpha off) |
| Audio | 16-bit 48 kHz, -12 dB peak and -14 LUFS average |
| Preview still | 1920x1200 PNG, JPG or WebP under 10 MB, single frame, no alpha |
Rules that get items approved
Review and release
Sources: Points Shop Items. Checked 31 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
Where a broadcast fits
Valve's Points Shop doc says nothing about broadcasts. A store page broadcast is a separate thing: your game in motion on the 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
What can a developer sell in the Steam Points Shop?
Animated avatar frames, animated avatars, animated profile backgrounds, animated mini-profile backgrounds, animated stickers, Game Profiles that bundle themed items, and Steam Deck and Big Picture startup movies. Players exchange Steam Points for them.
How long does Points Shop item review take?
Valve says review typically takes 2 to 3 days, with any feedback given through the Community Item Admin tool.
How many Points Shop items can I upload?
Up to 10 items per item type. Published items cannot be deleted, and after publishing changes are only allowed to fix errors.
Can I choose when my Points Shop items go live?
Yes. Set the time available field (in UTC) and the items appear in the shop automatically at that time. The field cannot be changed once the approved items are published.