Steam review process: timelines and what Valve checks
29 Oct 2026 · 4 min read
Before you can release on Steam, Valve's review team checks your store presence and your build. Both reviews are short and the rules are concrete. This guide lists the timelines and every check, from Valve's review process doc, checked 29 Oct 2026. Player reviews of your game are a separate system; see Steam user reviews.
How review works
What Valve checks on the store page
Two special cases. Early Access games must answer every question in the Early Access section, so players know what the current version contains and what is still to come; see Steam Early Access. Games marked "Adult Only Sexual Content" in the Mature Content Survey must submit both the store page and the build before the page is reviewed, and their review can take longer than 3 to 5 business days.
What Valve checks on the build
Changing your game's name
You can change the name in Steamworks at any time until the store page has been through review. The name is set in three places, so change all three:
You can also give the name in other languages; see localized names in our localization guide and Valve's localized app names.
After review, you cannot change the name unless you have unlocked Profile Features. To change it or add localized names, contact Valve in advance and answer three questions:
Sources: Changing Your Game's Name. Checked 29 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
Trading cards
Trading cards have their own review, which also typically takes 3 to 5 business days, with feedback through the tool. Once all card assets are uploaded, click the edit link under Release State, set the card drop settings and mark the assets ready for review; a Valve designer picks them up from the queue. After approval the status updates on your Steamworks home page and you can set the release state to Released and publish the items.
Sources: Review process. Checked 29 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
Where a broadcast fits
Once the store page is approved and posted, it can carry a live broadcast; the rules for that are in Steam broadcast rules. Loopcast keeps a store page broadcast running from an uploaded video, billed per minute on air. You can try it free for 7 days, no card needed. The full order of steps to release day is in the Steam launch checklist.
FAQ
How long does Steam review take?
Store page review and build review each typically take 3 to 5 business days. Valve asks you to submit at least 7 business days before you want it live, to leave time for any changes.
Do I need a new review every time I update my Steam game?
No. Valve says once your game has been reviewed and approved, there is no need to go through review again, and you can update it as much as you need.
Can my Steam store page show features that are not in the game yet?
Only if the description makes clear the feature is currently not released. Screenshots, trailers and listed features with incomplete or later content must come out before review.
What does Valve check in my build?
That it launches on every operating system listed on the store page, that every feature ticked on the store page is in the build, and that in-game transactions use Steam Wallet.