Steam store page description: rules and best practices
29 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
Your store page has two places to describe the game in your own words: a short description at the top and a longer About This Game section further down. Valve wants both to focus on the theme, style, story and features of the game. This guide covers what each one is for, the size limits and the rules, from Valve's store page description doc, checked 29 Oct 2026.
Both live in Steamworks under Store Presence, Edit Store Page, Description, in each app.
The short description
Valve calls it a brief synopsis, used where space on Steam is limited, most of all at the very top of your store page. It is often read by players who are only skimming the store for their next game, so it has to say what the game is about and make them curious enough to look further.
Same idea as your capsules. Valve keeps time-based and call-to-action text out of capsule art too. Those rules are in Steam capsule art sizes.
About This Game
This is the long-form section. It sits below the short description, so Valve asks you to think about what the player needs now that they have likely looked at your screenshots and gameplay trailer. In its words, these players are interested and want to know more.
Sources: Store page description. Checked 29 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
Valve's best practices
Valve says to shape the section around your own marketing strategy and audience, and gives these pointers:
The rules
Valve keeps a set of rules so descriptions stay focused on the product and the store stays uncluttered:
Sources: Store page description. Checked 29 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
Where a broadcast fits
Valve's advice is to show rather than tell, with GIFs and screenshots. A live broadcast on the store page takes that further: players see the game itself running while they read, at any hour. 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 rest of the page, from capsules to the trailer, is in the store page checklist.
FAQ
How long can a Steam short description be?
Valve says it is limited to a few hundred characters. It is plain text only, so line breaks and bullet points will not render properly.
Can I write "Now Available" or a release date in my Steam short description?
Valve advises against it. Time-based text such as "Now Available", "Available on March 4th" or "Prepurchase now" soon becomes old and out of date.
Can I put a link to my website in a Steam store description?
No. Valve does not allow links to other websites in descriptions or graphics, including QR codes and implied URLs in text. Use the link fields on the Basic Info tab of the Store Page Editor instead.
How big can images in About This Game be?
Each image must be smaller than 5MB, and Valve recommends keeping all screenshots and GIFs in the section under 15MB in total so the store page loads quickly.
Can I promote my other games in my Steam description?
Not in the description. Valve does not allow text, images, links or widgets that point to other products on Steam there. Related products can go in the DLC or "More From" sections of the store page.