Steam Trading Cards: eligibility, assets and setup for developers
30 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
Steam Trading Cards are collectible cards players get by playing your game; a full set crafts into a badge for their Steam profile. This guide covers who qualifies, the assets you make and their sizes, Valve's content rules, and review and release, from Valve's Steam Trading Cards and Profile Features docs, checked 30 Oct 2026.
How cards work for players
Who qualifies
Trading cards are a profile feature, and Steam turns profile features on automatically once a game reaches its sales and player engagement metrics. Valve checks several times a day and says it is simply looking for a broad player base: reviews, wishlists, total playtime and judgments of quality are not used.
Not a visibility factor. Valve says profile features do not change how your game is promoted on the store; visibility, search and discovery are independent of them, and their absence is not a major factor in buying decisions.
Free apps can only have trading cards if they have in-app purchases, with a card drop for every 9 USD equivalent spent. Free Weekend players get no drops; see Steam free weekends.
Sources: Steam Trading Cards, Profile Features. Checked 30 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
The assets to make
Valve has PSD templates, and a full checklist sits on the Community Items (e.g. Trading Cards) page under Edit Steamworks Settings, Community. What a set needs:
| Asset | How many | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Trading cards | 5 to 15 | Large: 1920 x 1080 JPG under 350 KB. Small: 206 x 184 PNG. Plus a title, a short description and a border color (hex). |
| Game logo | 1 | 206 x 44 transparent PNG, legible on dark and light backgrounds. |
| Badges | 6 (Levels 1 to 5 + Foil) | 80 x 80 transparent PNG, each with a unique title. |
| Emoticons | at least 5 | 18 x 18 and 54 x 54 transparent PNG, a title and entry text such as :blueportal: (letters, digits and underscores only). |
| Profile backgrounds | at least 3 | 1920 x 1080 JPG under 350 KB, with a title and a short description. |
Booster Pack images are generated from your store capsules; their sizes are in Steam capsule sizes.
Content rules
Card assets are not age-gated, so they must be all-ages appropriate everywhere, whatever is in the game: no nudity or sexually suggestive imagery and no realistic gore. Valve gives feedback on content it finds inappropriate.
Review and release
With cards shipped, you can also add items for direct sale in the Points Shop; Valve covers those in Points Shop Items.
Where a broadcast fits
Cards reward the players you already have; a store page broadcast works on the visitors who have not bought yet, showing them the game itself. 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.
FAQ
How does a game qualify for Steam Trading Cards?
Steam enables them automatically once a game reaches its sales and player engagement metrics, checked several times a day. Reviews, wishlists, total playtime and judgments of quality are not part of it.
Does not having trading cards hurt my visibility on Steam?
No. Valve says profile features do not affect store visibility, search or discovery.
How many trading cards should a set have?
Between 5 and 15. Valve says sets are usually 6 to 10 cards, fewer for shorter games, and more cards make the badge harder to craft.
How long does Valve take to review trading cards?
Typically a few days. Feedback comes through the tool, and once published, changes are only allowed to fix errors.
Can a free game have trading cards?
Only if it has in-app purchases. Players then get a card drop for every 9 USD equivalent they spend in the app.