Guides and answers for running 24/7 Steam broadcasts: setup, pricing, uptime, and everything in between.
Next Fest, launch, store page and broadcast setup, in one place.
SteamEvery deadline and task, registration to wishlist follow-up.
SteamComing Soon page to release day and the first sale.
SteamLaunch price, regional prices and the minimums.
SteamBundle types, setup and the store page limits.
SteamManage Editions, the compare image and its rules.
SteamKey types, the limits and Valve's rules.
SteamThe logo, the attribution line and required text.
SteamWhat fits as DLC, setup, soundtracks and launch.
SteamWho gets one, the roadmap rules, delays and refunds.
SteamWhen to post it, the steps, and the release date display.
SteamEligibility, lead times, wishlists and the delay rule.
SteamEvery sale and festival, with who can join.
SteamHow games get invited, and the dates.
SteamDates, discount rules and a broadcast plan.
SteamCooldowns, limits and launch discounts in one place.
SteamWhere else a Steam stream can play, per Valve.
SteamJoining an organizer's event: steps, discounts, visibility.
SteamSteps, hosting rules, featuring and timeline.
SteamAccount, whitelist, token and spec, then the go-live checks.
SteamSet one up, step by step.
SteamEvery capsule size, screenshot rule and trailer setting.
SteamSet up your homepage, link games, and what followers get.
SteamThe top 20, weight and order, and how to pick them.
SteamEvery capsule, library and event image, with the text rules.
SteamWho qualifies, the assets and sizes, review and release.
SteamThe store panel, icon sizes, limits and sets.
SteamItem types, sizes, rules and review.
SteamCapsule text for updates and events, the rules and setup.
SteamShort description, About This Game, and the rules.
SteamSpec, order, microtrailer and conversion fixes.
SteamTimelines, and what Valve checks on page and build.
SteamRatings, mature content and AI disclosure before review.
SteamVerified, Playable, Unsupported: the checklist and review.
SteamStandalone badges, the checklist and Proton.
SteamThe 20 features, the wizard and where they show.
SteamReview score, the rules, flags and developer replies.
SteamStore page and in-game languages, and which pay off.
SteamFive free front-page rounds, and what the algorithm ignores.
SteamWhere the lists show and what counts toward rank.
SteamThe seven rules, the questionnaire, pricing and 1.0.
SteamPlan, post and ship an update players notice.
SteamWhere events show, and how stats count.
SteamWishlists, capsules, Next Fest, RTMP tokens: each term in a few lines.
SteamHow long indie games stay on air, how many had not launched, genres and Next Fest.
SteamCreate your RTMP token, set the App ID, and copy the URL + key.
SteamResolution, bitrate, GOP and audio Steam needs - handled automatically.
SteamKeep a broadcast live on your store page for the whole event.
SteamHow a live store page turns visitors into wishlists and sales.
SteamWhen Steam emails your wishlisters, and the rules.
SteamTrack your links, and read Traffic Breakdown.
SteamSend review copies to curators, the limits and setup.
All platformsNo OBS and no PC left on. How it compares with running OBS.
SteamThe usual reasons a Steam broadcast fails, and how to fix them.
SteamRun a separate broadcast per App ID from one dashboard.
SteamA plain-English intro to live video on your Steam page.
SteamAn honest, dated comparison: price, free trials and platforms.
SteamDifferent videos at set hours, with no PC left on.
SteamThe spec, the token, working ffmpeg commands and the traps.
SteamThe exact OBS settings, and when not to use it.
SteamValve says yes, in writing. The catch is elsewhere.
SteamWhat Valve actually permits, and the one hard limit.
SteamContent ideas and the labels Valve asks for.
SteamUse the base game's App ID, or it shows up nowhere useful.
SteamWhich one you need, and for which event.
SteamWho gets one, timing, setup and limits.
SteamWhen Valve agrees, timing, setup and the catches.
SteamSetup, in-game pricing, visibility and featuring.
SteamHow they work, and Valve's 2027 change.
SteamUnreleased pages can broadcast. Why that matters pre-launch.
SteamSteam forgets your numbers after 30 days. Save them yourself.
SteamYour chat runs at 4am too. Appoint moderators before you need them.
All platformsValve's exact spec, and the one setting that hard-fails a stream.
YoutubeYes - and the limits that matter are about what is in the loop, not the loop.
YoutubeWhere it lives in Studio, and why the reusable key matters for a 24/7 loop.
YoutubeBitrate, keyframes and audio - and why a long run should sit below the ceiling.
YoutubeFour usual culprits, and how to tell which one you have from the symptom.
KickKick permits it. What that settles for an unattended channel, and what it does not.
KickKick gives every channel its own ingest endpoint, so you need both halves.
KickDiscovery, rules and setup friction compared for a looped broadcast.
All platformsWhat the viewer sees, what the platform sees, and how it differs from an upload.
All platformsLength, entry points, the seam, and the audio decision that carries the real risk.
What Loopcast is, what it costs, and what you need before you start. The guides above go deeper on a stream that is already running.
Loopcast is a hosted service that keeps a pre-recorded video broadcasting live 24/7 to Steam store pages, YouTube Live and Kick. You upload one file, Loopcast re-encodes it to that platform’s exact broadcast spec, and streams it on a loop from a datacenter. Nothing runs on your machine: no OBS, no spare PC, no encoder settings to configure. Billing is per minute on air, from $0.72 a day.
$0.72 for 24 hours of non-stop broadcasting. Your balance is held in minutes, and one live stream spends one minute per minute on air. Packs start at $5 (10,080 minutes, 7 days) and run to $100 (259,200 minutes, 180 days), with up to 30% bonus minutes on the larger packs. There is no subscription, no seat fee and no overage: minutes you buy do not expire, and a stream pauses on its own at a zero balance. Minutes are prepaid and non-refundable. See the full pricing ladder.
Steam store page broadcasts, YouTube Live and Kick. Each platform publishes its own spec for resolution, bitrate, keyframe interval and audio, and Loopcast re-encodes your upload to the correct one so the stream is not rejected at ingest. The same video can be simulcast to several platforms at once, and the extra destinations are discounted: the second is 25% off and the third is half price, so Steam plus YouTube plus Kick costs 2.25 minutes per minute rather than 3, because one encode is shared across the outbound feeds.
Because OBS is free to download but not free to run. Broadcasting it yourself means a computer at full tilt for the entire event, on your power bill and your internet connection. Over a seven-day Steam Next Fest, 168 hours, Loopcast costs about $5, while a home PC costs roughly $11 in electricity at $0.20/kWh, before counting a power cut, a Windows update or a router reboot taking your channel off air at 3am. Loopcast runs in a datacenter and is controlled from a browser, including from your phone, with your own machine switched off. Loopcast vs OBS, in detail.
Yes, on all three platforms. Valve’s own broadcast FAQ, asked directly whether pre-recorded footage is acceptable on a store page, answers “Absolutely,” and states you can stream as often and as long as you want. YouTube treats anything pushed over RTMP as a live broadcast regardless of when it was filmed, and 24/7 loops are an established genre there rather than a loophole. What actually causes trouble is unlicensed music, clips too short to be worth watching, or a title implying someone is at the keyboard. The per-platform rules.
Loopcast supervises the broadcast and relaunches it automatically on the same stream key, without you being awake for it. Because nothing runs on your own hardware, the usual causes of a dead 24/7 stream, your PC sleeping, an ISP blip, a driver update rebooting the machine, do not apply at all. Live service status is published at status.loopcast.io. Live service status.
Mostly game developers and publishers who want a trailer or gameplay reel playing on their Steam store page around the clock, particularly during a launch window, a Next Fest or a wishlist push, where a store page in motion converts better than a screenshot. The rest are YouTube and Kick channels keeping something on air overnight or while they are away: ambient scenery, lo-fi radio, replays and rolling showcases.
New accounts get 7 free days: 10,080 minutes, enough to keep one stream on air around the clock for a week, with no card required. The week starts when you confirm your email address, and whatever is unused at the end of it expires. Setup is upload a video, paste a stream key, press start. For Steam you generate a broadcast key in Steamworks from an account with Broadcast Live permission, and it never needs your Steam password. For YouTube you need live streaming enabled on the channel, and its stream key. For Kick you need the ingest URL and key from your creator dashboard. The whole thing takes under five minutes. How to get a Steam broadcast key.
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