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Getting Your Game Ready for Distribution
Developing a good game is only half the battle. The second half comes down to maximizing your visibility on the biggest storefront for PC gaming: Steam. With over 18,000 games released in 2024 and 69 million daily active users, competition on Steam is fierce.
This guide will help you publish your page early and optimize it so gamers discover your hidden gem through the Steam algorithm.
You can also make a copy of our Steam Marketing Checklist to cross off tasks as you go.
Struggling to get your promotion assets press-ready?
Check out the Indieformer Press Kit Guide for everything you need to build a clean, downloadable press kit that makes it easy for media, streamers, and storefronts to talk about your game.
1. Publish Your Page Early
Compounding: Publishing sooner gives you more time to accumulate wishlists.
Example: Dome Keeper launched their page ~9 months before release, gathering tens of thousands of wishlists before entering their demo into Next Fest.
Updating: You can update the page at any time, so it doesn’t need to be perfect.
→ Start with a simple trailer, four screenshots, and a short description.
Data: Having a public Steam page early on lets you start gathering analytics on traffic sources and conversion rates much sooner.
2. Optimize Your Capsule Art
Contrast: High-contrast artwork grabs attention and increases click-through rates.
Example: UFO 50 used a bold and legible capsule that stands out even at small sizes.
Legibility: Your title text should be readable even when scaled down to 120x45px.
→ Read through Steam’s Graphical Assets Overview.
Specificity: The capsule should reflect your game’s genre, tone, or setting. It doesn’t need to use in-game graphics as stylized illustrations are often more effective than screenshots or pixel art.
3. Write Your Short Description
Template
A [camera perspective] [genre/subgenre] where you [core gameplay loop].
Example
“A tough-as-nails 2D physics platformer where you swing to freedom as a plunger-wielding rooster. One wrong move sends you straight back to the pit. Cluck up, and it’s a long way down.”
Camera: Is it first-person? Over-the-shoulder? Top-down? Sidescroller?
Genre: Be specific (e.g., Metroidvania, roguelike, management sim, bullet hell, etc.)
Loop: What will the player be doing? Fighting enemies? Solving puzzles? Building?
Tone: Use verbs and phrases that reflect your game’s tone.
Example: “Escape the fog” evokes tension and atmosphere while something like “manage resources” or “collect upgrades” might suit a more systems-driven or strategy-focused gameplay experience.
4. Upload Your Trailer Video
Immediate: Open with gameplay instead of logos.
Example: I Am Your Beast shows gameplay within the first five seconds.
Polished: Use montages of short clips instead of long uncut footage.
Tip: Utilize fast music and pacing.
Concise: Most viewers stop watching within the first 30 seconds.
→ Hook → Gameplay montage → Key features → Call to action.
5. Add 20 Tags to Your Page
Limitations: Steam only looks at the first 20 tags.
→ Read the Steam Tags Documentation.
Weighting: The first 5 tags are the most important.
Imitating: Mimic the tags used by bestsellers in your genre.
Example tags for a 2D roguelike deckbuilder:
Deckbuilding
Roguelike
Strategy
2D
Indie
Card Game
Replayability
Procedural Generation
6. Expand Your About Section
Intro Paragraph: Set the tone and quickly summarize the core gameplay loop.
Section Headers: Use bold headers or custom banners to separate features.
Short Descriptions: Have 1–2 lines under each header to explain the feature.
Bullet Points: Add bullet lists with 2-4 feature-focused points per section.
GIFs: Use embedded GIFs to visually reinforce what you’re describing.
7. Select Languages for Localization
Priority: Only 36% of Steam users speak English so focus on localizing to Simplified Chinese (27% of users) and Russian (9% of users).
Reach: Games without localization won’t be shown to users who are browsing Steam in other languages.
Cost: Can’t afford translators? Build a translation team from your community!
Example: Balatro launched in English only and then added more languages post-launch using fan translators.
8. Decide on Pricing Strategy
Base: Use $X.99 pricing tiers (e.g. $19.99) and avoid awkward pricing like $17.50.
Sales: Most Steam users only buy new games at a discount.
Tip: Leave enough headroom for 20% to 50%+ discounts.
Regions: Ensure regional prices are adjusted by -50% in China, Russia, and Brazil.
9. Plan Your Launch Timing
Next Fest: Submit your demo to the Steam Next Fest closest to your release date.
Tip: Release the demo a month before Next Fest to leave time for bug fixes.
Steam Sales: Avoid launching during seasonal sales or your game will get buried.
Release Date: Games with no release date won’t appear on Popular Upcoming.
Example:
Publish Steam page in January
Release Steam demo in September
Enter Steam Next Fest in October
Release full game in November
An optimized Steam page isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity to help others discover, support, and share your game!
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Need Help?
If you're looking for help along the way, here are two places to start:
Game Marketing Assistance
Jake Lizarraga
A former Director of Content Marketing for a 7-figure tech startup who quit his job and switched industries to help indie devs increase the success rate of their games by adhering to Steam’s best practices. Jake is committed to providing zero-cost marketing support to indie developers with no upfront charges and revenue share agreements below 20%.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jakelizarraga
Press, Media, and Design
Josh (Indieformer)
Helping indie devs get noticed through smart packaging, clean visual storytelling, and curated visibility across the right channels. Whether you need design feedback, media outreach, or a feature slot in the newsletter, Indieformer can help you put your best foot forward.
Led by Josh — who brings over a decade of experience in film, TV, and distribution — Indieformer understands what a polished product looks like and how to make sure the right people see it.
Email: [email protected]
www.indieformer.com | @indieformer
Transparent flexible pricing: Choose between an upfront fee or 5% revenue share.
