Steam Store Submission Checklist

Steps (99)

• Steamworks Account & Permissions

  Pre-requisites that must be in place before you can submit for review or release.

  • Steam Direct fee paid and app ID created

    ~5m

  • Account has 'Publish app changes to Steam' permission

    ~2m

  • Account has 'Manage pricing and discounts' permission

    ~2m

  • Steamworks SDK integrated into the build

    ~5m

• Store Page

  Store page must be submitted for review at least 7 days before desired launch. Typical review turnaround is 3–5 business days.

  • Basic Info & Description

    • Short description is clear and accurately represents the game

      ~5m

    • Long description is detailed and coherent — customers understand what they're purchasing

      ~5m

    • No external website links in the store description

      ~2m

    • Only features and content available at launch are described — planned features clearly marked as not yet released

      ~5m

    • Platform compatibility (Windows / Mac / Linux) correctly declared

      ~3m

    • Supported languages listed accurately

      ~3m

    • Release date or Coming Soon status set

      ~2m

  • Screenshots

    Minimum 5 screenshots required. Must be 1920×1080 minimum at 16:9 ratio. Must show gameplay only.

    • At least 5 screenshots uploaded

      ~5m

    • All screenshots are minimum 1920×1080px at 16:9 aspect ratio

      ~3m

    • Screenshots show gameplay only — no concept art, pre-rendered cinematics, award logos, marketing copy, or written descriptions

      ~5m

    • At least 4 screenshots are marked 'suitable for all ages' (no gore, violence, or suggestive content)

      ~3m

  • Trailers

    Videos must be H.264 in .mov, .wmv, or .mp4 containers. Max 1920×1080 at 30fps or 60fps. Minimum 5,000 Kbps bitrate.

    • At least one trailer uploaded and correctly categorised (General, Gameplay, Teaser, or Interview/Dev Diary)

      ~5m

    • Video is H.264, .mov/.wmv/.mp4, 1920×1080, 30fps or 60fps, 5,000+ Kbps

      ~3m

    • Custom thumbnail uploaded at 1920×1080 (must be a frame from the video)

      ~3m

    • Gameplay trailer placed first on the store page

      ~2m

  • Tags

    Minimum 5 tags required before launch. Up to 20 recommended for discoverability.

    • At least 5 tags applied via the Steamworks Tag Wizard

      ~5m

    • Tags are accurate — up to 20 applied for best discoverability

      ~5m

  • Pricing

    Pricing must be configured before the store page can go live.

    • Base game price set for all target regions

      ~5m

    • DLC and bundle pricing configured (if applicable)

      ~5m

    • Any launch discount configured and scheduled correctly

      ~3m

• Graphical Assets

  All required images must be uploaded before store page review. Capsule images must contain only game artwork, the game name, and any official subtitle — no review scores, award logos, discount text, or promotional copy.

  • Store Capsules

    • Header Capsule — 920×430px · game logo/artwork only · no text beyond title

      ~3m

    • Small Capsule — 462×174px · logo fills the capsule · readable at 120×45px

      ~3m

    • Main Capsule — 1232×706px · game logo/artwork only

      ~3m

    • Vertical Capsule — 748×896px · game logo/artwork only · no text beyond title

      ~3m

  • Library Assets

    • Library Capsule — 600×900px · game logo and artwork

      ~3m

    • Library Hero — 3840×1240px PNG · artwork only, no text at all

      ~3m

    • Library Logo — up to 1280px wide / 720px tall PNG · logotype on transparent background · no other text

      ~3m

    • Library Header Capsule — 920×430px

      ~2m

  • Icons

    • Shortcut Icon — 256×256px .ico or .png

      ~2m

    • App Icon — 184×184px .jpg · small game logo or representative icon

      ~2m

  • Asset Content Rules

    • No review scores, award names/logos, or discount marketing copy on any base capsule

      ~3m

    • All capsule artwork is PG-13 appropriate

      ~3m

    • Game name/logo is legible on all capsule sizes

      ~3m

• Build Review

  A near-final build must be uploaded to the default branch before build review. Typical review turnaround is 3–5 business days. Store page must be submitted before build submission.

  • Near-final build uploaded to the default branch

    ~10m

  • Title launches without crash or hang on all platforms listed on the store page

    ~10m

  • All features advertised on the store page are functional in the build — unimplemented features removed from Basic Info

    ~15m

  • In-game transactions use Steam Wallet exclusively — no links to external payment systems or alternative storefronts

    ~5m

  • Submission Validator run with no failures (if applicable)

    ~5m

• Content Survey & Age Ratings

  The content survey must be completed before review. Honest disclosure is required — all mature content must be declared even if inaccessible or gated.

  • General Content

    • Content survey completed — all game content topics accurately disclosed

      ~10m

    • Age ratings generated for all required regions (Indonesia and Germany require mandatory ratings)

      ~5m

  • Mature Content

    • All mature content disclosed in the survey — including content that is not accessible or presented by default

      ~5m

    • Adult-Only Sexual Content store page and build both submitted for review (if applicable) — allow extra review time

      ~3m

  • AI-Generated Content

    • Pre-generated AI content (assets made with AI during development) disclosed in survey (if applicable)

      ~3m

    • Live-generated AI content described with guardrails against illegal content generation (if applicable) — note: not permitted in Adult Only Sexual Content games

      ~5m

• Steam Features

  Verify any optional Steam features your title has implemented are correctly configured.

  • Achievements (if implemented)

    Games are initially limited to 100 achievements. Achievement names and icons must be all-ages appropriate.

    • Achievement count does not exceed 100 at launch

      ~3m

    • All achievement names and icons are all-ages appropriate

      ~5m

    • ISteamUserStats API correctly implemented — RequestCurrentStats() called at session start, StoreStats() called after SetAchievement()

      ~10m

    • Server-awarded achievements have 'Set by' property configured to 'GS' or 'Official GS' (if applicable)

      ~5m

  • Steam Cloud (if implemented)

    • Cloud save paths and quotas configured correctly

      ~5m

    • Save data syncs correctly across two different machines

      ~10m

  • Trading Cards (if implemented)

    Trading card assets require a separate 3–5 business day review after upload.

    • Trading card assets uploaded (card artwork, badge artwork, backgrounds, emoticons)

      ~5m

    • Drop settings configured and assets marked ready for review

      ~3m

• Steam Deck Compatibility

  Review against the Verified tier criteria. Failing any Verified requirement results in Playable classification. Dependency on unsupported middleware, anti-cheat, or media codecs may result in Unsupported.

  • Input

    All content must be accessible using the physical Steam Deck controls with no user configuration required.

    • All game content accessible using default Steam Deck controller configuration — no in-game settings adjustment required to enable controller support

      ~15m

    • On-screen button glyphs match Steam Deck names or Xbox 360/One naming — keyboard/mouse glyphs do not appear when inactive

      ~10m

    • Text entry uses Steamworks keyboard API or controller-native text input — no external keyboard required

      ~5m

  • Display

    Game must run natively at Steam Deck resolutions with a playable framerate out of the box.

    • Game runs at 1280×800 (preferred) or 1280×720 without user adjustment

      ~5m

    • Default configuration delivers a playable framerate on Steam Deck hardware without user adjustment

      ~10m

    • All interface text is legible at 12 inches (30 cm) from the screen — minimum 9px font at 1280×800 (12px recommended)

      ~10m

  • Seamlessness

    No warnings about Steam Deck hardware or software compatibility. Launchers must be fully navigable with the controller.

    • Game does not display any warnings that Steam Deck hardware or software is unsupported

      ~3m

    • Any game launcher is fully navigable with the controller and meets all input/display requirements

      ~10m

  • Proton Compatibility

    • No dependency on middleware or anti-cheat providers unsupported by Proton

      ~5m

    • No dependency on media codecs not yet fully implemented in Proton

      ~5m

• Pre-Release & Release

  Final gate before clicking the release button.

  • Store page approved — status shows 'Ready for release'

    ~3m

  • 'Coming Soon' page has been live for a minimum of 2 weeks

    ~2m

  • Build reviewed and approved by Valve

    ~2m

  • Trading card review complete (if applicable)

    ~2m

  • No trailer conversion in progress — game cannot release while a trailer is transcoding

    ~2m

  • Release action confirmed: 'Release App' → 'Publish Now' → 'Release Now' — review the action summary before confirming

    ~5m