Steamworks Documentation
Steam Cloud Play (Beta)
NOTE: This documentation is for developers interested in learning more about Steam Cloud Play for their games on Steam. If you are a customer and are interested in signing up for NVIDIA GeForce NOW, click here.

Introduction:


Steam Cloud Play is currently in Beta and features are being added over time. We are now accepting a limited amount of games into the service as we continue to build features and server capacity for players. The first service we are connecting to Steam to allow users to play games from their Steam Library from the Cloud is NVIDIA GeForce NOW. There are more details below about how to opt your game(s) into the service as well as answers to a few common questions below.

Currently NVIDIA GeForce NOW is available in North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific. Currently, Steam users will need to download the GeForce Now client and connect their Steam account to the GFN service to play their Steam Library. The user may pay a subscription cost to use the GFN service. Customers will continue to acquire games on Steam the same way they do today, and partner payouts will remain the same.

These cloud services enable Steam users to play their Steam library in the cloud, one game at a time, like they can on their local PC. Developers must manually opt-in the games they wish to make available on GeForce NOW.

Below are instructions that show you how to sign up your game in Steamworks. We are using a whitelist of games that have signed up in Steamworks. Please make sure to take the steps below to ensure your Steam game is approved for GeForce NOW in Steamworks and will be available on the GFN service after it has been checked by NVIDIA.

Cloud Saves:


IMPORTANT: Each time a user plays a game via Cloud Play they may be playing from a new virtual PC. For this reason it is very important that your game has Steam Cloud enabled or has a separate online save system of its own. If your game does not have either online save system, players of your game may lose their progress and saves when playing a game through a Steam Cloud Play service.

How to Sign Up as a Developer


  • 1. The Actual Authority user of your Steamworks account must sign the new Steam Cloud Gaming Addendum by logging into Steamworks and clicking the following link to sign the Addendum:
    https://partner.steamgames.com/newpartner/signlatestsda/?agreement_type=13

  • 2. In Steamworks, you need to approve the games you would like to show up in GeForce NOW. Please take the following steps.

  • 3. Search for the app you would like to approve for Cloud Play. Click on this app to go to the App Landing page.

  • 4. Click “Edit Store Page” and navigate to the “Basic Info” tab.

  • 5. Find the "Cloud Play" section and select two boxes
    “Enable your game to run streamed from the Cloud, hosted by Valve, and the following service providers:” and “NVIDIA GeForce NOW.”

  • 6. Navigate to the "Publish" tab and publish your store page changes.

  • 7. Repeat this store page edit for all other applications you wish to approve to be available on GeForce NOW.

FAQ


Will I be paid differently for sales of my game on Steam if it is opted into Steam Cloud Play?

No. You will still be paid the same way you are paid now for your application sales (both package and in game sales). Steam Cloud Play is simply giving Steam users more options on where and how to play their PC games. It is similar to customers playing games from their Steam Library through Steam Remote Play on another computer.

Do I need to do anything special to my game to make it compatible with Steam Cloud Play services?

Fortunately there is very little work to get your game working on a Steam Cloud Play Service. You need to sign the addendum, opt each game into the program and ensure your game has either Steam Cloud enabled or its own online save system. Most of the time these are the only requirements. When testing your game, if another issue comes up we will reach out to you to help fix any specific issues.

What is GeForce NOW?

GeForce NOW is NVIDIA’s cloud-based game streaming service, delivering real-time gameplay straight from the cloud to your laptop, desktop, Mac, SHIELD TV, or Android device.

NVIDIA GFN FAQ https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce-now/faq/

What are the supported countries for GeForce NOW?

GeForce NOW is currently available in over 80 countries from North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Visit this knowledge base article https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5023 for a list of supported countries

How do I sign up as a customer to play my supported Steam games on GeForce NOW?

You can sign up as a customer HERE for NVIDIA GeForce NOW.

Will there be other cloud gaming services added to Steam Cloud Play?

We may add additional Steam Cloud Play services in the future. At that time we would reach out to you to opt your games into the new service.

Contact us with Questions:


If you have any additional questions, please reach out to us here. https://partner.steamgames.com/home/contact_steam

For questions for NVIDIA, please reach out to your NVIDIA contact or GFNpublisherfeedback@nvidia.com