[h3]Welcome to the Steam PC Café Program[/h3] In the following documentation, you will now be able to choose between our two operational models and follow the instructions to get everything set up. If you've came here by accident and are looking for additional information about the program, please click [url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/sitelicense]here[/url] to get to the program's info page. …

They can also play the games they already own on their personal Steam account; this will not affect the game licenses in your license pool. You and your customers will benefit from the following: [list][*]Easy game management using a shared pool of licenses all purchased with your Steam master account. [*]Commercial license discounts and bulk purchase option. [*]If you have multiple locations these licenses can be shared across all of your locations. [*]The PC Café Server can also act as a local content cache to minimize Internet bandwidth usage. [*]Gather and view usage stats on how your customers are using Steam in your business. …

[/callout] [*][b]Product Submission Fee[/b] In order to get fully set up, you will need to pay a $100 USD (or equivalent) fee for each product you wish to distribute on Steam. You can pay this fee with any payment method supported by Steam in your region. …

[b] What you shouldn’t publish on Steam:[/b] [olist] [*]Hate speech, i.e. speech that promotes hatred, violence or discrimination against groups of people based on ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation [*]Nude or sexually explicit images of real people [*]Adult content that isn’t appropriately labeled and age-gated [*]Libelous or defamatory statements [*]Content you don’t own or have adequate rights to [*]Content that violates the laws of any jurisdiction in which it will be available [*]Content that is patently offensive or intended to shock or disgust viewers [*]Content that exploits children in any way [*]Applications that modify customer’s computers in unexpected or harmful ways, such as malware or viruses [*]Applications that fraudulently attempts to gather sensitive information, such as Steam credentials or financial data (e.g. credit card information) [*]Video content not directly related to a product that has shipped on Steam. [*]Non-interactive 360 VR Videos [*]Applications built on blockchain technology that issue or allow exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs. [*]Applications with advertising-based business models. [*]Content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam’s payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers. …

You focus on making an awesome game and describe it accurately to customers on your store page and Steam will work to show your game in appropriate places based on customers’ interests, preferences, and feedback. …

Get the community excited and build an audience. Put up a 'coming soon' page, and post announcements. Some customers may need to see your game dozens of times before it catches their attention. [b]Q. Can I pay for my game to show up to more customers?…

[section]Overview[/section] Steam has a set of tools for creating and configuring a custom sale landing page that you can use to highlight games for a special sale, game festival, or digital companion for a physical convention. …

[subsection]Adding your games[/subsection] Games are organized on your page in one or more sections. These sections can be set to manually include a specific set of games or can be set to smartly pull from a master list specified at the top of your page (master list must be enabled by Valve first). …

[subsection]Situation[/subsection] You've got a released game with customers already playing it and you need to rename your exe. [subsection]Solution[/subsection] The order of operations can matter here, as setting a build live doesn’t go through the publish process but changing the launch options does. …

Assuming that there’s a build update associated with the change, we recommend setting the build live and then immediately publishing the app admin settings with the launch option change. …

[b]See Also:[/b] [api]ISteamUGC::AddRequiredTag[/api], [api]ISteamUGC::SetMatchAnyTag[/api], [api]ISteamUGC::SetItemTags[/api] [subsection=AddItemKeyValueTag]AddItemKeyValueTag[/subsection] [code=cpp]bool AddItemKeyValueTag( UGCUpdateHandle_t handle, const char *pchKey, const char *pchValue );[/code] [table] [tr][th]Name[/th][th]Type[/th][th]Description[/th][/tr] [tr][td][b]handle[/b][/td][td][apitype]ISteamUGC::UGCUpdateHandle_t[/apitype][/td][td]The workshop item update handle to customize.…

[b]See Also:[/b] [api]ISteamUGC::AddExcludedTag[/api], [api]ISteamUGC::SetMatchAnyTag[/api], [api]ISteamUGC::SetItemTags[/api] [subsection=AddRequiredTagGroup]AddRequiredTagGroup[/subsection] [code=cpp]bool AddRequiredTagGroup( UGCQueryHandle_t handle, const SteamParamStringArray_t *pTags );[/code] [table] [tr][th]Name[/th][th]Type[/th][th]Description[/th][/tr] [tr][td][b]handle[/b][/td][td][apitype]ISteamUGC::UGCQueryHandle_t[/apitype][/td][td]The UGC query handle to customize.…

In this section, you want to give customers a clear expectation of what the current version of your game contains, and what features and content still need to be added before the game is considered complete. …

Once all your trading card assets are uploaded, click the edit link beneath “Release State” to configure your card drop settings and mark your assets as ready for review. Once set as ready for review, your cards will automatically appear in our queue to review by a Valve designer. …

If you’re interested in releasing a beta version of your game that any customer can buy, check out [doclink=store/earlyaccess]Early Access[/doclink]. There are two common ways of setting up testing for external audiences: [olist] [*]Using the Steam Playtest feature. [*]Using the main game's App ID with release override keys. …

Instead of having its own separate store page, your Steam Playtest signup will live right on your main game, so that customers can sign up and access the playtest but still Wishlist or Follow the main game. Check out the [doclink=features/playtest][/doclink] documentation for the full set-up instructions, configuration scenarios, best practices and FAQs. …

[section=Managing_Updates]Managing Updates[/section] After your app releases to customers, your customers will be receiving the build marked as the Default build. When uploading a new build it's always a good idea to test it before shipping it to your customers, for more information on how to successfully do this see [doclink=store/testing][/doclink]. …

Each build will merge itself with the already existing install image. [subsection]Customizing a Retail install disk[/subsection] See [doclink=sdk/goldmaster]Customizing a gold master[/doclink] for more details on customizing your retail install disk. …

Along the way, this gives you a sense of the level of interest by potential customers and a way of notifying interested customers when your game releases or goes on discount. https://youtu.be/AVo9fVPcls0 [section]Wishlist Notifications[/section] Email notifications may be sent to customers based on a variety of trigger actions related to your game, dlc, or software on Steam. …

This period may be extended in periods of high notification traffic (such as Steam seasonal sales). [b]Customer permissions impact their receipt of emails[/b] Customers must have verified their e-mail account to receive messages, and that some customers may have configured their e-mail preferences to not receive some or all of these kinds of e-mails. …

Learn more: [doclink=marketing/wishlist]Wishlist[/doclink] [*][h3]Tag your game[/h3] Once you've got your store page set up, be sure to visit the page and add any additional relevant tags. Just click the "+" symbol next to the set of tags already applied (from the set of genres you picked during setup) and you'll see an interface that allows you to choose and enter other tags. …

Learn more: [doclink=store/broadcast]Live-Streaming[/doclink] [*][h3]Time-limited artwork swaps[/h3] If you've got a special event coming up such as an update or live-stream, you can use artwork swaps to temporarily change the artwork that represents your game. You can customize your set of capsule images to include information about the event and it will automatically switch back to your default artwork at the prescribed date. …

You can use this to list all of the available UGC for your app. [*] [api]ISteamUGC::CreateQueryUGCDetailsRequest[/api] - Query for the details of specific workshop items. [/list] [*] Customize the query as appropriate by calling the option setting methods: [list] [*] When querying for User UGC [list] [*] [api]ISteamUGC::SetCloudFileNameFilter[/api] - Sets to only return items that have a specific filename on a pending UGC Query. …

This will only return workshop items that have a key = [param]pKey[/param] and a value = [param]pValue[/param]. [*] [api]ISteamUGC::SetReturnOnlyIDs[/api] - Sets whether to only return IDs instead of all the details on a pending UGC Query. This is useful for when you don't need all the information (e.g. you just want to get the IDs of the items a user has in their favorites list.) [*] [api]ISteamUGC::SetReturnKeyValueTags[/api] - Sets whether to return any key-value tags for the items on a pending UGC Query. [*] [api]ISteamUGC::SetReturnLongDescription[/api] - Sets whether to return the full description for the items on a pending UGC Query. [*] [api]ISteamUGC::SetReturnMetadata[/api] - Sets whether to return the developer specified metadata for the items on a pending UGC Query. [*] [api]ISteamUGC::SetReturnChildren[/api] - Sets whether to return the IDs of the child items of the items on a pending UGC Query. [*] [api]ISteamUGC::SetReturnAdditionalPreviews[/api] - Sets whether to return any additional images/videos attached to the items on a pending UGC Query. [*] [api]ISteamUGC::SetReturnTotalOnly[/api] - Sets whether to only return the total number of matching items on a pending UGC Query. -- The actual items will not be returned when [api]ISteamUGC::SteamUGCQueryCompleted_t[/api] is called. [*] [api]ISteamUGC::SetLanguage[/api] - Sets the language to return the title and description in for the items on a pending UGC Query. [*] [api]ISteamUGC::SetAllowCachedResponse[/api] - Sets whether results to be will be returned from the cache for the specific period of time on a pending UGC Query. …

Note: If you have multiple apps in a single package (this is uncommon), you can see in the Sales & Activations Reporting portal as to which app the sales of that package are being attributed. [subsection]Global and country-specific[/subsection] For a set of most popular countries on Steam, we generate country-specific top sellers lists as a default so the lists can pick up on regional differences in customer interests. …

[/b] A: No- we don’t have an editorial team picking games for Top Sellers, Popular New Releases, Popular Upcoming, or other storefront charts. Those are all based on player data. [b]Q: Will every customer see my game if it’s a top selling title?[/b] A: The top selling list respects each player’s content preferences, and customers can filter out certain categories of content from the store if they wish. …

This is an example from the Steamworks SDK: [code] "configurations" { "controller_xboxone" { "0" { "path" "xbox_controller.vdf" } } "controller_steamcontroller_gordon" { "0" { "path" "steam_controller.vdf" } } } [/code] [subsection]Step 5 - Set the Steamworks settings[/subsection] To set your Steamworks settings in the partner site, navigate to the Steam Input settings. Next set the dropdown to "Custom Configuration (Bundled with game)" and enter the path where the action manifest is located: [docimg=gamebundledconfigdropdown.PNG]gamebundledconfigdropdown.PNG[/docimg] [section]Debugging a game that uses an Action Manifest File[/section] When running the game through Steam the Action Manifest file will automatically be pulled from your game depots. …

However if you're running without the game installed in Steam or have local changes you need to make then you can override the Action Manifest path with the SetInputActionManifestPath API call. This override will be remembered for the rest of the Steam session. There's an example of it's use in the Steamworks SDK: [code] char rgchCWD[1024]; if ( !…

[/list] [h4]Dynamic License Management[/h4] You can now offer your customers games on Steam using a dynamic pool of licenses. Users can log into Steam [b]using their own personal Steam accounts[/b] and have access to both their own games and [b]games that you offer[/b]. …

[h4]Support for Personal Steam Accounts[/h4] Using dynamic license management, your customers will be able to play your games using their own Steam accounts. This means that they can earn XP, badges, collect game drops, or even make in-game purchases within your business just as they would at home. …

The traffic breakdown reports are designed to show you where your game is being surfaced to customers and which channels are directing players to your store page. Below is more information on how traffic reporting works on Steam. …

[subsection]Visits[/subsection] Visits are unique page loads of your product's store page. Customers frequently return to a product page multiple times from multiple origins before deciding to make a purchase, so the metrics captured here are intended to convey the variety of places where customers are finding your product and clicking to learn more. …

[section=Requirements]Before you begin[/section] Before customizing a Steam gold master disk, first package your game files in one or more depots and [doclink=sdk/uploading#Building_Retail_Install_Discs]create a retail disc[/doclink]. [section=Setup]Customizing the Steamworks Setup Application[/section] The Steamworks SDK includes a customizable installer that you can include on your gold master. …

[subsection]Editor[/subsection] Once you've picked a category, you'll find a robust set of tools to create and customize your event. This includes a new type of header image at the top of your event (which gets used in a few other places), and a snappy preview mode that lets you quickly switch between editing and previewing your event detail page. …

[section]Developer Usage Rules[/section] Events and announcements are powerful tools to reach players in your community in new ways. There are a few scenarios where we don’t see customer benefit from using events and announcements. [list] [*][b]Using inappropriate content[/b] - Content in the event should be appropriate relative to the settings for your product. …

[/section] Advance Access is a Pre-Purchase incentive, in which customers that Pre-Purchase a "Deluxe" package(s) of your game are given access to the game earlier than customers that Pre-Purchase the "Standard" (most basic) package. …

[/h4] A: The content (bits being delivered to the user’s client) will become playable if the DLC is in the package that’s set for advance access regardless of having a publicly visible store page. You will still need to set the store page live. [h4]Q: What happens with retail keys I've ordered for the Advance Access Package?…

[section]Best Practices[/section] DLC can be a great way to offer value to the customers that are interested in investing deeper in the product, it can also have non-monetary costs of customer perception that are harder to measure. …

If you need to add additional DLC depots to support alternate languages, OS's, or architectures, follow the steps below: [olist] [*] Open the Steamworks [url=https://partner.steamgames.com/apps]App Admin[/url] for the base App (All depots are managed in the base App, not in the DLC). [*] Navigate into Steamworks Settings, SteamPipe, Depots. [*] Click the Add New Depot button, set the name, and click OK. Give it a name similar to the existing DLC depot so you can easily identify it. [*] Set the correct language, OS or architecture. [*] Choose the correct DLC from the dropdown box to associate this depot with the DLC. [*] Click Save Changes. …