Much of this advice comes from talks we've given at Steam Dev Days. Check out all the [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/534600/]Steam Dev Days talks[/url]. [section]Pre-release Marketing[/section] Lets assume you have the basics figured out. …

Seek these writings out and glean the useful information that applies to your situation and product. You might even try reaching out to developers that have done interesting things to pick their brains for more details or advice. …

[/i][/b] If you have a tech demo, but not much gameplay yet, then it’s probably too early to launch in Early Access. If you are trying to test out a concept and haven't yet figured out what players are going to do in your game that makes it fun, then it's probably too early. You might want to start by giving out keys to select fans and getting input from a smaller and focused group before you release in Early Access. …

If you're planning on raising your price at or around the time of releasing out of Early Access and want to run a discount to celebrate your V1.0 release, you may want to consider these scenarios: [list][*]You could leave your price as is, run a discount as you release V1.0 out of Early Access and then raise your price after that. [*]You could raise your price as you transition out of Early Access and not run a discount. [*]You could raise your price more than 30 days before you release out of Early Access, and then run a discount to go with your V1.0 release.…

If they play one of your games, the license will automatically be "checked out" from your license pool and when the user is done or logs out, the license will be returned to the license pool. You won't have to create dedicated accounts for users anymore. …

Patrons can purchase in-game content or DLCs for games they're "checking out" while in the arcade. Once they leave the arcade, the commercial game license will be removed from their account, but they will get to keep the purchases. …

Are the the live zoom FAQ sessions recorded?[/b] A. Yes! You can check out our past live Q&A sessions on YouTube [url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLckFgM6dUP2iCWK3VkvB8YZI9b7HHCj8m]here[/url]. These sessions cover a wide variety of topics to help you prepare for getting the most out of Steam Next Fest. [b]Q. I haven't received an email invitation and have a game I believe fits the eligibility criteria described above. …

Are the the live zoom FAQ sessions recorded?[/b] A. Yes! You can check out our past live Q&A sessions on YouTube [url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLckFgM6dUP2iCWK3VkvB8YZI9b7HHCj8m]here[/url]. These sessions cover a wide variety of topics to help you prepare for getting the most out of Steam Next Fest. [b]Q. I haven't received an email invitation and have a game I believe fits the eligibility criteria described above. …

If you're planning on raising your price at or around the time of releasing out of Early Access and want to run a discount to celebrate your V1.0 release, you may want to consider these scenarios: [list] [*]You could leave your price as is, run a launch discount as you release into V1.0 out of Early Access and then raise your price 30 days [i]after[/i] that. [*]You could raise your price as you transition out of Early Access and not run a discount. [*]You could raise your price more than 30 days before you release out of Early Access, and then run a launch discount to go with your V1.0 release. …

Your demo and full game can share files as well to continue game play. To figure out if a demo is the right thing for your game, please check out the [url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/application/demos]Demos Documentation[/url]. …

[section]Content Preferences[/section] Players can define their store content preferences to filter out or allow in certain kinds of content, such as violence or nudity. If a player is visiting your store page and if your product has content descriptors that the user has indicated they do not want to see (including defaults), they will be presented with a warning. This is keyed off the settings you entered in filling out the mature content survey while setting up your store page. These warning pages will let the player know that the content they are about to view is different from the preferences they have previously specified (or the defaults that Steam has). …

This page serves as a hub for evergreen information regarding Steam Next Fest which occurs three times a year, in February, June, and October. For the latest dates, please check out the [doclink=marketing/upcoming_events#8]Upcoming Steam Events page[/doclink], or check out the individual Next Fest pages available on the table on the left. …

[/list] [b]In the Steam Store:[/b] [list] [*]Have relevant users verify their personal email opt-in/out settings and ensure "New Steamworks features are announced or sales events are available" is selected here: https://store.steampowered.com/account/emailoptout [/list] If you prefer to remain opted out of all communications, you may still participate in Steam Next Fest. …

. [*] It can appear on 'top sellers' list on the store home page and on relevant genre and tag pages if it has achieved sales rank. [/list] [subsection]Releasing Out of Early Access[/subsection] Once your title transitions out of Early Access, it is treated the same as a title releasing fully for the first time and the visibility guidelines below apply. …

You focus on making a compelling, interesting, and unique game, and Steam will work out the best places to feature your game based on customers’ interests, preferences, and feedback. …

NO other order guarantees exist! In particular, unreliable messages may be dropped, received out of order with respect to each other and with respect to reliable data, or may be received multiple times. Messages on different channels are *not* guaranteed to be received in the order they were sent. …

You may pass nullptr for either parameter if you do not need the corresponding details. Note that sessions time out after a while, so if a connection fails, or [api]ISteamNetworkingMessages::SendMessageToUser[/api] returns k_EResultNoConnection, you cannot wait indefinitely to obtain the reason for failure. …

[/td][/tr] [tr][td][b]punOutItemsArraySize[/b][/td][td][apitype]steam_api::uint32[/apitype] *[/td][td]This should be set to the length of [code-inline]pOutItemsArray[/code-inline]. …

[b]Returns:[/b] bool [b]true[/b] upon success, indicating that [code-inline]punOutBufferSize[/code-inline] has been successfully filled with the size of the buffer, and if [code-inline]pOutBuffer[/code-inline] points to a buffer of sufficient size then it is filled out as well. …

[olist] [*]First, upload a build of your game for your beta testers to play. If you haven't done this yet, check out the instructions [doclink=sdk/uploading]here[/doclink] first and come back to this page later. [*]Next, we strongly recommend setting up your [doclink=store/coming_soon]Coming Soon[/doclink] page. …

Any customer who activates one of those keys can instantly download and play, so don’t hand them out until you’re ready. Take a minute to review the [doclink=features/keys]Steam Key documentation[/doclink] so you know what the rules are and how the key request process works. [*]Keep track of the keys you hand out. …

As a Steam developer, you can go to the [url=https://partner.steamgames.com/hardware]hardware request form[/url] to request a Steam Deck Dev Kit. Fill out the form and be sure to read through the agreement and dev kit guidelines. Dev kit supplies are limited, so we'll be reviewing requests via the online form on a case by case basis and will be shipping them out as quickly as possible. …

There are a number different ways you can do this, so be sure to check out the [doclink=store/testing]Testing on Steam documentation[/doclink]. [section]Uploading Your Update[/section]To update your game or software build, simply follow the same instructions for creating your initial builds in SteamPipe. Check out the [doclink=sdk/uploading]SteamPipe Documentation[/doclink] for details. Note that after your app releases to customers, your customers will be receiving the build marked as the Default build. …

[subsection=CreateSocketPair]CreateSocketPair[/subsection] [code=cpp]bool CreateSocketPair( HSteamNetConnection *pOutConnection1, HSteamNetConnection *pOutConnection2, bool bUseNetworkLoopback, const SteamNetworkingIdentity *pIdentity1, const SteamNetworkingIdentity *pIdentity2 );[/code] Create a pair of connections that are talking to each other, e.g. a loopback connection. …

There are NO GUARANTEES on the order that messages are RECEIVED! Due to packet loss, out-of-order delivery, and subtle details of packet serialization, messages might still be received slightly out-of-order! The *only* strong guarantee is that *reliable* messages on the *same lane* will be delivered in the order they are sent. [*] Each host configures the lanes for the packets they send; the lanes for the flow in one direction are completely unrelated to the lanes in the opposite direction. …

Otherwise, customers may see a price displayed in a currency they aren’t familiar with and will cancel the purchase out of caution. The price you specify is tied to the currency you specify. Depending on the currency, there are specific increments you will need to observe. …

A lot of players visit the Free to Play hub searching for games to check out and play, and featuring in this hub (whether it’s algorithmic or curated) can help boost visibility on Steam in a big way. If you are wondering if your game might qualify for curated marketing, feel free to reach out to us via [url=https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithPublishing?…

[/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. Any logged in user can see their [url=https://store.steampowered.com/account/preferences/]store preferences page[/url]. The top selling list also has options for players to filter out games they already own, and to hide free to play games. [b]Q: My game sells DLC. Can a DLC show up on the top sellers lists?[/b] A: Yes! …

If for some reason you need to delay more than that, please [url=https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithPublishing]reach out to us directly[/url]. If you cancel a DLC in a Season Pass, customers will be offered a refund for the value of unreleased DLC. …

However, when the game launches, you will need to release the Season Pass out of pre-purchase--this will entail releasing at least one of the DLCs included in the Season Pass. [b]If you are including a Season Pass as part of a pre-purchase option, the Season Pass store page must be visible.…

This invitation will go out to Steamworks users who have set "Receive Steamworks communications" permission for eligible games. Reference the [doclink=#faq]Frequently Asked Questions[/doclink] below to ensure your communication preferences are set to permit these communications, or for details on how to access key information if opted out. …

[/list] [b]In the Steam Store:[/b] [list] [*]Have relevant users verify their personal email opt-in/out settings and ensure "New Steamworks features are announced or sales events are available" is selected here: https://store.steampowered.com/account/emailoptout [/list] If you prefer to remain opted out of all communications, you may still participate in Steam themed sale events. …

But we also realize that technology and tools are going to change a bunch over the years, and there are lots of creative game developers out there figuring out ways to ethically use AI to make great entertainment. If you plan to release a product on Steam and you think we're overlooking something important in regard to AI, [url=https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithPublishing?…

[list][*]If you'd like to report Copyright Infringement and are the copyright holder, please proceed to our DMCA notice of copyright infringement form [url=https://steamcommunity.com/dmca/create/]here[/url]. [*]If you'd like to file a Trademark complaint, please fill out the form [url=https://steamcommunity.com/trademark/createtrademarkcomplaint/]here[/url].[/list] [b]Q. My game connects to a Live-Generated AI service, which incurs ongoing costs for each input/output. …