Check out the official Steamworks YouTube channel for quick tips, tutorials, past Q&A sessions, official talks, and much more. https://www.youtube.com/user/steamworksdev …

Another possible poor player experience could be a single player narrative game that can be completed in the duration of the Advance Access where you are spreading out users and diminishing the excitement around your launch (and possibly spoiling the story before others even have a chance to play.) …

[/h4] A: You may be eligible for a "Now Available" marketing message when the entire game is released, but we won't be creating a separate Marketing Message for the start of Advance Access. If your game is eligible for a marketing message, we will reach out to you to notify you and set that up. [h4]Q: Can I change my capsule art to reflect Advance Access?[/h4] A: No, you should not change your capsule art to include any banners indicating Advance Access status. …

For multi-player games you may have different kinds of content that makes sense than if you have a single-player game. Once you've figured that out, then you'll need to think about how your client will load the content and what kind of tools are necessary for customers to create that content. …

If you allow users to post incomplete work or mere concepts, then you will need to figure out what the process would be that those concepts get turned into real items, which typically becomes a difficult to scale up in any meaningful way. …

It can be challenging to know where and how often your game is appearing to players and to understand the value you get out of distributing your game on Steam. 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. …

[section]Notes on Data collection date ranges[/section] There are a few date ranges to make note of where new data collection metrics were added: [list] [*]Overall traffic data shown has only been collected since September 23, 2014 12:00 AM GMT. [*]Region and ownership data has only been collected since October 17, 2018 12:00 AM GMT [*]Steam Platform Traffic (non-store traffic) has only been recorded since October 17, 2018 12:00 AM GMT. [*]"Direct Navigation" data has only been collected since April 17, 2019 12:00 AM GMT. [*]Impression and visit reports since March 23, 2021 exclude users that have opted out of applicable cookies. [/list] [section]Frequently Asked Questions[/section] [b]Q. Can I track conversions from external marketing campaigns?…

[section]Overview[/section] Custom configuration files can be included directly within your game depots for a number of benefits: [list] [*]Official configurations can be checked into Perforce or other revision control tools [*]Managing configurations between different branches of your game or between a public and private AppID is easier [*]Updates are atomic rather than being done via two publishing steps in Steamworks [/list] [section]Format[/section] The action manifest file is an extension of the [doclink=features/steam_controller/iga_file][/doclink] which includes an extra section containing a list of official configurations broken out by type: [code] "Action Manifest" { "configurations" { } "actions" { } "localization" { } } [/code] For information about the action and localization sections please see the [doclink=features/steam_controller/iga_file][/doclink] documentation. …

appid=[your app id] [/code] SteamOS devices: Use the [code-inline]Get Controller Config[/code-inline] command in the devkit tool (on the default Devkits tab - see [doclink=steamdeck/loadgames][/doclink] Linux Commandline (requires desktop mode on SteamOS devices): [code] xdg-open steam://dumpcontrollerconfig?appid=[your app id] [/code] The Linux command writes out a .vdf file to /tmp Copy both the configuration and your existing IGA file into the desired location inside the game folder. …

There are also best practices that you can follow to avoid making matters worse. [subsection]What should I do?[/subsection] [list] [*]Reach out to us via email or through our [url=https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithPublishing?issueid=929]Partner Support[/url] channel. …

If you would like to use a user review in your marketing material, please reach out to that user and get their permission. [b]Q. Does my review score impact my visibility on the store?[/b] As long as your game's reviews are Mixed or above (40%+), review score is [b]not a factor[/b] in algorithmic visibility. …

Our biggest priority is making sure customers are treated fairly, so please follow the steps outlined below. Before reaching out, take a moment to carefully consider whether or not pulling your game down is actually the right choice. Are you acting based on an emotional response to negative feedback, or is retiring your game the appropriate next step? …

We may offer refunds to Free-to-Play customers if they haven’t had the opportunity to get value out of their in-game purchases. [b]Q: What if I need to temporarily disable purchases or new installs of my game?[/b] A: If your game is in a state where you simply can’t handle more new customers, such as overloaded game servers, we can temporarily hide the purchase or play option on your store page. …

If you do not wish to have Valve moderating your Steam Discussions, you can opt-out via your your app settings in Steamworks (https://partner.steamgames.com/apps/community/Your_APPID). [docimg=opt-out_moderation.PNG]opt-out_moderation.PNG[/docimg] [h4]Resolving Reports[/h4] If you take action on a post, or decide that the report is not valid, please make sure you resolve the report so other moderators and admins know the issue has been dealt with. …

The good news is that there are things you can do to manage the negativity, while not making matters worse: [list] [*]Reach out to us via email or through our [url=https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithPublishing?issueid=929]Partner Support[/url] channel. …

We’ve worked hard to streamline our tools and document all the features and functionality available to you. Check out the Steamworks documentation for more details. [*]Before your store page or game build can go live, there is a brief review process where we run your game, look at your store page, and check that it is configured correctly and running as expected and not doing anything harmful. …

This process may take up to 30 days, and you may be asked to provide additional documentation. Please keep an eye out for emails requesting additional documents. You cannot make changes to your tax information until this process has been completed.[/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. …

[/section] Patch Notes are important for letting your most engaged players know what has changed in your game, even if those changes are not something most players would care about. Every time you push out a new build to Steam, your players will see their game update in Steam. Many of those players want to see what has changed in the game, so posting something about your update will at least tell players something about the magnitude of the update. …

[section]Minimum Requirements[/section] Patch notes are designed to be lightweight and easy to post. Therefore, you really only need to fill out two fields: title and description. You can easily paste in your bullet list of notes, switch to the 'publish' tab and hit publish. …

Valve ships hardware to help Steam users get the most out of their Steam Library. The Steam hardware lineup includes Steam Deck, Steam Controller, and the upcoming Steam Machine and Steam Frame devices. …

. [*][h4]If I want to see other samples of commercial licenses where do I go?[/h4] Check out our PC Café content hub [url=https://store.steampowered.com/pccafe/]here[/url]. You can also tick the "Commercial License" option under "Show selected types" when using the filter to search the Steam store. …

What should I do?[/h4] If you have any further questions, you can also reach out to us via cybercafes@valvesoftware.com …

This is particularly useful in games like [url=http://store.steampowered.com/app/239030/Papers_Please/]Papers, Please[/url] and Hearthstone -- check out this player's [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYKfnWtQSaQ]video[/url] as an example. [callout=red] [h3]Warning[/h3] Although Steam Input re-scales the mouse position proportionally with resolution, many games do not apply consistent proportional scaling to their GUI elements. …

Options include: [list] [*] [b]STEAM MUSIC PLAY/PAUSE[/b] [*] [b]STEAM MUSIC NEXT[/b] [*] [b]STEAM MUSIC PREVIOUS[/b] [*] [b]STEAM MUSIC VOLUME UP[/b] [*] [b]STEAM MUSIC VOLUME DOWN[/b] [*] [b]STEAM MUSIC MUTE[/b] [/list] [subsection]Empty[/subsection] [docimg=legacy_empty.png]legacy_empty.png[/docimg] This does nothing, and is used for clearing out a previously selected special action.…

. [*][b]Store DLC Hub[/b] - A dedicated DLC Hub is currently an experiment in Steam Labs, where players can explore DLC for the games they play. [url=https://store.steampowered.com/dlcforyou]Check out the DLC Hub[/url] for more details. [*][b]Your Game's Library Page [/b]- Your game's library page in Steam will prominently feature DLC that is new since the last time the player played the game. …

Here is a general idea of what happens by default: [list] [*]The page will first list out the items that you specified to appear on your base game's store page. [*]If those items of DLC all have at least 4 screenshots, then we’ll display all those items of DLC in big sections on the browse page, which shows the short description, price, and 4 screenshots. [*]If not all the items have at least 4 screenshots, then we fall back to just showing a row of capsules. …

Steam Frame is a standalone virtual reality headset designed primarily for low-latency streaming of player's Steam Library from a PC, while also supporting standalone experiences for both VR and Non-VR. The headset integrates high-resolution displays, inside-out tracking, integrated audio, and full gamepad input into a self-contained system running SteamOS. By maintaining full compatibility with SteamVR and OpenXR, Steam Frame provides a consistent development target across streamed PC VR content and on-device applications. …

. [*] [b]No time based text[/b] - Don't add "time-related" text to the short description as these will soon become old and out of date. Don't add" Now Available" or "Available on March 4th" or “Prepurchase now”. [/list] [callout][b]Get to the Point!…

Most customers will only skim this section anyway, so bolding the main ideas will help them stand out. [*][b]Keep the Newbie Audience in Mind[/b]: Many people will encounter your game for the first time through its store page. They may be unfamiliar with your game or perhaps even your game's genre. …

The Free to Keep request process is similar to Free Weekends or Daily Deals: any developer can reach out to request this kind of promotion, but that request may be rejected if the game is not a good fit. [docimg=FreeToKeepExample]FreeToKeepExample[/docimg] [section]Overview[/section] A Free to Keep promotion can be an effective tool in a few limited situations, such as: [list] [*]You have a new game in the franchise releasing, and you'd like to get new users into the franchise ahead of that launch by giving away a previous game in that franchise. [*]You are celebrating a milestone as a developer, and you'd like to give away one of your earlier titles in order to introduce players to your work. …

You'll have to [url=https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithPublishing?issueid=901]reach out[/url] to the Steam Team for next steps. [subsection]Steam Team Setup:[/subsection] [list] [*] The Steam Team will create a special Free to Keep package that grants players a permanent license to your game. …

See legendary players <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/user/stabbyvideo\" target=\"_blank\">Stabby</a> and <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/user/danethebrain\" target=\"_blank\">Uncle Dane</a> duke it out to answer the age old question: Who is better? Spies or Engies? Come see them settle the score once and for all in the new competitive TF2 format, Pick/Ban Prolander. …

See legendary players <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/stabbyvideo" target="_blank">Stabby</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/danethebrain" target="_blank">Uncle Dane</a> duke it out to answer the age old question: Who is better? Spies or Engies? Come see them settle the score once and for all in the new competitive TF2 format, Pick/Ban Prolander. …

Once in the lobby, you'll want to use the lobby data API to get details about the lobby to work out what to display (if there is any display). When a user joins or leaves a lobby, a [apitype]ISteamMatchmaking::LobbyChatUpdate_t[/apitype] callback is posted to all members of that lobby, including the owner. …

You will not need to put in player counts, as a lobby search will already look for lobbies with available slots [*]Do not join lobbies just to find out their metadata. Lobby metadata can be downloaded separately for all lobbies, which your game can then use to either show a list of lobbies for a user to pick from, or the game can automatically decide which search result to join [/list] [section]More Questions?…

Curators can also simply post informational reviews, often providing some additional information on the game that their followers find helpful. Some Curators started out as well-known individuals or press organizations that have established communities. Some have started entirely through Steam Curators and have built up an audience by serving a particular genre or niche audience really well. …

You can use this to send preview copies to Steam Curators to get word out about your game prior to your launch. Of course, you'll want to make sure your game is in an enjoyable state before sending it out. …