[section]Overview[/section] With the recent release of the new Steam Friends and Chat client we've enhanced the capabilities of our rich presence system to show more about the games being played. We see a player's rich presence as a way to engage the player's friends in their activity. For example, friends who own the game engage by knowing the right time to join the game or by talking about it with the player, and those who don't own the game may have their interest piqued by coming across a variety of rich presence strings that tell them more about a game that they don't know much about. …

Your game will have its own specific data that will be the right information to show with enhanced rich presence. To start you off, though, here are some thoughts to consider: [subsection=multiplayer]Multiplayer Games[/subsection] Depending on the multiplayer game type, information that helps a player's friends know when to jump in can vary. …

[/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]. …

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. …

And your game can also appear to players in various places across the platform like friends lists or notifications, simply because those players have friends that are playing your game. 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. …

Here are just a few examples of how your games may be featured in third-party events on Steam: [table] [tr] [th]Tacticon (a themed event):[/th] [th]The Game Awards (a showcase event):[/th] [th]Games in Sweden (a regional event):[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td][docimg=Tacticon.jpg]TactiCon.jpg[/docimg][/td] [td][docimg=GameAwards.jpg]GameAwards.jpg[/docimg][/td] [td][docimg=Sweden.jpg]Sweden.jpg[/docimg][/td] [/tr] [/table] [section]How it Works[/section] An event organizer may approach you to ask if your game would be interested in joining its event, or you may seek out event organizers yourself to ask if your game can be invited to their event. …

Participate in the Event[/subsection] Once the event begins, your game will be featured on the event's sale page as discussed with the event organizer. While the event is live, the event's Store Page banner will also appear at the top of your game's Store Page. …

Finishing this section will generate ratings for several regional rating boards that will be displayed on your storepage once the game releases. This data may also be used to generate additional regional ratings in the future. If you already have ratings issued for your game directly by official rating board authorities, you may enter those under your game's Ratings section. …

Under the Steam Distribution Agreement, you promise Valve that your game will not include illegal or infringing content, and that your game will be consistent with your marketing materials. In our prerelease review, we will evaluate the output of AI generated content in your game the same way we evaluate all non-AI content - including a check that your game meets those promises. [*][b]Live-Generated:[/b] Any kind of content created with the help of AI tools while the game is running. …

[section]Pricing Types[/section] Steam supports multiple business models that games use to price content, whether it be the single purchase of a full game, DLC, in-game microtransactions or recurring subscriptions. …

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]. …

It can be considered as a smaller investment into your game before they purchase the whole game with their own account. [*][h4]Can Café visitors use their personal copy of a game?[/h4] Yes. Besides using the commercial game licenses from the location's license pool, visitors can also play all of their regular games they own with their personal Steam account. …

The art used for them should immediately tell the customer something important about the game. It should be graphically-centric and give the user some sense of the game-play. [list][*][color=#ca5029]Do not include quotes or other strings of text beyond the title of your game. …

Please show customers what your game is actually like to play. Menu screens should only be included if they are a unique component of your game. Showing the in-game UI can be helpful for players to understand how they will be interacting with your game.…

[/olist] Note that the text name "Valve" that appears next to the square logo is defined by the name of your group that you have linked your games to. [section]"Featured Games" Section[/section] [docimg=featured_games_01.jpg]featured_games_01.jpg[/docimg] We achieved this set of "featured games" by first creating a list (from your 'admin' tab, select 'create list' and then select the games you wish to include). …

Instead, Valve makes a lot of "Co-Op" and "Multiplayer" games, so those made more sense to be added as a way for players trying to find useful categories of games Valve has made. …

One example would be if your game economy is impacted if a DLC includes items or currency that are meant to be used only once. Or if you implement your own banning system (that's not VAC), you may need to verify game ownership in case both the player and the original game owner need to be banned for malicious behavior in a game. There are two ways to check if a game is being accessed via Family Sharing, client-side or server side. [section]Checking Family Sharing status via Client API[/section] Your running game can call [doclink=api/ISteamApps#BIsSubscribedFromFamilySharing]ISteamApps::BIsSubscribedFromFamilySharing[/doclink] to check if the game is accessed via family sharing. …

[callout]Tip: If you translate the content on your store page into languages that you are considering supporting, you can look at regional wishlists for your game to get a sense of where your game might be popular and which languages might warrant higher priority for translation of your game. …

The game can instead use a single depot, and ask Steam for the language that the user has selected by using the [api]ISteamApps::GetCurrentGameLanguage[/api] API. …

[docimg=desktop_game_select.png]desktop_game_select.png[/docimg] [callout=green,fixed][b]NOTE[/b]: Disclosure: In this example I'm picking my own game because I have full control of its Steam Input API integration and can use it to demonstrate certain features.…

[/callout] When the game's menu comes up, select "Manage Game" in the sidebar: [docimg=getting_started_manage_game.png]getting_started_manage_game.png[/docimg] [b]You Did Plug the Controller in, Right?…

[/list] [subsection]Base Game Set[/subsection] Every game has a [b]Base game achievements[/b] set. Achievements that aren't assigned to another set belong to the base game set, so if you don't create any additional sets, all of your achievements are in the base game set. …

[subsection]Profiles[/subsection] Players can show off the number of games and sets they've completed in their profile's Achievement Showcase, and can feature games in the Completionist Showcase once they've completed any of the game's sets. …

It is fine to indicate where the original content premiered. [*][h4]Q. Can I stream a game not yet released?[/h4] A. Yes. As long as you are planning to release the game on Steam and have created a Coming Soon page, you can stream your game on Steam. …

Help, my stream is not showing up on my game product page?[/h4] A. There are two things that need to be done for streaming to surface. One the Game must permit the Streaming account via white list. …

It may encourage them to re-engage with a game they haven't played in a while. However, it is not intended to be a place to advertise other products or services. Steam players have the ability to personalize the games and event types they will see. …

[subsection]Sale/Discount Events[/subsection] These events are intended to be for prospective players, so they appear primarily in places where potential players will see them, such as on your game's store page and in your community hub. Events about discounts on your game do not appear to existing players in their library since they already own your game. …

Steam now supports the display of accessibility features for games making it easier for players to find games they want to play that meet their needs and interests. Developers can now indicate which accessibility features they support, and these will be displayed on the Steam store page for those games. …

[/h4] Some visually impaired players are able to use accessibility features like Narrated Game Menus to play games that are playable with partial vision, but many of those games are not playable for players with no vision. Blind players can look for this tag to know that they will be able to play the game without being able to see any gameplay elements. …

The visibility of your event here will vary slightly from player to player depending on which games they play, how recently, how much they play, and personalization settings they have set. [docimg=doc_event_library_whatsNew.jpg]doc_event_library_whatsNew.jpg[/docimg] [*][b]Your game's library page[/b] - Major Updates will show up in the list of all events on your game's library page. Additionally, you can choose to 'feature' the event (see below for details) to have it appear more prominently. [docimg=dlc_event_library_game.jpg]dlc_event_library_game.jpg[/docimg] [*][b]Your game's store page[/b] - Major Updates will appear as one of the two events shown on your game's store page. …

[/td][/tr] [tr][td][b]siteid[/b][/td][td]uint64[/td][td][/td][td]Site ID to see; zero for all sites[/td][/tr] [/table] Get total playtime amounts for all games over a period of time; for one or all sites. The response has the following structure: [table] [tr][th]Name[/th][th]Type[/th][th]Description[/th][/tr] [tr][td][b]sites[/b][/td][td]see below[/td][td]A list of site details[/td][/tr] [tr][td][b]game_names[/b][/td][td]see below[/td][td]Mapped list of game names.[/td][/tr] [/table] [code-inline]game_names[/code-inline] has the following structure: [table] [tr][th]Name[/th][th]Type[/th][th]Description[/th][/tr] [tr][td][b]id[/b][/td][td]uint32[/td][td]ID number of entry; referenced in site info below[/td][/tr] [tr][td][b]name[/b][/td][td]string[/td][td]Game name[/td][/tr] [/table] [code-inline]sites[/code-inline] has the following structure: [table] [tr][th]Name[/th][th]Type[/th][th]Description[/th][/tr] [tr][td][b]siteid[/b][/td][td]uint64[/td][td]64-bit SiteID of the site[/td][/tr] [tr][td][b]site_name[/b][/td][td]string[/td][td]Site name you have assigned to the site[/td][/tr] [tr][td][b]games[/b][/td][td]see below[/td][td]list of all game titles played[/td][/tr] [/table] [code-inline]games[/code-inline] has the following structure: [table] [tr][th]Name[/th][th]Type[/th][th]Description[/th][/tr] [tr][td][b]id[/b][/td][td]uint32[/td][td]ID of game in the [code-inline]game_names[/code-inline] section of the response[/td][/tr] [tr][td][b]license_type[/b][/td][td]string[/td][td]Playtime is divided up for each game by the type of license used. …

[seasonalsaledates][/seasonalsaledates] [section]Themed Sale Events (Fests)[/section] These events spotlight a particular category of games with corresponding eligibility criteria; while discount games are prioritized, free games, games in Coming Soon, and games with demos are also welcome to participate. …

[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Apr 22 Apr 26[/td][td]Witch Fest[/td] [td][url=https://partner.steamgames.com/optin/sale/witch_2027]Registration details[/url][/td] [td]Games that are witchy! [doclink=marketing/upcoming_events/themed_sales/witch_2027]More info[/doclink]. [/td][/tr] [tr][td]Apr 26 May 3[/td][td]Fighting Fest[/td] [td][url=https://partner.steamgames.com/optin/sale/fighting_2027]Registration details[/url][/td] [td]Games that are Fighting Games—not just games about fighting, but specifically like the ones that the FGC play. …

[docimg=event_example_detail_lg2.jpg]event_example_detail_lg2.jpg[/docimg] [section]Steam Library - Game Details Page[/section] Your game details page in the Steam Library includes three image types to convey information about the state of your game. …

[/list] [docimg=Library-Breakdown.jpg]Library-Breakdown.jpg[/docimg] [subsection]Hero Image and Game Logo[/subsection] The [b]hero image[/b] supplied for your game will act as the branding/header for your game details page and as a visual anchor representing where a user is within the Steam Client. …