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Publishing a Game on Steam: Fees, Timeline and Steps
Published:
1. A Steamworks account and the Steam Direct fee
You sign up to Steamworks as a developer and enter your identity, tax and bank details. Each game needs a one-off Steam Direct fee of $100, which is paid back once the game reaches $1,000 in gross sales on Steam (at the time of writing).
2. The waiting period
After paying the fee you have to wait at least 30 days before releasing the game. Use that time to prepare the store page and gather players.
3. The store page and "Coming Soon"
Capsule images, screenshots, a trailer, a description and tags are prepared, and Steam reviews the page before it goes live. The page has to be visible as 'Coming Soon' for at least two weeks before release; during that time players add the game to their wishlists.
4. Why wishlists matter
When the game releases, players who wishlisted it get a notification. Wishlists gathered before release are one of the most important drivers of first-week sales, so open the store page as early as you can.
5. Uploading the build and review
The game files are uploaded to Steam with SteamPipe. Steam also reviews the build before release, checking that the game launches and matches what the store page says. The review usually takes a few days.
6. Steam's share and pricing
Steam takes a 30 percent share of sales, and the rate drops once a game's sales pass very high amounts. When setting the price, also look at the regional prices Steam suggests for each country.
Engine and platform
Godot and Unity export a Windows build from the same project. Moving a game made for mobile to PC, however, means rethinking the controls and interface: keyboard, mouse or gamepad instead of touch.
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