By the Choost Games team — we're going through this process right now with Granny's Rampage. This guide comes from our actual experience, not secondhand research.

How to Publish a Game on Steam — A Step-by-Step Guide From a Developer Doing It Right Now

Publishing a game on Steam costs $100 per title, requires filling out tax and identity verification forms, and takes 2-4 weeks from application to having a live store page. The process is straightforward but has friction points that nobody tells you about until you hit them. Here's everything, in order, from someone currently navigating it.

Step 1: Pay the Steam Direct Fee ($100)

Go to the Steamworks partner page and create a Steamworks account. You'll pay a $100 fee per game you want to publish. This fee is recoupable — once your game earns $1,000 in revenue, Valve refunds the $100.

You need a valid payment method. The $100 is non-refundable if your game never launches, so make sure you're committed before paying.

Step 2: Identity and Tax Verification

This is where the process slows down. Valve requires identity verification (KYC) before you can publish. You'll need to provide government-issued ID and go through a verification service. For solo developers and small studios, the options are:

As an individual: Upload your personal ID and tax information. Straightforward but means your legal name appears on the store page unless you register a business entity.

As a company: You'll need a registered business entity (LLC, Corp, etc.), an EIN or equivalent tax ID, and potentially a DUNS number. If you don't have these, setting them up takes 1-4 weeks depending on your state and the DUNS application queue.

We registered under Endymion Corp, which required getting a DUNS number through Dun & Bradstreet. The application was free but took about two weeks to process. Plan for this delay.

Tax verification: Valve needs your tax information for revenue reporting. US developers fill out W-9 forms. International developers fill out W-8BEN or equivalent. This happens inside Steamworks and is mostly automated.

Step 3: Set Up Your Store Page

Once verified, you create your app in Steamworks and build your store page. The required assets:

Header capsule (460x215) — this is the small image that appears in search results and wishlists. It needs to be readable at thumbnail size with your game title clearly visible.

Main capsule (616x353) — the larger image on your store page. Show actual gameplay or key art that represents the game.

Screenshots (minimum 5) — actual gameplay screenshots, not concept art. Steam's algorithm factors screenshot quality into visibility recommendations. Show what the game actually looks like during play.

Trailer — technically optional but practically mandatory. A 60-90 second video showing gameplay. Don't lead with logos or studio intros — start with gameplay. Players click away from trailers that don't show action in the first 3 seconds.

Description — your sales copy. Lead with what the game IS, not what inspired it. "A bullet heaven where you fight waves of enemies with escalating weapons" tells players what they're getting. "Inspired by the classics of the genre" tells them nothing.

Tags — select the most accurate genre tags. For a bullet heaven, that includes: Action, Roguelike, Bullet Hell, Indie, Pixel Graphics (if applicable). Don't spam tags — mismatched tags lead to negative reviews from players who expected something different.

Step 4: Build Upload and Configuration

Steamworks uses a depot system for builds. You download the Steamworks SDK, configure your depots (one per platform), and upload your game files through the SteamPipe command-line tool.

For a web-based game (like ours, built in Phaser), Electron packaging creates a desktop executable that Steam can launch. The process: build your game for production, wrap it in Electron, configure the Steam overlay, and upload.

Configure launch options, controller support, cloud save paths, and achievement definitions in the Steamworks dashboard. None of these are required for launch, but controller support and cloud saves significantly improve player experience.

Step 5: Store Page Review

Before going live, Valve reviews your store page. This usually takes 2-5 business days. They check for accurate content descriptions, proper age ratings, and compliance with Steam's content policies.

Common rejection reasons: misleading screenshots, missing content descriptors for violence/nudity, incomplete descriptions, or header images that don't include the game title. Fix the issue, resubmit, wait another review cycle.

Step 6: Coming Soon Page

Once approved, you can publish a "Coming Soon" page while your game is still in development. Do this as early as possible. Coming Soon pages collect wishlists, and wishlist count directly impacts your launch visibility on Steam.

Steam's algorithm promotes games based on wishlist velocity (how fast wishlists are accumulating) and total count. A game with 5,000 wishlists at launch gets significantly more visibility than one with 500.

Step 7: Release

When your game is ready, set a release date in Steamworks and click release. Steam processes it within a few hours. Your game appears on the New Releases page and in the queues of players who wishlisted it.

Launch day email notifications go to every player who wishlisted your game. This is your single biggest marketing moment — the conversion rate from wishlist to purchase is typically 15-25% on launch day.

Things We Wish We'd Known

Start the DUNS application immediately. If you're publishing under a business entity, the Dun & Bradstreet number takes the longest of any step. Apply before you need it.

The store page matters more than the game for initial sales. Players buy based on the capsule image, trailer, and first screenshot. If those three assets don't communicate your game clearly, nothing else matters.

Wishlists are the game. Steam's algorithm rewards games with high wishlist counts with more visibility, which generates more wishlists, which generates more visibility. Start collecting wishlists months before launch.

Don't launch on a Tuesday. Tuesday is the most common launch day, which means the most competition for attention. Thursday and Friday launches see less competition on the New Releases page.

More From Choost Games

We're documenting our journey publishing Granny's Rampage on Steam. See also how to make indie games, solo dev AI tools, and building a bullet heaven in Phaser.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to publish on Steam? $100 per game through Steam Direct. The fee is refunded once your game earns $1,000 in revenue. There are no ongoing fees — Valve takes a 30% cut of each sale (dropping to 25% after $10M and 20% after $50M).

How long does the whole process take? From creating a Steamworks account to having a live Coming Soon page: 2-4 weeks, mostly waiting for identity verification and store page review. If you need a DUNS number, add 2 more weeks.

Can I publish on Steam as an individual? Yes. You don't need a business entity. Your legal name will appear as the publisher unless you register a business. Some solo devs create an LLC specifically for this reason.

What percentage does Steam take? 30% of revenue for the first $10M in sales, then 25% up to $50M, then 20% above that. Most indie games will be at the 30% tier.