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How to get people to play your Steam demo

, founder of NextWishlist · Updated · 3 min read

1×wishlist notification per demoValve rule
~19%of demo players wishlist (median, June 2026)Benchmark
0demo downloads counted by Steam's UTM reportValve rule
On this page
  1. Who plays demos, really
  2. Use everything Steam gives a demo
  3. Bring players from outside Steam
  4. Make the demo easy to say yes to
  5. Measure which source worked
  6. Know where your players came from

Short answerUse Steam's free surfaces first: the one-time wishlist notification, the upcoming demos lists, themed fests and Next Fest. Then bring players from creators, festivals, Reddit and social posts, and measure each source in wishlists, since Steam's UTM report doesn't count demo downloads.

A demo nobody plays brings no wishlists and no feedback. The good news is that Steam gives demos a lot of free surfaces, and the players you need first are few but loud. Here is where demo players come from, in order, and how to see which source actually worked.

01Who plays demos, really

Most of your demo's players won't wishlist it, and that's expected. Chris Zukowski describes a small group of players who sample almost every demo of a festival, often outside their usual genres, and content creators who behave the same way: they try many demos fast and keep only the ones that make good content. They're the ones who talk about games, so they're worth reaching first.

Your page matters as much as your demo: during Next Fest, 68% to 88% of wishlists come from players who never launched the demo. Every player you bring also sees your capsule, trailer and tags.

02Use everything Steam gives a demo

  1. Send the wishlist notification. Steam notifies everyone who wishlisted your game, once per demo, if you trigger it within 14 days of the demo's release. Don't forget it.
  2. Get on the upcoming demos list. Publish the demo's store presence before it's playable, so it appears in Steam's list of upcoming demos.
  3. Show it prominently. On your game's page, choose the green demo box rather than the small side-bar link (Special Settings, Associated Demos).
  4. Steam's free-game surfaces. A demo can appear wherever a free game can: New & Trending, tag pages, genre pages and store hubs. Accurate tags put it in the right ones.
  5. Themed fests. Steam's themed fests accept demos, and a game can join several, without using up its single Next Fest. See Steam festivals.
  6. Steam Next Fest, the biggest demo event of all, once per game. See how to prepare for Steam Next Fest.
  7. Announcements. Every update to your demo is a reason for a Steam event, seen by your followers (Steam events and announcements).

03Bring players from outside Steam

  • Third-party festivals. More than 200 online festivals exist besides Steam's own; many feature demos. Apply to the ones that fit your genre.
  • Streamers and YouTubers. Your demo is free, so creators can play it today without a key. Send it to channels that already play your genre, with a short pitch and a press kit (how to get YouTubers to play your game).
  • Reddit. A clip or a demo post in the right subreddit, following its rules (marketing on Reddit).
  • Your social accounts and your mailing list. Announce the demo with a short gameplay clip, not a logo (marketing on social media).
  • Your Discord, if you have one: early players become your first testers and reviewers (Discord for your game).

04Make the demo easy to say yes to

  • A clear name: your game's name plus "Demo", so players find it in search.
  • A capsule and a trailer that start with gameplay. Players decide in seconds, on the same images as your main page.
  • A short, finished experience that ends on a high, as described in how to make a good game demo.

05Measure which source worked

Put a different Steam UTM link in each post, video description or newsletter. One subtlety: Steam's UTM report counts wishlists and purchases for the app in the link, and doesn't count demo downloads as conversions. Link to your game's page, where the demo button sits, and judge each source on the wishlists it brought. The details are in Steam UTM links.

store.steampowered.com/app/1234560/Your game's Steam page?utm_source=redditWhere the link lives&utm_campaign=demo-launchThe moment, or the creator
Anatomy of a Steam UTM link: Steamworks counts the visits and, for logged-in visitors, the wishlists made within 72 hours.

06Know where your players came from

NextWishlist reads your wishlists and your tracking links every night, tells you which post or creator brought players, and plans the next demo push around Valve's calendar. Join the private beta.

How to get people to play your Steam demo: quick answers

How do I get more people to play my Steam demo?

Use Steam's own surfaces first: the one-time wishlist notification, the upcoming demos list, the prominent demo box, themed fests and Next Fest. Then bring players from creators, festivals, Reddit, social media and your community.

Why do so few demo players wishlist my game?

That's normal. A small group of players samples almost every demo of a festival and rarely wishlists. In June 2026 the median game converted about 19% of demo players into wishlists.

Do I need to send keys to streamers for a demo?

No. A demo is free on Steam, so creators can play it right away. Send them the link, a short pitch and a press kit.

Can Steam UTM links track demo downloads?

No. Steam's UTM report doesn't count demo downloads as conversions. Link to your game's page and measure the wishlists each link brought.

Sources

Valve's rules can change: the official Steamworks page always wins. Practitioner benchmarks are surveys of developers, given as ranges.

NextWishlist

Know when your demo is ready, and who it reaches.

Your demo's players and reviews read every night and compared with demos of your genre, with Valve's deadlines in your daily plan. NextWishlist is a Steam marketing tool for indie developers, in private beta.

Join the private beta