Guides

How to get Steam reviews (without breaking Valve's rules)

, founder of NextWishlist · Updated · 3 min read

~10reviews before Steam shows a scoreCommunity-compiled
40%positive: below it, a game is less likely to be featuredValve rule
0reviews from keys count toward the scoreValve rule
On this page
  1. How Steam's review score works
  2. The 10-review myth
  3. What Valve forbids
  4. Honest ways to get more reviews
  5. Responding, and review bombs
  6. Turn reviews into tasks

Short answerSteam shows a score after about 10 reviews, but Valve says the score doesn't affect visibility while it stays Mixed or above (40% or more). Ask for honest reviews outside the game, never for a reward, and reply to reviews instead of trying to remove them.

Reviews are the first thing many players read on your page, and the first weeks decide your score. They're also tightly regulated by Valve. Here is how the score works, which reviews count, what's forbidden, and what honestly gets you more.

01How Steam's review score works

  • Your page shows two scores: the last 30 days, and all time.
  • Only reviews from accounts that bought the game on Steam and played it count toward the score.
  • Reviews from key activations can be written and read, with their playtime, but don't count. Press and promotional copies can be marked as received for free.
  • Reviews written from pre-release copies are marked as Pre-Release Review; Early Access reviews are labeled once the game is out.
  • Steam shows "Need more user reviews to generate a score" until about 10 reviews. Valve doesn't publish its labels; community-compiled thresholds put Positive at 80% or more under 50 reviews, Very Positive at 80% or more from 50, and Overwhelmingly Positive at 95% or more from 500.
Below 40%: less likely to be featuredMixed or above: no effect on visibility
0%40%100%
Share of positive reviews and Steam visibility, as Valve describes it. A score shows after about 10 reviews (community-compiled; Valve doesn't publish its thresholds).

02The 10-review myth

A common belief is that 10 reviews "unlock" Steam's algorithm. Valve says otherwise: as long as your reviews are Mixed or above (40% or more), the review score is not a factor in algorithmic visibility. Below 40% (Mostly Negative), a game is less likely to be featured. What drives visibility is players buying and playing your game (how the Steam algorithm works).

Reviews still matter, for players: a score on your page reassures them before they buy.

03What Valve forbids

  • Rewards for reviews: no games, DLC, money or other rewards in exchange for a review (sending copies to press and creators is allowed).
  • Asking from inside the game: Valve forbids asking customers to review your product from within your application.
  • Any manipulation of the review system.
  • Deleting reviews: you can't. Abusive reviews can be reported; they stay until a moderator acts.

04Honest ways to get more reviews

  1. More buyers in the first days: your wishlisters get an email at launch, so every wishlist you collected before is a potential early review (how to get more wishlists).
  2. Ask your community outside the game: Discord, newsletter, social posts, a Steam announcement. Ask for honest reviews, never positive ones, never for a reward.
  3. Fix fast and say so: an update that answers complaints, announced with a Steam event, earns updated reviews.
  4. Creators and press: their reviews from keys don't count toward the score, but their videos bring buyers who review.

05Responding, and review bombs

  • Use official developer responses for useful replies: a fix, a workaround, a thank-you. Valve advises against replying to every review or refuting opinions.
  • Review bombs: contact Valve through Partner Support; don't argue publicly. Valve excludes off-topic review bombs from the score, and their volume usually settles after a few days.

06Turn reviews into tasks

NextWishlist reads your reviews every night, groups what players praise and what they report, and turns the recurring issues into tasks in your plan. Join the private beta.

How to get Steam reviews (without breaking Valve's rules): quick answers

How many reviews does a game need for a Steam score?

About 10. Below that, Steam shows "Need more user reviews to generate a score". Valve doesn't publish its label thresholds.

Do 10 Steam reviews unlock the algorithm?

No. Valve says review score isn't a factor in algorithmic visibility as long as reviews are Mixed or above (40% or more). Below 40%, a game is less likely to be featured.

Do reviews from Steam keys count?

They're shown with their playtime but don't count toward the review score. Only reviews from accounts that bought the game on Steam and played it count.

Can I ask players for Steam reviews?

Not from inside the game and never for a reward. A neutral request for honest reviews outside the game stays within Valve's stated rules.

Can I delete a negative Steam review?

No. You can reply with an official developer response, or report abusive reviews to Steam's moderators.

Sources

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

NextWishlist

Launch with a plan, not a guess.

Your launch checklist built from Valve's rules, your wishlists projected to launch day, and your reviews turned into tasks. NextWishlist is a Steam marketing tool for indie developers, in private beta.

Join the private beta