Guides

When to release your Steam demo

, founder of NextWishlist · Updated · 4 min read

1×wishlist notification per demo, within 14 days of releaseValve rule
5 wksbefore Next Fest to be live for the Press PreviewValve rule
2.5×more fest wishlists for demos released months earlierBenchmark, Feb 2026
On this page
  1. The short answer
  2. What Valve's rules mean for your timing
  3. Three timings that work
  4. Attached to your game, or on its own page
  5. Before you press release
  6. After your game launches
  7. Know when your demo is ready

Short answerRelease your demo once it's polished, ideally a few months before your Steam Next Fest: in February 2026, demos released months earlier earned about 2.5 times more wishlists at the fest than demos released during it. Otherwise, 3 to 4 weeks before the fest.

Your demo is a second launch for your Steam page: it can notify your wishlisters once, it opens Steam Next Fest and the themed fests, and it gives creators something to play today. Its timing decides how much of that you get. Here is what Valve's rules allow, and the three release windows that public data supports.

01The short answer

Release your demo once it's polished, and ideally a few months before the Steam Next Fest you're aiming for. In February 2026, demos released months before the fest earned about 2.5 times more wishlists during the fest than demos released during it. If you can't be ready that early, release it 3 to 4 weeks before the fest rather than on its first day.

What you should not do is rush out an unfinished demo: you get one wishlist notification per demo and one Next Fest per game, and a weak demo spends both.

02What Valve's rules mean for your timing

  • One notification, two weeks to send it. Steam can notify everyone who wishlisted your game when your demo comes out, once per demo, and you must press the button within 14 days of the demo first releasing to players.
  • A two-week cooldown. Wishlist notifications have a two-week cooldown per game: Valve recommends spacing your demo at least two weeks from other events that email your wishlisters, such as a discount of 20% or more.
  • The upcoming demos list. You can publish your demo's store presence before the demo is playable, so it shows on Steam's list of upcoming demos.
  • Demos show where free games show. Once out, a demo can appear anywhere on Steam a free game could: New & Trending, tag pages, genre pages and store hubs.
  • Next Fest needs your demo early. Valve sets two deadlines before each fest: one to be considered for the Press Preview, and a last one before the fest starts.
  1. Registration closes · in 73 days
  2. Demo in for the Press Preview · in 81 days
  3. Last day to submit the demo · in 95 days
  4. Press Preview starts · in 105 days
  5. Next Fest starts · in 116 days
  6. Next Fest ends · in 123 days
Steam Next Fest (February 2027): Valve's deadlines, recalculated every day.

Every date above is in the Steam Next Fest 2027 dates and deadlines guide, with the registration deadline of each edition.

03Three timings that work

1. Months before Next Fest (the strongest)

Release the demo 3 to 6 months before your Next Fest, then take it to Steam's themed fests and to third-party festivals in between. Each event shows it to new players, creators find it before the Next Fest rush, and you arrive at the fest with a demo that's already been fixed. That's the pattern behind the 2.5× gap measured in February 2026.

2. Three to four weeks before Next Fest

GameDiscoverCo describes this as getting two moments of attention: the demo's own release and its notification, then the fest itself. It's the right choice if your demo needs every week of polish, or if you want the fest to catch the momentum of a fresh release.

3. A permanent demo you keep updating

Some games keep a demo online until launch and update it for each event, with a Steam announcement every time. It works well for games that grow through content creators, who can play it at any moment. Remember that the wishlist notification only fires once per demo.

The one to avoid: during Next Fest

A demo that comes out on the first day of the fest gets no head start, no creator coverage and no feedback before thousands of players try it.

04Attached to your game, or on its own page

By default a demo is attached: it's a button on your game's Steam page. Valve also lets you give it a separate store page, with its own description and user reviews, which needs a trailer and at least five screenshots specific to the demo. On your game's page, you choose whether the demo shows as a subtle link in the side bar or a more prominent green box (Special Settings, Associated Demos): take the green box.

Reviews on a demo are a choice with consequences, covered in how to get reviews for your Steam demo.

05Before you press release

  1. Outside players have played it, start to finish, without you in the room.
  2. No crash, tight controls, art and sound close to final, and your core loop in the first minutes. The details are in how to make a good game demo.
  3. Your Steam page is ready for the traffic: capsule, trailer that starts with gameplay, tags (Steam page guide).
  4. No discount or other wishlist email planned within two weeks.
  5. A plan for the first week: creators, Reddit, your Discord and your social posts, each with its own tracking link (how to get people to play your demo).

06After your game launches

Many games keep their demo after release. Valve notes that you must re-publish your game's store page for the Download Demo button to appear, recommends disabling achievements in the demo and granting them in the full game, and recommends shared depots and Steam Cloud once the game is out, so players keep their progress.

07Know when your demo is ready

NextWishlist watches your demo's players and reviews every night, compares them with demos in your genre, and puts Valve's deadlines in your daily plan, so you release when it's ready and not by guesswork. Join the private beta.

When to release your Steam demo: quick answers

When should I release my Steam demo?

Once it's polished, ideally a few months before your Steam Next Fest. In February 2026, demos released months earlier earned about 2.5 times more wishlists at the fest than demos released during it. Otherwise, 3 to 4 weeks before the fest.

Does a Steam demo notify wishlisters?

Yes, once per demo. You must trigger the notification within 14 days of the demo first releasing, and Steam applies a two-week cooldown per game between wishlist notifications.

Can I release my demo during Steam Next Fest?

You can, but it's the weakest timing: no head start, no creator coverage and no feedback before the fest's traffic. Valve also sets demo deadlines before each fest.

Should my Steam demo have its own store page?

It's optional. A separate demo page needs a trailer and at least five demo-specific screenshots, and it lets demo players leave user reviews. An attached demo is simpler and shows as a button on your game's page.

Should I keep my demo after launch?

Many games do. Re-publish your store page so the Download Demo button appears, disable achievements in the demo, and use shared depots and Steam Cloud so players keep their progress.

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