Steam game marketing for indie developers: a 3 to 4 month plan

Updated · Valve's rules and public benchmarks, each with its source.

Marketing a game on Steam has one goal: convince Steam's algorithm to show your game to the players who like its genre. Before release it reads wishlists, after release it reads sales. Good marketing multiplies a good game; it doesn't save a weak one. Here is a short, realistic plan for a solo developer or a small team.

Start with the genre, not the posts

Even a great game sells little in a genre Steam players don't buy. Hit genres go through a cycle: one game defines it, then a wave of variants shares a hungry audience (the best window for an indie), then big studios move in and the window closes. Aim to release in that wave of variants.

Look at the games of your genre that are growing right now: the top upcoming Steam games by genre shows the most followed and the fastest growing ones, refreshed daily.

Before you post: page, capsule, trailer, tags

  • Steam page live as soon as your genre, art style, three environments, a gameplay trailer and a capsule are ready. A Coming Soon page must be public at least two weeks before release anyway.
  • Capsule by a professional (practitioners quote $250 to $2,000).
  • Trailer: 90 to 180 seconds, gameplay within the first 2 to 3 seconds, shots of 3 to 5 seconds, UI visible, variety, nothing repeated more than three times.
  • Tags copied from popular similar games that apply to yours, then checked against the "More like this" row.
  • Mailing list with a sign-up gift (soundtrack, artbook, in-game bonus): one subscriber clicks far more than one social follower.
  • Tracking links (Steam UTM) in every post, so you learn what actually brings wishlists.

More detail on the page and on wishlist benchmarks in how to get more Steam wishlists.

Month by month

Month 1: build a base

  • Post short gameplay clips where your genre's players are, at a pace you can keep.
  • Test formats (clip, before/after, devlog, behind the scenes) and keep what brings wishlists, measured with your tracking links.
  • Start contacting YouTubers and streamers who play similar games: many mid-sized channels rather than a few big ones.

Month 2: release a polished demo

  • A short, tested vertical slice (15 to 30 minutes), core loop within 90 seconds, ending on a high, on its own demo page.
  • Steam notifies your wishlisters once per demo, within two weeks of release.
  • Apply to Steam's themed fests that match your genre (open to Coming Soon games and demos, several allowed) and to third-party festivals.

Month 3: Steam Next Fest, then the release date

  • Enter Next Fest with as many wishlists as you can: around 2,000 is the practical threshold below which games disappear after day two.
  • Set your release date about 8 weeks ahead: that's when Steam's personal calendar starts recommending your game.
  • Everything about the fest: how to prepare for Steam Next Fest.

Launch

  • Launch discount up to 40%, for 7 to 14 days (10% to 20% is common). No other discount in the first 30 days, and no price change.
  • Discounts of 20% or more, over 8 hours, email your wishlisters; seasonal sales are exempt from the 30-day gap between discounts.
  • Email your list when you announce the date, on launch day, and before the launch discount ends: the last email usually does best.

What to skip

Most game marketing time goes into things that move few wishlists: screenshots aimed at other developers, devlogs written for developers, press releases to big outlets for an unknown game, giveaways, and a Discord server opened before there's a demo or a beta. Social media still matters for proof of life and for visually striking games, but measure it.

If wishlists stay low despite festivals, creators and press, practitioners advise releasing anyway with a smaller scope and moving on, rather than spending tens of thousands on ads. You only launch once, Early Access included.

A coach for this plan

NextWishlist turns this plan into a daily to-do list for your game: it reads your Steam page, your wishlists, your channels and thousands of upcoming Steam games every night, places Valve's calendar in your plan, and tells you each morning what to do next and why. Join the private beta.

Steam game marketing for indie developers: quick answers

When should I start marketing my Steam game?

As soon as your genre, art style and a gameplay trailer are ready: open your Steam page then. A focused 3 to 4 months of marketing before Next Fest and launch works for most indie games, steered by your wishlists.

What is the best marketing for an indie game on Steam?

Festivals (Steam Next Fest, themed fests, third-party festivals) and YouTubers or streamers who play your genre bring the most wishlists. Social media helps mostly for visually striking games. Your Steam page, capsule and trailer decide how many visitors become wishlists.

Should I pay for ads to market my game?

As a supplement only. Well-targeted ads cost about $1 to $2 per wishlist. Practitioners advise against spending tens of thousands on ads to rescue a game that festivals and creators didn't pick up.

Is social media worth it for game marketing?

It's the weakest wishlist source for most games, except visually striking ones that go viral. Post where your genre's players are, put a tracking link in each post, and keep only what brings wishlists.

Sources

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

NextWishlist

Your Steam game marketing, planned every morning.

Your wishlists, your Steam page, your channels and games like yours, read every night, turned into what to do next.

Join the private beta