Guides

How to write your Steam store page description

, founder of NextWishlist · Updated · 3 min read

Few hundredcharacters of plain text in the short descriptionValve rule
5 MBper GIF or image in About This GameValve rule
0links or QR codes to other sitesValve rule
On this page
  1. The short description
  2. About This Game
  3. What Valve doesn't allow
  4. Think about translation
  5. Check it against your neighbors
  6. A structure you can adapt

Short answerYour short description is plain text of a few hundred characters at the top of the page: name the genre and what makes the game unique, without "Now available". The About This Game section can use headers, bold text and GIFs under 5 MB each, but no links, QR codes or fake Steam buttons.

Your description is read after your capsule and trailer have done their job, by players deciding whether to wishlist. It has to confirm, fast, that this is the game they hoped for. Here is Valve's guidance and what practitioners do.

01The short description

  • Shown at the very top of your page, next to the capsule. Valve limits it to a few hundred characters, in plain text: no line breaks, no bullets.
  • Say the genre and what makes your game unique in the first sentence. Keep the story and the full feature list for later.
  • Avoid time-sensitive words such as "Now available" or "Pre-purchase now": they go stale.

A useful test: could a player who reads only this line tell your game from the five games next to it?

02About This Game

  • Lower on the page, after the trailer and screenshots. Valve asks for skimmable text: bold, section headers, no walls of text.
  • Show what you describe: embed screenshots or looping GIFs next to each feature. Each image under 5 MB, and keep the total under about 15 MB so the page loads fast.
  • Write for newcomers: little jargon, few acronyms.
  • Use it to explain editions, if you have several.

A common pattern: a one-line hook, then three or four features, each with a header, two sentences and a GIF.

03What Valve doesn't allow

  • Links or promotion of other websites in the description or images, including QR codes and URLs written as text. Social and website links go in the Basic Info fields.
  • Images that imitate Steam's interface: fake wishlist or buy buttons, mock capsules, fake price tags.
  • Advertising other Steam products in the description; use the DLC or "More From" sections.

04Think about translation

Text inside images has to be translated and re-uploaded for each language, so Valve recommends textless images. Translate the short description first: it's the most read line of your page (which languages to localize into).

05Check it against your neighbors

Open the pages in your "More like this" row and read their short descriptions: yours should state your genre as clearly and your difference more clearly. The rest of the page (capsule, trailer, tags, screenshots) is in Steam page optimization. NextWishlist reads your page every day and compares it with the pages of games like yours.

06A structure you can adapt

  1. Short description: "[Genre] where you [core action]. [What makes it different], [one more hook]."
  2. About This Game, first line: the promise of the game in one sentence, in bold.
  3. Three or four features, each with a header, two sentences and a GIF showing it.
  4. Content and scope: how long a run or the campaign lasts, modes, languages, Steam Deck support if you have it (Steam Deck Verified).
  5. A closing line that invites players to wishlist or try the demo, without fake buttons.

How to write your Steam store page description: quick answers

How long is the Steam short description?

Valve limits it to a few hundred characters of plain text, shown at the top of the page. Lead with the genre and what makes the game unique.

Can I put GIFs in my Steam description?

Yes, in the About This Game section: Valve asks for images under 5 MB each and a total under about 15 MB.

Can I add links to my Steam store description?

No. Valve doesn't allow links, QR codes or written URLs to other sites in the description; social links go in the Basic Info fields.

What should a Steam short description say?

Your genre and your game's unique hook, in plain words, without time-sensitive phrases like "Now available".

Sources

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

NextWishlist

Your Steam page, checked every day.

Your capsule, trailer, tags and description compared with Valve's rules and with the pages of games like yours, with what to fix first. NextWishlist is a Steam marketing tool for indie developers, in private beta.

Join the private beta