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When to start marketing your indie game

, founder of NextWishlist · Updated · 3 min read

0expiry date on wishlists: early ones convert tooValve rule
3–4focused months before Next Fest and launchPractitioners
8 wksbefore launch: announce your dateValve rule
On this page
  1. The two dates that matter
  2. Before your page: share, don't sell
  3. Open your Steam page earlier than you think
  4. The 3 to 4 focused months
  5. It's late. Is it too late?
  6. Keep the timeline in front of you

Short answerStart sharing as soon as your game is showable, and open your Steam page once its genre, art style and core loop are set: Valve says early pages have no strong downside, and wishlists never expire. Then plan 3 to 4 focused months of marketing before your Next Fest and launch.

Most developers start marketing too late, when the game is almost done. A few start too early, with a page nobody can judge. Here is what to do at each stage of development, so your launch doesn't start from zero.

01The two dates that matter

  • When your Steam page goes up: that's when wishlists start, and wishlists don't expire. Ones collected years before launch convert at about the same rate as recent ones.
  • Your launch date: every wishlister is emailed then. Steam's personal calendar starts recommending your game about 8 weeks before, once the date is set.
  1. Months beforeComing Soon page live, wishlists, demo, Next Fest
  2. 8 weeks beforeAnnounce your date: the personal calendar starts recommending you
  3. 2 weeks beforeMinimum time as Coming Soon for a new game
  4. Launch dayYou press Release: every wishlister is emailed
  5. After day 30Price change allowed; a new discount 30 days after the launch discount ends
The order of a Steam launch, from Valve's rules (Steamworks, read Oct 28, 2026).

Everything else is about filling the time between the two.

02Before your page: share, don't sell

While the game is a prototype, share what you're making in short clips: it costs little, it tells you what catches people's eye, and it gives you a first mailing list. Don't spend money or big pushes yet: there's nowhere to send people.

  • Post clips of the core idea where your genre's players are.
  • Start a mailing list with a sign-up gift.
  • Watch which clips people react to: it's early feedback on your hook.

03Open your Steam page earlier than you think

Valve's advice is to publish your Coming Soon page as soon as you're ready to talk publicly about your game, unless its art direction and core features may still change a lot. Practitioners add a checklist: genre and art style set, three environments, a gameplay trailer and a professional capsule.

Holding the page back to "save momentum" costs you wishlists. Details and Valve's review times in when to put your game on Steam.

04The 3 to 4 focused months

Most of the result is decided in the few months before your Next Fest and your launch. A realistic plan for a solo developer:

  1. Month 1: clips at a pace you can keep, creators of your genre, tracking links in every post.
  2. Month 2: a polished demo, ideally a few months before your Next Fest, and Steam's themed fests (when to release your demo).
  3. Month 3: Steam Next Fest, then your release date announced about 8 weeks ahead.
  4. Launch: your launch discount, emails to your list, creators with keys.

The full plan: how to market an indie game on Steam.

05It's late. Is it too late?

If your game is nearly done and has no page, open it now, release a demo, join the themed fests open to upcoming games, and target the next Next Fest you can make (Next Fest dates). A few months of focused work still change a launch. What doesn't work is spending tens of thousands on ads to rescue a game nobody picked up: practitioners advise releasing with a smaller scope instead.

06Keep the timeline in front of you

NextWishlist places your page, demo, Next Fest and launch on one timeline built from Valve's calendar, and tells you each morning what the next step is, so you start each phase on time.

When to start marketing your indie game: quick answers

When should I start marketing my indie game?

Share short clips as soon as the game is showable, open your Steam page once its genre, art style and core loop are set, then plan 3 to 4 focused months before your Next Fest and launch.

Is it too early to make a Steam page?

Rarely. Valve says early pages have no strong downside unless your art direction or core features may still change a lot, and early wishlists convert about as well as late ones.

How long before launch should I market my game?

Your page should be up for months, ideally more than a year. The intense part is the 3 to 4 months before Next Fest and launch, with your date announced about 8 weeks ahead.

Can I market my game in the last month?

You can still help it: open the page, release a demo, contact creators and plan the launch discount. But most wishlists come from months of page time and festivals, so start earlier next time.

Sources

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

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