You've decided you want to publish on Steam. Welcome to Steamworks — Valve's developer portal, and one of the more sprawling pieces of software you'll deal with as an indie creator.
This is the practical, click-by-click guide. We'll assume you have a finished or near-finished game and a Windows build (from Rosebud or anywhere else). We'll walk from "I don't have a Steamworks account" to "my store page is live."
Prerequisite: if you're getting your Windows build from Rosebud, that requires a paid Rosebud plan — the Windows .exe download and Steam export aren't on the free tier. See How to Download Your Rosebud Game as a Windows EXE for the build flow.
Step 1: Sign up at partner.steamgames.com
Create your Steamworks account. Use a serious email address you'll keep for years, your real name (or your registered business name), and a strong password. This account becomes your developer identity on Steam.
Step 2: Sign the partner agreement
After signup, Valve will show you their distribution agreement. Read it. It covers revenue share (Valve's 30% / your 70%), refund policies, content guidelines, and what you can and can't do with player data. Sign it — you won't get past this screen otherwise.
Step 3: Complete the financial onboarding
Steam pays you actual money, so they need to know where to send it and what tax authority oversees it. You'll fill in banking information (international wire transfer details or PayPal depending on your country), tax interview (W-9 if you're in the US, W-8BEN if you're not), and identity verification (a scan of a government-issued ID).
This step often blocks people. Don't skip it — your game can't release until financials are verified. Verification takes 1 to 3 business days. Submit it early.
Step 4: Pay the $100 app fee and create your product
In the Steamworks dashboard, click "Create a New Steamworks Product." Choose product type (almost always "Game"), enter your game's working title (you can change it later), and pay $100 USD by credit card. The fee covers Steam's review costs. You get most of it back if your game crosses $1,000 in lifetime sales.
After payment, you'll get an App ID. Write it down — you'll need it later.
Step 5: Choose your store page assets
Now the real work begins. Your store page is what 95% of potential buyers see.
Header capsule (460x215px). Shows in store search results. Bold, readable, includes the game name. Don't put critical info in the corners — Steam crops it.
Small capsule (231x87px). Used in lists. Tiny — your game logo should still be readable.
Main capsule (616x353px). Used on featured spots. More detailed than the header.
Library capsules and hero images. Used after purchase. Less critical for launch but worth doing.
Screenshots — at least 5, more is better. 1920x1080. Show your actual game. Avoid screenshots that look like menus.
Trailer video. 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Show gameplay. Don't open with logos — open with action. Upload to YouTube and embed.
Short description (300 chars max). This appears under your game name. Make every word count.
Detailed description. Long-form sell. Use Steam's BBCode for formatting.
System requirements. Conservative minimum specs are fine; you can tighten them after launch.
Genre tags. Steam asks for the top 5 genres your game fits. These drive discovery.
AI content disclosure. If your game uses AI-generated content, there's a section asking what's AI-generated and what oversight you have. Be honest, be brief.
Step 6: Upload your game build via SteamPipe
SteamPipe is Steam's content delivery system. Download SteamPipe Tools from the Steamworks docs, set up an app_build VDF file (a config file pointing at your build folder), and run the upload script (run_build.bat on Windows).
The script reads your build folder (the unzipped folder containing your .exe), uploads it to Steam's servers, and creates a build entry in Steamworks. For a Rosebud game, your build folder is the contents of the zip Rosebud emailed you. Point SteamPipe at that folder.
Your App ID and Depot ID come from the Steamworks dashboard.
Step 7: Test your build
In Steamworks, set your build to a private beta branch. Add a few testers — yourself, friends, anyone willing. Have them install through Steam and confirm it works.
This is also when you set up Steam Achievements (optional), trading cards (optional), and any DLC structure.
Step 8: Submit for review
Steam runs an automated technical review of your build: Does it launch? Does it close cleanly? Does it interact with Steam correctly (achievements, overlay)?
This isn't a content review — that's a separate manual process for certain genres. Technical review usually takes 1 to 3 business days. If your build passes, you can proceed to scheduling release.
Step 9: Schedule release and start the 14-day clock
Set your release date and your launch price in the Steamworks dashboard. Steam requires your store page to be live and visible for at least 14 days before launch. Use that time to promote on social and your mailing list, reach out to YouTubers, streamers, and press, submit to Steam events and festivals (Steam Next Fest, seasonal sales), and build wishlists — they're the strongest predictor of launch-day sales.
Step 10: Launch
On your release date, your game goes live automatically. You don't have to be at your computer — but you probably want to be. For the launch hour you'll want to monitor Steam reviews coming in (the first 10 disproportionately shape your future), player count, crashes or bug reports, and social channels.
After launch
Steam is not a launch-and-leave platform. Respond to reviews — especially negative ones (don't argue, acknowledge and improve). Fix bugs and ship updates regularly. Participate in Steam sales (you can opt in or out). Plan your first major update or DLC.
Common gotchas
The $100 fee is per game. If you publish a second game, you'll pay another $100.
Steam's regional pricing. Steam strongly recommends matching their regional pricing tiers. Going much higher or lower than the recommended tiers can hurt visibility.
Refunds eat into revenue. Plan for 5 to 15% of sales to be refunded. It's normal.
The 14-day store page rule. A lot of new developers don't realize their store page must be visible for 14 days before launch. Plan ahead.
Tax withholding. If you're outside the US and your country doesn't have a tax treaty with the US, Steam will withhold 30% of your earnings for US tax. Worth understanding before you set your prices.
Resources
Steamworks documentation at partner.steamgames.com/doc. Steam Developer forum at forums.steampowered.com. Useful subreddit: r/gamedev for general indie publishing questions.
Andi Bucescu
Andi is the Head of Marketing at Rosebud, where she writes about the intersection of AI, creativity, and brand storytelling. She explores how generative AI is reshaping marketing strategies and creative workflows, with a focus on making complex technology accessible and cutting through the noise of modern campaigns. Her perspective is informed by undergraduate research on effective social media content and consumer psychology.