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Navigate the Steam publishing pipeline from Steamworks registration to post-launch. Use when setting up a store page, preparing builds for upload, planning a release timeline, pricing, marketing, or deciding about Early Access. For a solo dev publishing their first game.
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基于 SOC 职业分类
| name | steam-publisher |
| description | Navigate the Steam publishing pipeline from Steamworks registration to post-launch. Use when setting up a store page, preparing builds for upload, planning a release timeline, pricing, marketing, or deciding about Early Access. For a solo dev publishing their first game. |
| zones | {"knowledge":55,"process":25,"constraint":10,"wisdom":10} |
The gap between "game is done" and "game is on Steam" is wider than you think. Plan for it.
Invariant Your capsule image is the single most viewed asset. If it doesn't stand out in a grid of other capsules, nothing else about your game matters.
Example Players browse Steam like a bookstore — they scan covers. A mediocre game with professional capsule art gets more clicks than a great game with programmer art capsules. This is one place where commissioning professional work pays for itself many times over. //BOUNDARY: "Professional" doesn't mean expensive. A competent freelance artist on Fiverr or ArtStation can produce quality capsule art for $50-200. But programmer-art capsules are almost never acceptable.
Depth
Invariant Your Coming Soon page is your first and most important marketing tool. Launch it the moment you announce your game publicly, not when the game is "almost done."
Example A viral tweet about your game reaches 10,000 people. Without a Steam page, that attention evaporates. With a Coming Soon page, those people can wishlist — and Steam will email every one of them on launch day. //BOUNDARY: The Coming Soon page must be live at least 2 weeks before release (Steam requirement). But "as early as possible" is the real guideline. Games that outperformed expectations averaged ~214 days of pre-release visibility.
Verify current dimensions at partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/assets/standard before creating art — dimensions have changed before and may change again.
Store Assets:
| Asset | Dimensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Header Capsule | 920 x 430 | Primary store listing image |
| Small Capsule | 462 x 174 | Auto-generates smaller variants |
| Main Capsule | 1232 x 706 | Featured placement |
| Vertical Capsule | 748 x 896 | Sales and events |
Library Assets:
| Asset | Dimensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Library Capsule | 600 x 900 | Vertical art in player libraries |
| Library Hero | 3840 x 1240 | Wide banner in library |
| Library Logo | 1280w and/or 720h | Your game logo (PNG) |
Other:
| Asset | Dimensions |
|---|---|
| App Icon | 184 x 184 (JPG) |
| Shortcut Icon | 256 x 256 (ICO/PNG) |
| Event Cover | 800 x 450 |
| Concept | What It Is |
|---|---|
| App | Your game. Identified by App ID. |
| Depot | Logical file grouping within an app. Simple game = one depot. |
| Build | Specific version of your depots. Gets a Build ID. |
| Branch | Like a git branch. "default" = what players download. |
ContentBuilder/content/ContentBuilder/scripts/steamcmd.exe +login <user> +run_app_build <path.vdf> +quitSteamPipe is chunk-based — only changed files re-upload on updates.
SteamPipeGUI (Windows only) provides a visual interface if you prefer not to use the command line.
Your game needs the Steamworks SDK integrated to use Steam features (achievements, cloud saves, etc.):
SDK integration must be working before build upload — listed features that don't work cause review rejection.
| Step | When |
|---|---|
| Coming Soon page live | As early as possible (minimum 2 weeks before release) |
| Store page submitted for review | 7+ business days before release |
| Build submitted for review | 7+ business days before release |
| Practical minimum | 4-6 weeks from first submission |
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Range | 10% to 40% |
| Duration | 7 to 14 days |
| Must configure | Before release |
| Cooldown after | 30 days before next discount |
| Wishlist notification | 20%+ discount triggers email to all wishlisters |
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Median first-week conversion (>25k wishlists) | ~15% |
| Games priced over $10 | ~10% |
| Lifetime conversion | ~10% of total wishlists |
| Key conversion factor | Review score (91% positive for outperformers) |
Steam gives Early Access the same algorithmic visibility spike as a full release. The 1.0 release does NOT give you a second full launch. Your 5 Update Visibility Rounds are shared between EA and full release.
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| Game announced publicly | Coming Soon page live immediately |
| 9-12 months before release | Capsule art finalized, store page polished |
| 6-9 months before release | Steam Next Fest with demo (if applicable) |
| 3-6 months before release | Social media, press outreach, content creators |
| 2 months before release | Finalize pricing and regional settings |
| 1 month before release | Submit for review, configure launch discount |
| Launch week | Be present in forums, respond to bugs, post announcements |
| Post-launch | Updates, Visibility Rounds, seasonal sales |
| Feature | Effort | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Achievements | Low | Important — players expect them |
| Cloud Saves (Auto-Cloud) | Low | Important — lack of cloud saves draws negative reviews |
| Controller Support | Medium | Important for Steam Deck |
| Trading Cards | N/A | Gated behind ~$50k revenue — post-success bonus |
| Workshop | High | Post-launch, only if natural modding potential |
| Remote Play Together | Low | Valuable for local co-op games without netcode |
The easiest path: specify file paths/patterns in Steamworks settings. Steam syncs automatically on launch and exit. No code changes needed. Configure byte quota and file count per user.
| Mistake | Why It Hurts |
|---|---|
| Marketing too late | No time to build wishlist base |
| Underestimating store page work | Dozens of hours of asset preparation |
| EA without polished vertical slice | Burns your one launch opportunity |
| Not using Visibility Rounds | Algorithm interprets silence as abandonment |
| Pricing too low | Signals low quality, no room for discounts |
| Skipping Steam events | Leaving free visibility on the table |
| Programmer-art capsules | Invisible in the store grid |
When helping with Steam publishing:
art-pipeline skill — Capsule art as a special asset categoryscope-guardian skill — Store page preparation is scopeprototype-coach skill — Vertical slice readiness for EAplaytest-coordinator skill — Steam Playtest feature, Next Fest demossprint-manager skill — Store page tasks in sprint planningThe store page isn't a chore after development. It's a marketing tool during development.
Declare what the system should be before writing code. Use when building new features, redesigning feature areas, or making significant changes that need a declaration of intent. Guides the declaration chain from findings through plans.
Wear the QA hat — think about quality the way a 15-year senior QA thinks. Use when building features, reviewing work, validating output, or when anything feels "done" but hasn't been proven to work. Prevents the gap between "it runs" and "it works."
Evidence-first research with mandatory citations and source evaluation. Use when gathering information for decisions, comparing approaches, investigating unknowns, or any task requiring verified evidence from multiple sources. Invoke at the START of research, not when writing up results.
Check and invoke available skills before starting work. Invoke at the start of any task to ensure relevant skills are loaded.
Effective Mermaid diagrams. Use when creating markdown documents with human audiences.
Guides effective documentation creation. Activates relevant guidance for north-star, gestalt, reference, research, design, plan, flow, findings, concepts, or process documents. Prevents cascading harm from wrong information.