Launching a game on Steam is exciting, but many indie developers make the same mistake: they publish a store page and expect traffic, visibility, or success to come automatically. The truth is, Steam does not market your page until you prove it’s worth their attention. External traffic, community engagement, and ongoing updates are the keys to visibility.

Steam’s Algorithm and Visibility

According to Valve, Steam relies on player activity, tags, and user engagement to determine which pages to show to users. Simply publishing your page won’t generate a visibility boost. As Erik from Valve explains in this video at 23:05:

"Steam is designed to help your game find your audience and it will help you to snowball to success. But you need to get the snowball rolling. And the most important piece of advice I have for you is launching a store page and hoping for the best is not a marketing plan. The bigger the snowball you can roll into Steam, the bigger it will grow."

In other words, Steam expects you to actively bring players to your page, prove interest, and build momentum. Initial page views from web scrapers, bots, or auto-generated articles don’t count.

Why Your Steam Page Needs a Community

Building a Steam page is just the first step. Without trailers, updates, and external promotion, interest will die quickly. A game page should be a living, breathing hub that grows alongside your game. Updates, community interaction, and continuous improvement are crucial.

Even if a game is in an early prototype stage, it’s important to start documenting progress: post screenshots, a basic gameplay trailer, or concept art. Steam users rarely buy a game on first exposure; they need multiple touchpoints—this is a principle known in marketing as the “Rule of 7”, and it applies to games too. Over several months, repeated exposure builds interest, encourages wishlists, and nurtures a community.

Timing and Early Exposure

Many developers worry that publishing a page too early will hurt their game. In reality, first impressions at an early stage don’t matter. Most players will forget or ignore a game at first glance—but months later, they may notice updates, progress, and improvements. This ongoing visibility, combined with a growing community, is what drives traction on Steam.

Direct store page visits and wishlists don’t immediately affect visibility. They only start to influence Steam’s algorithm in key periods, such as the month before Next Fest or the release month. Until then, your page should continuously evolve and showcase your game’s journey.

A practical workflow to boost your Steam page

Treat your Steam page as an evolving hub, not a one-off flyer

Publish early if you want, but plan to update constantly. Post screenshots, devlogs, changelogs, and trailers as the project matures. A “living” page builds historical engagement that the algorithm can read.

Why: Steam rewards activity and history. Static pages with no updates = no evidence of ongoing interest.

Drive external, human traffic — in a tracked and repeatable way

Organize a sequence of external traffic pushes: social posts, targeted YouTube videos, curated press outreach, influencer/streamer slots, Discord campaigns, and newsletter drives.

Why: Valve explicitly says you must get the snowball rolling by bringing users to the page. One-off, small bursts from bots don’t help.

Tactics:

• Post a short gameplay trailer on YouTube and pin it across socials.

• Coordinate with a small set of streamers for timed play sessions.

• Run a tracked ad test (small spend) to a store page or a landing page that redirects to Steam.

• Use UTM parameters on external links so you can measure real traffic sources.

Use your website as the canonical source for SEO and discovery

A standalone website (your own domain) helps you rank in search engines, capture keyword traffic, and serve press kits/docs to journalists. Steam’s internal discovery is useful — but Google + niche searchers + press referrals = real, sustained demand.

Why: Search engines and press discoverability are easier to control than Steam’s internal discovery signals.

Make the page convertible in <5 seconds

Average users scan a store page in seconds. Lead with a clear hero image/video, short tagline, and one CTA (wishlist / follow / join Discord). If users click more, that’s a positive engagement signal.

Why: The funnel matters — clicks → deeper engagement → wishlists → stronger signals later.

Build a funnel (not a single push)

Don’t rely on one announcement. Plan multi-touch campaigns over months: teaser → devlog → alpha → trailer → closed beta → public demo → release. The “Rule of 7” applies — repeated exposures increase conversion. (Marketing principle widely documented).

Use tags and metadata strategically

Pick tags that actually reflect your game and align with audiences on Steam. Tags influence which other games and audiences you get recommended with — so test and iterate.

Why: Tagging helps Steam cluster your game with related titles and reach the right players.

Take advantage of Steam events and visibility rounds — when relevant

Opt into visibility rounds and Steam events at the right time (e.g., around release or a major update). These can amplify momentum, but they are most effective after you’ve built traction.

Why: Visibility rounds have better ROI when you already have engaged users and wishlists.

Quick checklist (what to do this month)

• Upload at least one gameplay trailer and 5 update posts.

• Drive a small, measurable wave of external traffic (YouTube + Twitter/X + Discord).

• Add/validate your tags and metadata.

• Publish a simple website or landing page that links to Steam (with UTMs).

• Reach out to one streamer and one press contact with your Press Kit.

• Track everything and iterate.

Additional Resources

• Valve — Steam Visibility: How Games Get Surfaced to Players (talk/video). YouTube

• Steamworks — Visibility on Steam documentation. Steamworks

• Steamworks — Update Visibility Rounds (how visibility rounds work). Steamworks