How to choose your Steam release date

Your release date is one of the few parts of a launch that sits entirely in your hands. On Steam, an approved game doesn't release itself: you choose the moment and press the button. That's a lot of freedom, so here's a calm, practical way to use it.

Start with what you can really deliver

The best release date is one your team can actually hit without burning out. Before you look at anyone else's calendar, work out your own:

• When will the game truly be ready? Not "feature complete", but tested, polished and stable on the machines your players use.
• What does Steam need from you first? Valve reviews both your store page and your build before release. Each review typically takes a few business days, and Valve asks you to allow at least seven business days so everything is approved in time.
• Is your coming-soon page live? New games need a public coming-soon page for at least two weeks before release. In practice you'll want it up much earlier, so players can wishlist your game while you build up to launch.
• Who's around after launch? Launch week is when bug reports, reviews and questions arrive fastest. Make sure the people who can fix and answer things are available, not on holiday.

Give yourself a buffer. A date with a little breathing room is far easier to keep than one that only works if nothing goes wrong.

Look for room among games like yours

Lots of games release on Steam every week, and you can't avoid all of them, nor do you need to. What matters most is how many games aimed at the same players as yours launch in the same window. If a much-awaited game in your genre lands the same week, it can take up the attention, the press coverage and the spending money of exactly the people you hoped to reach.

So when you weigh up a week, ask:

• Which games with tags like mine are set to release that week, and how big is their following?
• Is there a big release in my genre just before, that players may still be busy with?
• Is there a quieter week nearby that works just as well for my team?

Keep in mind that many upcoming games only show a month, a quarter or a year as their date, so weeks far ahead can look emptier than they'll really be. Check again as your date gets closer.

Our free Launch Week Checker shows how crowded the coming weeks are with games like yours, and who you'd be up against.

Mind Steam's own calendar

Steam runs its own events through the year, and they change what players see and do on the store.

Seasonal sales

During the big seasonal sales, the store's attention and players' budgets go to discounts on games they already know. Many developers prefer not to launch inside a major sale, and to give themselves some room on either side of it.

Steam Next Fest

Next Fest fills the store with demos of upcoming games for a week, three times a year. It can be a wonderful chance to be discovered if you take part, but a crowded week to launch into if you don't. If you do join a Next Fest, your game has to release after that edition ends. Our Next Fest guide covers the details.

Theme fests

Steam also runs smaller festivals around a genre or theme. If your game fits one, it can be a chance to be featured. If it doesn't, it usually makes little difference to your launch.

Leave room after your big moments

Your launch doesn't stand alone. A trailer reveal, a showcase, a Next Fest demo or a press preview all bring in new players, and each of them needs time to turn into wishlists before launch day. If you launch right on top of your own big moment, you may not give that interest time to grow.

Room after Next Fest is especially useful. Players who tried your demo will have left feedback, and a few extra weeks can be the difference between hearing it and acting on it.

Set a firm date early, and keep it

Steam lets you show an exact date or a looser one, such as a month, a quarter or just a year. A loose date is fine while you're still finding your feet. Once you're confident, switching to a firm date helps everyone:

• Players can plan for it and look forward to it.
• Press and creators can schedule coverage around it.
• You get a fixed point to plan your marketing, your build reviews and your team's time around.

Moving a date once, for a good reason, is normal and players understand it. Moving it again and again is harder: each change is another announcement to make, and some players simply lose track of when your game is coming. If you need to move, move once, far enough to be sure, and tell people why.

And remember: when your game releases, Steam notifies everyone who has it on their wishlist. Every week your firm date is public is a week for that list to grow.

Plan launch week itself

Choosing the day is as much about your team as about the market. There's no single "best" day that works for every game, so pick a day and a time when:

• your whole team is awake and available for the following days, across your own time zones;
• you can push a fix quickly if something breaks;
• you can answer early reviews and questions while they're fresh;
• your announcement posts, emails and social posts are ready to go out the moment the game is live.

Since you press the release button yourself, you can line up the moment with your announcements rather than the other way round.

A quick release date checklist

• Your team can deliver by this date, with a buffer.
• Store page and build reviews are planned well before it.
• No much-awaited game aimed at your players lands the same week.
• It doesn't fall inside a major seasonal sale or a Next Fest you're not part of.
• There's room after your last big marketing moment.
• The date is firm, public and on your store page.
• Your team is available for launch week and the days after.

Free tools for this step

• Launch Week Checker: Drop in your Steam page and see how crowded the coming weeks are with games like yours, and who you would be up against.
• Games Like Yours: Meet the games players will compare yours with, and what they have in common.