How to prepare for Steam's "Games to Be" to promote your game

Contents:

• Briefly about Steam festivals and why you should participate in them
• Types of Steam festivals
• How to prepare for the "Games Will Be" festival
• How the "Games Will Be" festival has changed recently
• What to read and watch about preparing for Steam festivals

Steam festivals provide indie developers with a unique opportunity to showcase their games to a wider audience. During these events, thousands of players worldwide have the opportunity to play demos, wishlist their favorite titles, and watch live streams. Participating in festivals can be a key element of a marketing strategy, even if a game is in the early stages of development. These events not only increase project visibility but also allow developers to receive valuable feedback from players, which helps improve the game's quality before release.

In this article, the Skillbox Media "Gamedev" editorial team analyzes the features of festivals on the Steam platform. We'll be focusing on the "Games to Be" event, which plays a key role for indie developers. We'll discuss how to properly prepare for the festival and what strategies will help you maximize the experience. Participating in such events can significantly increase the visibility of your games, attract new audiences, and establish valuable contacts in the industry. We'll take a detailed look at the steps to successfully participate and the resources that can assist you in this process. We'll provide you with information about our topic. We'll cover key aspects in detail to help you better understand this topic. Our goal is to provide relevant and useful information that will be interesting and relevant to you. Let's focus on the main points so that you can get the most complete understanding of the subject of discussion.

• Why participate in Steam Festivals and what types there are;
• How to prepare for the "Games Will Be" festival, what to do during it and after;
• How Valve's approach to holding the latest "Games Will Be" festivals has changed;
• What useful links with additional information are worth checking out.

Briefly about Steam Festivals and Why Participate in Them

Festivals are significant events on the platform, along with sales. There are many reasons why developers should pay attention to these activities. Participation in festivals can increase product visibility, attract a new audience, and create additional interest in the brand. These events help strengthen customer connections and can significantly increase sales through active user engagement. Ignoring festivals can lead to missed opportunities for growth and business development.

Game visibility at festivals is critically important, as it can be seen by thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of players during such events. This is especially important in the highly competitive indie gaming market. Proper promotion and presentation of your project at festivals not only attracts attention but also significantly increases your chances of success in the industry.

Feedback is an essential element of game development. Users can try out the game through a demo, allowing them to share their impressions of both positive and negative aspects. This feedback will help the developers identify and address any issues before the official release. A flawless demo will increase trust in the project and create positive anticipation among players.

Engagement with content creators plays a key role in game promotion. When a streamer or Let's Player discovers an interesting game, they create content based on its features and share it with their audience, who trust their opinion. This leads to a significant increase in the game's reach, as recommendations from popular content creators can attract new players and build an active community around the project. Proper collaboration with such creators can significantly increase a game's visibility and popularity in the market. Increasing the number of wishlists is an important aspect of a successful game release. When a game participates in festivals such as "Games to Be," its popularity increases, leading to active additions to wishlists. The more users add a game to their wishlist, the higher the likelihood of its successful launch. A striking example is the strategy of Manor Lords, which attracted 3.2 million wishlists and sold over 1 million copies on its release day. This demonstrates how a significant number of wishlists can directly impact a game's commercial success.

Wishlists can indeed influence a game's visibility in the recommendations section and on the Steam storefront, although, according to Valve business developer Eric Peterson, this isn't always the case. Nevertheless, many publishers strongly recommend that developers accumulate 30,000 wishlists or more. This is because having a significant number of wishlists helps mitigate risk. Even if the release is unsuccessful, some of the users who added the game to their wishlist will likely still make a purchase, which can help offset potential losses.

Game sales have a significant impact on their visibility in search engines. This means that wishlists can indeed have an indirect impact on game rankings. The more users add a game to their wishlists, the higher the likelihood of its popularity and, consequently, sales. Thus, user activity on wishlists becomes an important factor in improving a game's position in search results and increasing its chances of success in the market.

Types of Steam Festivals

Each festival has unique features, but they can be generalized and classified into three main categories. These categories help better understand the variety of events and choose the most suitable event to attend.

Themed festivals are events aimed at supporting games of specific genres or themes. For example, the Creature Collecting Festival focuses on games in which players can collect, tame, and care for various pets. Meanwhile, the Box Moving Festival featured Sokoban-style puzzles, where participants solve problems by moving objects in a limited space. Such festivals promote the popularity of gaming genres and create a unique atmosphere for communication between players and developers.

More often These events are typically organized in a sales format, making them ideal for developers who have just released their games. They help increase product awareness and attract new audiences, which ultimately leads to increased sales. These promotions are an effective marketing tool, allowing developers to expand their market presence and establish closer connections with players.

Third-party events play a vital role in the industry, organized by publishers, conferences, exhibitions, game jams, and professional communities. These events can be categorized into various categories, which facilitates a deeper understanding of their goals and formats. Third-party events provide unique opportunities for networking, knowledge and experience sharing, and the development of new ideas and projects in technology and gaming. Participation in such events helps professionals stay up-to-date on current trends, expand professional contacts, and find potential partners or clients.

• From large offline exhibitions. For example, at Gamescom, the games of the participants are demonstrated not only at the exhibition stands, but also on the Steam platform.

• As part of the conferences, Held exclusively online. The principle is the same as with offline events: organizers launch an off-site broadcast where they interview developers, show trailers for new releases, and showcase various game reels. A parallel event is held on Steam, where you can add participating projects to your wishlist, play their demos, and purchase previously released games at a discount. An example is the Wholesome Games festival from Wholesome Direct.
• Events targeted at a niche audience. Most often, such festivals are regional in nature and dedicated to games from specific countries, such as Games Made in France. They promote games among local audiences.

Participating in third-party events presents certain challenges, as it is necessary to carefully monitor application deadlines and communicate directly with the organizers. This requires significant effort and time to coordinate.

The "Games to Be" festival, also known as Steam Next Fest, is dedicated to games in development. It provides developers with a unique opportunity to showcase their projects in demo format. To participate in the festival, a project must meet certain platform requirements. This event attracts the attention of both players and developers, promoting new games and collecting feedback. Participation in Steam Next Fest allows developers to receive valuable feedback from players, which helps improve the quality and elements of gameplay.

• The game page is published, and the developer's Steamworks account is not blocked.
• The project has not previously participated in the "Games to Be" festival.
• The release is scheduled after the end of the festival. Moreover, for Steam, it does not matter when exactly this will be - a few weeks after the end of the festival or a year from now. For most games marked "Coming Soon," the option to participate is available automatically.
• There is a demo version available to all users at the start of the event.
• The game is not in early access or is not positioned as a prologue.

Steam organizes the "Games Will Be" festival three times a year: in February, June, and October. Each game can participate in this event only once. Given the significance of this event, preparation for it should begin in advance. This will allow developers to present their games in the most effective way and attract audience attention. Preparation includes the creation of high-quality content, optimization of game elements, and active promotion, which ultimately contributes to a successful launch.

How to Prepare for the "Games Will Be" Festival

To ensure that players remember your project before its release, it is important to choose a festival that will be close to the release date, preferably one that takes place a few weeks before it. Steam Next Fest is more than just a formality; it's a unique opportunity for developers to showcase their game and leave a positive impression. Participating in this event draws attention to your project and builds anticipation among the audience, which can significantly impact its success.

If you have any doubts about your project's readiness for the festival, it's best to play it safe and postpone its participation. Instead, you can post a build on itch.io or in specialized developer communities like Reddit. Conducting closed testing will provide valuable feedback, which will help identify and address any issues before the next festival. This will ensure a higher-quality product and increase the chances of a successful presentation.

If you've already submitted an application for participation in the festival but realize you won't have time to prepare, you can cancel your participation at any time before the event. The platform will not impose any sanctions on the developer in the event of a cancellation. However, to avoid unpleasant situations, it is recommended to make a decision promptly. Otherwise, your trailer may be included in the official promotional materials that will be shown at the festival.

Once you've selected the event date, you can begin preparing. All registration information, as well as key dates such as monitoring Steam notifications, preparing marketing materials, and submitting a demo for review, are available on the Upcoming Steam Events page. We recommend carefully reviewing this information to avoid missing important steps and successfully organizing the event.

Here's a rough outline of the steps you should consider. Keep in mind that it may change depending on the game's maturity, publishing strategy, and various external factors.

Content updating is a key stage in preparing for a project's launch. During this time, it's important to create a new trailer, as well as prepare screenshots, GIFs, and other promotional content that will attract audience attention. A demo version of the game should be ready in advance and available on the appropriate platform. This will allow for testing, identifying and fixing potential bugs, and increasing user interest. Don't delay releasing your demo until the last minute, as this increases the risk of bugs or technical issues that could negatively impact your game's reception during the festival. Releasing your demo early will help build a positive image and ensure a successful launch.

To motivate users, including those already familiar with your game, to try your demo at the festival, you need to update it. This could include adding a new location, character, or boss. If you've planned your participation in advance, you should have sufficient time to develop the update. An updated demo will attract attention and generate interest in your game, which could positively impact its popularity.

The creators of Erenshor, which attracted over 15,000 wishlists at last year's "Games to Be" festival, developed a checklist for assessing the demo's readiness for the event. This list will help developers ensure that all aspects of the game are considered and meet audience expectations.

• Simple and intuitive controls.
• Absence of bugs or freezes that affect gameplay.
• A clear in-game tutorial or introduction.
• The demo has already been played by several dozen people who love the presented genre, and you have received structured feedback from them. Such testing can be organized during an event (for example, a local indie showcase) or closed testing.
• There is data on problematic segments of the demo. These are moments that cause users to leave the game.

The optimal length of a game demo is about thirty minutes. It is recommended to avoid lengthy introductions and move on to the gameplay immediately. The first five minutes of gameplay should be designed to maximize player engagement and encourage them to continue playing. Establishing contacts with media representatives. Create a list of relevant journalists and content creators, including streamers, Let's Players, and independent authors, and inform them of your participation in the "Games to Be" festival. When choosing, focus on those who focus on the genre of your game. It's best to engage with authors who specialize in indie games and have fewer than 100,000 subscribers. This approach will ensure a more accurate reach of your target audience. At this stage, it's important to familiarize the press and bloggers with the current demo of the project. This will help them remember you more quickly when you approach them again with a request for media coverage of the updated version before the festival. Don't forget to prepare a press kit containing all the necessary information about the project, its features, and advantages. Proper presentation of your material will increase your chances of receiving media attention and attract interest in your event.

During this period, it is necessary to focus on an active PR campaign for the game, including various strategies and tools to increase its visibility and attract an audience. Important aspects include the use of social media, the creation of press releases, the organization of events, and cooperation with bloggers and game journalists. These actions will not only help increase interest in the game but also strengthen its position in the market.

Official announcement of participation in the festival. We recommend publishing a press release on the game's Steam page and adding a video related to the upcoming update. This could be a recording with updated gameplay and developer commentary on new features, a Q&A video for the community, or a short 5-10-minute fragment demonstrating gameplay (without a trailer). Such content will allow interested users to better understand the essence of the game and attract more attention to your project.

Social Media Announcement. Prepare your accounts for the festival by adding the Steam Next Fest name or logo to your header image. It's also important to announce the upcoming demo update, mentioning that even those who have already played it might want to give it a try again. Actively monitor comments on posts and engage with your audience. Otherwise, your posts may be perceived as simple advertising, which will reduce their effectiveness.

Active media outreach is key to successfully promoting your participation in the festival. We recommend contacting selected media outlets and informing them of your participation. For large and reputable media outlets, it's worth offering exclusive materials about your game in exchange for coverage. This will not only attract attention to your project but also increase its visibility among your target audience. Maintain contact with journalists and bloggers to build lasting partnerships that will further promote your content. Optimizing your game's Steam page is an important step to increasing its visibility and appeal. We recommend updating your tags to accurately reflect the game's content and genre. Update your screenshots and trailer to highlight the most relevant aspects and benefits of your product. If you're unsure about the effectiveness of your current capsule, consider ordering a new one that better suits the style and theme of your game. These aspects have already been discussed in one of our previous materials and play a key role in the successful promotion of the game on Steam.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with additional materials.

To effectively design a page on Steam and attract the attention of players, you need to consider several key aspects. First of all, pay attention to the game title. It should be short, memorable, and reflect the essence of the project. Use keywords that potential players might enter in search results.

Next, an important element is the game description. It should be informative and engaging. Start with a brief introduction that explains the main mechanics and plot, then add details about the gameplay features. Use keywords to improve visibility in search engines.

Visual elements also play a significant role. Be sure to upload high-quality screenshots and a trailer that show the game in action. They should convey the atmosphere and uniqueness of your project. Don't forget that the first images the player sees should be the most attractive.

The reviews and comments section helps build trust in your project. Encourage players to leave reviews, respond to their questions and comments. This will create an active community around your game.

Don't forget to update the page regularly. Add news about new features, upcoming updates, and events. This will help maintain interest in your game and increase page traffic.

Finally, Steam page design requires careful attention to every element. High-quality content, attractive visuals, and active community engagement will help you attract players and increase your project's chances of success.

Steam offers the option to create a separate page for your game demo. While this isn't mandatory, marketer Chris Zukowski highly recommends taking advantage of this option. Having a dedicated page allows users to leave feedback on the demo, significantly simplifying the feedback collection process. This is especially important before the festival. If the number of negative reviews turns out to be significant, the demo page can always be removed, which gives developers flexibility in managing reviews and improving the product.

In the final days before the event, it's important to ramp up promotion. Release a trailer created specifically for the festival to attract audience attention. Send out a press release to media outlets, including new screenshots and animations with festival logos. Be sure to include information about updates and plans for the final version of the game. Check that all media representatives you've already contacted will cover the event, as their schedules can change. They typically announce their plans on social media. This will help ensure maximum attention to your event and increase interest in the game.

Organize Live Streams. Once the event begins, it's important to continue promoting the game throughout the week. This can be achieved through active social media and live streams. In this article, we will take a closer look at the features and benefits of live streams for promoting games.

Broadcasts Live streams are an optional, but highly useful option for showcasing gameplay and interacting with a potential audience. The "Games Will Be" festival offers each participant only two slots for live streams. We recommend scheduling these streams for the first 48 hours of the festival, avoiding simultaneous broadcasts. This will reduce competition and increase viewer reach, significantly increasing interest in your content and ensuring greater audience engagement.

To choose the optimal time for your broadcast, we recommend using the schedule preview page in Steamworks and choosing the least crowded slot. Don't delay your broadcasts, as user activity decreases towards the end of the festival. Please refer to the official Steamworks documentation for a detailed guide on starting a broadcast.

Instead of going live, you can use pre-recorded videos, such as gameplay and Let's Plays. Programs like OBS and third-party services like RoboStreamer are suitable for this. RoboStreamer allows you to upload videos and stream them from a server, eliminating the need for manual software configuration and constant computer operation. This solution is ideal for those who want to ensure a high-quality broadcast without any additional effort.

Will Taubenheim of Lost Frame Development, who has participated in three "Games Will Be" festivals and collected 150,000 wishlists for one of his games, recommends starting your stream a few days before the festival. For successful preparation, it is necessary to create 30-60 minutes of pre-recorded gameplay and run it in a cyclical rotation. This will gradually attract users to the stream. Even "stuck" views, when there are virtually no viewers, as well as automatic views, will positively impact overall statistics. High activity at the beginning of the event can promote your stream to higher positions and significantly increase your reach. Growing an audience in this format will also have a positive impact on the second broadcast slot, providing additional attention to your content.

Promotion on social media. While users are testing your game demo and watching streams, it's important to focus on your marketing efforts. Active promotion on social media, especially TikTok and YouTube Shorts, can significantly increase your reach in a short period of time. These platforms allow you to create viral content and attract attention to your game, which helps promote it and generate interest among potential players. Tracking metrics is key to assessing interest in your game. The most important indicators are demo conversion and the number of users who have added the game to their wishlist. This data will help you understand how attractive your project is. It's also crucial to analyze traffic sources such as social media, external media, Steam recommendations, and direct links. Understanding user behavior on your game's store page will help you identify weaknesses and improve the user experience, which can lead to increased sales. Analyzing feedback is key to product improvement. The effectiveness of this approach is largely determined by the method used to collect the information. Feedback can be obtained through various channels, such as Google Forms, community reviews, comments on third-party platforms, or streamer opinions. Each of these sources provides valuable information that helps us understand user needs and preferences.

To make working with information more convenient, we recommend collecting data in a table, organizing it by category. This will allow you to quickly find the information you need and improve the perception of the content. A proper data structure facilitates analysis and processing of information, which, in turn, increases work efficiency.

• what players liked;
• bugs and technical problems;
• criticism (high level of difficulty, balance issues, unresponsive controls, etc.);
• suggestions for improvement.

Based on the collected information, you can identify key tasks for the subsequent development and optimization of the game. This will allow you to focus on the most significant aspects that contribute to improving the gameplay and increasing player interest.

Audience retention is a key element in the successful promotion of your project. Thank players for their attention and participation in the festival, emphasizing their importance to your project. Publish the results of the game's participation in the event to demonstrate the achieved results and the feedback received. Depending on your project's format and its readiness, it's worth announcing upcoming demo updates, presenting a roadmap, announcing closed testing, or announcing a final release date. This will help maintain your audience's interest and engagement and build anticipation for new features.

Continue to actively engage with media representatives and content creators. Express gratitude to those who covered your game during the festival and offer the possibility of further collaboration, including distributing game keys. Create a list of your most loyal media outlets and regularly send them updated versions of the game and new promotional materials. This will help maintain interest in your project and attract more attention to its development.

The future of the demo directly depends on its release date. If the game is scheduled for release in the coming weeks or months, it's worth keeping the demo and continuing to update it. If the release is still far away, it is recommended to remove the demo and address any identified issues. In the future, you can submit your demo to other game festivals if you wish.

Steam offers the option to create a dedicated page for your game demo. While this isn't mandatory, marketing expert Chris Zukowski strongly recommends using this option. Having a dedicated page allows users to leave reviews for the demo, making it much easier to gather feedback. This is crucial before the festival starts. Even if the page receives a lot of negative reviews, it can always be deleted. Creating a page for the demo version can help increase interest in the game and improve interaction with the audience.

How the "Games Will Be" Festival Has Changed Recently

Chris Zukowski emphasizes that Valve significantly changed its game ranking policy at recent "Games Will Be" festivals. At the October 2024 festival, developers faced increased difficulty in collecting wishlists, with the maximum figures now ranging from 10,000 to 20,000. In addition, the number of participants at the festival tripled compared to previous events. These changes may impact developers' strategy and their approach to promoting games on the platform.

In February 2025, Valve ensured equal conditions for showcasing games for all participants during the first two days of the event. Games were presented to users in a random order, which led to the emergence of lower-quality projects at this stage, as well as games based on content created using artificial intelligence. However, on the third day, the situation changed, and this trend ceased to be observed.

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The developers removed broadcasts from the main page, moving them to a separate tab. Valve representatives explain this decision by the fact that not all users have the ability to provide high-quality broadcasts, including technical aspects. Nevertheless, broadcasts remain an important element, especially for games with gameplay that is difficult to convey with screenshots.

Projects that were perceived as high-quality by players were able to achieve significant reach and attract their target audience. Based on these statistics, Zukovsky developed recommendations taking into account new platform trends. These guidelines will help developers improve their performance at upcoming "Games to Be" festivals.

• Release your demo a few months before the "Games to Be" festival.
• Try to participate in other festivals, leaving "Games to Be" for the very end – this event should be the final point before the release.
• Before the festival, try to collect at least 2,000 wishlists. Apparently, Steam helps promote games that have already begun to gain popularity, despite active recommendations for all projects in a row in the first days.
• Actively promote your game during the first two days of the festival.
• Place the demo on a separate page where you can collect reviews.
• If people add your game to their wishlists without playing the demo, don't worry. There's nothing wrong with that: some players practice this approach, and the trend has recently become more widespread, judging by the statistics from the latest festival.

Steam festivals like "Games to Be" offer indie developers unique opportunities to promote their projects. Participating in these events not only helps increase wishlists but also gain valuable feedback from players. However, achieving maximum effectiveness requires developing a well-thought-out marketing strategy, creating a high-quality demo, and actively engaging with the audience and the press. This will help you stand out from the competition and attract attention to your project, which is especially important as the number of participants constantly grows.

Every stage, from submitting an application to analyzing statistics, plays a vital role in the success of a game. A festival is not an end point, but an important milestone in the project's development. Success at a festival can significantly impact a game's future, opening up new opportunities for promotion and improvement.

What to read and watch about preparing for Steam festivals

• Official Steamworks documentation on festivals.
• An April session with Valve employees on the "Games Will Be" festival, where they answer the most frequently asked questions from developers. Particular attention is paid to preparation for the festival, as well as an analysis of a new approach to the platform's recommendation systems.
• A step-by-step tutorial on organizing broadcasts on Steam (AuroDev YouTube channel).
• A video version of the analysis of the last "Games Will Be" festival (February 2025) by Chris Zukowski (How To Market A Game YouTube channel).