Guide · Steam facts checked on Steamworks Oct 23, 2026

How to turn your game jam entry into a Steam page

You made a game in a 48 to 72 hour jam, and people in the comments said "put this on Steam". This is what comes next, in order, with every Steam rule linked to Valve's own documentation.

1. Decide if it's worth expanding

Kind comments are easy to get in a jam. Look for signals that people actually want more:

• Your rank in the jam's ratings, especially for fun or gameplay rather than art alone.
• Comments that ask for more (more levels, more mechanics, "I'd pay for this") rather than "nice art".
• Whether people played past the first minute, and whether they came back.

Then ask yourself honestly whether the core loop is still fun after 30 minutes. A jam game proves an idea, not a full game.

2. Keep vs. rebuild

• Keep: the core mechanic, the art direction, and the name if it tested well.
• Rebuild: jam-speed code you'll fight for months, placeholder audio, and any asset you can't legally sell.

3. Check the jam's rules and every asset license first

Before you sell anything, re-read your jam's rules and the license of every asset you used (music, fonts, sprites, sound effects). Many popular jams ban AI-made code, art or music, and some require an AI disclosure on the game page, so if you used AI tools, check the jam's rules first. Replace anything you aren't sure you can sell.

4. The Steam basics

• Steam Direct fee: $100 USD per app, not refundable, but recouped once the game has made $1,000 in Adjusted Gross Revenue. (Steamworks: app fee)
• Store page review: typically 3 to 5 business days. Submit at least 7 business days before you want the page live. (Steamworks: review process)
• Coming Soon rule: new products must have a Coming Soon page up for at least two weeks before release. (Steamworks: Coming Soon)
• AI disclosure: Steam's content survey asks you to describe AI use, including pre-generated content made with AI tools that ships with the game. (Steamworks: content survey)

5. Put up the Coming Soon page early

Wishlists only start once your store page is public, and Valve recommends publishing the Coming Soon page as soon as you're ready to talk about the game. You don't need the finished game for it: a short gameplay trailer and a handful of good screenshots from the jam build (polished up) are enough to start collecting wishlists while you expand it.

6. Make the store assets at Steam's sizes

• Store capsules: header 920×430, small 462×174, main 1232×706, vertical 748×896. (Steamworks: store graphical assets)
• Screenshots: at least 5, 1920×1080 minimum, 16:9.
• Library: capsule 600×900, header 920×430, hero 3840×1240. (Steamworks: library assets)
• Trailer: use a common resolution such as 1920×1080 or 1280×720, at 30 or 60 fps; H.264 video with AAC audio is preferred. Open with gameplay. (Steamworks: trailers)

7. Turn jam feedback into your store description

• Reuse the words players used in your jam comments to describe the fun ("one more run", "the dash feels great").
• Lead your short description with the genre and the player fantasy in the first sentence.
• Mention it started as a jam game only if that helps; the store page should sell the game you're making now.

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