How to publish a game on Steam
Publishing on Steam means building a game, preparing a store page that earns wishlists, clearing Valve's verification and review, and releasing. This guide sets out the fee, the waiting periods, the tax forms and the payment schedule as Steamworks documents them, and how sales are confirmed through an official interface.
Last reviewed By the Cashcade editorial team8 sources
In CashcadeA guide with milestones in Cashcade. Money is shown where an official interface can confirm it.
- App fee
- $100 per product, non-refundable
- Waiting period
- 30 days between paying and release (one page says 21)
- Payment
- By the 30th of the month after sales, once $100 is reached
- Sales data
- Official Financial API
On this page
What the business is
A Steam game is a product with a long lead time and a clear route to a verified dollar. You build a game you can finish, onboard to Steamworks, publish a store page that collects wishlists, pass review and release. Valve pays by wire after the month of sale.
Steam is a crowded storefront. Roughly 19,000 to 20,500 games were released in 2025 depending on the tracker, and outcomes across them are highly uneven. That is context for planning your scope, not a prediction for any single game.[7]
The path, step by step
Scope a game you can finish
- The software does
- Gives a scope calculator and a one-mechanic canvas.
- You decide
- Mechanic, platform and price intent.
- Done when
- Scope document saved.
Build a vertical slice and playtest
- The software does
- Provides a project checklist and playtest notes.
- You decide
- What ships.
- Done when
- Slice playable.
Onboard to Steamworks
- The software does
- Walks through the paperwork, fee, bank, tax and identity steps with dates.
- You decide
- Individual or company, and your account details.
- Done when
- Verification complete.
Build the store page
- The software does
- Gives an asset checklist, capsule sizes, a trailer storyboard and an AI-content disclosure draft.
- You decide
- Art, trailer and copy.
- Done when
- Coming-soon page public.
Submit for review
- The software does
- Provides a build and page checklist.
- You decide
- Release date.
- Done when
- Review passed.
Release
- The software does
- Gives a launch-day checklist.
- You decide
- Price and discounts.
- Done when
- Game live.
First paid dollar
- The software does
- Reads daily sales through the Financial API once connected and shows the payout calendar.
- You decide
- Whether to connect reporting.
- Done when
- Payment received.
The fee and the timeline as Steamworks publishes them
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| App fee | $100 per product; the fee is not refundable |
| Recoupment | Recoupable in the payment made after the product has $1,000 in adjusted gross revenue from the Steam store and in-app purchases |
| Identity, bank and tax verification | 15 to 30 days |
| Waiting period before release | 30 days between paying the fee and release on the Steam Direct page; the onboarding document states 21 days |
| Coming soon page | Public for at least two weeks before release |
| Review | 1 to 5 days |
Revenue share, tax and getting paid
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Payment formula | Gross revenue less applicable adjustments gives net revenue, multiplied by the revenue share |
| Timing | Valve pays by the 30th of the month following sales |
| Minimum | Valve may hold a payment until it reaches a minimum of $100 |
| Currency | US dollars, by wire |
| Tax forms | W-9 for US payees; the W-8 family for non-US payees |
| Default withholding | 30 percent of the revenue share payment without a treaty; amounts withheld are not refunded when a rate later changes |
The base revenue share is widely reported as 70 percent to the developer, rising on very high revenue, but that figure comes from secondary sources and Valve's Steam Distribution Agreement governs. Confirm it in your own partner account before you plan around it.[8]
The Content Survey asks you to describe any AI use that ships with the game, and much of that disclosure appears on the store page. Answer it from what is actually in the build.[5]
How money is confirmed
Steam has an official interface for this. The Steamworks Web API includes a financial service that returns daily sales records per date, and it needs a Financial API Group key. That key covers every app in the partner account, so Cashcade explains its scope and keeps it server-side.[6]
Money lands in your bank by wire, which gives Steam a verified-money path among the game businesses in Cashcade.[3]
Headwinds and the next move
| Headwind | Detail | Next move |
|---|---|---|
| Distribution | Outcomes across releases are uneven, and the public statistics vary by tracker. | Scope to what you can finish and plan the audience before the build is done. |
| Wishlists | The two-week coming-soon minimum is a floor, not a plan. | Put a wishlist-building plan with dates in your checklist. |
| Timelines | Verification and waiting periods cannot be rushed. | Work from dates, not promises. |
| Tax withholding | Without a treaty rate, withholding applies by default. | Complete the tax interview early. |
| The fee | It is not refundable. | Pay it when the build is close enough to release. |
Three starting shapes
| Template | Deliverables |
|---|---|
| Single-mechanic arcade game | A scope document, the build, one store page, a capsule set and a 30 second trailer storyboard |
| Puzzle game with a level pack | 40 levels, a level validator, a store page and a two-week coming-soon schedule |
| Narrative game from your own assets | A script, scene flow, a disclosure draft for any AI-assisted content and a press kit |
Questions
How much does it cost to publish on Steam?
Valve charges $100 per product, which is not refundable but is recoupable once the product reaches $1,000 in adjusted gross revenue. Art, audio and trailer costs are separate.[1]
How long before I can release?
Plan for at least 30 days between paying the fee and release, plus 15 to 30 days for verification, which can overlap.[1][2]
Can Cashcade read my Steam sales?
Yes, through the official Financial API once you connect a key you create in your own Steamworks account.[6]
Sources
Every number on this page comes from a source below or is labelled an estimate. Each page was read on the date shown.
- [1]Steam Direct (opens in a new tab)
Steamworks · Official · Read October 15, 2026
App fee, recoupment, verification time, waiting period
- [2]Onboarding (opens in a new tab)
Steamworks Documentation · Official · Read October 15, 2026
Onboarding steps and the 21-day waiting period it states
- [3]Payments and sales reporting FAQ (opens in a new tab)
Steamworks Documentation · Official · Read October 15, 2026
Payment formula, timing, minimum, currency
- [4]Tax FAQ (opens in a new tab)
Steamworks Documentation · Official · Read October 15, 2026
Tax forms and default withholding
- [5]Content Survey (opens in a new tab)
Steamworks Documentation · Official · Read October 15, 2026
AI content disclosure
- [6]IPartnerFinancialsService (opens in a new tab)
Steamworks Web API · Official · Read October 15, 2026
Official interface for sales data
- [7]Steam 2025 report from GDC 2026 (opens in a new tab)
PCGamesN · Secondary · Read October 15, 2026
Market context for released games
How this page was made
Researched by the Cashcade team from the sources listed above, with drafting aids used for structure. Spotted an error? Write to hello@playcashcade.com and a correction is published with its date.