Valve Requires Developers to Play Their Games on Steam Before Build Review

Valve has changed its pre-release review process for Steam games. Developers must now run an initial check themselves before submitting a build for review.

Developers must launch the build through the Steam client and spend at least five minutes in the game. Valve said it sometimes receives builds that have never been launched through Steam:

Even if the game runs reliably when the developer launches the exe file directly, they may have missed basic steps that affect how a user installs and launches the game through Steam. The release checklist now requires developers to spend some time in the game through Steam before submitting it for review. This will help ensure that the launch settings are configured correctly.

Developers must also check Steam Cloud if they have indicated that their game supports cloud saves. They now need to write a save file to Steam Cloud to make sure it is configured correctly.

Valve заставит разработчиков играть в собственные игры в Steam перед релизом — обновили правила проверки билдов — Image source: Wallpaper Engine community on Steam // 西瓜天尊

The Steam rule changes also affect store pages. Developers can now publish concept art and images from scenes and menus alongside gameplay screenshots. They must specify a category for those images.

Valve said the changes are a response to an increase in submissions:

We have seen a significant increase in store page and build review submissions over the past few months and have been working to scale our process to meet that volume […] These changes are intended to help more developers pass build review on the first attempt and reduce the number of repeat reviews caused by basic functional issues.

Steam build reviews usually take three to five days, but Valve is currently “a little behind schedule” because of the high volume and is taking up to 12 business days.

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