Steam glossary: the terms behind a game's numbers

This glossary defines the terms Steam developers meet in Steamworks reports and store rules, each in one or two sentences. Terms with enough to say have a page of their own with the rules, a formula and a worked example; the others link to the guide that covers them in depth.

Last reviewed · SteamStats team

Wishlists and launch

  • Net wishlists

    Net wishlists are the wishlist additions a Steam game gained over a period minus the wishlist deletions over the same period.

  • Wishlist deletes

    Players removing a game from their Steam wishlist. A purchase is not a deletion: Steamworks counts wishlisters who buy the game separately.

  • Outstanding wishlists

    The wishlists a game still holds: every addition so far minus deletions and purchases by wishlisters. Launch estimates start from this balance.

  • Wishlist conversion

    The ratio of a game's sales to its wishlists at launch, most often first-week units divided by the outstanding wishlists on release day.

  • Coming Soon page

    A Coming Soon page is a game's Steam store page published before release. Players can wishlist the game from it, and Valve reviews it before it goes public.

  • Steam demo

    A Steam demo is a free, separate app linked to a game's App ID that lets players try part of the game before buying it.

  • Steam Next Fest

    A week-long Steam event in February, June and October where unreleased games offer playable demos. Each game can take part in one edition only.

Store lists and traffic

Reviews and players

Sales, prices and discounts

  • Regional pricing

    Regional pricing is setting a Steam game's price separately in each currency Steam supports, instead of converting one US dollar price at the exchange rate.

  • Refund rate

    Refund rate is the share of a Steam game's sales that players returned for a refund, counted in units or in dollars over the same days.

  • Discount cooldown

    The 30 days Steam requires between the end of one discount and the start of the next. The four seasonal sales are the only exception.

  • Launch discount

    An optional discount that starts when a game releases and has to be set up before the release date: at most 40.00% off, for 7 to 14 days.

  • Seasonal sale

    One of Steam's four store-wide sales, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. A game released at least 30 days before the start can join with a discount.

Revenue, tax and payouts

  • Gross revenue

    What players paid for a game on Steam before refunds, chargebacks and taxes. The Steamworks sales portal shows gross; the monthly report deducts the rest.

  • Net revenue

    Gross revenue minus refunds, chargebacks and taxes, as Valve's monthly report states it. Valve's revenue share is a percentage of net revenue, not of gross.

  • Steam revenue share

    The part of net revenue paid to the developer: 70.00% as standard, 75.00% beyond $10,000,000 and 80.00% beyond $50,000,000 of a game's revenue since October 2018.

  • Chargeback

    A card payment the buyer's bank reverses. Valve deducts chargebacks, together with refunds and taxes, between gross and net revenue in the monthly report.

  • VAT

    VAT on Steam is the consumption tax included in a player's price in countries where Valve collects it. Valve remits it to tax authorities; it is not developer revenue.

  • US withholding

    US withholding is the tax Valve holds back from the part of a non-US developer's Steam payment earned on US sales, at a rate between 0.00% and 30.00%.

  • US share

    The part of a Steam payment earned on sales made in the United States. US withholding, where it applies, is calculated on this part only.

  • Payout month

    The calendar month of sales that one Steam payment covers. Valve pays each month's sales by the 30th of the following month.

  • Steam Direct fee

    The Steam Direct fee is Valve's $100.00 charge per new Steam app. It is not refundable, but Valve pays it back after the app earns $1,000.00 in adjusted gross revenue.