Coming Soon page: a Steam store page before release

What Steamworks says

1. Create the app in Steamworks and complete the Your Store Presence part of the release checklist: branding images, a written description and, ideally, a gameplay trailer.
2. Choose Mark As Ready For Review at least seven business days before the page should go live.
3. After Valve approves the page, choose Post as Coming Soon. Until then the page is not public.

• Once the page is visible, the game's Community Hub opens, so the developer can post announcements and players can discuss the game.
• The developer controls how specific the release date shown on the page is.
• When the game releases, everyone who has it on their wishlist at that moment receives an email or a mobile notification.
• A demo can come out before the full game only if the full game's page is already visible as Coming Soon, so players can wishlist it.
• To appear in the Personal Calendar, a game needs a visible Coming Soon page with a specific release date.

Why it matters

Wishlists can only start once the page is public, so the Coming Soon page sets how long a game has to build the pool that the release email reaches. Valve's guidance sees no strong downside to a long lead time and notes that players who wishlist two years ahead are about as likely to buy as those who wishlist two weeks ahead. The one reason it gives for waiting is a game whose art direction or core features may still change a lot, which can confuse early wishlisters.

Example: the latest dates for Pebblewick

Illustrative inputs for Pebblewick, the fictional demo game by Hollow Fern Games: a release planned for Thursday, 15 April 2027.

These are the latest dates the rules allow, not a plan. Public holidays are not counted here and would move the review date earlier. A page posted on the last date gives the game only two weeks of wishlists before the release email goes out.

Where SteamStats shows it

Before launch, the Wishlists view counts additions, deletions and net from the first day the page is public, refreshed every 60 min on Indie, Studio, and Publisher, and the Store visibility view shows the game's rank on Popular Upcoming and Top Wishlisted. Reviews, Players, and Community Hub start on launch day.

Related terms

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

Sources

• Steamworks: Coming Soon page · checked November 1, 2026
• Steamworks: Wishlists · checked November 1, 2026
• Steamworks: Demos · checked November 1, 2026
• Steamworks: Personal Calendar · checked November 1, 2026