Indie Game Launch Checklist: Store Page Review, Build, Playtests and Release

Why does a game need a longer runway than an app?

A game is judged in its first few minutes by people who have limitless alternatives and no reason to be patient. It is also reviewed by the store before anyone can play it, and the review has its own calendar. That means there are two clocks running before release day: the one the platform controls, which you plan around, and the one you control, which is how much of the game a stranger can reach in five minutes.

This page uses what Valve and itch.io say about their own release steps, read on 13 November 2026, and adds the readiness checks that apply to any game. Platform rules change, so confirm each step on the platform before you commit a date to anyone. For the strategy side, such as building a wait before release, see the launch playbook for indie game developers, and for more places to list a game, where to launch indie games.

What does Steam’s release process require, in order?

Valve’s release process documentation says its team must review and approve a product before release, and that Steamworks shows two checklists on your app page: one for the store page and one for the game build. The order matters because the build cannot be submitted until the store presence has been.

1. Check that the right people hold the two Steamworks permissions the docs name for publishing a coming soon page and for releasing, since without them the release step errors out.
2. Finish the store presence checklist and click “Mark as ready for review”. Valve says its review typically takes 3 to 5 business days and asks you to submit at least seven days before you want the page live, to leave room for changes.
3. Upload a mostly final build to the default branch. The docs say it should include every feature the store page describes, but need not be absolutely final, and you can keep updating it during and after review.
4. Complete the game build checklist and mark it ready for review. Valve’s review-process page says to plan for at least seven business days for the build, even though it typically takes 3 to 5.
5. Leave the page as “coming soon” for at least two weeks. The docs state that release requires the coming-soon presence to have been set for at least that long.
6. On the day you choose, press the green Release App button yourself. Valve says approved titles will not release themselves.

Once a game is approved there is no need to go through review again for updates, which is why Valve asks for a near-final build and not a perfect one.

What does the store page review look for?

Valve’s review process page lists what its team checks. The items below are the ones first-time developers most often have to redo.

• Only what ships at launch. The page should contain only features and content available at release; remove screenshots, trailers or features that show unfinished or planned content, or say clearly that a feature is not yet released.
• Readable capsule images. Capsule images need a readable product title or logo.
• Gameplay screenshots only. Screenshots must show gameplay, not concept art, pre-rendered cinematic stills, awards or marketing copy.
• Early Access answers. If you release in Early Access, all of its questions must be answered, so customers know what the game contains now and what is still missing.
• Builds that run everywhere you claim. The build must launch on every operating system listed on the store page, and every feature ticked on the page must be implemented.

How do you ship a browser build to itch.io?

A browser game has a far shorter path, because there is no store review in the way. itch.io’s HTML5 guide, read on 13 November 2026, says an HTML game is embedded from a project page and that you can upload a ZIP file or a single HTML file. If your game is more than one file, it must be a ZIP.

1. Export the game as HTML, JavaScript and CSS, so it runs in the browser without installs.
2. Put a file named index.html in the ZIP, because that is the file players see; itch.io says the ZIP must contain it.
3. Use relative paths for every asset, so images and sounds load from the uploaded package.
4. Match the case of every file name exactly; itch.io notes that file names are case sensitive, which is the usual reason a game works locally and breaks online.
5. On the project edit page choose “HTML Game” from the kind of game list, upload the ZIP and set the embed options.
6. Test the live page on a phone and a slow connection, not only your desktop.

Where to launch browser games lists places that suit a playable link, where players can try the game in one click.

What does a stranger meet in the first five minutes?

• The weakest machine you support. Run the build on the oldest laptop you can borrow, and write down the frame rate and load time. Plenty of players own modest hardware.
• The first minute of play. Hand it to someone who has never seen it and say nothing; where they stop and ask is where your tutorial is missing.
• Saving and quitting. Quit mid-level, reopen, and confirm progress. Lost progress is the review people remember.
• Controls and settings. Show rebinding or at least a controls screen, a volume slider and, where you can, subtitles and a colour-safe option.
• Crash reporting. Add a way to get logs from players, even a plain “copy this report” button, because most players will not write bug reports from memory.

1. How long did you play, and where did you stop? (minutes / scene)
2. In one sentence, what is this game about?
3. What were you trying to do when you first felt stuck or bored?
4. Did anything look or sound broken? Describe it.
5. What would you tell a friend about it?
6. Would you keep playing tomorrow? Why or why not?
7. Your device (model, OS, controller):
Optional: your email if I may ask a follow-up question.

What should the months before release contain?

What can a small studio skip, and which mistakes cost the most?

• Skip localisation into ten languages until the first one proves players want the game.
• Skip console ports for the first release; each has its own review and cost.
• Skip a busy chat server. One place to talk is enough, and an empty channel looks worse than none.
• Mistake: a trailer that opens with a logo. Show play in the first seconds.
• Mistake: promoting a date before the review is done. Both Valve reviews have their own clocks.
• Mistake: screenshots that are not gameplay. Valve’s review checks for this, and it costs you a cycle.

A free place for the announcement is this board: launch your product free, link the playable page or the store page, and see the gaming ideas other people posted for inspiration.