How to Launch a Game on Steam - Before Release

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Here's my general To-Do list to prepare for launching your game on Steam Here is the video on what to right right After you launch your game: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJqqdmpsh7-JqLM Check out the Game Dev Advice Playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLzDRvYVwl53ufaYDrpr9-JEAexWMoJzRU 🌍 Get my Complete Courses! ✅ unitycodemonkey.com/courses 👍 Learn to make awesome games step-by-step from start to finish. 🎮 Get my Steam Games unitycodemonkey.com/gamebundle

[@bhuvadarshan1472]

Bro does we need money to launch an app

[@theknightikins9397]

Me who is nowhere near a release: yeah, always good to be prepared.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Keep at it!

[@Kjx9Beats]

Same

[@slothguy_]

What's up with all the animal pfp

[@mordiemannogenost69]

Me who haven’t even started coming up with an game idea…

[@ZL1704]

same

[@NoName-vg9hf]

What to do before release the game : - Make the game

[@watercat1248]

Yes this very important

[@micaiahstevens8840]

Detials, Details. MAYBE Code can share how he has EIGHT games, and I have umm ONE! (NO one said it had to be finished)

[@457Deniz457]

FINISH the game :) So many dont finish it..

[@NoName-vg9hf]

You guys are so right ;)

[@Miguel-jj3vf]

damn im stuck on this part

[@LeeTGame]

Thanks for sharing this awesome to-do list. It is really helpful, especially for the solo game dev who is plan to release the first game! :)

[@mronion2020]

I know this vid was 3 years ago but this pointed out so many helpful things to keep in mind thx!

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

I'm glad you found it helpful! Thanks!

[@Rekindle1976]

In case no one has told you today -- you're awesome. The youtube algorithm and your content are made for me....thank you yet again.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Thanks! I'm glad you like the videos!

[@liamr6761]

Your videos are amazing! I've learnt so much from them. But for all the things that you've shown us, there is one thing that I think is really important (particularly for RTS and RPG games, is how to make for example a Character Sheet?). I have scoured the internet for ways to make this kind of UI and have somehow always come up dry, the kind of thing you find in games like Age of Empires where you can show the UI updating and actively writing on screen. This and how it links to background code is something I would find extremely useful. Anyway, thanks for what you are doing and teaching people like me this craft.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Have you seen the Portrait Window videos? It covers how to have a camera follow a Unit and display it in the UI. In the last video the UI also updates with stats from that unit. kzbin.info/aero/PLzDRvYVwl53uygDtm67xWEHTfATmHdLRc

[@mendalosindiedevrpg8084]

really helpfull video. definitly going to help me release my game once its ready :) keep it up

[@viktorvanchov3093]

Thank you for this video! I've been making a game for 2 months now (thanks to your turtorials) and now I wanna release it on steam.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Awesome! Best of luck!

[@meeesh7507]

I’m starting to seriously look forward to new videos from you. Thanks for sharing!

[@ImnotGhostface]

Much love, i have began working on my first game, inly the info, a story line, side quest,characters, stuff like that, earned a sub

[@TheOneWithComments]

I'm genuinely surprised this is the only mention of localization on you channel despite it being so beneficial and such a good implementation. I hope one day we get a full tutorial, but for now I understand the concept although my version will not be as pretty as yours lol

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Unity only made an official localization package recently, people usually don't like tutorials on 3rd party tools and localization isn't a topic that gets views so that's why I hadn't covered it I just finally made a lecture on this topic in my latest update kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIu3mpmAbbV_d9E

[@Kro368]

Love this, very insightful! I’d love to see a video on how to update a game after its already been released, keep it up!🥰

[@cristian294]

Noone: Nothing Me: "Learning VFX". Congratulations for the video! 💯💥

[@noiJadisCailleach]

You Sir, are a good person and a saviour. Thank you. I just discovered your channel. Instasubscribed.

[@ghoste2755]

Hi! Thanks for this very helpful vid! I'm working on my first game right now and was kinda stressed about making sure people play, so thanks for the tips!

[@YehielCertner]

Thanks for the list! I think it will be great if you can do a tutorial of how to actually load a game to steam , how to prepare the files and so on would be great!

[@322ss]

Thanks! Informative and really nicely edited footage.

[@BlueGooGames]

This is a great video! We’re probably one year away from release so it would be cool to see a video about how to build an audience 6-12 months before release too. I didn’t know the game you built in all tutorials actually was a real game, congratulations on that, it looks really cool! I missed a lot of your latest videos, since I knew everything I wanted to do, I just wanted to get stuff done. By the way, I think we talked on reddit a while back. Nicmar’s my name there. Hope to see more vids soon 😀

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Thanks! The answer is just to do marketing constantly as much as possible. As soon as you have a screenshot and maybe a trailer make the Steam page visible to start gathering Wishlists. Wherever you post about your game make sure your call to action is "Add to your Wishlist!" It's very difficult to do marketing and game dev at the same time if you're working solo so you need to find a balance. Depending on what your sales goals are you should launch with 3k-10k wishlists to guarantee a decent sales number. Best of luck!

[@BlueGooGames]

Code Monkey thanks! There are some videos on gamedev marketing, but with your knowledge it would be great to have your point of view of it too. I will consider setting up steam and wishlist soon..

[@aruekai]

@@BlueGooGames Hey BlueGooGames, how is Space Chef going?

[@TYavaJ]

Just miss-read the title thinking you were scamming people on how to get an unreleased game on steam and was gonna make an aNgRy cOmMeNt but uh yeah. Keep up the work!

[@ZL1704]

really helpful video! will definitely help me when my game is ready!

[@trijetz3562]

Working on my first game. I am good at 3D modeling but I am pretty new to coding, so I am trying to make it as simple as possible.

[@Robertganca]

6:23 How did you implement that?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

I covered it here kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZyTXpSjm9Noeq8

[@Robertganca]

Thanks.

[@TeaManDev]

This is very handy ;) I'm for sure interested in next one ☕

[@PeterMilko]

What do you think is a good amount of wishlists before launching?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Atleast around 3k-5k

[@lennysmalls]

thank you for your work and time, was really helpful

[@ImTheReaper]

amazing video , i mean the very first frame form the video says 90% what we need

[@theashbot4097]

Could you make full video showing how to convers the language? Thank you so much for the helpful tutorials. I appreciate it a lot.

[@457Deniz457]

This Video is so important, #THANKS ! :)

[@Skdbszksixh]

Thanks for the video ^^

[@rickloyd8208]

As always short and only useful information! 1) Is club diagnostic available in free account or should I have premium account which cost 25USD per month? 2) Can you explain in more details the trick to detect issues while app starts loading? So by default it's visible and you hide it after first frame... how do you do that? What if app fails in the middle of loading? Awesome idea to change language every second and play game like that! =)

[@glo8516]

Nice video!

[@sirlenobelo463]

Great video Sir, congrats

[@AngelCnderDreamer]

I'm so happy this popped up in my recommandations in such a great timing squeel! I just made my game studio new email and steam account the yesterday! ;3; I am excited to start my game career into the next whole level. ♥ Still setting it up tho but aaaa can't wait to make games and post them on steam. ;3; It been my dream as a game designer since I was 7. ♥ Anyway excited to watch this when I'm ready. ^ ^

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

That's awesome, go for it! Best of luck in your game dev journey!

[@AngelCnderDreamer]

@@CodeMonkeyUnity Thank you so much! :D ♥

[@THawkMedia]

Thanks bro. I want to get in to game design, and want to learn the basics. I'm super close to getting the computer I want to start with that

[@SunnyValleyStudio]

Thanks for sharing. Just what I need to know right now :) I hope your game Battle Royal tycoon is doing well!

[@Jess_stpierre]

Nice video! :)

[@aussieraver7182]

7:27 Damn, that's smart!

[@AT-ww6pj]

4:21 lmao thats my game Arcade Tycoon haha - Hopefully this video will help when I release this year :D

[@ScilexGuitar]

Im working on my first game ever, hoping to release it when Im pleased with it :)

[@micaiahstevens8840]

I miss the info on the 'Free Steam Unity" package, I guess I have something, but it sounded more integrated.

[@naufalam7840]

2:25 how to make building walls?

[@thiscordd8067]

Is it possible to release a game on both steam and let’s say Google Play? Or does Steam require exclusivity?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Steam does not require exclusivity so you can publish everywhere you want.

[@Jaimi5YT]

One Improvement, minute 7:30 You talk about Lenguages and if you use Visual Studio you can download a resourceManager to do So, More simple and easy!

[@dennisgonzales9521]

Awesome!

[@Bubbyboi_382]

Thanks I can finally play outbrk

[@braydenb1581]

I'd like to see the business side of it... making a company and logo etc

[@dasmaffin1633]

I just went for the teusty checklist given by steam Oh and the steamworks api docs are total bs so I think a guide on that would help many people too

[@MartinPurathur]

Thank you

[@tgykurtulus]

You are the best! That is very usefull. What do you suggest about localization. I saw you made list at the script that contains names but did not understand. I searched but could not find, which way do you follow about making your games localization-friendly, what is you method? Thank you

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Localization is definitely important, a large portion of the Steam audience is non-English. There's plenty of Localization systems around, either make your own or use something from the asset store.

[@World_of_OSes]

Can I publish a game that I made in Game Maker on Steam?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Yes, as long as it has an executable you can make the game in anything.

[@Oathbetrayer]

Is unity the only platform that lets you use Steam achievements?

[@brianjirvin]

Curious how you determine what the Min and Recommended systems specs are for Unity games. Do you use the profiler or is there a better way to do this?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

The best way is to try testing it yourself, for me I never get rid of my old PCs so right now I would test my game in my very old PC that has a Radeon 6850 and use that as a baseline.

[@brianjirvin]

@@CodeMonkeyUnity Im glad I have friends on Twitch then. Sadly I think I got rid of most of my old pc's. I have a simi old Gaming laptop and Frankensteined pc that can barely run minecraft.

[@brianjirvin]

@@CodeMonkeyUnityGlad I have made some friends on Twitch, sadly I got rid of my old computers. Now I only have an old intel system that can barely run Minecraft...I think due to the memory. Then my main systems which include my desktop, and a simi old gaming laptop.

[@samsoroth]

can you release a windows console text adventure on steam or are there windows console games not allowed?

[@myworldandme6676]

How to implement achievement in bolt

[@rabiehaddad1925]

How to make a lobby system mirror-steamworks in unity

[@newmagicstudio4926]

Can you make a web just showing videos and images without paying anything or uploading any build? just to have the game as if was in other social media platform, like a coming soon web

[@minetomek]

Hi! Do you have a video on the legal side of things? I saw some people saying that you need a company to release a game and some specific type and I'm just confused.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Not really because every country has it's own legal system. So the best advice is really find a local lawyer in your country and talk to them.

[@minetomek]

@@CodeMonkeyUnity Makes sense. I'll try Fi ding something here.

[@bit427]

Can the features be added after development or should u have it in mind as u make the game

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

You can push updates to Steam

[@jaydencdq]

Could you do a video like this but for a utility/software?

[@Eerie_Joy]

Isn't cloud diagnostics collecting data from the users? Which could potentially mean that we should be in compilance with GDPR and CCPA?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

It's been a while since I used it but I don't believe Cloud Diagnostics gets any personally identifiable data, just logs and system specs, so I don't think it's an issue. For Analytics I think there's some toggle or opt-out menu.

[@Eerie_Joy]

@@CodeMonkeyUnity Oh man that would be great. Unfortunately I can't find the source in the documentation that points to that fact, quite the opposite in fact. If we are using Unity Analytics we need to from what I gathered add opt out option, add a button for the users with the data deletion and be able to inform the users about theirs collected data. Also show the information at the beginning of the game with the option to accept privacy policy. I can't use firebase it seems because of this legal mumbo jumbo. On top of that it seems if I would like to use firebase in order to get player events and use crashlytics I would need to appoint data protection officer. At this point I will just contact a lawyer. Thank you for the amazing content, I'm learning much from it. Take care!

[@alanmendez3887]

Hello, I am releasing a game soon on steam but I was wondering if you had to get a E&O or had to pay for any extra legalities besides the 100 dollar fee on steam. If anyone knows let me know lol.

[@Jeea84]

You’ve said nothing about some kind of demo. Are they not been done anymore? Is there specific genre that does them only? How long before the actual release can we releas it?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Demos used to be a horrible idea that you should definitely not do because they had almost no upside. However since last year when Steam started making their festivals now demos have become an interesting tool for gathering wishlists.

[@sqwert654]

Just about to finish my UI and create a steam page. But should you use your gaming Steam account or create a new one using your real name?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

I used the same account I've had for a decade, but if I did it again I would probably make a new account just to keep it separate

[@sqwert654]

@@CodeMonkeyUnity Cheers I did make a new account.

[@Bishmanrock]

If I've set a planned release date, will it automatically be released at the time, or do I still have to manually go in and press Release App on the date? I assumed that it'd automatically release, but the dashboard and Steam docs are really ambiguous about it

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

It's not automatic, it just sets the release date on the store page which is then used in various places (like popular upcoming) so you should put a correct release date, then when you want to release you need to manually do it

[@Bishmanrock]

Thanks for the clarification @@CodeMonkeyUnity! They really need to make that clearer in the documentation/dashboard. I've had my Store and Build approved, but the text around the Release step is really unclear. Cheers for the help and all the great videos

[@ggplayer1170]

What about Unity/UE4 royalties and writing a EULA?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Unity doesn't have royalties, you just need to buy the version based on how much money you make. Under $100k it's free.

[@mastermuke411]

Just curious as to what you mean when you say have the UI disabled when taking screenshots...cause I've seen UI elements in store screenshots before.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

You don't have to disable it, depends on what youre trying to show. If your game is more cinematic then hiding the UI makes sense. If your game is very UI focused then showing it is the right approach.

[@mastermuke411]

@@CodeMonkeyUnity Ahh, yea that makes sense. Just another quick question from a (hopefully) soon to be published developer, how did you find the review process for your first build? How long did it take for Steam to give feedback, was it rejected at first and if so how long did it take to get the 'errors' fixed and the build finally approved? Thanks for the reply.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

@@mastermuke411 Usually it takes 3-4 days but because of the virus it might take a week. If you get any issues with it you just fix them and submit again

[@mastermuke411]

@@CodeMonkeyUnity I plan to submit more than a week before June first but I'm just not sure that will be enough time. Do you think they would consider a request to expedite the review if the developer REALLY needs to get it out before the end of the month? Also....when did you receive payment? Was it at the end of the following month? In my case (hopefully) end of June. Thanks again.

[@bruhmaxxer]

Hi, your video is very informative if your goal is to get a hit. But what about games that are not designed to be commercial hits? After all, for better or for worse, there ARE studios on steam that make games that have low investment and low userbases, but that are still profitable enough for the studio to continue on.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

If you don't care how well your game sells then you don't need to do marketing at all, just upload and publish

[@bruhmaxxer]

@@CodeMonkeyUnity You're misunderstanding my question. I'm asking how to sustain yourself with smaller, less impressive games. Not every game that's profitable has a superb hook or incredible visuals, after all.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

The marketing techniques are the same regardless if your goal is small or huge success, the checklist in the video absolutely does not guarantee a hit (nothing does) This is the checklist I follow in my own games and I've never had what you would call a hit

[@bruhmaxxer]

@@CodeMonkeyUnity But if you had to sustain yourself exclusively off of your games, without the YT channel or sponsorships, would you be able to?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

I did, by the time I started this channel I already had 7 Steam games out, I was already an indie dev for 5 years at that point. The checklist in the video is what I did to prepare for the release of those games.

[@xskyfall1537]

me:downloading game wait until its install launch it. after that play and close the game. 1 day later launch the game and wait for the steam common blah blah to update after the update is finish my game will preparing to launch after the launch my game will unistall :') *help*

[@bowler1862]

I didn't even know trading cards existed lol

[@tgykurtulus]

Hello CodeMonkey, you are the best! Thank you for this very helpfull video. May i asked what is your opinion about trade mark or registerations. If i upload the game to epic or steam, do it make any procetion? is local (my country) goverment rgisteration ok? or do i have to register the game to US goverment? I think many game devopler has some questions. thank you

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

If you're a small game developer then it's highly unlikely you need such things. But as always in these matters, contact a lawyer if you want to be sure.

[@tgykurtulus]

Oh you mean, steam or epic dont want any registration of te game. It is up to us. Thank you :)

[@admink8662]

woaa nice

[@gower1973]

What about publishing to other platforms and stores, how do you go about it, how would I release a free game on mobile monetised with ads for instance?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

For other stores most of the time you just need to email the store and they will ask you for Steam keys and various sizes of your games capsule image. Free game on mobile is very different, this video is focused on Steam Desktop games but I would like to cover mobile submission in the future.

[@kwipxd]

Me who hasn’t even started to make a game or come up with any ideas. *interesting*

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Well go for it! There's nothing stopping you!

[@zypegames4561]

Hey Code Monkey! When i try to play my game this appears in the bottom: NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object Movement.FixedUpdate () (at Assets/Movement.cs:41) I dont know what to do to make it work. Do you know how to fix it?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Check line 41 in that script for what is happening. You're accessing an object which is set to null.

[@Oddpistachio1]

I want to make an HTML game. How do I put it on Steam?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

You need to wrap it in an executable, like they did with the original Binding of Isaac

[@Oddpistachio1]

@@CodeMonkeyUnity Okay, thanks!

[@MotraZotra]

What do you think about Demos?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Very difficult to pull off. In most cases either the player dislikes the demo and gets turned off the full game or they get enough and don't feel like they need to get the full game. Making a demo that gives the player exactly the perfect amount to leave them satisfied and still wanting more is an extreme challenge. Personally I'd rather spend that time just making the full game better.

[@MotraZotra]

​@@CodeMonkeyUnity It probably depends on the game. Some games are more sell-able in general, as I saw in this other guy's video. So some games have better appealing Demos. For instance, a story driven game like an RPG will probably be very good at having a demo. Although, the issue with story driven games is that if a youtuber shows the game on his channel, people might not want to play it after watching it. So it might be a double edged sword.

[@springnutica]

2:16 me: wait is that… omg it’s demo man from tf2

[@naufalam7840]

The tutorial: You can launch game ESRB : Am I a joke to you?

[@baldingfox77558]

Does it work with unity?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Does Steam work with Unity? Yes, you can make and upload Unity builds to Steam, my games are all made in Unity.

[@baldingfox77558]

@@CodeMonkeyUnity oh thanks. btw i hope i wont annoy you with asking questions but how do i make a title screen for my game?

[@bamboozledboredom4606]

@@baldingfox77558 kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSbkpaVprqLh7s

[@watercat1248]

Thence for the tip the is i have 1 playble game but i need alot need fix but evet if fixed this problem the steam It is expensive for myself but have all ready web page if I pay for doname name and my pay Facebook page it's a lot cheaper I know is very hard to promote the game almost By yourself and this 1 of the reason i wach this video to see how to promote the game on steam to do something similar for my page

[@krakenchan]

Does it cost money to post a game to steam?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

There is a $100 fee per game, nothing else.

[@BubbyGamingOfficial]

How do i put my game on steam but coming soon

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Make a developer account and create the app, the first thing you have to do is set up the store page and after you do that and its reviewed you can enable the coming soon page.

[@freecash3474]

at least I don't have to use target frame rate as I am always under 10 fps anyway

[@ayoubvn1133]

can anybody help me with implementing the steam features

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Check the official Steamworks KZbin channel

[@superbiagames4958]

What if I don’t use unity??

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Then use whatever engine you want, it doesn't matter, Steam accepts anything with an executable

[@daddyshrekie]

but to release your own game on steam you have to pay 100$ first... right?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Yes you pay $100 to get a SteamAppId and then that cost is recouped as your game sells copies

[@Oathbetrayer]

$1000 or more I believe

[@2NE2_that_guy]

When I get my pc I'm going to meek a story game

[@2NE2_that_guy]

Thank you for the Hart 😊

[@NST-games]

4:01 - I thought it's the VGHS logo ripoff. lmao

[@mohrms9623]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@BlackJar72]

So, basically your saying only AAA and AA companies should have games on steam.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

What? How did you end up with that interpretation? I'm a solo indie dev and this is the checklist that I personally follow which has enabled me to find success with several games on Steam.

[@nahuelfernandez2352]

¿Alguien que hable español y quiera hacer teshible juego?

[@DrSciencex]

Is this Kermit the Frog?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Nope!

[@smackdab6070]

aaaaa this comment warped my entire perception of reality

[@hornachos]

You named a game "battle royale" lol 💀

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Yup Battle Royale Tycoon, very generic name but also perfectly describes what the game is!