Steam now requires developers to play their games before releasing them in the store
Valve made changes to the game review process before they are published on Steam. The requirements have become somewhat stricter—ultimately, they are expected to help reduce review times.
One of the innovations is a request for developers to spend at least five minutes in their games during the week before they decide to submit a build for review. As Valve explained, many teams currently do not do this. As a result, there are frequent issues—for example, the game behaves normally when the executable file is launched directly, but errors occur when trying to open it through Steam.
Additionally, developers will now need to upload a save file if their game supports Steam Cloud. Also, the application must specify whether the game requires the installation of DirectX, Visual C++, .NET, and other popular components.
Another change involves screenshots. Valve has allowed not only direct gameplay captures in the carousel on game pages but also concept art, images of in-game menus, and snippets of cutscenes. The key is to properly categorize all screenshots and ensure there are at least five gameplay images.
“We strive to test each build promptly, usually within 3–5 business days. Currently, we are slightly behind schedule, and the process can take up to 12 days. This delay is mainly caused by the need to re-check games, which is inconvenient for both you and us. The changes described above should help games pass review on the first try without unnecessary delays,” Valve explained in the official blog.