{"id":383104,"date":"2026-11-04T10:16:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T18:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/?p=383104"},"modified":"2026-11-04T10:16:05","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T18:16:05","slug":"steam-updates-a-key-review-rule-5-minute-client-test-now-required","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/steam-updates-a-key-review-rule-5-minute-client-test-now-required\/","title":{"rendered":"Steam updates a key review rule: 5-minute client test now required"},"content":{"rendered":"

Valve has revised Steam<\/a>\u2019s pre-release review checklist for developers, adding a required five-minute test<\/strong> in the Steam client<\/a> along with several extra technical checks, while approval delays are still frustrating teams.<\/p>\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Steam\"\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Steam<\/span>\r\n Download<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/path><\/path><\/text><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Valve says submissions for Steam store pages and game builds have gone up a lot. The point of the new checklist, according to the company, is to help developers get through review on the first pass instead of getting sent back for avoidable issues and stuck in repeat reviews.<\/p>\n\n

A process that used to take around three to five<\/strong> business days can now stretch to 12, and some developers say they\u2019ve waited two to three weeks. For smaller teams, that can push a launch date back, throw off marketing plans, and hurt visibility right when the game needs it most.<\/p>\n\n

Valve has acknowledged the backlog and says it knows the delays have been stressful. It also says this is only the first step<\/strong>, with more improvements to Steam\u2019s build-review process still on the way.<\/p>\n\n

Before you submit, you now have to run your game through the Steam client for at least five minutes<\/strong>. Valve says some builds were reaching review without ever being launched through Steam, then failing because of launch options or depot setup problems.<\/p>\n\n

If you publish on Steam, pay attention to the rest of the update too. You also need to check redistributables, achievements, Steam Cloud<\/a>, and at least five correctly labeled<\/strong> gameplay screenshots, especially with 24,299 games launched by early November 2026, up from 14,014 in 2023 and about 4,500 in 2016.<\/p>\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Epic\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Epic Games Launcher<\/span>\r\n Download<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/path><\/path><\/text><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The developer of Cubic Earth said one delay made them \u201close all momentum\u201d after a trailer drew 60,000<\/strong> views.<\/p>\n\n

You can read the updated checklist on Steamworks<\/a> for Steam developers.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Valve has revised Steam\u2019s pre-release review checklist for developers, adding a required five-minute test in the Steam client along with several extra technical checks, while approval delays are still frustrating teams. Valve says submissions for Steam store pages and game builds have gone up a lot. The point of the new checklist, according to the … Continue reading “Steam updates a key review rule: 5-minute client test now required”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9351,"featured_media":383103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[1015],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[6823],"class_list":["post-383104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","content-category-games"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t