Your Steam Coming Soon page is probably your most valuable marketing asset before launch. Wishlists get built here. Your launch audience takes shape here. And yet I keep seeing indie developers who either put it up too late, leave it half-finished, or never bother driving traffic to it.
This guide covers when to create your Coming Soon page, what it needs to include, how to optimize it for wishlists, and how to build momentum in the months before launch. If you're looking for a broader overview, our Steam store page optimization guide covers the full picture -- but this post goes deep on the pre-launch phase specifically.
When to put up your Coming Soon page
Timing your Coming Soon page is a balancing act. Too early and you risk losing momentum before launch. Too late and you miss months of potential wishlist accumulation.
The 6-12 month sweet spot
For most indie games, the ideal window is 6 to 12 months before your planned launch date. That's enough time to build a meaningful wishlist while keeping the gap short enough that wishlisted players stay engaged.
Going earlier than 12 months sounds proactive, but it usually backfires. Wishlist decay is real -- players who wishlist 18 months out may forget about it, switch platforms, or just lose interest. Your game will also change a lot during that time, meaning early assets and descriptions won't represent what you're actually shipping. And honestly, maintaining community engagement over a year-plus pre-launch period is exhausting for small teams.
On the flip side, going later than 6 months leaves too little runway. You'll miss Steam Next Fest and genre festivals that drive thousands of wishlists. Building to 10,000+ wishlists (the commonly cited threshold for a viable indie launch) gets much harder with only 3 months. And you lose out on compounding organic growth -- early wishlisters create activity in their friends' feeds, which snowballs over time. The Steam algorithm picks up on this momentum and rewards it with more visibility.
Exceptions to the 6-12 month rule
These situations call for a different approach. If you already have an audience from a previous game, strong social media following, or an active community, even a 3-4 month window can work because you can drive wishlists fast. First-time developers with no audience should lean the other direction -- go up at 10-12 months to give yourself more time to build from zero. And if your game is being announced at a showcase or festival, get your Coming Soon page live before the event so you can capture that attention spike.
Minimum requirements for your Coming Soon page
Steam has specific requirements for a Coming Soon page to go live. Don't start the process until you have everything ready.
Required assets
You'll need a header capsule (460x215px), small capsule (231x87px), main capsule (616x353px), and hero graphic (3840x1240px) at minimum. I'd strongly recommend a page background too, even though it's optional -- it adds a lot of visual polish. For more on making these count, check our capsule design guide.
Beyond capsules, you need at least 5 screenshots at 1920x1080 or higher, a short description (around 300 characters), and a full description -- aim for at least 500 words. A trailer isn't strictly required for Coming Soon, but it's strongly recommended. I'd consider it a requirement in practice.
Use our Capsule Validator to make sure all your capsule images meet Steam's exact dimension and formatting requirements before uploading.
Common missing elements
Developers often forget or delay system requirements, which is a mistake since players check this before wishlisting -- even rough estimates beat a blank field. Supported languages get overlooked too, especially if you're planning localization later. List whatever you're confident about now because it expands your potential audience.
Tags are the big one. Apply all 20 tags at page creation. They immediately affect who sees your game, and getting them right from day one means you start building the right audience. Our guide to best Steam tags can help you pick the right ones. Don't forget content descriptors either -- they're required for store page approval, and inaccurate ones cause review delays.
Optimizing your Coming Soon page for wishlists
Having a page is step zero. Your page needs to convert visitors into wishlists. Every element should push toward that one goal.
The capsule image
Your capsule is what appears in discovery queues, recommendations, and search results. It's the main driver of clicks to your page. A strong capsule gets more traffic, and more traffic means more wishlist opportunities. Simple math.
What makes a capsule work: clean, high-contrast composition that pops against Steam's dark background. It should communicate genre and tone at a glance. Keep text minimal -- zero to three words max. And it needs a unique visual identity that stands out from genre neighbors. I've seen too many fantasy RPGs with the same sword-wielding silhouette capsule. Don't be that game. Our capsule design guide breaks down what separates good capsules from forgettable ones.
The short description
This appears directly below your capsule in many contexts. It needs to hook the reader in one or two sentences. Lead with your hook -- what's the unique thing about this game? Include one concrete, specific detail, and end with something that creates curiosity. Avoid generic phrases like "immersive experience" or "engaging gameplay." They say nothing. The Steam description writing guide has more on crafting descriptions that actually convert.
The trailer
For a Coming Soon page, your trailer often tips the decision between a wishlist and a bounce. Players who liked your capsule will watch your trailer to decide if the game is worth following.
Show real gameplay within the first 5 seconds. Keep it under 90 seconds. End with a clear "Wishlist Now" call to action. Don't underestimate music and sound design -- they set the emotional tone and players notice when they're off. The good news is you can always replace your trailer with a better one as development progresses. For a deeper look at what makes trailers convert, see our trailer best practices.
The full description
Your description should answer one question: "What will I be doing in this game, and why should I be excited about it?"
I like structuring it in four parts. Start with an opening hook -- one or two paragraphs on what makes this game special. Follow that with a key features list of 4-6 bullet points covering concrete things the player will experience. Then add some world or story context to ground everything in your setting or narrative premise. Close with a brief development status section so players know where the game stands and what to expect. For full guidance, our Steam description writing guide covers this in detail.
Screenshots
Even for a Coming Soon page, invest in strong screenshots. They should show the game in its current best state, with a note in the description if visuals are still being polished. Our screenshot optimization guide covers composition, ordering, and the mistakes that kill click-through rates. You can also run yours through our Screenshot Checker for quick feedback.
Building wishlist velocity
Getting your page up is step one. Driving traffic to it is where the real work starts. Wishlist velocity -- the rate at which you accumulate wishlists -- matters for your launch audience size and for how the Steam algorithm treats your game.
How wishlist velocity works
Steam tracks how quickly games gain wishlists. Games with accelerating wishlist growth show up in "Popular Upcoming" sections and get algorithmic boosts in discovery queues and recommendations. I think a lot of developers don't realize this -- your Coming Soon page isn't just sitting there passively. It's being evaluated.
The takeaway: consistent, ongoing effort beats a single spike followed by silence. Plan your pre-launch marketing as a series of beats rather than one big push.
Organic Steam discovery
Once your page is live, Steam's algorithms start showing it to relevant players based on your tags and other signals. This organic traffic is free but slow for unknown developers. To speed it up, optimize your tags with our Tag Optimizer to match your target audience precisely, keep your click-through rate high by investing in a strong capsule, and respond to Steam events with updates and news posts.
Steam events and festivals
Steam events are some of the best wishlist drivers available to indie developers. Steam Next Fest is the biggest opportunity -- it requires a playable demo but delivers thousands of wishlists for well-prepared games. Genre-specific festivals (Strategy Fest, Survival Fest, Horror Fest, etc.) bring lower volume but highly targeted players. Even seasonal sales drive incidental wishlists to Coming Soon pages, even though you obviously can't sell an unreleased game.
External traffic sources
Don't rely solely on Steam to drive traffic. Actively push people to your Coming Soon page from social media (always include the direct link -- every time), Reddit (engage authentically in relevant subreddits with devlogs and feedback threads), YouTube and Twitch (provide content creators with your Steam page link to share), press outreach, and your own website. If you have a site, make the Steam wishlist button the most prominent call to action on it.
Community building
Building a community before launch creates a flywheel for wishlists. A Discord server gives interested players a space to follow development, and each new member is likely to wishlist. Regular devlogs on Steam's news system and social media give you an excuse to remind people to wishlist without being annoying about it. And Steam's playtest feature is underrated -- it lets players try your game and automatically suggests they wishlist it.
Wishlist milestones and what they mean
Understanding wishlist numbers helps you set realistic expectations for launch. Our wishlist conversion rates data can give you specific benchmarks, but here's the broad picture.
The 10,000 wishlist benchmark
10,000 wishlists at launch is widely cited as the minimum for a viable indie game launch. At a typical wishlist-to-sale conversion rate of 10-20% on day one, that translates to 1,000-2,000 first-day sales. Whether that's enough depends on your costs and price point -- our indie game revenue data can help you model what that actually means financially.
Use our Wishlist Calculator to model your expected launch performance based on your current wishlist count.
Tracking your velocity
Monitor your weekly wishlist additions in Steamworks. Steady growth is a healthy sign that your organic discovery and marketing efforts are working. Spikes followed by drops are normal around events and marketing pushes -- what matters is the baseline between spikes. If you see declining growth, it's a warning. You may need to refresh your page assets, try new marketing channels, or participate in an upcoming event. Sustained acceleration is the best signal you can get -- it triggers algorithmic benefits and suggests growing word-of-mouth.
Common Coming Soon page mistakes
These are the errors I see most often. They all cost wishlists, and they're all fixable.
Putting up a bare minimum page
A Coming Soon page with placeholder art, two screenshots, and a one-paragraph description signals "this game isn't ready to be marketed." Players who visit a weak page won't wishlist, and they aren't coming back when you update it. First impressions are final on Steam. Wait until you have polished assets and a clear value proposition before going live. A strong first impression converts far better than a weak page you gradually improve.
Never updating the page
I've seen developers put up a Coming Soon page and not touch it again until launch. That's months of wasted opportunity. Regular updates keep the page fresh and give you reasons to drive traffic back to it. Update your screenshots, trailer, and description as your game improves. Post news updates at least monthly. Each update is a marketing moment.
Ignoring the call to action
Your page should make it obvious that the player should wishlist. Steam provides the button, but you can reinforce this everywhere -- end your trailer with "Wishlist Now," mention it in your description, include it in news posts. Every communication about your game should close with a clear call to wishlist and a link to your Steam page. This sounds repetitive, and it is. That's the point.
Setting an unrealistic release date
Steam lets you show an estimated release date or window (e.g., "Q3 2026" or "Coming 2026"). Setting a date you can't hit and then delaying erodes trust with wishlisted players. Use a broad release window rather than a specific date until you're confident in your timeline. Players prefer vague-but-honest to specific-but-delayed. Our best launch dates guide can help you pick a window strategically once you're ready to commit.
Skipping the demo
If you have something playable, get it on your Coming Soon page. Demos are one of the best wishlist conversion tools on Steam because they let players experience the game before committing. Build a polished demo and keep it available. Update it periodically to reflect improvements in the full game. The conversion lift is real and it costs you nothing beyond the work of preparing the build.
Coming Soon page optimization checklist
Before considering your page done, verify all capsule images are uploaded and meet dimension requirements (run them through our Capsule Validator), you have at least 5 quality screenshots showing the game at its current best, a trailer that shows real gameplay and ends with a wishlist CTA, a short description that hooks in one sentence, a full description with features list, story context, and development status, all 20 tags applied and ordered strategically, system requirements filled in, supported languages listed, content descriptors completed, a realistic release date or window set, a demo if you have one ready, social media links connected, and your community hub enabled.
The pre-launch timeline
Here's a rough timeline from Coming Soon page creation to launch. Adjust based on your situation, but this gives you a framework.
Months 10-12 (page creation): Publish your Coming Soon page with all required assets. Begin organic social media promotion. Start building your community on Discord and a mailing list.
Months 7-9: Participate in a relevant Steam festival or Next Fest. Begin press and content creator outreach. Update page assets as the game improves.
Months 4-6: Ramp up marketing frequency. Release or update your demo. Engage actively with your growing community. Start thinking seriously about pricing.
Months 1-3: Final page optimization pass. Intensive press and streamer outreach. Finalize your launch date and submit your build for Valve review. Plan your launch day marketing push.
Launch week: Convert your Coming Soon page to a live store page. Notify wishlisted players. Execute your launch marketing plan. Engage with early reviews and community feedback -- our review management guide covers how to handle this well.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I keep my Coming Soon page up before launching?
Six to twelve months is the sweet spot for most indie games. Shorter than that and you don't build enough wishlists; longer and you risk wishlist decay and audience fatigue. If you've got an existing audience, you can get away with a shorter window. Check our wishlist conversion rates data to understand how timing affects conversion.
Can I change my Coming Soon page after it's live?
Yes, and you should. Update your screenshots, trailer, description, and tags as your game improves. Each update is a chance to drive traffic back to the page. The only thing you can't easily change is your app ID and base URL.
How many wishlists do I need before launching?
10,000 is the commonly cited minimum for a viable indie launch, translating to roughly 1,000-2,000 day-one sales at typical conversion rates. But "enough" depends on your game's price and your costs. Use our Wishlist Calculator to model scenarios, and look at indie game revenue data for realistic benchmarks.
Does having a demo on my Coming Soon page help?
Significantly. Demos let players experience your game before committing, and Steam's UI nudges demo players toward wishlisting. Games with demos during Steam Next Fest consistently outperform those without. If you have something polished enough to represent your game well, put it up.
Your Coming Soon page sets the foundation for your entire launch. Start by running your capsules through our Capsule Validator, then use the Tag Optimizer to nail your discoverability, and model your launch numbers with the Wishlist Calculator. For deeper reading, our Steam store page optimization guide covers the full page lifecycle, and the Steam algorithm guide explains exactly how Coming Soon visibility works under the hood.
Browse our genre-specific optimization guides for strategies tailored to your game type, and check the Steam Page Leaderboard to see how top games optimize their store pages.