You can list an indie game as free on Steam, but “free” does not waive Valve’s Steam Direct fee. To publish, set up a Steamworks partner account, pay the per-app fee, prepare the store page and game build, pass both reviews, meet the applicable timing requirements, and release the app yourself through Steamworks.
What you need before you start
Have the legal identity and company details for the party publishing the game, plus matching bank and tax information. Valve says an individual can onboard; the bank account name must match the name entered during onboarding. Tax-information verification may take 2–7 business days, according to Valve’s onboarding documentation.
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Steam Direct also charges $100 USD, or the equivalent, for each new app. Steam Wallet funds cannot be used to pay the fee. It is not refundable, but Valve says it can be recouped through a payment after the game reaches at least $1,000 in adjusted gross revenue from Steam Store or in-game purchases. These figures are from Valve’s Steam Direct Fee page; the page’s publication year is not stated. The fee applies even if players pay nothing to download the game.
How to put a free indie game on Steam
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Register as a Steamworks partner
Start the partner onboarding process, complete the digital agreements, and provide the required legal, identity, tax, and banking details. Use information that matches the person or company publishing the game, including the bank-account name. Allow for the tax-verification estimate of 2–7 business days; it is not a guaranteed turnaround.
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Pay the Steam Direct fee
Pay the $100 USD (or equivalent) fee for the app. Valve’s documentation says the fee is recoupable only after the title reaches at least $1,000 in adjusted gross revenue from Steam Store or in-game purchases. See the official fee details.
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Create the app as free to play
When creating the app, choose the Free to Play configuration. Steam represents this as a free license, so you do not enter a purchase price. Valve also supports changing a paid game to free, but that is a separate workflow. The Free To Play Games documentation covers free licensing and ways to sell optional content.
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Prepare the store page and game build
Create the store presence and upload and configure the game build in Steamworks. The store page and build are separate workstreams with separate checklists. Steamworks tools and SDK access are available after onboarding; use platform features when they suit your game, but not every game needs every Steamworks feature or SDK integration. See Steamworks Getting Started.
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Submit the store page, then the build
Complete the store-presence checklist and submit the page for review before submitting the game build. Both the store presence and build must be approved before release. Valve says store-presence review typically takes 3–5 business days and recommends submitting at least seven days before the intended Coming Soon date to allow time for requested changes. These are planning estimates, not service guarantees. See the Release Process.
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Schedule around the waiting periods
Valve’s onboarding page describes a 30-day wait between paying the app fee and release, as well as a publicly visible Coming Soon page for at least two weeks before release, for a developer’s first few titles. The same documentation describes an initial review of a store page or build as taking 1–5 days. These estimates and timing rules are described on Valve’s onboarding page; the first-few-titles qualifier matters, so do not assume those exact requirements apply universally to every partner.
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Release the app in Steamworks
After both reviews are approved and the applicable timing requirements are met, open the Release App workflow in Steamworks and confirm publication. Approval alone does not put the game live: Valve’s release instructions say developers must use the release controls when they want the product to be published.
Free-to-play setup and optional sales
Choosing free-to-play determines the player’s license and price; it does not prevent you from offering optional paid content. Valve documents in-game purchases and DLC as possible approaches. DLC involves its own store-page and review/release work for each piece of content, while in-game purchases use Steam Wallet. Consider how you plan to offer optional content before finalizing the game’s setup; details are in Valve’s Free To Play Games documentation.
How long the publishing process can take
Build your launch schedule around separate steps rather than treating review as the only wait. The table summarizes Valve’s published estimates and requirements; the documentation’s publication year is not stated, and the timing figures are not guarantees.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →| Gate | Valve’s stated timing | Scope or planning note |
|---|---|---|
| Tax-information verification | 2–7 business days | Estimate in onboarding documentation; individual requirements may differ. |
| Initial review of a store page or build | 1–5 days | Estimate described in onboarding documentation. |
| Store-presence review | Typically 3–5 business days | Valve recommends submitting at least seven days before the planned Coming Soon date. |
| Wait after app-fee payment | 30 days | Onboarding page describes this for a developer’s first few titles. |
| Public Coming Soon period | At least two weeks | Onboarding page describes this for a developer’s first few titles. |
These gates can overlap in planning, but do not assume they will all finish on the earliest estimate. Check the linked Valve pages for current requirements and the details that apply to your account.
Quick Recap
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