Steam header capsule vs library capsule: what each one does and how to design both

They do different jobs for different people:

• Header capsule, 920×430, landscape. A store asset. It sits at the top of your store page and in places like Recommended For You, so it is shown to people who don't know your game yet. Its job is to earn the click and the wishlist.
• Library capsule, 600×900, portrait. A library asset. It is your cover in the Steam Library overview and in collections, so it is mostly seen by people who already own or have added the game. Its job is to be recognised and picked again.

Both are required. Both are limited to artwork plus your game's name (and an official subtitle). They are different shapes, so one can't simply be cropped from the other without planning. There is also a third image that sits between them, the library header (920×430), which falls back to your store header capsule if you leave it empty. If you only need the numbers for every asset, our Steam capsule sizes guide has the full table.

Sources: Valve's Store Graphical Assets, Library Assets and Artwork Overrides pages, checked 12 November 2026.

Valve lists four places the header capsule appears: the top of your store page, the Recommended For You section, browse views in Big Picture mode and, if you get one, the Daily Deal spot. Its Artwork Overrides page adds that the header is used "in many lists throughout the store". Steam generates the smaller versions from your 920×430 upload, so the same art has to hold up when it is much smaller than the file you designed.

Valve's design brief is short: use the key art and logo you use for the rest of your marketing, make it graphically-centric, give a sense of the gameplay, keep the logotype easily legible, and don't add quotes or any text beyond the title. In practice that means:

• Genre at a glance. A stranger should be able to guess what kind of game it is from the art alone. A logo on an abstract background tells them nothing.
• A wide logo lockup. The frame is roughly 2.1:1, so a horizontal version of your logo usually reads better than a stacked one squeezed into a corner.
• One focal point. A character, a vehicle or a location, not a collage of every feature.
• Contrast behind the logo. Test it over the busiest part of the art, not just the calm parts.

The header is not the only store capsule. The small capsule (462×174) is what people see in search results and most lists, and Valve notes its art doesn't have to match the others. The main capsule (1232×706) is used in the front-page carousel and, according to Valve's Artwork Overrides page, in wishlist emails. Treat them as a set made from the same key art.

Valve calls the library capsule "the primary way of presenting your game within the Steam Library", used on the library overview and in collections. It is a 2:3 portrait, closer to a box cover than a banner. The rules are slightly different from the store capsules: the library capsule must include your game logo, can include your subtitle if you have one, and should carry no other text.

Because the people looking at it already know the game, the job changes from "explain the game" to "be instantly recognisable in a grid of other covers". So:

• Use a stacked logo. A logo designed for a wide header often ends up tiny when it has to fit the width of a 600px portrait. A stacked or shortened lockup fills the frame better.
• Use the height. Portrait art suits a full-length character, a tall structure or a vertical scene. Cropping the middle out of your header art usually loses the logo or the subject.
• Keep it consistent with the store art, so a player who wishlisted the game from the header recognises it on their shelf.

One thing catches developers out: Valve says library assets are only visible for apps that have a published store page. While the page is hidden, you can upload them but you won't see them in the Steam client. Plan to check them as soon as your Coming Soon page goes live.

The library capsule is one of four required library assets. The other three decide how the game looks once someone opens it in their library:

• Library header, 920×430. Same size as the store header and used in various places in the library, including Recent Games. If you don't set it, Steam uses your store header capsule. That fallback is fine, but Valve's brief for it is branding-focused, so a cleaner version of the header art with a clearly legible logo often works better here.
• Library hero, 3840×1240 PNG. The wide banner at the top of the game's library page. It must contain no text at all. Art should fill the whole template, but anything important (a character's face, say) needs to sit inside the central 860×380 safe area, because that is the only part that stays uncropped as the client window resizes.
• Library logo, PNG with a transparent background. Just the logotype and optional logomark, 1280px wide and/or 720px tall. It is layered over the hero, and you choose its position in Valve's preview tool: bottom left, or centred top, middle or bottom.

A common mistake is exporting the hero with the logo baked in. Valve's rules say the hero has no words, and the separate logo layer then sits on top of it, so you get the title twice. If no hero and logo are uploaded, Steam shows a store screenshot with your game's name in plain text over it.

Most small teams commission or paint one key illustration and derive every capsule from it. That works if you plan for both shapes from the start:

1. Paint wider and taller than you need. A landscape crop for the header and main capsule and a portrait crop for the library capsule and vertical capsule need extra art on every side. Ask your artist for a master file with room to crop in both directions.
2. Keep the subject near the centre. The part of the art that both a 920×430 and a 600×900 crop include is the middle. That is where the main character or object should be, and it also lines up with the library hero's central safe area.
3. Make two logo lockups. A horizontal one for the header, small, main capsule and library header, and a stacked one for the library capsule and vertical capsule. Export a clean transparent PNG of the logo for the library logo slot.
4. Export a text-free version. The library hero needs the art with no logo or text, so keep the logo on its own layer in the master file.
5. Use Valve's templates. The Store Graphical Assets and Library Assets pages both link to downloadable templates with sizing and text placement for each image.

Valve's Graphical Asset Rules (in force since 1 September 2022) limit base store capsules to game artwork, the game name and any official subtitle. That rules out review scores, award names or laurels, discount text, calls to action such as "Wishlist now", promotion of other products (including sequels) and any other miscellaneous text. On the library side, the capsule can carry the logo and subtitle only, the hero no words at all, and the logo asset nothing but the logotype. Every capsule, store or library, needs a readable logo or name, accurate dimensions and PG-13 artwork. Games that break the rules can have reduced visibility and can't be featured in official sales and events.

If you want to announce a major update, a new season or DLC on your store capsules, use an Artwork Override. Valve's Artwork Overrides page gives a maximum length of 14 days. The override must still include your primary logo as the focal point, any text must be localised into the languages your game supports, and it can only describe new content that is available now, so no "Play the demo", release dates or "Available now". The default art comes back automatically when it ends. If you pair an override with a discount, Valve suggests starting it 5 minutes before the discount so the new art is picked up in wishlist emails.

• Header capsule is exactly 920×430 and library capsule exactly 600×900. Valve says old dimensions are no longer accepted, so check any template from before August 2024.
• The header logo is legible when the image is shrunk to search-result size. Preview it with the free Steam capsule size checker.
• The library capsule includes the logo, with nothing but an official subtitle besides.
• No review scores, laurels, sale text or calls to action on any base capsule.
• Library header uploaded, or you're happy for the store header to stand in.
• Hero exported with no text; key content inside the central 860×380.
• Logo PNG has a transparent background and reads over the hero in the position you picked.
• Once the page is public, open the game in the Steam client and check the library assets for real.

Capsules are one part of what Valve checks before your page can go live. The Steam store page requirements checklist covers everything else, and how Steam store page review works explains what happens after you submit. Heading into a festival? Use the Next Fest page checklist too.

It is hard to judge your own capsule because you already know what the game is. The free WishlistLab audit reads your live Steam page in about 20 seconds and scores the capsule, short description, screenshots, trailer and tags, with specific fixes for each. If you want every fix written up in detail, see the Deep Audit on our pricing page.

What size is the Steam header capsule?

920×430 pixels. Valve generates the smaller versions from that upload. The older 460×215 size is no longer accepted for new uploads.

What size is the Steam library capsule?

600×900 pixels, portrait. Steam generates a 300×450 version from it. It must include your game logo and can include a subtitle, but no other text.

Is the library header the same as the header capsule?

They're the same size, 920×430, but they're separate uploads. The library header is used in the Steam Library, for example in Recent Games. If you don't set one, Steam uses your store header capsule instead.

Why can't I see my library capsule in Steam?

Valve says library assets are only visible for apps with a published store page. If your page is still hidden, they won't show in the Steam client yet.

Can I put text like 'Wishlist now' on my header capsule?

No. Base capsules can only show artwork, the game name and an official subtitle. Text about a major update, season or DLC is only allowed on an Artwork Override, which lasts up to 14 days and must be localised, and even then calls to action like wishlist or pre-purchase prompts aren't allowed.