How to write a Steam short description that sells your game

The short description is the paragraph next to your header capsule. It's limited to about 300 characters. After the capsule and screenshots, it's where shoppers check whether this is the kind of game they want. Chris Zukowski's playtests of how people browse Steam found they scan it for verbs: what will I actually do in this game?

1. Name the genre in the first few words. "A roguelike deckbuilder…", "A cozy farming sim…". Shoppers decide quickly, so don't make them guess.
2. State the hook. What makes it different from the other games in that genre?
3. Use concrete verbs for the core loop. Build, breed, craft, draft, parry, hack. Avoid generic phrases like "battle evil" or "save the world".
4. Cut setting and mood. "A beautiful, war-torn land" says nothing about gameplay. Your screenshots and trailer show the setting better.

Before: "Embark on an unforgettable journey through a mystical world full of wonder, danger and secrets waiting to be discovered."

After: "A hand-drawn metroidvania where you grapple, wall-run and swap between two time periods to reshape each area. Uncover shortcuts, fight 12 bosses and upgrade your time-shift."

The second version tells a shopper the genre, the hook (time-swapping), and three things they'll do, all in under 300 characters.

• Opening with your studio name or awards. Put those in the About section.
• Buzzwords such as "unique", "immersive" or "epic journey". They're vague and every game uses them.
• Lore-first openings. Even story-driven games should say how you play first.
• Not matching your tags. If your top tag is "Roguelite", say roguelite.

A free WishlistLab audit scores your current short description and writes a new version from your game's real features and tags, with no buzzwords. Pro sends a fresh rewrite every week, so you can A/B test ideas.