Steam themed fests: how to get your store page ready in two weeks

Besides Next Fest and the four seasonal sales, Valve runs themed sale events through the year. Each one spotlights a single kind of game and is promoted on the Steam homepage, with the games sorted into sub-categories. Valve's events page says discounted games are prioritised, but free games, games in Coming Soon and games with demos are welcome too. That makes a themed fest one of the few homepage slots an unreleased game can get.

The next one is the Auto-Battler RPG Fest, 16 to 23 November 2026, for "games where the battles play themselves out, but you have to upgrade your units to win". After that, Valve lists the Desktop Companion Fest (14 to 18 January 2027) and the Shop Keeper Fest (25 January to 1 February 2027). The full list is on our Steam festival calendar.

• Read the theme literally. Valve gives a one-line eligibility rule for each fest. If your game only touches the theme, it is likely to be a poor fit for the page and for the players browsing it.
• Register in Steamworks. Each fest has its own opt-in page linked from the Upcoming Steam Events list. Check the deadline there rather than relying on memory, and register well before the fest starts.
• Decide on a discount. Released games that want priority need a discount set up through Discount Management. Coming Soon games and demos can join without one.

Fest visitors scroll a wall of capsules that all fit the same theme, so "looks like an auto-battler" is not enough. Your small capsule needs a readable logo and one clear image of what makes your game different from the one next to it: the setting, the unit style or the twist. Check every size with our capsule size checker and the Steam capsule sizes guide.

Players who click through from a themed fest already know the genre. What they want to see straight away is how your version plays. Put a gameplay screenshot that shows the core loop first, and open the trailer on play rather than logos. Our Steam trailer tips cover the first five seconds.

Your short description should say what the player does and what is different, in plain words. Use the short description counter to stay inside the limit. Then check your tags: the fest's sub-categories are built from how games are tagged, so your most accurate genre and mechanic tags should be near the top. The Steam tags guide explains how ordering works.

A themed fest is a good moment to have a demo live. Make sure the demo reaches the core loop fast and asks for the wishlist from its menu. The demo tips written for Next Fest apply here too.

A themed fest sends you browsers who already like the genre, so the store page is where you win or lose them. A free WishlistLab audit checks your capsule, short description, trailer, screenshots and tags in about 20 seconds and lists the fixes that matter most. Do it now, while there is still time to change art before 16 November.

When is the Steam Auto-Battler RPG Fest 2026?

16 to 23 November 2026, according to Valve's Upcoming Steam Events page.

Can a Coming Soon game join a Steam themed fest?

Yes. Valve says discounted games are prioritised, but free games, games in Coming Soon and games with demos are also welcome.

How do I register for a Steam themed fest?

Through the fest's opt-in page in Steamworks, linked from Valve's Upcoming Steam Events list. Check the registration details there for the deadline.