How long should a game trailer be?
2 min read
By Eduardo Orellana ·
For a Steam store page, 60 to 90 seconds is the common length for an indie gameplay trailer; teasers run 15 to 30 seconds, ads 6 to 15, and launch trailers rarely need more than two minutes. Valve sets no length, but notes that Discovery Queue viewers may give a trailer under ten seconds, so length matters less than how fast it gets to gameplay. Cut until every shot shows something new.
Nobody complains a trailer was too short
Most trailers are watched for a few seconds, and the ones that are watched to the end are the ones that never repeat themselves. A 70-second trailer with no wasted shot beats a three-minute one that shows the same combat four times.
Lengths by type
- Teaser / announcement: 15 to 30 seconds.
- Gameplay trailer (store page): 60 to 90 seconds.
- Launch trailer: 60 to 120 seconds.
- Ads and Shorts: 6 to 15 seconds for ads, under 60 for Shorts and TikTok.
Steam also makes a six-second looping microtrailer from your first visible trailer, so its opening matters twice.
What to cut first
Logo intros, menus, loading, repeated mechanics, and story text a muted viewer will not read. Keep the hook, the core loop, variety and the one moment that escalates.
Where Flockbay fits
Flockbay's Video studio cuts a trailer and shorter cuts from the same gameplay. Free in beta until 1 December 2026.