How the Steam algorithm recommends games
3 min read
By Eduardo Orellana ·
In Valve's own words, the strongest signal to Steam is whether people are buying and playing your game; tags decide which players it is a candidate for. Valve also says what does not matter: your store page's conversion rate is not a factor, wishlists are not a factor except on the Popular Upcoming list, and a review score of Mixed or better (40% and up) does not affect visibility, while below 40% a game is less likely to be featured. Visibility cannot be bought.
Most Steam algorithm folklore is contradicted by Valve
Developers trade theories about the Steam algorithm: that wishlists push you up the charts, that conversion rate is everything, that a Mostly Positive score buries you. Valve's own visibility documentation answers most of them directly, and it is worth reading before acting on any theory.
What Valve says drives visibility
- Sales and play. "Are people buying and playing your game? This is a strong signal to Steam that there is interest in your game."
- Tags. Steam categorises games by tags, and uses them to match games to players.
- Players' own tastes. Many placements, including at launch, are recommended to users based on their preferences.
- What players spend time and money on, which drives the home page's main capsule rather than Valve's curation.
What Valve says does not
- Conversion rate "is not a factor in visibility on Steam."
- Wishlists are not a factor in algorithmic visibility, except on Popular Upcoming. They still trigger Steam's release email and emails when the game is discounted 20% or more.
- Review score, as long as it is Mixed or above (40% and up). Below 40%, the game is less likely to be featured.
- Money. Asked whether you can pay to be shown to more players, Valve's answer is "Nope."
Why your game gets no traffic
If the algorithm follows buying and playing, a game nobody has bought gets little to amplify. The fix is outside traffic first: festivals, creators, posts, ads, your own community, each sending players to the page. As they buy and play, Steam has something to recommend. Read Steamworks' Traffic Breakdown report to see where visits come from (Steam's own lists, search, external sites), and our UTM guide to see which of your links bring wishlists.
Conversion still matters to you, if not to Steam
Valve does not rank on conversion rate, but a page that turns visitors into wishlists and buyers turns your outside traffic into the sales Steam does rank on. Valve publishes no benchmark, so compare your own page before and after each change.
Where Flockbay fits
Flockbay prepares the Steam page, trailers, posts and ads on your own accounts that bring outside traffic, and reads your followers and wishlists for free. The publishing tools are free in beta until 1 December 2026.
Questions
- Do wishlists help the Steam algorithm?
- Valve says no, except on the Popular Upcoming list. They do trigger release and discount emails to wishlisters.
- Does a Mostly Positive score hurt visibility?
- No. Valve says a score of Mixed or above does not affect algorithmic visibility; below 40% a game is less likely to be featured.