Steam trailer requirements: format, resolution and order
2 min read
By Eduardo Orellana ·
Steam accepts .mov, .wmv or .mp4, preferring H.264 video and AAC audio. Upload the highest resolution you have up to 1920x1080, at 30 or 60 fps (or 29.97/59.94), at 5,000 Kbps or more, in 16:9 (4:3 is accepted), with 44 or 48 kHz audio. The first two trailers show before the screenshots, and Valve recommends the first be mostly gameplay with the HUD visible. You cannot release while a trailer is still converting.
The spec
- Container: .mp4, .mov or .wmv.
- Codecs: H.264 video and AAC audio preferred; Valve transcodes many others.
- Resolution: the highest you have, up to 1920x1080; use a common size such as 1920x1080 or 1280x720.
- Frame rate: 30/29.97 or 60/59.94 fps.
- Bitrate: 5,000 Kbps or higher.
- Aspect ratio: 16:9 preferred, 4:3 accepted.
- Audio: 44 kHz or 48 kHz; Steam mixes down to stereo.
Valve's page sets no maximum length or file size.
Order and categories
The first two trailers appear before the screenshots; the rest after them. Drag to reorder. Each trailer has a category: General/Cinematic, Teaser, Gameplay, or Interview/Dev Diary. Valve recommends a first trailer that is mostly gameplay with the HUD visible.
Thumbnails and the microtrailer
Steam makes the poster and thumbnail itself; a custom one must be a 1920x1080 frame from the video, without text. Steam also cuts a six-second looping microtrailer from your first visible trailer, which you cannot customise, so the first seconds matter.
Localised and regional trailers
Set a language on each trailer, with English as the base. To show a trailer only in some countries, such as a version cut for a rating board, list their two-letter country codes.
Processing
Trailers convert first in, first out, and deleting or re-uploading puts one at the back of the queue. A game cannot be released while a trailer is converting, so upload days before launch. Odd resolutions and unsupported audio sample rates are the usual failures.
Where Flockbay fits
Flockbay's Video studio exports trailers to Steam's spec from your real gameplay, and its Steam page puts them in the .zip you upload yourself. Free in beta until 1 December 2026.