How to put a Unity game on Steam
2 min read
By Eduardo Orellana ·
To put a Unity game on Steam: make a Windows (and optionally Linux and macOS) standalone build; add a Steamworks wrapper if you want achievements, the overlay, cloud or lobbies (Steamworks.NET, a thin C# mirror of Valve's API, or Facepunch.Steamworks, a higher-level C# API); test with your App ID or 480 while Steam runs; then upload the build with SteamPipe and set it live on the default branch. A Unity game without any Steam features still ships fine: Steam just launches the .exe.
Steam needs a build, not an integration
A common misconception is that a game must be "integrated" with Steam to sell there. It does not: Steam installs your files and launches the executable. The integration (achievements, the overlay, lobbies) is optional, and many games ship without it.
The steps
- Build: File > Build Settings, Windows standalone (x86_64). Add Linux for Steam Deck if you can.
- Steamworks wrapper (optional): Steamworks.NET or Facepunch.Steamworks; see our comparison.
- Initialize at startup and run callbacks each frame; test with Steam running.
- Steamworks: create the app, depots and a launch option pointing at the .exe.
- Upload with SteamPipe and set the build live; see our SteamPipe guide.
- Store page, review, release: the same as any engine; see how to publish a game on Steam.
Unity specifics
- Ship IL2CPP or Mono; both run on Steam.
- Put steam_api64.dll beside the executable (the wrappers do this), and never ship steam_appid.txt.
- Check Unity's licence terms for your revenue tier before release.
Where Flockbay fits
Flockbay builds games on Godot today. Its publishing tools work for any engine's game: the Steam page as a .zip you upload yourself, trailers cut from your gameplay, posts, ads on your own accounts and a game website. They are free in beta until 1 December 2026.
Questions
- Do I need Steamworks.NET to publish a Unity game on Steam?
- No. Only for Steam features such as achievements, the overlay, cloud saves or lobbies.