Nearly 19,000 games shipped on Steam in 2024, and almost half received fewer than 10 reviews. The competition for press coverage has never been tighter. A good press kit won't guarantee you a feature, but a bad one (or a missing one) will guarantee you don't get one.
Why Press Kits Still Matter
Rami Ismail, co-founder of Vlambeer and creator of the industry-standard presskit() tool, put it bluntly: "So many beautiful and lovely games go unnoticed simply because the developer doesn't know how to present their game to the press."
A 2024 survey by Big Games Machine of 150+ journalists from outlets including IGN, PC Gamer, Kotaku, and Eurogamer found that 64% cited lack of time as their most significant challenge. They are not going to hunt for your assets. If they can't pull screenshots, a trailer link, and a short description in under two minutes, they move on.
The Essential Checklist
1. Game Description (Two Versions)
Write two descriptions:
- Short (1-2 sentences): For roundup articles, social posts, and store listings. Lead with your game's unique hook, not a tagline.
- Long (2-3 paragraphs): For dedicated previews and reviews. Cover genre, core mechanics, story premise, and what sets your game apart.
Write them as facts a journalist can rephrase, not as marketing copy. Ismail's advice on press kits: "A press kit isn't supposed to look fancy or colorful. A press kit is supposed to be a resource with easy-to-access information and assets."
2. Screenshots (6-8 Minimum)
- Resolution: 1920x1080 minimum, 4K if possible.
- Variety: Different environments, mechanics, and UI states.
- No watermarks or logos overlaid. Journalists need clean images they can crop and resize.
- PNG format preferred. JPEG compression artifacts look bad in articles.
3. Key Art and Logo
- Your game's logo on a transparent background (PNG).
- Key art in at least two aspect ratios: 16:9 for article headers and 1:1 for social media thumbnails.
- If your logo is light-colored, include versions for both light and dark backgrounds.
Chris Zukowski of How To Market A Game recommends including your Steam capsule art in press kit downloads so streamers can grab it without hunting through Steam's backend.
4. Trailer and Video
- Link to your latest trailer on YouTube or Vimeo.
- If you have raw gameplay footage (unedited, no music), include that too. Many content creators prefer uncut footage they can talk over.
5. Contact and Links
- Steam store page URL
- Your website URL
- Social media links (Twitter/X, Discord, Bluesky)
- A real email address. Not a contact form. Journalists want to email you directly.
When you do reach out, make it count. Lewis Denby, founder of indie game PR agency Game If You Are, found that personalized emails with the journalist's name had a 60% higher click-through rate than generic mass emails.
6. Fact Sheet
A simple reference block:
- Developer: Studio name
- Release date: Even "TBA 2026" or "Early Access Q3 2026" is fine
- Platforms: PC, consoles, etc.
- Price: Or "Free to play" / "TBA"
- Genre: Be specific. "Action-adventure with roguelike elements" beats "indie game." Simon Carless of GameDiscoverCo has pointed out that if your top Steam tag is just "Indie," you're wasting your most valuable descriptor on something non-specific.
The Biggest Mistake
The number one problem isn't missing assets. It's making the press kit hard to find. If a journalist has to dig through your website to locate it, most won't bother.
Your press kit should be one click away from:
- A
/pressor/press-kitpage on your website - The "Visit Website" link on your Steam page
- Your social media bios
How Gamebase Helps
Gamebase generates a press kit page automatically from your Steam data. Screenshots, descriptions, trailer, and a downloadable ZIP are all organized in the format journalists expect. You can customize it and publish it at yourgame.gamebase.gg/press-kit.
Build your game's website in seconds
Paste your Steam URL and get a landing page, press kit, and more. Free, no strings attached.
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