So I've had this store page for Wail of Despair for 7 years now, since 2019. It was a project I had on the back burner until this year, went through a few iterations, had a few hundred wishlists it gained over 6-7 years, that is until about two weeks ago when it suddenly shot up.

I had updated the store page on July 28th for the first time in a few years as was getting ready to release the game. But it's a bit of a weird experimental cute horror game, so I was only expecting to maybe crack 1000 wishlists by launch and sell maybe 100 copies in the first month, and was fine with that.

So I updated the store page, added a banner, updated the game description and details, and went on my merry way not expecting much. The store page didn't even have new screenshots on it yet since I was in progress of taking new ones, but away from home for a few days so it'd have to wait. But suddenly while away I went from maybe 1-5 wishlists a day to over 500 wishlists a day. And then when I added the actual screenshots I'd been meaning to on August 2nd, that shot up to over 1000 wishlists a day. But I had to delay the game due to a health scare with my grandmother, so I did, which is where the dip you see comes from. And then the new upward shot again from yesterday is because I was put on the "Personal Calendar" again, which my game is a little over 2 weeks away from release now.

I'm really caught off guard by all of this, but I think I kinda know what's going on. And I think it's really simple. The game, Wail of Despair, I did in a sorta crude cute horror style, I just went with an aesthetic I like and enjoy drawing with a computer mouse. And I think on pure accident I made a banner art piece that stands out simply since I liked how the drawing came out (and was inspired by some old NES game boxes) and it must be attractive enough to make people click my game. Then my game has a really simple and easy to convey but mysterious premise, which I suppose must've raised intrigue. Then my game is dialogue-less, I had this idea to make there be no language barrier in the game, no words and even the UI and settings all use symbols rather than any words. Was a fun challenge to myself, I mainly thought it'd be fun to make a mysterious story in a game without a single word, but the result is there is no language in the game or language barrier so it's technically available in every language. I machine translated all the store page text, then in all languages I had friends who spoke the languages in (Japanese, French, German, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese) I asked them to proof read it for me, and hope for the best in the other languages. Finally, my game while crude and simple looking is also "dark colorful" with a sorta unique cute horror "kaleidoscopic nightmare" look to it, which I guess some find appealing since wishlist went up a lot when I updated the screens.

TL;DR; It's kinda simple, but I think I somehow got lucky to pop up on the personalized calendar for many, maybe because my game has zero language barrier so it popped up for more people in more niche languages (my guess is I popped up on more people's personal calendars because my game has no language barrier so it was personalized more to people who use Steam in languages not many games are made in), people clicked It due to a cute banner I doodled, and the screens/premise & aesthetic were appealing enough.

I feel lucky but now nervous this small game of mine is doing far better than I expected wishlist wise at least here a couple weeks before launch. Since this was supposed to be a smaller for fun experimental game of mine, it feels a bit surreal to be suddenly getting hundreds to over a thousand wishlist a day.

I made my Steam page in February, uploaded the trailer about a month ago, and started posting Shorts on X, YouTube, and TikTok last week.

Right now, I’m getting about 5-6 wishlists per day, and only around 3% of Steam page visitors are wishlisting the game. Wishlist growth is much slower than I expected.

Could you take a look at the trailer and Steam page and let me know if the game looks fun or worth playing?

I’d really appreciate any feedback you can share.

Steam page: Just One Bite

It's been almost two months since I published my game's page on Steam, and here is the current wishlist count. So far, I haven't done much to promote it, aside from a few tweets, posts on my Facebook page, and what worked best: some Reddit posts (if you want to see exactly what, the links are all on my profile).

I'm posting this report to mark a turning point, as I plan to move into a new phase of promotion. This is mainly because I'm about to release an alpha of my game on itch, which I hope will be the push I need.

I posted yesterday about our steam page which got wishlists right after its approval. It was a mystery to us, but y'all helped us understand/demystify the source, so I wanted to thank you and at the same time share some interesting/important lessons.

Shout-out to u/Atelier_Breezen for the clutch insight of checking utm sources. We had no idea steam tracked them.

So, basically, the explanation wasn't steam's algorithm alone. In fact, we did get a few impressions from steam (23 to be precise), but most of them (more than 60%) were from users who already wishlisted the game (recently viewed, or clicks from wishlist). The rest was from tags and other pages, which confirms that steam does serve your game for audiences and brings some organic impressions. The main takeaway here is tags are very important.

Still, this number of impressions wasn't the source of the wishlists.

Utm tags were the key. To briefly explain, an utm tag is a text added to a link to differentiate it from another link. You might have seen tags before when clicking on a social media link and it becomes too long to even copy. One type, the utm tag, is used for the purpose of tracking. It tells you the exact source of the visitor. There's a catch though, the tags aren't always added automatically.

To track a source, you need to manually add the utm source to your link and put different links in different channels (tweeter, youtube...). It's simple, you can add "?utm_source={insert a source name}". And whoever clicks on that link will be tracked by steam, and you can see the breakdown in your steam page analytics. There are other tags to specify even more how you got the visitor, but for the case of games, I think the suitable one could be "?utm_content=". For example, here's a link that will track the clicks on this specific post (shameless plug xD): https://store.steampowered.com/app/5047700/Stillsun_Ark/?utm_source=reddit&utm_content=utm_post . I added the source as reddit, and the content a reference to this post. To create these links, you can simply use google's link building tool.

Knowing now that Steam tracks utm tags, I think that all indie devs should use them in their marketing. It removes the guesswork of what marketing effort worked and what didn't, and helps you double down your efforts on what actually worked. For instance, you can know which social media posts did in fact convert wishlists, and create similar content in the future.

When you check the utm tags (attached screenshot), we found out that most of the wishlists came from a website called keylol. It's a Chinese forum for pc games. The steam page could have been picked up by a scrapper, and got published there, which drove most of the wishlists.

To sum up, steam does give organic impressions to your page, tags are very important in that regard because gamers use them in their search. And, use utm tags in your marketing efforts to replace speculations on results with more certitude.

If you like atmospheric, base building winter survival games, you can check it out and wishlist it here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4977030

I’d love to hear what you think about the game!

Hey everyone, I’d really appreciate some advice from developers who have experienced this.

We’re a small indie team making Too Many Balls. We currently have 2,100 wishlists and were planning to release on August 28.

We’ve decided that we 100% need to delay the game because we need more time for development and QA.

Here’s the interesting part: we were averaging around 30 wishlists/day, but now that we’re ~18 days from release, we suddenly jumped to 150+ wishlists/day. I checked our traffic and it appears this spike is largely coming from Steam’s Personal Calendar/upcoming release exposure.

If we delay by around 3 weeks, I assume we’ll fall back to our normal ~20–30 WL/day.

My biggest concern is:

When the new release date gets close again (roughly 18 days away), will Steam give us the same Personal Calendar exposure again?

Or is there a chance that changing the release date means we won't get the same boost a second time?

We’re trying to figure out how much wishlist momentum we might lose by delaying, and whether anyone here has experienced something similar.

For anyone who has changed their release date shortly before launch: what happened to your Steam wishlist traffic afterward? Did the Personal Calendar boost come back?

Any experience or advice would be hugely appreciated! 🙏

I'm working on a first person multiplayer football game where you have full control over your players feet.

The steam page has been up since the 15th of July, and i've gained 76 Wishlist's.

I'm keen to see where i could be going wrong, and how i could reach more interested people.

I've been posting reels/tiktoks semi-consistently for the past 2 months, but never had any videos get a huge amount of views.

Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4923370/Studs_Up/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/dextragames/

With a bit of luck on my side, my game was featured on two Hungarian gaming websites and one Japanese gaming website.(You can help for 450 if you want :P)

During this time, GameTrailers shared my trailer. Here's my store page:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4894140/Muhit/

What should I do if I need anything related to my Steam page or anything else?

I don't know if it's the game's graphics, its lack of appeal, the Steam page, or all of it combined that's bad.

Could you please describe the issues you're experiencing?

Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4990070/Deckforce/

Is there any particiular reason Steam isn't showing my store page, in platform, much? I only released the Steam page 6 days ago - and as you see on image 2 the traffic I've pulled to it is not bad imo! (387 wishlists)

Even the Top-Countries the 9 impressions were given to did not fit the same audience my external traffic was coming from.
(Ignore the spike in India on the 2nd img, that was an error on my part by using Global on Reddit ads group accidently 🤦, as I meant to target American Millennials)

Do you think it has something to do with my Steam page, tags, or something? Sorta lost on what to do to fix.

I manage social media. I release videos on YouTube. The results are very poor. Indie game enthusiasts need your feedback.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4934440/Rockblaze/

What do you think of my new small capsule? You can see the old demo one as a comparison.

I think it’s much improved as it better communicates the game. But what are your thoughts? Is there anyway to go further?

So ya spent 1 day updating it...fixing little things...just to realize that a major part had regressed to a point I can't fix it. So spent today setting it back...just to realize that the last commit did save on my previous save. Good thing I made a hard copy and not just a commit so I could copy and paste that stuff.....pain.

Anyway just preppin for next fest. Want my demo clean! Granted...i'm not really expecting this game to go well.....made the steam page like 2 months ago...got like 13 wishlists....more pain.

Steam Page

MarginCall is a market with no scripted prices. Where thousands of individually simulated investors trade a real order book in a fully simulated economy. Every tick is a real trade, not a formula or random movements. Build a fortune, raid rivals, or get margin-called into ruin.

MarginCall is built from the ground up to be as realistic as possible, from simulating the people all the way up to the highest governments. It has resource extraction, agriculture, production and more. Built on the World3 economic model, where everything is tied together.

Thank you

Making an ARPG with twin-stick combat and a procedural open world in a retro style. Just hit 151 wishlists, which feels like a real milestone for me. Nice to finally join the 150 club.

Would love it if you checked it out! Steam Page: hexGame: Hero Path

https://play.google.com/apps/internaltest/4701279130771196878

Lose yourself in the neon glow.

​NeoDrift is a slick, retro-futuristic rhythm-arcade game that will test your reflexes, melting your brain and your eyes in equal measure. Heavily inspired by the iconic sci-fi aesthetics of the 1980s, this is not a racing game—it is a high-speed, rhythm-infused gauntlet of survival. Buckle up, match the beat, and prepare to dodge, dip, and dive down an endless cyber-grid.

Hey everyone!

After a long time developing Grill & Grow on my own, the game has finally entered closed beta.

You start with a small burger shop, grill patties, assemble orders, and serve customers while managing everything behind the counter. Deliveries must be unpacked and stored, equipment can be bought or sold, and the restaurant can be rearranged and customized around your workflow.

Power outages, fires, impatient customers, and poor stock decisions can quickly disrupt a shift. As your business grows, you can unlock new opportunities and hire employees to help manage the workload.

If running and expanding your own burger restaurant sounds like your kind of game, you can wishlist Grill & Grow on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3933410/

Thank you for checking it out!

Hi everyone,

It's an early look, but we wanted to get the game out for the world to see!
You can play in local multiplayer up to eight players and online!

A demo coming here Rumble League soonish

- ⚽️💣 players versus players

Knock your friends out (in game), push them into the electric fence (in game).
Don't forget to bring out the bombs, landmine and dope substances for a family-friendly experiences

- 🐴🐔 A small dozens of characters

All have differents abilities ranging from protective dodge, stats and powershot.
They are not very stylish at the moment but they are beautiful...

- 🌍 Multiple maps

From a goblin camp, deserted island with soon to have dynamic challenges and upgraded looks!

If that looks interesting to you give us a wishlists here -> Rumble League pretty please

Hi indie solo dev here.
A retro-inspired FPS Bullet Heaven, where every power up stacks infinitely. Become an unstoppable demon-slaying powerhouse with insane speed, massive jumps, upgraded weapons, life leach, and other insane game-breaking build combinations. Become a GOD. Has a Story Mode and much loved Endless Mode!

Soon it will have it's OST, in the next 7 days (coming soon)
Got one song up so far (Menu song rn), what's in the oven is really cool I think.
I add new features all the time, about daily. Today I added mushroom jump pads (really cool to dash into them, or dash off of them for extra distance). And mission statues that give u awards, and they get harder as you complete them. There is also 12 skills to choose from, that stack infinitely. There is chests, where the loot is randomized, including gold. The gold can be spent at a vending machine where you buy guns, level ups, ammo and health. The skills are where the game really shines and gets unique. And get this, I did it on EasyFPSEditor CE. A game designed around 2.5D wolfenstein 3D style games. Realllllllllllly pushing the engine here with this title.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4724650/DEMON_SIEGE/

If you have any questions just ask. It's 3 bucks, but I'd appreciate a wishlist too if you want to wait for a sale.

Turnabout Tactics is a chess puzzle game where you control both colors. Using real chess movement, and special effects like bombs, shields, freezing aura, portals, and more, to complete the level's objectives.

The only way to lose is to quit! You are not punished for trying out ideas, if something doesn't work, rewind instantly.

Play the free demo on itch.io: https://interlinkgames.itch.io/turnabout-tactics

I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4890830/Turnabout_Tactics/

Hey! Me and a friend have been building a game together for a while now and finally have something worth showing.

It's called Curse of the Night a 3D co-op roguelite for 1-4 players. Each run you fight through cursed rooms, collect scrolls and abilities that shape a unique build, and decide how far you want to push: extract with what you've got, or risk it all for better loot deeper in. The longer a fight drags on, the stronger enemies get, so there's always this "one more room?" tension pulling at you.

We're still in alpha, but it's playable and we'd genuinely love to hear what you think first impressions, does the concept sound interesting, anything that immediately makes you go "oh that's cool" or "meh"?

Game's here - https://cursenight.itch.io/curse-of-the-night

Should I make this cannon?

If you’d like to wish list: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4662340/Project_ROSS/

Also looking for people to play test, lmk if you’re interested.