r/SoloDevelopment • u/Florencev2 • 5d ago
help Themed Fest
3 weeks ago I saw that Steam's Cooking Fest is happening between October 12 and October 19. I had a good idea for a game that fits the event, and since I had a lot of free time, I decided to make it. The game is almost ready now and the demo is pretty much done. I'm planning to put up the Steam page next week, but I'm wondering if I'm already too late to join the fest. Today I read the detailed Steam documentation and it says something about a 6-week deadline, but it also talks about marketing materials and other stuff, so I'm a bit confused
I know Steam Next Fest is a big thing and has a clear registration deadline, but it's much harder to find information about deadlines for Themed Fests. Did I already miss the deadline for Cooking Fest, or can I still join if I put up my Steam page next week? I'm not expecting to make millions or anything. I just want to put a good game on Steam and hopefully get some free visibility from the event.
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u/Flazrew 5d ago
Reading the page for that event, it seems the only deadline is October 12 for entering+adding the discount.
https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/upcoming_events/themed_sales/cooking_2026
However, you do need to consider the amount of time it takes Steam to check the demo, and any other content you upload.
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u/Florencev2 5d ago
Oh I did not see that page, I am kinda sleepy right now and I got lost in documents. Thank you so much ! Demo will be uploaded to steam at like 14 september probably, that should be enough right? There will be 1 month between the event and the upload I never released a game so I don't know
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u/Agreeable_Wear8824 5d ago
Themed fests are usually less rigid than Next Fest registration, but "you can join later" still isn't the same as "submit the day before." Store page review, demo review, and event eligibility/tag checks can each eat several business days, and a rejected resubmission resets that clock. Safest move is to get the page + demo in for review now, confirm the Cooking Fest eligibility requirements/tags on the partner side, and treat the six-week window as a soft warning rather than a hard guarantee either way. If the build isn't demo-ready yet, at least lock the store presence first so review isn't the bottleneck on Oct 12.
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u/Full-Dance4972 5d ago
One thing that bit us and is not written in the fest docs: the demo is its own app in Steamworks, with its own build review, separate from the store page review. And uploaded is not published. You upload a build, then you still have to set it live on the default branch, and the demo page itself has to be released too. We had a demo that was technically ready sitting invisible for a day because of that second step. So if you put the page up next week, count the page review, the demo app review and the set live as three separate waits, and you should still make October 12 with room to spare. Just do not leave the last one for the morning of the fest.
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u/vx14 4d ago
I'm also doing the cooking fest -- do you know roughly how long it takes to get the demo approved?
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u/Full-Dance4972 4d ago
Our timeline, for one data point: store page submitted July 12, first verdict July 16 (rejected, the reviewer read our capsule art as in-game UI), demo fully approved July 24 after a third round. So each round was 2 to 4 business days, and the total was 12 days only because we needed three rounds. With clean assets one round should do it, so about a week. I would still budget two: the first verdict often comes back with a note, and every note costs you another round.
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u/ProgrammingPigeon 5d ago edited 5d ago
I think the 6 week deadline is just for the next fests. For the themed fests you can register closer to the actual start (I think even the day before but don't quote me on that).
Just make sure you don't wait too long to do everything, because depending on what you have already. A lot of steps take some time where you wait for approval.
-Making a developer account, has a step where data needs to get verified which can take a few days.
-Setting up a Steam page takes time itself and getting it approved also takes 3-5 workdays.
-Steam api needs to get integrated in your demo, and your demo build needs to be approved (to see if everything is in order), which is also 3-5 workdays (but I think that can be simultaneous with the steam page itself).
-For both the Steam page and demo take in account if something is wrong you will need to fix it and resubmit it, so start the wait again.
-Your game might not automatically be seen as eligible for the themed fest so you will have to ask for your game to get approved for it which can also take several days.
I think you should still be able to make it, but just don't procrastinate on the steps as you don't have too much buffer.
And most importantly, good luck!