How to Increase Steam Wishlists without Breaking the Bank

If you're developing a game for Steam, you'll already know how important wishlists are. You'll also know how bloody difficult they can be to get.

You've spent months, possibly years, developing your game. You've made a decent Steam Store page, uploaded a trailer, selected your tags, and now you're watching the wishlist numbers slowly crawl upwards.

I know the feeling. One thing I think developers often overlook is Steam Broadcasting. It's a simple way of putting actual gameplay in front of people who are already browsing Steam.

Why I think Steam Broadcasting is worth using

A Steam Store page is basically a sales pitch. Screenshots, trailers and descriptions all serve a purpose, but there's something particularly useful about showing your game actually being played.

When someone visits your page, a gameplay broadcast can help them understand what the game is like. I'd rather watch five minutes of proper gameplay than another cinematic trailer that tells me almost nothing about the game itself.

That's especially true for strategy games, simulations, survival games and anything where the actual gameplay is the attraction.

Steam also has broadcast areas associated with certain store events, which can give developers additional opportunities to reach interested players.

Will Steam Broadcasting actually increase wishlists?

Potentially, yes. But I wouldn't promise you some magical percentage increase. A broadcast can help persuade somebody who's already interested in your game to wishlist it. It can also introduce your game to viewers discovering it through a Steam event.

Wishlisting is useful because it gives that interested player a way to remember your game. Steam can notify people who have wishlisted a game when it releases.

I wouldn't treat wishlists as a trick to game Steam's algorithm. Think of them as a measure of genuine interest, and broadcasting as one way to earn more of that interest.

What would I actually broadcast?

If I were trying to build wishlists before launch, I'd put together a video containing:

• Actual gameplay from several interesting parts of the game.
• A few moments showing what makes it different.
• Features a visitor might miss in screenshots.
• The game's name and a simple invitation to wishlist it on Steam.

I'd avoid wasting the opening minute on logos. Get to the good stuff immediately. If your game is a colony simulator, show me the colony. If it's a horror game, show me the atmosphere. If it's a racing game, show me the cars moving.

Also, don't assume your audience is in your time zone. Steam has players worldwide. Potential customers might browse while you're fast asleep.

Should you leave a Steam broadcast running continuously?

There's an obvious advantage to keeping the gameplay available throughout the day: visitors in different regions can encounter it without you organising separate streams.

That doesn't mean Steam guarantees extra exposure just because you're broadcasting. It means the gameplay is available when someone arrives on your page, which is a useful thing in its own right.

This is one reason I built BroadcastLoop.

I wanted an easy way to keep a Steam broadcast running without leaving a PC switched on with OBS running in the background. With BroadcastLoop, I upload my video, connect my Steam broadcast, and let our servers handle the stream.

No local computer required. No constant babysitting.

My recommendation

I wouldn't replace your trailer, demo, festival participation or community posts with broadcasting. I'd use it alongside them. Get people onto the Steam page, then show them something worth wishlisting.

I'd also measure it. Compare wishlist additions and store visits across your test period, keeping in mind any promotions and other activity that could affect the result.

You can read my Steam streaming setup guide if you want to get started, or try BroadcastLoop with 24 hours of complimentary streaming.