Steam Wishlists Explained: Why They Matter and How to Grow Them
What a Steam wishlist is, why studios track them, where wishlists come from, how to grow them and the mistakes to avoid.
By Sam Porter Miller · · 5 min read
On Steam, wishlists are one of the clearest early signals of how a game might launch. They help players remember your game, and they help studios plan. Here's what wishlists are, why they matter and how studios grow them.
What a wishlist is
A wishlist is a player saying "I'm interested, tell me when this is out or on sale." When a wishlisted game launches or gets a discount, Steam notifies the player by email and in the client. That's why wishlists matter: each one is a future reminder at the moment the game becomes available.
Why studios watch them
- Launch visibility. Strong early sales on launch day help a game appear in more places on Steam, which brings more players.
- Forecasting. Studios compare wishlists with their own past launches or public benchmarks to estimate first-week sales. Conversion varies widely by genre, price and timing, so treat any rule of thumb as a rough guide.
- Marketing feedback. Spikes after a trailer, a festival or a streamer playing the demo show which activities actually work.
Where wishlists come from
| Source | How it helps |
|---|---|
| Steam Next Fest | Demo events where players try upcoming games |
| Trailers and announcements | A strong reveal can bring a big early spike |
| Creators and streamers | Gameplay videos show the game in action |
| Social media and communities | Steady growth through regular updates |
| Steam features and sales events | Visibility to players already browsing |
| Press coverage and showcases | Reaches new audiences quickly |
How to grow wishlists
- Make the store page early. You can't collect wishlists without one. Put a clear capsule image, a short trailer and four or five strong screenshots first.
- Show gameplay in the first seconds of the trailer. Players decide fast.
- Release a demo if your game benefits from being played, ideally around a festival.
- Post regular updates. Development logs, events and announcements keep the page active.
- Work with creators whose audiences match your genre.
- Ask clearly. "Wishlist now on Steam" in every trailer, post and website.
Common mistakes
- Opening the store page only weeks before launch.
- A trailer full of logos and cinematics but little gameplay.
- Capsule art that doesn't communicate the genre.
- Measuring only total wishlists and ignoring deletions and conversion.
The metric behind the metric
Wishlists are a signal, not a guarantee. The number that matters most is conversion: how many wishlisters buy at launch and in the weeks after. A smaller, well-matched audience can outperform a big but casual one.
Track where your wishlists come from, repeat what works, and start earlier than you think you need to.
Keep reading
Game MarketingThe Game Marketing Funnel: From First Trailer to Loyal PlayersA clear map of how games find players: awareness, wishlists and follows, launch, retention and community, with the one metric to watch at every step. · 8 min read
Game DataWhat Is Game Data Analysis? A Practical IntroductionHow studios read player data: the events they track, the metrics that matter (retention, engagement, monetisation), the tools they use, and the mistakes to avoid. · 9 min read
Game DataRetention Curves Explained: How to Read the Most Important Chart in GamesWhat D1, D7 and D30 retention really measure, how cohort curves are built, what healthy and broken curves look like, and the traps that make retention look better than it is. · 8 min read