Getting noticed on Steam has never been easy for indie developers, but it may have just become even more difficult. Valve quietly changed one of the biggest ways smaller games gained visibility before launch, making it much harder for upcoming indie titles to appear in front of millions of Steam users. But the new(ish) Personal Calendar feature seems to save the day.

Previously, many developers relied on Steam’s Popular Upcoming section. Appearing in this list could dramatically increase a game’s visibility, resulting in thousands of extra wishlists and giving smaller projects a much-needed boost before release. That, however, has become a less reliable way to gain some extra traction, as Valve has made it harder to make the cut.

Valve increases ‘Popular Upcoming’ requirement

According to recent estimates shared by industry experts, games previously needed around 7,000 wishlists to break into the Popular Upcoming feed. Following Valve’s adjustments last month, that number is believed to have increased to around 100,000 wishlists, as Steam prioritizes the biggest upcoming releases instead. Valve said this was “in response to player feedback”.

For many indie developers, reaching six figures in wishlists before launch simply isn’t realistic. As a result, many fear they would lose one of the platform’s most valuable sources of free exposure. Fortunately, there’s another way for smaller games to get noticed. Valve suggested in its original post that “more niche” upcoming releases would feature more often in the Personal Calendar.

Steam’s Personal Calendar is a winner for indie devs

Industry analyst Chris Zukowski recently highlighted Steam’s Personal Calendar feature, which has quietly become one of the platform’s most useful discovery tools. Instead of showing the same list of upcoming games to everyone, the Personal Calendar creates a customized timeline based on each player’s interests, followed games, and wishlist history.

Because every user sees recommendations tailored to their preferences, developers are finding that this feature often delivers better results than the old Popular Upcoming section ever did.

According to data shared by several developers, games featured in Personal Calendars have seen a steady stream of new wishlists for weeks before launch. Unlike Popular Upcoming, where games typically stayed visible for only a day or two, the Personal Calendar can continue recommending a title for up to two months before release and even continue promoting it after launch.

Developers have also reported significantly stronger engagement. Rather than showing games to everyone browsing Steam, the Personal Calendar focuses on players who are already interested in similar genres. This means users are much more likely to click on a game’s page and potentially add it to their wishlist.

That said, getting into the Personal Calendar still isn’t automatic. Developers still need to build a healthy number of wishlists before Steam starts recommending their games more broadly. Estimates suggest somewhere between 8,000 and 30,000 wishlists may be needed, depending on the game and its audience. While that’s still a challenging target, it’s far more achievable than the reported 100,000 wishlist requirement for the Popular Upcoming section.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.