How to write a helpful Steam review: 10 clear steps

October 13, 20265 min readBy HOLY STUDIOS

The player searches a dark, abandoned building with a rifle — A screenshot from Route 48.

A helpful Steam review tells other players what you do in the game, what works, what does not work, and who the game suits. It also gives the developer feedback that they can use. The 10 steps below show you how to write one, with examples of weak and helpful sentences.

How Steam reviews work

Know these facts from Valve's Steamworks review documentation before you start:

You can review a game that you launched through Steam. You do not have to buy it on Steam, so a key or a free game also counts.
Steam shows your playtime next to your review.
Each review is "Recommended" or "Not Recommended". Steam uses these positive and negative reviews to calculate the review score.
Only reviews from accounts that bought the game on Steam count toward the score. Reviews from key activations show on the page, but they do not change the score.
Other players can vote a review as helpful. Steam shows reviews to more people when many players find them helpful.
Developers can reply to a review. Steam marks an official reply from the developer.

So a helpful review gets more readers.

Step 1: Play enough to know the game

Steam shows your playtime, so readers see how long you played. Play long enough to see the main loop of the game. For a survival game, that can mean one full cycle: you gather resources, you face a threat, and you survive or fail. Then say how far you got.

Step 2: Choose your recommendation first

Open the store page of the game and find the review box. Choose "Recommended" or "Not Recommended" before you write. Then make sure that your text agrees with your choice. A review that says "Not Recommended" but praises everything confuses readers.

Step 3: Start with one summary sentence

Readers decide quickly if a review is useful. Put your main point first. The examples in this guide are about an imaginary survival game.

Weak: "So I bought this last week and I was not sure at first..."
Helpful: "A slow, tense survival game where fuel and ammunition are always low. I recommend it if you like to plan."

Step 4: Say what you actually do in the game

A store page describes the game. Your review shows what a normal session is like. Describe the actions: what you drive, what you search, what you fight, and what you build or repair.

Step 5: Give specific examples

Specific details are the most useful part of a review. Replace general words with what happened.

Weak: "The combat is bad."
Helpful: "Enemies often see me through walls, so the stealth approach does not work."
Weak: "Great atmosphere."
Helpful: "Night is very dark, and I need a flashlight to search buildings. This makes each night feel dangerous."

Step 6: Describe performance and your PC

Players with a PC like yours want to know if the game runs well. Give your CPU, graphics card, RAM, and resolution. Say which graphics settings you used. Then describe crashes, stutters, or long load times, if you had them.

Step 7: Say who the game suits

A game that one player loves can bore another player. Tell readers who will like the game and who will not. For example: "Good for players who like slow survival games. Not good for players who want fast action."

The player raises an assault rifle under a moonlit night sky — A screenshot from Route 48.

Step 8: Review an Early Access game as it is today

An Early Access game is not finished. Review the version that you played, not the version that the developer plans. Give the date or the version number. Say what you hope the developer will fix or add. When the game leaves Early Access, Steam marks the reviews from the Early Access period. Our guide to Steam Early Access explains the rest of the rules.

Step 9: Stay on topic and follow the rules

Valve sets rules for reviews. Follow them:

Write about the game. Valve reduces the visibility of off-topic reviews.
Do not insult other players, developers, or groups.
Tell readers if you got the game for free. Steam lets you mark this on your review.
Do not use a review to advertise.

Step 10: Choose the language and update later

Set the correct language for your review. Steam shows reviews in the reader's own language first, so the correct setting brings you the right readers.

Return to your review after a big patch. Edit it if the game changed. An honest update helps players who read it months later.

Reviews and bug reports are different

A review is for other players. A bug report is for the developer. Post the full details of a bug in the Steam discussions of the game. Include your PC, the steps that cause the bug, and a screenshot if possible. Then mention the main problems briefly in your review.

A simple review template

Copy this structure and fill it in:

Summary: one sentence with your verdict.
What you do: two or three sentences about the main loop.
What works: two or three specific examples.
What does not work yet: two or three specific examples.
Performance: your PC, your settings, and the result.
Who it suits: the type of player who will like it.

An example: feedback for Route 48

Route 48 is our first-person driving survival game. It is in Early Access on Steam. Player feedback will shape the vehicle physics, the procedural generation, and the gunplay balance. So specific notes about these three areas help us most. Send feedback and bug reports in the Route 48 discussions on Steam.

If you want to know what is in the game now, read our Route 48 Early Access launch post. If you are not ready to buy yet, a wishlist also helps. Our guide on how Steam wishlists help indie games explains why.