Steam Capsule Art Feedback: A Practical Self-Review
Reviewed against the linked Steamworks documentation. Steam can change its rules; the linked pages are authoritative.
Capsules are the artwork images Steam uses to represent your game across the store. This guide separates what Steam requires (Steam rule, linked to Steamworks) from a self-review you can run yourself (Our advice, our opinion). The goal is to judge clarity: can someone read the name and guess the genre and tone at a glance. It does not predict wishlists.
1. The three store capsules
| Capsule | Upload size | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Header capsule | 920x430 | - |
| Small capsule | 462x174 | Steam generates smaller versions from it, down to sizes such as 184x69 and 120x45. |
| Main capsule | 1232x706 | - |
Steam rule Sizes from Steamworks: graphical assets, which also lists other asset types (for example library assets) not covered here and asks that the logo be readable. Every current store and library size, including the vertical capsule, library hero and logo, is in the Steam capsule art size table.
2. What may appear on a base capsule
- Steam rule Only game artwork, the game name and an official subtitle (Steamworks: asset rules).
- Steam rule No review scores or quotes, no award logos, no marketing or call-to-action text ("wishlist now", "out now"), and no other miscellaneous text (asset rules).
- Steam rule The rules page describes limited, separate exceptions for some temporary or localized artwork overrides. Treat them as exceptions and check the page before using one.
3. Self-review at real sizes
Export each capsule, then look at it at the size players see, not zoomed in on your art canvas. For the small capsule we also check a half-size 231x87 version; that is our own stress test, not an official Steam size.
- Our advice Logo readability: at the smallest size, can you read the name without knowing it? Thin strokes, script fonts and long names shrink first. A heavier weight, a short stacked layout or an outline often helps.
- Our advice Contrast: the name stands apart from the background. Check in greyscale; if the logo and art merge, add separation (a darker area behind the logo, a stroke, or a simpler background).
- Our advice Genre and tone: the art signals what kind of game this is. A horror game, a farming game and a tactics game should not be interchangeable when the name is covered.
- Our advice One focal point: a character, a vehicle or a place. Several small elements of equal weight turn into noise at 184x69.
- Our advice Consistency: header, small and main capsules feel like the same game (same logo, palette and key character), even when the crops differ.
- Our advice Context: place your small capsule in a screenshot of a Steam list next to games of the same genre. Does it read as the same kind of game, and can you still find it?
Worked example
A pixel-art roguelike makes its 462x174 small capsule from a wide piece of key art, with a thin hand-lettered logo in the top corner. When Steam shows that capsule at 184x69 (roughly the same proportions, just smaller), the logo becomes a smudge and the scene reads as a generic landscape. A clearer version crops in on the main character mid-action, moves the logo to an uncluttered area and makes it heavier. Nothing new is invented and no tagline is added: the same art and name, made readable.
4. Getting useful outside feedback
- Our advice Show the capsule for a few seconds to people who have not seen the game, then hide it.
- Our advice Ask specific questions: "What was the game called?", "What genre is it?", "Is it funny, tense or calm?". Compare their answers with what you intended. "Do you like it?" tells you little.
- Our advice Test two or three directions side by side rather than polishing one in isolation.
- Our advice Treat a handful of opinions as a sanity check, not as evidence of how the capsule will perform.
What this cannot tell you
A clear capsule removes one reason a visitor might skip your game; it does not guarantee clicks, wishlists or sales, and no capsule review can promise that. Final upload assets remain your responsibility under Steam's asset rules.
Related
For the rest of the page (screenshots, descriptions and tags), use the Steam store page checklist. The free structure check does not review images; the optional one-time paid pack includes an AI review of your actual capsules and 3 capsule concepts (one per format, built from your own art). Those concepts are comps, not upload-ready art. What wishlists do, and what they do not do for visibility, is covered in Steam wishlists.