Your Game Launch Week Checklist: 47 Things to Do Before, During, and After

Launch week is chaos. You know this intellectually. But nothing prepares you for the actual experience of juggling bug reports, community management, press requests, social media, and basic human needs like sleep and food all at once.

The developers who navigate launch week successfully aren't calmer or more talented. They're more prepared. They front-loaded the decisions and preparation so launch week itself becomes execution, not improvisation.

Here are 47 specific actions across the week before, day of, and week after launch.

One Week Before Launch (Days -7 to -2)

Steam Store Finalization

1. Final store page review. Read every word of your description out loud. Check all screenshots display correctly. Verify your trailer plays without issues.

2. Capsule art at all sizes. View your Small Capsule (462x174) in context with competitor games. If it doesn't pop, you have one week to fix it.

3. Tags audit. Are your top 5 tags the most specific sub-genres that describe your game? Push generic tags to lower positions.

4. Release date and time. Pick a specific time, not just a date. Tuesday-Thursday tends to work best. Avoid major AAA launch days.

5. Pricing double-check. Confirm regional pricing. Decide on launch discount (10-15% is common for visibility).

Press Kit Polish

6. Update screenshots to final build. Remove any that show outdated art or cut features.

7. Launch trailer live and downloadable. YouTube embed plus direct MP4 download link.

8. Review quotes if available. Add any positive coverage from preview builds or early access.

9. Verify all download links work. Test the ZIP file. Test individual asset downloads.

10. Contact information prominent. Your press email should appear at least twice on the page.

Communication Prep

11. Draft launch day announcement. Write the Steam announcement, social media posts, and newsletter email now. Not at 3 AM on launch day.

12. Prepare social media assets. Launch key art formatted for Twitter, Discord, Reddit. Don't scramble for images during the chaos.

13. Newsletter ready to send. If you have a mailing list, the launch email should be drafted and scheduled.

14. Discord announcement drafted. Your community deserves a proper launch message, not a hasty one-liner.

Technical Preparation

15. Final build uploaded and tested. Play through the first 30 minutes on a clean install. Verify achievements trigger. Check save systems work.

16. Verify Steam achievements, trading cards, cloud saves. Each of these can fail independently. Test them.

17. Emergency patch process documented. Know exactly how to deploy a hotfix if something critical breaks at launch.

18. Backup everything. Source code, build files, marketing assets. Paranoia is appropriate.

Community and Support

19. Steam Discussion forums set up. Create pinned topics: Bug Reports, General Discussion, Tips & Tricks.

20. Support email monitored. Someone needs to be checking this throughout launch week.

21. Known issues documented. If there are minor bugs you're aware of, list them publicly. Players appreciate transparency.

Two Days Before (Days -2 to -1)

Final Checks

22. Third-party play test. Have someone who hasn't touched the game play through the opening. Fresh eyes catch what you've become blind to.

23. Time zone math. Confirm when your game goes live in your key markets. Coordinate any announcements accordingly.

24. Creator embargo reminder. If you gave early access to content creators with an embargo, remind them when the embargo lifts.

25. Personal preparation. Clear your schedule. Tell family/roommates you'll be unavailable. Stock up on easy meals.

Press and Creators

26. Final press reminder email. A brief "launching in 48 hours, here's the press kit link" to your priority contacts.

27. Creator check-in. Confirm any coordinated coverage is still planned.

28. Verify key distribution. Everyone who received a review key should have redeemed it successfully.

Launch Day (Day 0)

The Morning

29. Verify the game is actually purchasable. Open an incognito browser, search for your game, confirm you can add to cart.

30. Steam announcement published. Your launch announcement should be one of the first things that happens.

31. Social media posts live. Hit publish on all platforms. Your drafted posts are ready. Just click.

32. Newsletter sent. Your subscribers should hear about launch from you, not accidentally.

33. Discord pinged. Let your community know it's real.

Active Monitoring

34. Watch Steam reviews. The first few reviews set the tone. Respond thoughtfully to constructive criticism. Don't respond to trolls.

35. Monitor social mentions. Search your game name on Twitter, check YouTube for videos dropping, watch for Reddit posts.

36. Community questions answered. Be present in your Discord and Steam forums. Engagement signals matter.

37. Bug triage. Not every bug needs an immediate patch, but you need to know what's breaking for players.

If Things Go Wrong

38. Critical bug discovered: assess scope. How many players are affected? Is the game unplayable or just annoying?

39. Communication over silence. If something is broken, say so publicly. "We're aware of X and working on a fix" buys enormous goodwill.

40. Emergency patch if necessary. Deploy if the issue is severe. Valve's review is typically fast for emergency fixes.

Week After Launch (Days +1 to +7)

Sustained Engagement

41. Daily community check-ins. Forums and Discord. Answer questions, acknowledge feedback, show you're listening.

42. Thank-you posts. Thank your community, thank press who covered you, thank creators who made videos. Gratitude is free and builds relationships.

43. Monitor review sentiment. Are patterns emerging in criticism? Is there a common complaint you can address?

Data Analysis

44. Check traffic sources in Steamworks. Where are your visitors coming from? Which marketing channels actually drove results?

45. Regional sales breakdown. Any surprises? Strong markets you didn't expect? Weak markets despite localization efforts?

46. First-week sales vs. wishlists. Calculate your conversion rate. This informs your expectations for future launches.

Planning Ahead

47. Post-launch content roadmap. If you have updates planned, start communicating the timeline. Players who know more is coming are more likely to recommend your game.

The One Thing That Matters Most

Every item on this list is secondary to one fundamental truth: the work you did in the months before launch determines your launch week results. A bulletproof launch week checklist can't compensate for launching with 500 wishlists.

But assuming you've done the marketing work leading up to launch, preparation is what separates a stressful-but-successful launch from an overwhelming disaster. The developers who make it look easy aren't lucky. They prepared while they could still afford to.

Print this out. Check boxes as you go. And when launch week arrives, you'll spend your energy on what matters instead of scrambling for things that should have been done already.

Free Tool: Launch Checklist — Track your launch preparation with our interactive checklist. Check items off as you go and never miss a critical step. Runs in your browser, no signup required.

Related Field Guides

• The indie game launch checklist
• The indie game marketing timeline
• Post-launch marketing for indie games
• When to create your press kit