How Much Does Steam Take? Fees, Taxes & Payouts for Indie Devs
Steam takes 30% of your game's revenue, dropping to 25% after $10M and 20% after $50M. Here's what VAT, refunds, regional pricing and US withholding take on top, and when Valve actually pays you.
TL;DR: Valve takes 30% of what your game earns on Steam. That drops to 25% on revenue between $10 million and $50 million and to 20% above $50 million, so for nearly every indie game it is simply 30%. VAT, refunds and chargebacks come off before the split, and non-US developers can lose up to 30% more to US withholding tax unless their country has a tax treaty. On a single sale you keep roughly 55-70% of the sticker price, depending on the buyer's country. Valve pays monthly, by the 30th of the following month.
Key Takeaways
Revenue share: 30% to Valve, 25% on revenue from $10M to $50M, 20% above $50M. The lower rates only apply to revenue past each threshold.
Everything counts: base game, DLC, in-game purchases and Community Market fees all add up toward the thresholds.
Before the split: VAT/sales tax, refunds and chargebacks are deducted from gross revenue first.
Steam Direct: $100 per game, paid back once the game reaches $1,000 in adjusted gross revenue.
Payouts: monthly, by the 30th of the month after the sales, once your balance is at least $100.
If you want the numbers for your own game, plug your price and expected copies into our free Steam Revenue Calculator. This guide explains what happens between the price a player pays and the money that lands in your bank account.
Valve's Revenue Share: 30%, Then 25%, Then 20%
Since October 2018, Steam's revenue share has three tiers:
Lifetime revenue of the game on Steam
Valve's share
Your share
Up to $10 million
30%
70%
$10 million to $50 million
25%
75%
Above $50 million
20%
80%
The tiers are marginal, like tax brackets. A game that has earned $12 million pays 30% on the first $10 million and 25% on the last $2 million, not 25% on everything.
What counts toward those thresholds is broader than just copies of the base game: DLC, in-game purchases and the fees from your game's items on the Steam Community Market all add up. Still, $10 million in lifetime revenue is a level very few indie games reach. For planning purposes, assume 30%.
Valve's cut covers payment processing, bandwidth, hosting, the store itself and features like cloud saves and achievements. You don't pay any of that separately.
The $100 Steam Direct Fee
Every new game on Steam costs a one-time $100 Steam Direct fee. It is not a subscription and there is no yearly fee. You get the $100 back in the payment after your game reaches $1,000 in adjusted gross revenue from store and in-app sales.
Demos, soundtracks and DLC do not need their own Steam Direct fee.
What Comes Off Before the Split
Valve does not split the sticker price. It splits your adjusted gross revenue: what players paid, minus a set of deductions.
VAT and sales tax
In the EU, the UK, Australia and many other regions, Steam prices include VAT or GST. Valve collects that tax and pays it to the government. Your 70% is calculated on the price without the tax.
In the US, sales tax is added on top of the price at checkout in states where Steam collects it, so a $19.99 US sale is $19.99 of revenue before the split.
Refunds
Players can request a refund within 14 days of purchase if they have played less than 2 hours. Refunded sales, and chargebacks from banks and card issuers, are deducted from your revenue. A GameDiscoverCo survey of about 150 developers found a median refund rate of 9.5% of units, with most games somewhere between 5% and 25%. Your own rate is visible in your Steamworks sales reports. Short games and games that disappoint in the first hour see more refunds.
Regional pricing
Your US price is not what most players pay. Steam suggests lower prices for many currencies, and many developers follow those suggestions. If a large share of your players buys in lower-priced regions, your average revenue per copy will be noticeably below your US list price.
Worked Example: One Sale, Two Countries
Take a game priced at $19.99 in the US and €19.99 in the EU. Ignore refunds for a moment.
A sale in the United States:
Price paid: $19.99 (any sales tax is added on top)
Valve's 30%: $6.00
You receive: $13.99, or 70% of the list price
A sale in the Netherlands (21% VAT included in the price):
Price paid: €19.99
VAT: €3.47, so revenue before the split is €16.52
Valve's 30%: €4.96
You receive: €11.56, or 58% of the list price
Same price tag, 12 percentage points difference. This is why a flat "you keep 70%" overestimates what most developers actually earn.
US Withholding Tax (for Developers Outside the US)
Valve is a US company, so what it pays you counts as US-source income. If you are based outside the US, Valve may withhold up to 30% of your payments for the US tax authorities.
Many countries have a tax treaty with the US that lowers this rate, in some cases to 0%. You claim the treaty rate in the tax interview in Steamworks, which you complete when you set up your account. Every year, non-US partners receive an IRS Form 1042-S that shows what was withheld.
Do the tax interview carefully. A mistake can cost you a large share of every payment until it is fixed. If in doubt, ask an accountant who knows your country's treaty.
Withholding is not the same as your own income tax. You still owe tax in your own country on what you earn, usually after deducting your costs.
When Does Steam Pay You?
Valve pays monthly, by the 30th of the month after the sales. Sales in February are paid by March 30. It can take a few extra business days for the money to show up in your bank account.
Valve can hold a payment until you have earned at least $100. You can set a higher minimum yourself if you prefer fewer, larger payments. Payments are made in US dollars.
So between a player clicking "buy" and the money reaching you, expect 4 to 8 weeks.
Keys Sold Outside Steam
Steam keys you sell through your own website, a bundle or another store are not part of Steam revenue, so Valve takes no cut on them. You pay the fees of the store you sell through instead.
Valve does limit how many keys you can request and expects you not to give Steam customers a worse deal than key buyers. See our guide on managing game key requests for the practical side.
How Steam Compares to Other Stores
Store
Standard store cut
Steam
30% (25% after $10M, 20% after $50M)
Epic Games Store
0% on the first $1M per game per year, then 12%
GOG
30%
itch.io
10% by default, adjustable by the developer
Steam's cut is higher than Epic's or itch.io's. On Epic, most indie games never reach the $1M a year where the 12% starts, so in practice they keep everything. But for most PC games Steam is still where most of the sales happen. Treat other stores as extra reach, not a replacement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Steam take 30% of every sale?
For almost every indie game, yes. The rate only drops to 25% after the game has earned $10 million on Steam, and to 20% after $50 million. Those lower rates apply only to the revenue past each threshold.
Is Steam's 30% taken before or after VAT?
After. VAT, sales tax, refunds and chargebacks are deducted first. Valve's 30% is taken from what's left.
Do I pay the $100 Steam Direct fee every year?
No. It's a one-time fee per game, and you get it back once the game has earned $1,000 in adjusted gross revenue.
How much do I actually keep from a $20 game?
Around $14 on a US sale and around €11.50 on an EU sale with 21% VAT, before refunds and before any withholding or income tax. Regional pricing and launch discounts push the average per copy lower still.
When do I get paid by Steam?
By the 30th of the month after the sales, once your balance is at least $100.
Free Tool:Steam Revenue Calculator — Enter your price and copies sold to see your take-home after Valve's cut, VAT and refunds. Runs in your browser, no signup required.
Revenue share tiers, Steam Direct fee and payment terms checked against Valve's Steamworks documentation in September 2026. This guide is general information, not tax advice.
