Your Press Kit Checklist for Steam Next Fest

Your Press Kit Checklist for Steam Next Fest

Your press kit during a normal month needs to be good. Your press kit during Steam Next Fest needs to be bulletproof.

TL;DR: Next Fest press kits need demo-specific updates: current screenshots from your actual demo build, a supplemental fact sheet with demo details, and a quick-download asset package. Creators are covering 2,000+ demos in a week. Make their job effortless or they move on.

Key Takeaways

• Screenshots must come from your demo build, not the full game or older versions.
• Create a single ZIP file with everything a creator needs: screenshots, logos, trailer, fact sheet.
• Pre-generate demo keys and turn around requests same-day during the fest.
• Include a key request form or clear instructions in your press kit.
• Link your press kit from your Steam page, website, social bios, and Next Fest registration.

During Next Fest, hundreds of content creators and journalists are covering demos simultaneously. They're under time pressure, juggling dozens of games, and making snap decisions about which ones to feature. If your press kit is incomplete, outdated, or hard to find, they move on. There are 2,000 other demos waiting. Nobody will chase you down for a missing screenshot. Going into Next Fest with a broken press kit is like entering the bonus round without collecting any power-ups.

This is the single most overlooked piece of Next Fest preparation. Developers spend weeks polishing their demo and hours on store page optimization, then link to a press kit that still shows pre-alpha screenshots and lists a release window of "2024." Don't be that developer.

If you're starting from scratch, presskit.gg gets you a professional press kit in minutes. If you already have one, this checklist covers exactly what to add and update before Next Fest.

What Changes for Next Fest

A standard press kit includes the basics: game description, screenshots, key art, trailer, fact sheet, and contact info. Our guide on when to create and update your press kit covers those fundamentals.

Next Fest adds specific requirements that your normal kit probably doesn't address. The demo is now your primary product. Creators aren't covering your game in the abstract; they're covering a specific, playable build. Your press kit needs to reflect that.

Here's what to add.

The Demo-Specific Fact Sheet

Your existing fact sheet covers your game broadly. For Next Fest, create a supplemental fact sheet (or update the existing one) that answers these questions:

Demo details:

• What content does the demo include? (levels, chapters, modes)
• How long is a typical playthrough? (15 to 30 minutes, or whatever your range is)
• Is the demo a standalone experience or the first portion of the full game?
• Will demo progress carry over to the full game?
• When will the demo be deactivated, if ever?

Event details:

• Which Next Fest edition are you participating in? (month and year)
• Is the demo available now, or only during the fest?
• Where can players provide feedback? (Steam forums, Discord, etc.)

Game overview:

• Genre and sub-genre
• Core hook in one sentence
• Release window for the full game
• Platform(s)
• Price point (if announced)
• Developer and publisher names with links

Keep it to one page. Journalists skim. Creators skim faster. If the key information isn't visible in 10 seconds of scanning, it might as well not exist.

Updated Screenshots

This is where most press kits fail during Next Fest. The screenshots show the full game, or worse, an older build that looks nothing like the demo.

Your Next Fest screenshots should come from the demo build itself. Not the full game. Not concept art. Not renders. Actual screenshots from the actual demo that players will download.

Include at minimum:

• 5 to 8 gameplay screenshots showing core mechanics in action
• 1 to 2 screenshots of the demo's most visually striking moment
• 1 screenshot of the UI or HUD (creators need this for thumbnail composition)

Label your screenshots clearly. "GameName_Demo_Combat_01.png" is infinitely more useful than "screenshot_final_v3_FINAL2.png." Creators download dozens of asset packs in a single day. They need to find your files quickly.

Resolution matters. Provide screenshots at 1920x1080 minimum. 4K (3840x2160) is better if you have it. Creators working on YouTube thumbnails and article headers need high-resolution source material. I've tested this: creators consistently use the highest resolution option available when composing thumbnails.

One more thing: no watermarks on screenshots in the press kit. Watermarks are for social media posts, not for press assets that creators will use in their own content.

Key Art and Logo Variations

During Next Fest, your game's visual identity appears in various contexts. Content creators need your art in formats they can actually use.

Provide:

• Horizontal key art (16:9 aspect ratio, for YouTube end screens, article headers, website banners)
• Vertical key art (2:3 or 9:16 aspect ratio, for YouTube thumbnails, mobile previews, social stories)
• Logo on transparent background (PNG with alpha channel, so creators can place it over their own backgrounds)
• Logo on dark background and light background (for creators who don't want to deal with transparency)

Most press kits include one version of the logo. Most creators need three or four. The extra 20 minutes of exporting saves them time and makes covering your game more attractive.

The Trailer (Updated and Accessible)

Your trailer should be current. If you've improved the game since your last trailer, cut a new one. Next Fest is worth the effort.

Include in your press kit:

• A direct download link for the trailer file (MP4, 1080p minimum)
• A YouTube link for easy embedding
• The trailer's runtime

Creators frequently use trailer footage as B-roll in their videos. A downloadable MP4 makes this painless. A YouTube-only trailer forces them to rip it themselves, which some will do and some won't bother with.

If you've created a short gameplay clip (15 to 30 seconds of pure gameplay, no titles or logo animations), include that too. These clips are gold for creators making roundup videos where they show 10 seconds of each game.

Key Request Form

During Next Fest, dozens of creators will want demo keys. Some will email you. Some will fill out a form. Some will DM you on Twitter. Having a standardized key request process saves you time and reduces the risk of key fraud.

Your press kit should include either:

• A link to a key request form (Google Form, Keymailer, Woovit, or a custom form on your website)
• Clear instructions for how to request a key via email

The form should ask for:

• Creator name
• Platform (YouTube, Twitch, etc.)
• Channel URL
• Subscriber or follower count
• Email address for key delivery

Don't make the form complicated. Five fields is enough. Every additional field increases the chance a legitimate creator bounces before completing it. For a deeper look at managing key requests at scale, our guide to handling game key requests covers the full process.

During Next Fest specifically, consider pre-generating a batch of keys and having them ready to send within hours of a request. Creators working through dozens of demos won't wait three days for a key. If you can turn around requests same-day, you dramatically increase your coverage odds. Developers who track their Next Fest outreach consistently report that same-day key delivery correlates directly with actual coverage—creators who have to wait often move on to the next game in their queue.

Quick-Download Asset Package

Here's the move that separates prepared developers from everyone else: create a single ZIP file that contains everything a creator needs.

The package should include:

• 5 to 8 labeled screenshots (from the demo build)
• Key art (horizontal and vertical)
• Logo (transparent PNG)
• One-page fact sheet (PDF or text file)
• Game description (plain text file, 2 to 3 paragraphs, copy-paste ready)
• Trailer file or link
• Steam page URL
• Your contact email

Host it somewhere fast and reliable. Google Drive, Dropbox, or your own server. The link should work without requiring a login. If a creator has to request access to view your Google Drive folder, you've already lost them.

Name the ZIP file clearly: "GameName_NextFest_PressKit_Feb2026.zip" tells a creator exactly what they're downloading and when it was last updated.

Test the download link yourself. From a different browser. Without being logged into anything. Broken links are an embarrassingly common problem, especially during Next Fest when traffic spikes. In practice, developers who test their links from multiple devices and browsers catch issues that would have silently killed coverage opportunities—a Google Drive link that requires login approval is functionally the same as no link at all. Developers who skip this step often discover the problem only when a creator emails them mid-fest.

Demo Availability Section

Add a dedicated section to your press kit that explains how to access the demo. This sounds obvious, but creators who receive your pitch email need a clear path from "I'm interested" to "I'm playing."

Include:

• Steam demo page URL (direct link to the demo's store page or the base game page with the demo button)
• Whether the demo is live now or will go live at a specific date
• Platform requirements (Windows only? Mac? Linux? Minimum specs?)
• Install size (so creators can plan their recording schedule)
• Known issues (if your demo has a known bug in a specific area, flag it. Creators appreciate honesty more than they appreciate discovering a crash on camera.)

The Creator-Specific Section

Consider adding a section to your press kit explicitly labeled "For Content Creators" or "Streamer Kit." This signals that you've thought about their needs specifically.

This section could include:

• Thumbnail-ready assets: A pre-composed image with your logo and a character or scene that works as a YouTube thumbnail background. Creators make their own thumbnails, but giving them raw materials speeds up the process.
• Video description copy: A short paragraph about the game plus key links (Steam page, your social accounts, demo download) formatted for copy-pasting into a YouTube description.
• Hashtags and handles: Your Twitter handle, your game's hashtag, and any Next Fest specific tags (#SteamNextFest, etc.).
• Spoiler guidance: If your demo contains story elements you'd prefer creators discover naturally (rather than being spoiled in thumbnails), mention that here. A polite "we'd appreciate no spoilers past [X point]" is reasonable. Demands are not.

Press Kit Hosting During Next Fest

Traffic to your press kit will spike during the festival. If your press kit is hosted on a personal server running on hardware from the previous decade, it might buckle.

presskit.gg handles hosting and traffic scaling automatically. If you're self-hosting, make sure your server can handle the load or mirror your asset files on a CDN or cloud storage service.

Also verify that your press kit URL is prominently linked from:

• Your Steam store page (in the game description or developer website field)
• Your game's website
• Your social media bios
• Your Next Fest registration contact info (Valve shares this with press during Press Preview)

If a journalist or creator finds your game through Next Fest's Press Preview and can't find your press kit within 30 seconds of looking, you've wasted a free lead.

Free Tool: Next Fest Readiness Score — Score your Next Fest readiness before you register. Runs in your browser, no signup required.

The Complete Checklist

Print this. Check things off. Share it with your team.

Fact Sheet:

• Demo-specific fact sheet created or updated
• Demo content scope clearly described
• Demo playtime listed
• Demo availability dates included
• Full game release window current
• Price point listed (if announced)

Screenshots:

• 5 to 8 screenshots from the demo build (not the full game, not an old build)
• All screenshots at 1920x1080 minimum resolution
• Screenshots clearly labeled with descriptive filenames
• No watermarks on press kit screenshots

Key Art and Logo:

• Horizontal key art (16:9)
• Vertical key art (2:3 or 9:16)
• Logo with transparent background (PNG)
• Logo on dark and light backgrounds

Trailer:

• Current trailer reflecting demo content
• Direct download link (MP4)
• YouTube link included
• Short gameplay clip (15 to 30 seconds) for B-roll

Key Request:

• Key request form or clear instructions in press kit
• Demo keys pre-generated and ready to distribute
• Same-day turnaround plan for key requests during the fest

Asset Package:

• Single ZIP with all essential assets
• ZIP hosted on fast, login-free link
• Download link tested from a different browser
• File named with game title and date

Accessibility:

• Press kit URL linked from Steam store page
• Press kit URL linked from game website
• Press kit URL linked from social media bios
• Press kit URL included in Next Fest registration contact info
• All links tested and working

Creator Section:

• Thumbnail-ready assets included
• Copy-paste video description text provided
• Social handles and hashtags listed
• Spoiler guidance noted (if applicable)

Your press kit is the silent salesperson that works while you're asleep, fixing bugs, or nervously refreshing your wishlist counter at 2 AM. During Next Fest, it's working harder than at any other point in your game's life. The pattern we see most often is that developers who prepare their press kit thoroughly before the fest have significantly more time to engage with creators and respond to feedback during the event itself. Give it the update it deserves.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far in advance should I update my press kit for Next Fest?

At least two weeks before the fest starts. Creators working through Press Preview (which begins 11 days before) need your materials ready by then. Developers who wait until the day before consistently report lower coverage than those who prepared early.

Do I need separate screenshots for my demo press kit?

Yes. Your Next Fest screenshots should come from the actual demo build players will download. Screenshots from your full game or an older prototype create a mismatch between what creators show and what players experience. This kills trust.

Should I create a separate trailer for the demo?

If your existing trailer accurately represents the demo content, you can use it. But if your main trailer shows features or content not in the demo, consider cutting a shorter clip specifically showcasing what's playable. A 30-second gameplay clip works well.

How quickly should I respond to key requests during Next Fest?

Same-day is the goal. Creators working through dozens of demos won't wait three days for a key. Pre-generate a batch of keys before the fest starts so you can approve and send within hours of receiving a request.

Related Guides

This article is part of our series on steam next fest. Start with the complete guide:

• The Steam Next Fest guide

Also in this series:

• Content creator outreach for Next Fest
• Building a game demo
• Analyzing your Next Fest results

For press kit fundamentals, see our guide to when to create your press kit. For registration deadlines and choosing which edition to participate in, see our Next Fest scheduling guide. For the complete Next Fest timeline, see our Steam Next Fest guide. Build your press kit in minutes at presskit.gg.