Author image. We made the deadline for October Next Fest. But its the road we got on that is the feature.
tldr;
Start Steam account setup, store and game approval process early. You don’t need a working game or build for that. If you are worried about giving away the game, get the page approved but don’t publish it. Default setting is hidden. You have to press publish to make it public. Budget 40+ days, end to end.
2 weeks before the registration deadline for a major Steam event in which you want to participate is too late. 3 months before is better. Store and build approval cycles are different and take multiple rounds to get game and store page approved. Steam gets into the game. It tests it. It find issues, flaws and problems that you missed. The process is not superficial. It is more than paying $100 to get your title listed.
Playtest the engine, the game, the interface as early as possible. As frequently as possible. Don’t be afraid to digout, discard, kill and cancel features when multiple users point out the same issues. Do this pre-Steam.
Then playtest on Steam. Followed by early access on Steam. Incorporate feedback, tweak and improve the game, then release the game. Four step process. Pre-Steam playtest. Steam playtest. Early access. Release.
