Valve details Steam wishlist API and personalized calendar at Indie Connect
Valve also told developers at the October 27 event how Steam surfaces games and why wishlists alone do not drive visibility.
Valve’s Steam Business team outlined new Steam tools and visibility rules at the Steam Indie Connect developer event on October 27, 2026, according to inven.co.kr. The event was organized by Valve, the Busan Indie Connect Festival organizing committee and the Korea Creative Content Agency.
Tom Giardino and Marc Wilkinson of the Steam Business team presented, and a localization team member joined the Q&A session.
Wishlist data and a personalized calendar
Valve introduced a Wishlist Data API that returns wishlist data by period, country and language for a given app ID and date range. The company also described the Personalized Calendar, a feature that graduated from Steam Labs and recommends new releases wishlisted by players with similar tastes. Valve said the calendar requires an official release date for a game to receive exposure and surfaces a game for only about one to two weeks after release.
On Next Fest, Valve said the first two days show games to players essentially at random, after which personalized recommendations take over. The company also said wishlists do not affect Steam visibility, which is driven by the number of people buying and playing a game.
Asked about concerns over AI-cloned games, Valve advised developers to build community and keep updating their games. Steam first opened on September 12, 2003, and recently recorded 43.5 million peak concurrent users worldwide, the outlet reported.
Quick answers
What is Valve's Wishlist Data API?
It returns Steam wishlist data by period, country and language for a given app ID and date range, as introduced at Steam Indie Connect on October 27, 2026.
Do Steam wishlists affect a game's visibility?
Valve said wishlists do not affect Steam visibility, which is driven by the number of people buying and playing a game.
How long does Steam's Personalized Calendar show a game?
Valve said the feature surfaces a game for only about one to two weeks after release and requires an official release date.