Connect Steam

Steam is connected in the publishing console, not on a Connections page. The Connections page lists it and sends you here. There are two keys, for two jobs, and they are not interchangeable. See Connections for how connecting works in general.

What it is for

  • Selling and importing keys. An environment's store credential: your Steam app id and a publisher Web API key. It lets the environment sell through Steam's overlay and import keys. It belongs to one environment, because a studio's test and production builds are usually two Steam apps.
  • Naming players. A project's own Steam Web API key, which reads your players' Steam names when they sign in through Steam. It serves every environment of the project.

Steam's sales and wishlist reports are a different key, for a different job: see Connect Steam sales and wishlist reports.

The store credential

  1. In Steamworks, create a publisher Web API key with the Microtransactions and Sales Data permissions (Users & Permissions, Manage Groups, your group), and allow it from GreenMind's servers. Enable in-game purchases for your app. Steam's documentation on publisher keys explains them.
  2. In the console, open the environment's Commerce, then Stores, and enter your Steam app id and the key. Leave Sandbox on everywhere but the environment your released game uses.

Before anything is saved, Steam is asked whether the key covers the app. A key from another Steamworks group, a key Steam refuses, or Steam not answering refuses the save, and nothing changes. The key is sealed when it is saved and never shown again; to change it, enter a new one. Commerce has the rest.

The player-names key

  1. Get a Steam Web API key for your studio's Steam account at steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey. It is the ordinary Web API key, not the publisher key above.
  2. On the project page in the console, in the Steam section, choose Add a Steam key, enter the key, and leave Name players by their Steam names on.

Steam is asked once, as you save, whether it takes the key. Players describes what it does.

If it goes wrong

  • The store credential will not save. Steam refused the key or does not list the app for it. Check that the key was made in the group that owns the app, with the permissions above, and that GreenMind's servers are allowed to use it.
  • Player names do not appear. The key is missing or refused, or Name players by their Steam names is off, or the player did not sign in through Steam.
  • Test and Reconnect do not apply. Steam is changed in the console, where you replace a key by entering another.