Wishlists and followers perform different jobs
A wishlist is a user's way of saving the game for later purchase.
A follow is a user's way of opting in for development updates.
Steam exposes both actions on a store page, but they lead to different forms of communication.
The main differences between the two are as follows:
| Axis | Wishlist | Follow |
|---|---|---|
| Signals | Intent to acquire the game, saved for later | Interest in hearing more, not necessarily buying |
| Notification triggers | Launch, Early Access exit, and discounts of 20% or more | Announcements and events in the Steam activity feed and News Hub |
| Gives the studio contact details | No | No |
| Visible to the public | No, private to the developer in Steamworks | Yes, follower counts are public |
| Role in pre-launch visibility (e.g. Popular Upcoming) | Limited input; not a broad discovery signal | No direct role |
| Link to commercial outcome | Closer to the eventual sales result | Weaker direct link; mainly a communication signal |
| Best used for | Primary pre-launch demand measurement | Ongoing communication, and estimating a competitor's likely wishlist scale (roughly 12 wishlists per follower, per published analysis) |
Wishlists matter more at launch
Wishlists create a pool of players who can be reminded at the moments most closely connected to purchase. They also have a limited role in pre-launch visibility, including Popular Upcoming. Valve states that wishlists are generally not a direct input into Steam's algorithmic visibility elsewhere.
The value is therefore practical rather than magical. More qualified wishlists increase the number of interested players who may return at release, but Steam still responds to what happens after launch. Sales, audience response and product relevance determine whether the game continues climbing through the store's visibility systems.
This is why a studio should not optimise for the largest possible wishlist number at any cost. Source and velocity matter. A smaller list acquired from a strong demo, well-matched creators and clear genre positioning can outperform a larger list generated by broad exposure with weak buying intent.
Followers reveal useful competitive context
Developers can see their own wishlist balance in Steamworks, but competitors' wishlist totals are private. Follower counts are public, so analysts use them to estimate the approximate scale and growth of unreleased games.
Industry analysis surveyed more than 125 unreleased Steam games in 2023. Most had between 7 and 20 wishlists for every follower, with an average multiplier of 12.37 and a median of 12. An earlier 2021 survey found a median of 9.6.
The multiplier is an estimate, not a conversion formula. It varies by genre, audience behaviour, store-page age and how actively a studio uses Steam announcements. Applying 12 wishlists per follower to every game will produce false precision. The ratio is better for estimating an order of magnitude or comparing a game's trajectory with similar titles.
For example, a public follower curve that accelerates after a festival or demo update indicates a real change in attention. Multiplying the follower total by a broad range can help approximate the likely wishlist scale, but the slope and timing may be more informative than the estimated total.
Track volume, velocity and audience quality
Use wishlists as the main pre-launch demand measure, then add followers as a supporting engagement metric. A useful dashboard includes:
- Total wishlist balance and net additions.
- Daily and weekly wishlist velocity.
- Wishlist additions by campaign or event.
- Followers and follower growth around announcements.
- Wishlist-to-follower ratio, compared with similar games rather than the whole market.
Steamworks Wishlist Reporting tracks wishlist additions, purchases and deletions. UTM Analytics records tracked visits and attributes wishlists or purchases completed within 72 hours when the player is signed in. Followers become more useful when the studio publishes events and announcements consistently enough to give the follow action a purpose.
Neither metric provides a direct audience relationship. Steam controls the notification rules and placement. Pairing Steam activity with email or Discord gives players another way to opt into updates and lets the studio communicate between Steam's trigger events. Use one clear next step for each channel: wishlist for launch and discount reminders, follow for Steam updates, and an owned channel for deeper pre-launch activation through a conversion funnel.
Sources: Steamworks documentation on followers, wishlists, visibility, wishlist reporting and UTM analytics. Published follower-to-wishlist multiplier analysis, 2021 and 2023.
