pysteamsdk

Python bindings for Valve's Steamworks SDK, built on ctypes: no compiled extension and no runtime dependencies.

Status: early development. The package can initialize and shut down Steam but exposes no Steamworks interfaces yet, and is not published on PyPI.

Goals

• Raw bindings generated from the SDK's metadata and headers, mirroring the flat C API.
• A small runtime that loads the native library, manages initialization and shutdown, and dispatches callbacks.
• Pythonic APIs for achievements, cloud saves, matchmaking, networking and the Workshop.
• Windows, Linux and macOS, verified against each platform's struct layout.

Requirements

• 64-bit CPython 3.11 or newer
• Windows, Linux or macOS
• The Steamworks SDK, downloaded from Valve

The Steamworks SDK is not included

The SDK is proprietary. This repository and its packages contain no SDK headers, metadata or native libraries. Download the SDK from the Steamworks partner site and use it under Valve's terms; your game ships the SDK's redistributable library itself.

Initializing Steam

import pysteamsdk

pysteamsdk.init()
try:
    ...
finally:
    pysteamsdk.shutdown()

• init() loads the Steamworks library from the path you pass, then PYSTEAMSDK_LIB, then the folder of your script or frozen executable, then the working directory. Copy it from the SDK's redistributable_bin folder.
• Steam must be running and logged in. Steam supplies the app ID when it launches your game; outside Steam, put a steam_appid.txt containing the ID in the working directory. pysteamsdk never writes that file or sets environment variables for you.
• Failures raise pysteamsdk.errors.InitError, or its subclasses NoSteamClientError and VersionMismatchError; the message includes Steam's own explanation.
• Steam can be initialized once per process. shutdown() may be called repeatedly, but init() after shutdown() raises LifecycleError: Valve does not document initializing again.
• init() and shutdown() are safe to call from several threads, but pysteamsdk cannot see Steam calls made by other code; stop those before calling shutdown().

Development

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

pysteamsdk's own source code is released under the Apache License 2.0. The Steamworks SDK is licensed separately by Valve. Bindings derived from the SDK will be published only after a redistribution review.

Steam is a trademark of Valve Corporation. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve.