Game Trailer Shot List Generator: Plan Your Trailer
Enter your game, pick an announcement, gameplay or launch trailer at 30, 60 or 90 seconds, and list the 3 to 5 moments you most want to show. You get a timed shot list with what to capture, on-screen text and audio cues for every shot, plus a capture checklist for your recording session. Planning the trailer needs a free Ziva account.
How to use it
- Enter the Game title and Genre, and optionally what the game is in one sentence, then press Next.
- Pick a Trailer type (Announcement, Gameplay or Launch) and a Length of 30, 60 or 90 seconds, then press Next.
- Describe at least 3 moments to show, up to 5. Sign in to Ziva if asked, then press Plan my trailer.
- Work through the Capture checklist while you record, using the shot list as your script.
- Press Copy as markdown to paste the plan into your notes, or Download CSV to open it in a spreadsheet. Press Generate another for a different cut.
What Steam asks of your trailer
Steam requires a trailer as part of the release process. Valve's trailer documentation asks for .mov, .wmv or .mp4 files up to 1920 x 1080, with 1920x1080 or 1280x720 as safe sizes, at 30/29.97 or 60/59.94 fps and a high bit rate of 5,000+ Kbps. H.264 video and AAC audio are preferred, audio should use a 44 kHz or 48 kHz sample rate, and 16:9 is preferred over the accepted 4:3.
Valve highly recommends that the first trailer on your store page is primarily gameplay, from the player's perspective, and says it is often beneficial to keep the in-game HUD visible in gameplay videos. The first two trailers play before the screenshots, and Steam builds the 6-second looping microtrailer it uses around the store from the first video visible on your page.
Valve also warns that a viewer may be watching without any audio and that in places like the Discovery Queue you may have less than 10 seconds to make an impression. That is why every shot list here opens on gameplay within 3 seconds and carries the key ideas in short on-screen text.
How to make a game trailer from a shot list
Record first, edit second. Set up a save or debug scene for each moment so you can replay it on demand, and record each shot several times; the best take is rarely the first. Capture at the resolution you will upload, hide debug overlays, and keep the HUD visible unless a shot is meant to be cinematic.
Pick the music before you cut, then line the shot changes up with its beats. The timecodes in the plan are a starting point; nudge them so big hits, pickups and title cards land on the music. Keep most shots between 1 and 4 seconds, and save the longest uninterrupted shot for the moment that shows your core loop best.
Match the ending to the trailer type: an announcement trailer ends on the title and a wishlist call to action, a gameplay trailer shows more systems and a wishlist line, and a launch trailer ends on the title with Available now. To build a better moment to record, the Ziva prompt below asks Ziva to make a showcase scene for it inside your game engine.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a game trailer be?
Does Steam require a trailer?
What video format does Steam want for trailers?
What is a shot list for a game trailer?
Is the trailer shot list generator free?
More free game dev tools
- Steam Store Page Checklist: Score your Steam page against Valve's requirements and get a fix for every gap.
- Press Kit Generator: Turn your game's facts, features and screenshots into a hostable press kit page.
- Devlog Idea Generator: Get five devlog ideas with a hook, an outline and a footage list for each.