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Steam is replacing bulk review retrieval through the legacy /appreviews store endpoint with the IUserReviewsService/GetAppReviews Web API method. The new method can be called without an API key, but anonymous calls share a lower rate limit and responses may be cached for up to 10 minutes. To migrate, switch to the service endpoint, send parameters through input_json, update parameter names and enum values, and adapt pagination and response parsing.
What is changing?
Steamworks announced that bulk review retrieval from https://store.steampowered.com/appreviews/<appid>?json=1 will be disabled on October 22 and directs developers to IUserReviewsService/GetAppReviews on api.steampowered.com. The announcement page shows October 2 but does not identify the year, so the disablement year is not established by the announcement text available at that URL. Check Steamworks for the current status before relying on the date. Steamworks announcement
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Steam says the replacement should return basically the same data, but that the HTTP request must be changed. This is a migration, not a choice between two supported equivalent endpoints: the old store endpoint is scheduled for disablement, and GetAppReviews is its replacement. Steam says moving reviews off the store endpoint is intended to avoid slowdowns when the store is under heavy load and allow developers to use a higher request frequency; it does not publish a measured reliability comparison. The User Reviews API launched in 2017, according to Steamworks. Steamworks announcement
Does GetAppReviews require an API key?
No. The method-specific Steamworks reference states: “This method does not require a key, and anonymous responses may be cached for up to 10 minutes.” Calls without a key are allowed, but they share a lower rate limit. A Steamworks Web API publisher authentication key associated with the app provides the higher rate limit. Rate-limited requests return HTTP 429. GetAppReviews API reference
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This exception is specific to GetAppReviews. Steam’s general Web API documentation says API use requires a key; follow the method-specific guidance for this endpoint rather than assuming the general rule applies here. Steam Web API overview
For production bulk retrieval, use the app-associated key where permitted and handle HTTP 429 with a retry strategy appropriate to your workload. If you call anonymously, allow for shared throttling and the documented cache window when diagnosing stale-looking results; a fresh request is not guaranteed to reflect a review submitted moments earlier.
Legacy endpoint and replacement compared
| Aspect | Legacy store endpoint | GetAppReviews |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Scheduled for disablement on October 22; announcement text does not state the year. Steamworks announcement | Steamworks’ designated replacement. API reference |
| Address and request format | https://store.steampowered.com/appreviews/<appid>?json=1; parameters were separate query parameters. |
GET https://api.steampowered.com/IUserReviewsService/GetAppReviews/v1/; requires appid and sends method parameters through input_json. API reference |
| Authentication and limits | Not stated in the supplied Steamworks change announcement. | Key optional; anonymous calls have a lower shared rate limit and may be cached for up to 10 minutes. App-associated key gets the higher rate limit. HTTP 429 indicates rate limiting. API reference |
| Filters and sorting | Existing filter parameters, including string values for filter, review type, and purchase type. | Enum values for those settings; adds Funny sorting and date-range, playtime, Steam Deck, and hardware filters. API reference Steamworks announcement |
| Pagination | Legacy pagination format. | Cursor-based; omit cursor or use * on the first request, then pass the returned cursor. Cursor values may need URL encoding. API reference |
| Response | Includes a success field; fields otherwise depend on the legacy response schema. |
No success field; includes reviews and a cursor, with some changed and added fields. Check HTTP status. API reference |
How to migrate from /appreviews
- Change the URL and request envelope. Call
GET https://api.steampowered.com/IUserReviewsService/GetAppReviews/v1/. Include the requiredappidand provide method parameters throughinput_json, rather than carrying over the old endpoint’s separate query-parameter layout. GetAppReviews API reference - Decide whether to send a key. For higher rate limits, supply the optional publisher key associated with the app. If the call is anonymous, design for the lower shared limit and possible caching for up to 10 minutes; handle HTTP 429. Keep publisher credentials out of client-side code and public repositories. GetAppReviews API reference
- Translate old parameters. Use
languagesinstead oflanguage. It accepts a list: empty means English, andallmeans all languages. Convert old string values forfilter,review_type, andpurchase_typeto the new interface’s enum values. Check the API reference for the exact accepted values. GetAppReviews API reference Steamworks announcement - Set page size and cursor behavior.
num_per_pagedefaults to 20 and cannot exceed 100. Omitcursoror set it to*for the first request; for each subsequent request, send the cursor returned by the preceding response. URL-encode cursor values when constructing the request. GetAppReviews API reference - Choose a filter that supports your collection goal. Helpful defaults to a 30-day lookback and has a documented maximum of 365 days; set its day range to zero for no limit. Helpful may widen its range until it finds results, so it is not a dependable filter for walking every review page to an empty result. Steam recommends Recent or Updated when paging through all reviews. GetAppReviews API reference
- Update response handling. Treat HTTP status as the success or failure signal rather than expecting a
successproperty. Parseweighted_vote_scoreas numeric, remove reliance onauthor.num_games_owned, and accept the new per-reviewrefundedfield. Handletotal_matchingandday_range_used, which are also new. The first page includes aggregate score fields only whenreview_typeis All. GetAppReviews API reference Steamworks announcement
How to retrieve reviews without missing pages
Use the returned cursor as the continuation token for the next request; do not assume a stable numeric offset. For a complete crawl, use Recent or Updated and continue requesting pages until a response contains an empty review list. Keep the chosen filters and language scope consistent across the crawl so the pages belong to the same result set. If you need all languages, set languages to all; an empty list selects English, not every language. GetAppReviews API reference
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallDo not treat total_matching alone as proof that every page has been collected: continue according to the cursor and empty-list behavior. When using Helpful, remember its lookback can expand and its results do not provide the same predictable all-pages-to-empty pattern that Steam describes for Recent or Updated.
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Keep review analysis within Steam’s rules
Steam says review data can help developers find nuance and trends in feedback, but its policy also says: “Don’t attempt to abuse or artificially manipulate the review system.” Use the endpoint to understand player feedback, not to pressure reviewers or distort review outcomes. Steam user review policy
Quick Recap
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