Steamworks is a complete suite of publishing and development tools that offers PC game developers and publishers access to the game features and services available through Steam. These include product key authentication, copy protection, auto-updating, social networking, matchmaking, anti-cheat technology, and more. The features and services available in Steamworks are offered free of charge and may be used for both electronic and tangible versions of games.

The Official Steamworks SDK includes a fully functional API for all the components offered in Steamworks. Available now to developers and publishers worldwide, the SDK also includes a multiplayer game example to demonstrate many of the features in action. In addition, the Steamworks partner web site (http://partner.steamgames.com) has been updated with documentation outlining the ease of use of the API, authoring and editing of achievements, gameplay statistics, and more.