Build ID
Also called: BuildID, Steam build number
A Steam build ID is the global number Steam assigns to each uploaded build of a game, used to tell builds apart and to set one live on a branch.
A build ID is the identifier Steam gives every complete upload of a game. Valve's SteamPipe documentation says that after all depots are processed, Steam assigns the finished app build a global BuildID (Steamworks documentation, partner.steamgames.com/doc/sdk/uploading, accessed 27 Oct 2026). The build then appears on the app's Builds page.
Builds go live on branches. The default branch is the version customers get, and Valve does not allow a build to be set live on it automatically, so a person sets it in App Admin. Beta branches can be private behind a password, which is how studios share test builds (Steamworks documentation, partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/application/branches, accessed 27 Oct 2026).
QA writes the build ID on every bug report and test run. It answers the questions that matter on patch day, such as which build a bug first appeared in, whether a fix is in the build that is live, and which build to roll back to if a patch goes wrong.
Updated · Written by JJ, founder of Jumbo Jelly.
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Related terms
- Repro steps
Repro steps are the numbered actions that make a bug happen again on demand, written so a developer can trigger it without asking the tester anything.
- Regression pass
A regression pass retests features that already worked after a code change, to catch bugs the new patch broke in old parts of the game.
- Gold master
Gold master is the build a studio approves as the release version, after QA signs off that no known game-breaking bugs remain.
- Smoke test
A smoke test is a short check that a new build starts, loads and runs its main loop, done before deeper testing so nobody wastes hours on a broken build.