38 percent of all Steam games were released in 2016

[Scorpus]

According to the latest analysis from Steam Spy, more than a third of all games currently listed on Steam were released this year. And this is without considering there's still just under a month of game releases to go in 2016.

Steam Spy's figures say that a whopping 4,207 games were released on Steam in 2016, considerably more than any other year in the platform's history. The amount of game releases this year will surpass 2015 by well over a thousand, and will crush the mere 565 games that launched on Steam in 2013, just three years ago.

38% of all Steam games were released in 2016 pic.twitter.com/JiX2pt6JhB

— Steam Spy (@Steam_Spy) November 30, 2016

The data from Steam Spy includes Early Access titles, but does not include downloadable content, movies, and software that can be found on Steam.

Early Access is a likely contributor to the explosion of Steam releases from 2013 onward, as Early Access debuted on the platform in March 2013. The service allows indie developers to release in-development versions of their games on Steam for feedback and sales, and has produced a number of popular titles, most notably DayZ, Don't Starve, and Dirt: Rally.

The huge number of Steam releases in 2016 has prompted Valve to modify their Store with features that make it easier to find popular and interesting games. Most recently, Valve revamped the Steam Store homepage to heavily rely on recommendations and curators, rather than simple lists of new releases.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/67251-38-percent-all-steam-games-released-2016.html

 

[Cycloid Torus]

I am still going to buy only 3 or 4 a year.....

 

[Theinsanegamer]

That's what happens when you go from a carefully curates storefront to a garbage heap of gutter trash games cobbled together by codemonkeys in five minutes and spammed to greenlight.

 

[TheSolarisGuru]

Every time I load up Steam and check the store's frontpage it just depresses me these days. There is hardly anything relevant to my gaming interests. Sometimes I wonder if it's just because I'm getting older but I find that most of my friends feel the same way about it.

 

[EClyde]

Too much trash on Steam not only the games but the forums...hoo boy

 

[psycros]

Every time I load up Steam and check the store's frontpage it just depresses me these days. There is hardly anything relevant to my gaming interests. Sometimes I wonder if it's just because I'm getting older but I find that most of my friends feel the same way about it.

You are NOT alone. Its nothing but cheap early access catboxes and pixeljunk now, most of which will never reach release status. Early access has arguably done even more damage to the industry than DLC. Its turned Steam into the Alibaba of gaming.

 

[TomSEA]

Steam needs to do a spin-off website titled "Early Access Steam" so we don't have to wade through the thousands of games that someone has put 6 hours into and tossed up for "early access" money.

I have zero interest in games that aren't 100% complete.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Steam needs to do a spin-off website titled "Early Access Steam" so we don't have to wade through the thousands of games that someone has put 6 hours into and tossed up for "early access" money.

I have zero interest in games that aren't 100% complete.

I think I would be more interested in a "Steam 5-Star" spin-off. You know a listing of only the newest games that people give the highest ratings for. Let their current pages stay the way they are, cluttered with trash.

 

[bmw95]

I wonder if it's to do with any advances in Unity over the years.

 

[Nobina]

It's expected and will continue to happen even more in 2017 as "normies" lean more towards gaming and software industry. They'll ruin it like they did everything they touched.

 

[Bubbajim]

I'm surprised you didn't mention VR at all. There's been a whole new medium of gaming out this year and that's certainly added a few hundred to the list. People still think there's a lack of software, but we're getting like 3 or 4 games a day.

 

[Adhmuz]

That's an absurd number, and sadly most of it is just plain garbage, saying 1% of these games is good is almost a stretch. Sadly I see no reason Valve would ever do away with this because it's just increasing their bottom line, and profit speaks louder than anything else. I'm glad the NMS fiasco had some good come from it in the form of games no longer being aloud to simply draw in customer based on "Bullshots", perhaps this will help in the future. But for now 2016 is easily going to go down as the worst year in Steam's history when it comes to terrible games, the green light was a good concept, it just never really could work in the real world with anyone being able to submit any level of a game in development.

 

[Misagt]

I personally have gone through 4400 games on my discovery que. Yes it's almost all trash, I only have 300 on my wish list. I end up clicking through the que almost as fast as I see them now. One area that is probably the biggest area for new games is the interactive anime novels. I've probably clicked through 1000 of them this year, I'm sure next year will be as bad. Until steam does some work on modifying or breaking up it's selection of games I don't see this getting any better.

On a bright note, I don't think some of the big hits like Ark, rust, or rocket league would be as big if steam was very restrictive on who they allow on their service. Hopefully a new balance is reached.

 

[Duckeenie]

Steam needs to do a spin-off website titled "Early Access Steam" so we don't have to wade through the thousands of games that someone has put 6 hours into and tossed up for "early access" money.

I have zero interest in games that aren't 100% complete.

Steam finally has a checkbox in preferences now that one can toggle to filters out early access titles. Click on the chevron symbol in the top right of the store image for any game.

 

[Odium]

Nothing wrong with indie games. Anyone should be able to earn some money by their skills. Don't like idie? Don't play them. Many of them are actually masterpieces from small teams/single persons who just can't afford to make a big project but still have great ideas.

 

[Experimentongod]

Yeah, I'll stick to my wishlist, I can't bother with their garbage-infested storefront.