Instantly access to your favorite games on Steam, with thousands of games, exclusive deals, automatic game updates and other great perks. With Steam you can also join the Steam Community of PC gamers, join game groups, form clans, chat in-game and more.

Steam simplifies game management with features like auto-updates and cloud saves. The platform includes strong social features, user reviews, and mod support through the Steam Workshop.

Name a few great free games available on Steam...

We have two dedicated articles highlighting great titles available for free on Steam, but to name a few popular ones: Counter-Strike 2, Brawlhalla, Apex Legends, Warframe, PUBG, Destiny 2, War Thunder, Dota 2, Path of Exile, Team Fortress 2, and World of Warships.

These games offer high-quality multiplayer or co-op experiences without requiring any payment to start playing.

Why is Steam so popular?

Steam is popular because it offers a massive game library, frequent discounts, and reliable digital ownership where games are tied to your account. Steam was created by Half-Life developer Valve as a platform to update their games and distribute them digitally back in 2003. The service had a slow start, but it didn't take too long until it became the top digital distribution platform for PC gamers.

Is there anything better than Steam?

Steam remains the biggest PC gaming platform, but there are good alternatives like the Epic Games Store, GOG Galaxy, Ubisoft Connect, Origin and Itch.io.

Does Steam have Fortnite?

Fortnite is not on Steam. Fortnite is developed by Epic Games, who have their own competing platform.

Is Steam available for Android devices?

Yes, Steam offers an official app for Android devices. The app allows you to chat with friends, browse the store, and manage your game library. However, it's primarily for account management and does not support game installations or gameplay on Android devices.

Is there a monthly fee for Steam?

No, Steam does not require a monthly fee to use its platform. Creating a Steam account and accessing its core features are entirely free. You only pay when purchasing individual games or downloadable content (DLC).

How do I install Steam Beta?

Opting in to the Steam Beta Client lets you use the latest features before they're released. Follow these instructions to participate in the beta:

  • With Steam running, click on "Steam" in the upper left, then choose the "Settings" menu. (Preferences on Mac)
  • On the "Account" tab under "Beta Participation" click the "Change..." button.
  • Select the "Steam Beta Update" from the drop down list and click "OK".
  • You will be prompted to restart Steam, please select the "Restart Steam" button.

Create and Share Content

Gift your friends, trade items, and even create new content for games in the Steam Workshop. Help shape the future of your favorite games.

Entertainment Anywhere

Whether you're on a PC, Mac, Linux box, mobile device, or even your television, you can enjoy the benefits of Steam. Take the fun with you.

Available on PC, Mac, and Linux

We offer a catalog of PC, Mac, and Linux games, many of which support Steam Play so you can buy once and play anywhere, and Cross-Platform Multiplayer so you can play with all your friends, no matter where they log in.

What's New

A new Steam Client update has been released and will be automatically downloaded.

General

  • Allow changing account while a game is running. In this case, the change account dialog shows a warning that proceeding will close active games.
  • Added "Ask which account to use on startup" toggle to startup account chooser.
  • Eliminated "change account" confirmation dialog in most cases. Changing account while Steam is running now brings up the account chooser directly, then restarts as the chosen account.
  • Steam shutdown now waits for just-exited games to finish cloud sync.
  • Fixed issues where some Steam Workshop items were not being updated properly.
  • Fixed game server browser filtering out multiple servers being hosted from a single public IP.
  • Fixed an issue where sometimes uninstalling a game would not remove it from the download queue

Friends & Chat

  • Chat messages with suspicious content will now be flagged in group chats. You can report the messages, block the sender, or dismiss the warning by clicking the notice.

Big Picture Mode

  • In the Web Browser, the left trackpad of Steam Deck/Steam Controller is now bound to scroll wheel for navigating non-Steam websites.
  • Fixed a bug where a single pixel line would sometimes appear above the header on the home screen.

Remote Play

  • Improved video color range on all platforms.
  • Added support for HDR streaming on Steam Deck OLED.
  • Fixed a case where streaming could show a black window.
  • Fixed a bug where Remote Devices with Remote Play enabled weren't showing as Streamable.
  • Fixed video frame being clipped when using pipewire capture with desktop scaling on Wayland.
  • Fixed framerate drop when using the unlimited bandwidth option with VA-API encoding on Linux.

Steam Input

  • Make controller configurations that are shared with other devices or unique to a device more clear in the configurator UI and add an option to split Steam Controller configurations so they are no longer shared with Steam Deck.

Linux

  • Fixed some keys not typing properly in Steam Overlay when in Big Picture Mode.
  • Fixed a crash when suspending/resuming a device after a controller disconnected.

A Refreshed Steam Store Home Page

Today we are excited to announce the release of the refreshed Steam Store home page. Thank you to everyone who opted into the Steam Client beta and provided feedback during the beta period. The updated design is a continuation of recent improvements across the Steam store, like the game page updates we made a few months ago.

Overall Design Refresh

Over the years we've introduced new sections and added more ways for you to discover and learn about games, and this update aims to make the store home feel more cohesive. Each section has a distinct set of tools and information to give users many ways to explore the diverse catalog of games on Steam. A goal of this visual refresh is to strike a balance between providing more consistency in UI elements, while allowing the unique nature of each section to show through.

Featured & Recommended

There is now more detailed information highlighting the reason a game is being recommended to you; plus a user review round-up. When hovering over a game's cover art, the game's micro-trailer will play for a quick peek at the action. We also added a sneak-peek of the adjacent games in the carousel.

New Wishlist and DLC Sections

We've brought back two sections that you may have seen during our big seasonal sales permanently: Games currently on sale from your wishlist, and recommended DLCs for you on sale.

New Personalized Calendar

You can now find a personalized calendar right on the home page, giving you a quick way to see new and upcoming games recommended based on what you play. Page through to see new and exciting games that are coming out in the next two weeks or view your full calendar to look even further out. You can even see recommended new releases you may have missed.

Updated Discovery Queue

A quicker way to browse titles in your Discovery Queue without leaving the home page.

Keep scrolling for more recommendations

We refreshed the design to bring this part of the store home in line visually and functionally with the rest of the sections. This includes a micro-trailer and screenshot preview display. Additionally, you can now click a screenshot to expand it.

Popular Upcoming: Now more popular

The contents of this tab have been updated in response to player feedback in order to better capture the most anticipated releases of the coming month. If you're looking for more niche upcoming releases, check out your Personal Calendar (details above).

New Motion Sensitivity Store Preferences

We know that bigger animated assets can be a problem for some folks. If you're sensitive to motion such as animated marketing assets or trailers that appear when hovering over games, we've got you covered: These things can be disabled by visiting your Store Preferences. When disabled on the home page we will switch to static screenshots instead of micro-trailers and use static marketing assets.

Improved Gamepad Navigation

Users with a controller will see significant improvements to navigation on the homepage. This will mostly impact players on Steam Deck or using Big Picture Mode.

Improved Gamepad Navigation

Users with a controller will see significant improvements to navigation on the homepage. This will mostly impact players on Steam Deck or using Big Picture Mode.

High Resolution Game Art

We're now displaying higher resolution game art for better visual clarity, making the most of the latest game art uploaded by developers.