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.

Why is Steam so popular?

Steam was originally created by Half-Life developer Valve as a platform to update their games and distribute them digitally. The service had a slow start, then facing competition from brick and mortar stores and physical copies, but it wasn't long until it became the largest digital distribution platform for PC gaming. Over the years Valve has successfully created a platform that hosts games from most other publishers, studios, and game creators in general.

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, Apex Legends, Lost Ark, PUBG, Destiny 2, War Thunder, Dota 2, Warframe, Team Fortress 2, and World of Warships.

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, Uplay, Origin and Itch.io.

Does Steam have Fortnite?

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

Is there a monthly fee for Steam?

Absolutely not. Steam is free and the platform makes money through the sale of games and other digital content.

How do I install Steam Beta?

Opting in to the Steam Client Beta lets you use the latest features before they're released.

Please follow the instructions below to participate in the Steam client 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.

If you are using Big Picture Mode:

  • Select 'Settings' then 'System'
  • Check the 'Participate in client beta' option
  • Follow the prompt to restart Steam

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

  • Android version updated to 3.8.0

May 20, 2024 release

General

  • Fixed the "Enable overlay" setting showing the wrong default value

Steam Input

  • Restored the previous default of no deadzone for gamepad outputs bound to joystick

May 16, 2024 release

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

General

  • Fixed the "Enable overlay" setting showing the wrong default value

Steam Input

  • Restored the previous default of no deadzone for gamepad outputs bound to joystick
  • Android version updated to 3.7.7

Previous release notes

General

  • Fixed a bug that could result in non-primary steam library folders to be forgotten.

Big Picture

  • Fixed non-steam games not showing in search results in Big Picture mode.
  • Fixed a 'long_value' error when playing a game that uses certain gyro configuration.

Steam Input

  • Reverted Joystick Deadzone "Raw/None" behavior to "Controller Default"
  • Fixed Radial Menu selection on Release when bound to Joystick.
  • Fixed Controller Settings Joystick Deadzone Preference using minimum value instead of default value.
  • Fixed invisible glyphs in Gyro Button Picker Interface for Sony DualShock.
  • Switch Pro controller: Restored "Capture" button as an available Gyro Activation Button

Today we're shipping a significant update to Steam Client, with new features and improvements to the Steam Desktop experience. This includes:

  • Updated Steam Client notifications, with additional settings allowing you to choose which notifications you'll see, and where you'll see them
  • Visual and usability improvements in dialogs, menus, fonts, and colors - including screenshot manager, achievements, and more
  • An overhauled in-game overlay (accessible via Shift+Tab), with an updated design, new features, and more customizability
  • New notes functionality with rich text formatting, image pasting, and offline functionality. Multiple notes can be saved per-game, and they are accessible via the in-game overlay, desktop client, and Steam Deck
  • New pinning functionality - panels from the in-game overlay can now be "pinned" (with adjustable opacity) so they are viewable while in-game
  • Updated controller configurator is now part of the overlay when a gamepad is connected
  • Mac & Linux versions of Steam have been updated to enable hardware acceleration
  • In addition to these features, a good portion of the work we did in this update went into significant improvements under-the-hood, including changes to how we share code across Steam Desktop, Steam Deck, and Big Picture Mode.

Read more about the update and watch the announcement video in the blog post here.