Steams 2024 Year in Review: Record Growth and New Features Unveiled

Valve has published the results of Steam for the year 2024. This year marked the delivery of the Steam Deck to a new continent—Australia—while the platform introduced a game recording feature and enhanced the purchasing and promotion processes in its store. Additionally, by the end of the year, Steam set a new record for online users and concurrent players.

**User Features**

Steam continues to enhance the experience of finding and purchasing games. Notable updates for 2024 include:

— Improved demo visibility. Each demo now has its own dedicated page featuring user reviews. Users can install demos even if they own the full game.

— A record number of thematic sales. Festivals celebrating various genres and mechanics have gained even more popularity.

— Increased third-party sales and events. From 6 such pages in 2019, the number grew to 900 in 2024.

— Seasonal sales saw a 10% revenue increase compared to 2023.

— An “early access” label was introduced for games that can be launched ahead of their official release through pre-orders.

— The store interface has been simplified. Developers can now upload official comparison images for different game editions.

— User review sorting has been improved, with a usefulness metric that takes into account players’ opinions, moderators’ feedback, and algorithms.

— The shopping cart has been revamped. Users can now purchase gifts, make private purchases, and synchronize their carts across devices.

— Developers are required to indicate the presence of AI-generated content and anti-cheat systems operating at the core level.

**Games and Sharing Features**

Steam has added new capabilities for libraries and game sharing:

— Enhanced preload options for large games, making preload availability more noticeable.

— New game update settings allow users to set general update parameters and create exceptions.

— The Steam Workshop has been refreshed with new tools for managing mods.

— Family groups have been introduced, enabling users to share their game libraries with family members and allow parents to monitor their children’s gaming time.

— The screenshot section has been redesigned, allowing users to share screenshots in chat, copy them to the clipboard, and share multiple images at once.

— The game recording feature came out of beta testing in November, with players having recorded one million videos, and an average of 800 videos being submitted per minute.

**Developer Tools**

Steam has enhanced its services for game developers:

— Separate demo pages with review options have been added.

— Content guidelines have been updated to comply with new German legislation.

— A new visual editor for game descriptions is now available, making it easier to edit product pages.

— A calendar feature has been introduced for tracking participation in sales and promotions.

— Improved tools for showcasing games in the store now allow developers to highlight other games and recommended add-ons.

— APIs for managing game beta versions have been updated, enabling players to see which version is installed, while developers can invite users to join beta testing.

— The number of games fully compatible with the Steam Deck has reached 17,000. In 2024, users spent 330 million hours on Steam Deck, a 64% increase from 2023.

**Platform Growth Data**

Steam has achieved new milestones:

— By December 2024, the number of concurrent users reached 39 million, and at the start of 2025, it climbed to 40 million.

— The number of new Steam users continues to grow, with 1.7 million individuals registering for the first time due to the most popular releases of 2023.

— In 2024, 500 games earned $250,000 in their first month post-release, a 27% increase over 2023.

— 200 games made $1 million in the month following their release, a 15% increase compared to 2023.

— The game TCG Card Shop Simulator from Malaysian studio OPNeon attracted 1 million users in its first month. Notably, 92% of copies of the game Until Then from Philippine studio Polychroma Games were sold outside the Philippines.