Steam News News

[p]The new Steam store menu is now out of beta and available everywhere - including the Steam client, Steam Deck, and Steam Mobile. [/p][p][/p][p]We redesigned the Steam store menu to offer a more dynamic and personalized experience, making it easier for players to browse the store and discover new games. Updated organization and layout make navigation and search more accessible, and now you'll find those options on more store pages. The search bar is also a little smarter, with personalized search and browsing suggestions, plus games you've recently searched for. [/p][p][/p][p]Read about the specific changes to the store menu here in our original announcement of the beta, and try it out yourself on the Steam store.[/p][p][/p][p][video][/video][/p][p][/p][p]As always, our beta testers were super helpful in providing feedback and identifying bugs. If you'd like to be a part of that process with other in-progress Steam features, you can join the Steam Client Beta.[/p]

[p]A new Steam client has been released and will be automatically downloaded.[/p][p][/p][p]Note: This update was re-released on September 12th to fix a new crash in D3D12 games, and to fix a bug impacting WindowsBlinds users with an ever growing Steam window. Earlier macOS was updated to fix a client startup issue on new installs.[/p][p][/p][p]Accessibility[/p]

• [p]Added an accessibility settings menu to desktop mode. It includes features such as:[/p]
  • [p]High Contrast mode,[/p]
  • [p]Reduced motion settings,[/p]
  • [p]UI Scale controls.[/p]
• [p]Added accessibility annotations to many UI components.[/p]

[p]In-Game Overlay[/p]

• [p]Fixed fonts and UI in the overlay being somewhat fuzzy, aligned unevenly, or appearing over anti-aliased for users with Display Scale (DPI) > 100%.[/p]
• [p]Implement DPI scaling of Performance Monitor display (if you have > 100% display scale, your size will change on update and you may need to adjust it again, this should be a one time inconvenience).[/p]
• [p]Fixed a case where DLSS vs game FPS numbers could be incorrect in some games loading DLSS modules.[/p]
• [p]Fixed some cases where numeric labels in the Performance Monitor display could cut off their last digit when drawing.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Performance Monitor hot-key changes while in-game not immediately taking effect.[/p]
• [p]Performance improvement for Vulkan overlay rendering (most obvious when Performance Monitor FPS chart rendering).[/p]
• [p]Performance improvement for Open GL overlay rendering in games using the Open GL shader pipeline (again most obvious when Performance Monitor FPS chart rendering, this fix doesn't impact old games using the Open GL fixed function pipeline).[/p]
• [p]Performance monitor and general overlay rendering performance significantly improved in some D3D12 titles that are at times CPU bound and use high async rendering.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Performance Monitor rendering on macOS if certain fonts are not available.[/p]
• [p]Performance monitor FPS numbers improved to not overcount by 1 frame in certain vsync or frame rate capped scenarios.[/p]
• [p]Performance Monitor now supports CPU temperature on Windows and Linux, on Windows this requires a kernel mode driver, and there is an option to disable if you don't want that. The driver is only installed and running when Performance Monitor is visible at full CPU detail levels and only if you don't disable the driver in the In-Game settings.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted Performance Monitor GPU Utilization measurement on Windows+NVIDIA GPUs to closer match some other tools. This will again shift the number to match task manager less, but match some other tools measurements more closely. The percentage you see will not change in many games, but may now show higher utilization in some games. See our Performance Monitor FAQ for more info on how we measure.[/p]
• [p]Fixed game overview window failing to load if there is an issue loading data for popular or favorite guides.[/p]

[p]Big Picture[/p]

• [p]Fixed 8BitDo controller guide button showing the Xbox logo.[/p]
• [p]Fixed page shift when scrolling through link buttons on game details page.[/p]
• [p]Fixed achievement presentation in app activity feed and post-game summary panels.[/p]
• [p]Fixed spacing of friend icons in "Played Previously" and "On Their Wishlist" sections in app details.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the user avatar not showing in the header when starting the client in offline mode.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where selection would be lost when navigating back out of app details and other screens.[/p]
• [p]Added the percentage of the transfer remaining to the Steam Cloud upload/download text in the library.[/p]

[p]General[/p]

• [p]Added a notification for when a trade is reversed via Trade Protection[/p]
• [p]Added the ability to filter by Private games in dynamic collections or filtered app views.[/p]
• [p]Added a Customization tab to game properties. The Customization tab allows users to view and set custom artwork for the game and set a custom sort title that will be used instead of the actual title when sorting games in the library.[/p]
• [p]Improved presentation of private apps in the client while offline.[/p]
• [p]Improved robustness of collection storage.[/p]
• [p]Modified Notification Settings to be clearer about which notifications will show toasts/play sounds when toasts are globally disabled.[/p]
• [p]Store menu - fixed blur issue for users with GPU acceleration turned off[/p]
• [p]Store menu - Top Genres should now be more relevant and dynamic[/p]
• [p]Store menu - added Store Home link[/p]
• [p]Store menu - Search drop down now marks search results as: in library, on wishlist, in cart, ignored, and excluded by preferences.[/p]
• [p]Fixed settings window not scrolling to the bottom when displayed at certain resolutions.[/p]
• [p]Fixed notifications and find-in-page popups intermittently failing to close or focus.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where screenshots from no longer installed Source mods could cause an error when filtering the "Screenshots and Recordings" page.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where newly created accounts would show an empty library even after games had been added.[/p]
• [p]Fixed custom logo images for non-Steam games sometimes not appearing.[/p]
• [p]Fixed game downloads not starting if user is subscribed to a controller configuration that is not available anymore.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Steam Deck compatibility and controller compatibility dropdowns in collection filter edit pane not updating if their corresponding filter was removed from the top bar.[/p]
• [p]Fixed logo positioning tool allowing drag outside of the bounds of the background image and fixed hitching animation.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with deleting screenshots from the focused screenshot view briefly showing an error and potentially navigating the user away from their screenshots[/p]
• [p]Fixed friends list window remaining open in Steam overlay when switching between desktop and Big Picture Mode.[/p]
• [p]Fixed modal dialogs opening behind the window displaying them.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that could cause library, collections, or shelves to fail to load for some users.[/p]
• [p]Fixed notifications sometimes failing to display or display with partial content.[/p]
• [p]Fixed store trailer player not restoring focus on window switch when full screen.[/p]
• [p]Fixed game info panel not animating open on game details page.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug that sometimes caused chat tabs to not contain the name and avatar of the chat participant.[/p]
• [p]Made layout and functionality improvements to the soundtrack player and soundtrack browser in the desktop overlay.[/p]
• [p]Removed a setting from Music settings that wasn't hooked up to anything.[/p]

[p]Steam Input[/p]

• [p]Added support for games that use the GameInput API.[/p]
• [p]Added support for analog activators on d-pad modes for joysticks and trackpads.[/p]
• [p]Added support for the PDP REALMz Wireless Controller for Switch[/p]
• [p]Fixed the controller configuration opening as a popup window rather than in the desktop overlay when a game invokes in the in-game API to show the controller configuration screen.[/p]
• [p]Improved detection of FlyDigi Apex and Vader controllers.[/p]
• [p]Fixed GameCube controllers getting PlayStation button prompts.[/p]
• [p]Fixed gamepad input for browser-based games on Windows[/p]
• [p]Fixed the controller configuration opening in the main Big Picture Mode window instead of the overlay when a game invokes in the in-game API to show the controller configuration screen.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where editing commands on an input bound to a modeshift could duplicate bindings.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a case where 8bitdo controllers in Steam mode could have multiple devices show up if Steam Input was disabled globally for a game.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a case where Xbox and Playstation controllers could be duplicated when Steam Input is enabled.[/p]
• [p]No longer open Big Picture Mode on Guide button press when guide button chording is disabled in controller settings.[/p]
• [p]The Steam/Guide buttons on controllers will now toggle the visibility of the desktop overlay.[/p]
• [p]Speculative fix for rare crash when using gyro modes.[/p]

[p]Game Recording[/p]

• [p]Improved playback of high bitrate recordings[/p]
• [p]Fixed the player pausing when seeking near the end of a game recording or clip.[/p]
• [p]Fixed keyboard shortcuts not working in Recordings & Screenshots dialog.[/p]
• [p]Fixed export failing for lower resolution recordings.[/p]

[p]Remote Play[/p]

• [p]Fixed the guide button bringing Steam to the foreground while streaming from another computer.[/p]
• [p]Fixed showing the pairing dialog on Linux when the monitor is turned off.[/p]
• [p]Fixed streaming from computers on other networks.[/p]
• [p]Reduced stutter when a Remote Play client with many shortcuts becomes available for streaming.[/p]

[p]macOS[/p]

• [p]Added "End of Life" alert for macOS 11 ("Big Sur"). Steam Client support for this version will end on October 15th, 2025 at 10am. See here for additional details.[/p]
• [p]Fixed input on some web views working incorrectly after page loads causing effects like input cursor not displaying and payment dropdown during checkout continuing to have focus after selecting an option.[/p]

[p]Linux[/p]

• [p]Enabled advanced options for the in-game performance overlay for AMD and Nvidia GPUs.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the 'Browse Local Files' button in 'Game Properties' failing to open the system file browser.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a rare case where the Big Picture update progress UI would disappear.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Steam UI scale not updating with system DPI changes in XWayland.[/p]
• [p]Fixed system display scale not applying in overlay.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a case where steam would freeze and fail to recover after a process crash.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with crash dump reporting.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Steam client failing to reload or showing dialogs unexpectedly after a render process crash.[/p]

[p]Store[/p]

• [p]Game pages in the Steam store are now wider, making better use of available space on larger monitors. For more details, please see: [/p]

[p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]With today's update, the Review Score shown to you for some games will be calculated from the reviews written in your language. This is part of our ongoing effort to ensure that Steam User Reviews are helping customers make informed decisions when considering the purchase of a new game. Read on for the details behind this change.[/p][p][/p][h2]A Better Indication of User Sentiment[/h2][p]We launched Steam User Reviews almost twelve years ago to give customers a way to tell each other what they thought about a game, and whether they recommended it or not. A short time later we introduced the concept of a Review Score, which is a simple categorization based on the percentage of positive reviews. It is basically a signal of how happy the overall community around a game was with their purchase, and a useful tool for potential customers to predict their happiness with that game as well.[/p][p][/p][p]Steam's growth since then into an even larger global presence means customers in different regions of the world may have vastly different experiences from each other for the same game. There are a variety of reasons this may happen for a particular game, including translation issues, cultural references, poor network connections, and many others; things that the Overall Review Scores haven't been able to capture until now. Calculating a language-specific review score means that we can better distill the sentiment of these different groups of customers, and in doing so, better serve potential customers that belong to those groups.[/p][p][/p][h2]Language-specific Review Score[/h2][p]When there are enough reviews written in a particular language, Steam will calculate a review score for that language. The Review Score displayed to users will be based on their primary language. What this means is that some languages may show more positive review scores, while others may show more negative ones, for the same game.[/p][p][/p][p]This change impacts games that have more than 2,000 publicly visible reviews, and with at least 200 written reviews in at least one language. We purposely made these thresholds higher than the 10 reviews required to calculate the Overall Review Score; this is because we wanted to be pretty confident in the language-specific score before showing it to users.[/p][p][/p][p]For games where Steam has generated language-specific review scores, you'll see this on the game's store page:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If you want to dig deeper into what's going on, you can click the "See language breakdown" link to see a more detailed view by language and what Review Score those customers will see.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Maintaining Trust[/h2][p]We realize that whenever we make changes to User Reviews, we're inviting some scrutiny into our motivations for making those changes. Maintaining trust in the system is crucial to us, so we've erred on the side of being as transparent as possible. To that end, we've built many features in User Reviews that can be enabled or disabled, letting you access the raw reviews in many different ways.[/p][p][/p][p]At the same time, we want User Reviews to be useful to customers from the very start, without them having to twiddle with the many knobs the system has--this is the primary reason why the new language-specific review score system is turned on by default. If you want to go back to seeing the Overall Review Score based on all user reviews, ignoring your language, you can change that setting here in your Store preferences.[/p][p][/p][h2]Have Feedback?[/h2][p]As always, we learn from your feedback, so please feel free to leave a comment below.[/p]

[p]We've made a number of updates to the Steam Trailer Player to improve usability, quality, and bandwidth usage. Read on for the highlights from this update.[/p][p][/p][p][video][/video][/p][p][/p][h3]Fresh new user interface[/h3][p]A refreshed trailer player interface that is easier to use and more responsive to your input.[/p][p][/p][h3]Adaptable UI[/h3][p]The user interface of the trailer player now adapts intelligently no matter how you are using it: on a desktop computer, a mobile device (it even works well on iPhones now); and on Steam Deck or in Steam Big Picture Mode.[/p][p][/p][h3]Preview images while seeking[/h3][p]As you mouse over or scrub your finger over the player timeline, you'll now see preview images of where you are about to jump to in the video.[/p][p][/p][h3]Faster seeking, scrubbing, and transition to full-screen[/h3][p]Thanks to a change in the underlying video technology, you should see fewer pauses and hitches when jumping forward or backward in a video. You will also see seamless transitions when pressing that full-screen button.[/p][p][/p][h3]Smarter use of your internet bandwidth[/h3][p]When we reprocessed each video to work with our new trailer player, we also generated up to four sizes (360p, 480p, 720p, and 1080p), which our trailer player dynamically switches between depending on your network conditions and the size of the trailer player.[/p][p][/p][h3]Improved handling of aspect ratio[/h3][p]The new trailer player now handles any aspect ratio of video, properly scaling, centering, and letterboxing as necessary.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Frequently Asked Questions[/h2][p]Q. How many trailers are there in the Steam store?[/p][p]A. As it turns out.... a LOT. In order to update the streaming technology, we had to re-encode every trailer that appears or could appear on the Steam store. That ended up being around 400,000 video files.[/p][p][/p][p]Q. Why are some older videos so low resolution?[/p][p]A. Some trailers were uploaded a long time ago and we no longer have the original files within the Steam system. Yes, we're still trying to find our stash of tape backups so we can get the originals of the Portal trailer...[/p][p][/p]

[p]Just as the Steam Store has changed with the addition of new features in past few years, the ways users browse the store have changed too. Today's Steam Client Beta features a new store menu that is designed to provide easier access to the places Steam users most frequently visit.[/p][p][/p][p]As part of our ongoing efforts to help users find new and exciting games to play on Steam, we're eager for you to try out the new menu and to read your feedback. To help test the menu and other in-progress Steam features, join the Steam Client Beta.[/p][p][/p][p][video][/video][/p][p][/p][h3]Here are some of the changes you’ll find:[/h3][p][/p][p]Combined Left Column & Blue Bar[/p][p]We’ve combined the left column of links and blue menu bar into one cohesive menu, bringing all your essential links into a more unified and reorganized space. Many of these items were in both places, and it was hard to anticipate where to find what you needed. [/p][p][/p][p]Plus, search and the menu are now available on more pages across the Store. While the menu bar will stay out of your way, it will reappear if you scroll up slightly. [/p][p][/p][p]Enhanced Search Panel[/p][p]We’ve taken search to the next level. Not only can you search for what you need, but the search panel now offers even more options, including:[/p]

• [p]Popular Searches: See what others are searching for right now[/p]
• [p]Recently Viewed: An easy way to jump back to games you've previously looked at[/p]
• [p]More than just games: Search for categories/tags, publishers, and more[/p]
• [p]Advanced Search link: For those who want to refine their game search even further, we’ve made it easier than ever to access the advanced search page with a variety of filters.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Browse - Easier Access to Top Destinations[/p][p]Not looking for anything specific? We all enjoy seeing what's new on the front of the Store, but sometimes we want a more narrow set of games to browse. The Browse tab offers a variety of ways to find games based on popularity, release date, price and discount. These are the tried and true ways to find the games the community is talking about. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Recommendations - All in One Place[/p][p]We’ve organized recommendations into one convenient section, so you can explore new games and content without having to sift through multiple areas. Whether you’re looking for games based on your playtime, what you've purchased, or recommendations from people you trust — you can find them now grouped together in one spot.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Categories & Tags - Personalized for You[/p][p]The categories tab is now fully personalized for you, making it easier than ever to find games based on aspects of the games you play. Featured here are hubs (with access to thousands more games) for your top genres and tags across the games you play. You might even learn something new about yourself! [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And more![/p][p]With these changes, we’re aiming to make your experience smoother and more tailored to your needs. We've been hearing from players, and experiencing ourselves, that some of the most commonly visited areas of Steam were hard to get to. So whether you’re a frequent shopper or a looking to build your game library, this new layout is designed to get you where you want to go with less effort.[/p][p][/p][p]About the beta[/p][p]We're constantly looking to make Steam better, and we make decisions based on data and the feedback we receive. Even here in the office, we browse the Steam Store in different ways. So it's important that you tell us what you think. The Steam Client Beta is a great way to test features that are in-progress and provide impactful feedback.[/p][p][/p][p]Not participating in the Steam Client Beta? Here's how to join. Try out the new menu and let us know what you think.[/p]