Download Steam for Windows, Mac, Android & Linux Download

Instant access to your favorite games on Steam, with thousands of games, exclusive offers, automatic game updates and other great benefits. Steam also lets you join the Steam community of PC gamers, join gaming 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 faced competition from brick-and-mortar stores and physical copies, but it didn’t take long for it to become the largest digital distribution platform for PC games. Over the years, Valve has successfully created a platform that hosts games from most other publishers, studios and game creators in general.

Name some 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 is still the biggest PC gaming platform, but there are good alternatives such as Epic Games Store, GOG Galaxy, Uplay, Origin and Itch.io.

Does Steam have Fortnite?

Fortnite is developed by Epic Games, which has its own competitive 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 the Steam Beta?

By choosing the Steam Client Beta, you can use the latest features before they are released.

Follow the instructions below to participate in the Steam client beta:

• When Steam is running, click on “Steam” at the top left, then select the “Settings” menu. (Preferences on Mac)
• On the “Account” tab under “Beta Participation” click the “Change…” button.
• Select “Steam Beta Update” from the drop-down list and click “OK”.
• You will be prompted to restart Steam, select the “Restart Steam” button.

If you’re using large-screen mode:

• Select “Settings” and then “System”
• Check the “Participate in client beta” option
• Follow the prompts to restart Steam

Create and share content

Give friends to 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 TV, you can enjoy the benefits of Steam. Bring 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 on.

What is new

• Android version updated to 3.4

Finally

Note: This update was re-released to fix a browser crash on Linux.

New large picture mode

Updated Big Picture is now available for testing. You can read more about it in this blog post. Change the Steam client shortcut and add -gamepadui to the command line to start Steam automatically in the new Big Picture Mode. Alternatively, you can pass -newbigpicture to start in desktop mode and access the new Big Picture mode at any time.

General

• Reduced client startup times for users with large game libraries
• Fixed issue where it would take longer to launch a game if there was no network connection
• Fixed VR flag not showing in app details for some games
• Centers the pop-up controller configurator window when viewing the controller layout
• Fixed circular download progress indicator broken in game entry list
• Fixed download page crashing on startup in offline mode
• The download page now correctly responds to online/offline status
• Updated “Steam News” popup dialog (again)

sign in

• Fixed a case where the login interface had cached credentials that had become invalid, could get stuck and not accept valid credentials afterwards
• Fixed an input focus bug that required an initial click on the login interface before you could enter your username or password
• Fixed issues with dragging or closing the login window, and related screen scaling issues, on computers with non-standard desktop scaling
• Fixed an edge case in handling invalid cached credentials affecting reauthentication
• Fixed issue with login refresh interface when the user had already logged in once during the current session.

Steam input

• Gyro Activation: “Touch” option is now available for controllers that do not have capacitive touch sensors – Moving joysticks out of their dead zone now counts as a “Touch”.
• All controller types can now optionally choose to use a Nintendo-style layout. This reverses the A and B button and X and Y button universally in Steam and in game.
• The Xbox driver for extended features has been updated for Windows 11
• Fixed hang when Amazon Luna controller rumbles on macOS
• Fixed issue where the touch binding in As Mouse mode was released before the end of a swipe

Remote play

• Fixed occasional long issues during Windows desktop recording
• Fixed glyphs for third party Nintendo controllers while streaming

SteamVR

• Fixed issue that caused some OpenXR app images to not display correctly in SteamVR

Beta

Updated Big Picture is now available for testing

We’re preparing to update Big Picture mode with the new interface we designed for Steam Deck, and today we’re making it available for testing. This update has been long overdue and we’re very excited to start gathering feedback from the community.

Designed for Steam Deck in handheld and docked mode, this controller-first interface is perfect for all the scenarios Big Picture mode currently handles. The updated Big Picture mode includes features such as:

• New home screen, where you can continue playing recent games and see what’s new with the games in your library.
• New universal search, which searches across your library, store and friends
• New controller configurator, designed for ease of use by picking, tweaking or creating custom controller configurations
• Optimized Steam Store for controller navigation
• Updated in-game overlay, with access to achievements and guides
  • Press the Steam / Guide / PS button while in the game
• New system menu, for quick navigation to different parts of the interface
  • Access this with the Steam / Guide / PS button
• New quick access menu, to access notifications, friends list, quick settings and more.
  • Access this with Steam / Guide / PS Button + A

Stable

A new Steam client has been released and will automatically download.

Library

• Added a section to display a collection of new DLC and other game content that has been released since you last visited a game’s library page. When visible, this section will automatically hide after a short period of time.
• Rebuilt how featured game news is displayed on the library game pages. It now appears as a featured post at the top of the activity feed to improve readability and reduce the work required for game developers. The entry appears for a short period of time before returning to its chronological place in the activity feed.
• Updated the presentation of the new DLC added to the account section of the library game pages.
• Changed how major updates are displayed in the library activity section to make them easier to find.

Previous release notes

• Steam Android app updated to 3.0
• New Steam login interface
• Now enabled for all users
• QR code login is now available
• Read this announcement for more details

Log in to the UI

• Fixed username and password fields flashing briefly at the end of a successful login
• Fixed automated login with credentials given on the command line
• Fixed Steam Guard code input accepting and potentially sending invalid characters
• Fixed verification-based mobile logins failing to approve login when client asked for Steam Guard code instead
• Added explicit messages for errors related to too many attempts

Previous release notes

A new Steam client has been released and will automatically download.

Log in to the UI

• Updated login interface look and feel

Play to play together

• Allow friend search by nickname or personal name
• Include free to play games that have been played by your friend in the Games to Play Together filters
• Fixed issue with “Find games to play with friends” showing games your friend shared with you

Library

• Fixed cropping issue for text display with library filter tags

Steam Cloud

• Fixed showing “Cloud Sync Failure” dialog when starting game in offline mode

Overlay in the game

• Improve overlay response in some edge cases for users with large friend lists or a large number of incoming friend requests.

Remote play

• Fixed rare cases of keyboard input going out of order