Steam recorded 41.81 million concurrent users on January 4, 2026, marking a historic peak for Valve’s gaming platform. The service generated $16.2 billion in revenue through November 2025, surpassing its entire 2024 annual earnings. With 147 million monthly active users and a 74% share of the PC digital distribution market, Steam continues expanding its dominance across global gaming markets.
Steam Statistics Key Metrics
- Steam has 147 million monthly active users as of Q1 2025, representing 11.4% growth from 2024.
- The platform generated $16.2 billion in revenue through November 2025, a 50% increase compared to full-year 2024.
- Peak concurrent users reached 41.81 million on January 4, 2026, up 24.4% from the previous year.
- Steam’s game library expanded to over 120,000 titles, with 18,691 new releases added in 2024 alone.
- The platform commands 74% of the global PC digital distribution market, significantly ahead of all competitors.
Steam User Base and Growth Trends
Steam’s monthly active users climbed to 147 million in Q1 2025, adding 15 million users within a single quarter. Daily active users reached 69 million, producing a DAU-to-MAU ratio of 52.27%.
This engagement metric surpasses most digital entertainment platforms. More than half of Steam’s monthly users log in every single day, demonstrating exceptional platform retention.
Average weekly playtime increased to 7.1 hours per user, up 12.7% from 6.3 hours in 2024. Peak gaming activity occurs between 7:00 PM and 11:00 PM across major markets, with 31% of monthly active users appearing online simultaneously during these windows.
The Steam mobile app accounts for 12% of daily platform activity, primarily for wishlist monitoring and chat functions rather than gameplay sessions.
Steam Revenue Performance and Financial Metrics
Steam’s revenue trajectory accelerated significantly through 2025. The platform generated $16.2 billion from January through November, exceeding its entire 2024 annual revenue of $10.8 billion.
| Year | Total Revenue | YoY Growth | Game Sales | DLC/Microtransactions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $8.7 billion | — | 62% | 25% |
| 2024 | $10.8 billion | +24.14% | 61% | 27% |
| 2025 (Jan-Nov) | $16.2 billion | +50% | 61% | 27% |
Valve’s 30% commission structure generated over $4 billion in direct platform earnings during 2025. The average revenue per user stands at approximately $19 across Steam’s massive user base.
Sales events drive substantial revenue concentration. The Steam Summer Sale 2024 generated an estimated $876 million in a two-week period. Approximately 58% of all Steam purchases during 2024 occurred during promotional periods, highlighting the impact of discount events on consumer behavior.
The 2025 Lunar New Year Sale featured over 27,000 discounted games, demonstrating the scale of Steam’s promotional capabilities across its expanding library.
Steam Regional Distribution and Global Markets
The United States leads Steam’s regional user base with 13.7 million users, accounting for 21.3% of platform traffic. China follows with 11.4 million users but generates 26.1% of total traffic, indicating higher engagement levels per user.
Russia maintains 9.5 million users, while Brazil reaches 4.9 million. Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Turkey each contribute between 2.6 million and 3.6 million users.
The Asia-Pacific region accounts for 42% of Steam’s total user base, driven by rapid growth in emerging markets. Between April 2024 and July 2025, Asia’s share of global Steam bandwidth increased from 30.4% to 32.2%, with China’s traffic share rising from 25.6% to 26.1%.
Europe contributes 28% of active users, while North America represents 22%. Valve’s localization efforts across 37 currencies enabled expansion into previously underserved markets, including India and Southeast Asia.
Steam Game Library and Release Statistics
Steam’s content library surpassed 120,000 titles in 2025, following the addition of 18,691 new releases in 2024. This represented a 31.75% increase from 2023’s 14,310 releases, marking the largest single-year expansion in platform history.
| Year | New Releases | Total Library | Daily Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 12,061 | ~80,000 | 33 |
| 2023 | 14,310 | ~95,000 | 39 |
| 2024 | 18,691 | 117,881 | 51 |
| 2025 (Jan-Nov) | 16,774 | 120,000+ | 50 |
Indie titles comprise 110,634 of available games, representing the majority of Steam’s catalog. Action games follow with 50,012 titles, adventure games at 47,590, and casual games totaling 46,935.
Approximately 79% of 2024 releases classified as “Limited Games,” meaning they had not achieved the player engagement and sales thresholds required for full community features. Only 3,973 games crossed this popularity threshold in 2024, gaining access to trading cards and achievement tracking.
Steam Most Popular Games by Concurrent Players
Counter-Strike 2 maintained its position as Steam’s most-played game throughout 2025, achieving a franchise record of 1,862,531 concurrent players on April 12, 2025. The tactical shooter maintains consistent daily averages exceeding 1 million concurrent users.
Black Myth: Wukong achieved 2.4 million concurrent players during its August 2024 launch, becoming the highest-performing single-player game in Steam history. The action RPG from Chinese developer Game Science sold over 10 million copies within 83 hours of release.
| Game | All-Time Peak | Peak Date | 2025 Avg Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS | 3.26 million | January 2018 | 331,747 |
| Black Myth: Wukong | 2.4 million | August 2024 | — |
| Palworld | 2.1 million | January 2024 | — |
| Counter-Strike 2 | 1.86 million | April 2025 | 949,652 |
| Monster Hunter Wilds | 1.38 million | February 2025 | — |
PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS holds the all-time record with 3.26 million concurrent players set in January 2018. Despite the record occurring years ago, the battle royale title maintains an average of 331,747 concurrent players in 2025.
Steam Deck Hardware Sales and Market Performance
Steam Deck sales reached approximately 4 million units by early 2025, according to IDC estimates. The handheld gaming device captured 48% of the portable PC gaming market in 2024, maintaining dominance despite increased competition from rivals.
| Year | Steam Deck Units | Market Share | Total Handheld PC Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1.62 million | 100% | 1.62 million |
| 2023 | ~1.4 million | 50%+ | 2.87 million |
| 2024 | ~0.7 million | 48% | 1.49 million |
| Total (to Feb 2025) | ~4 million | — | 6+ million |
Players accumulated over 330 million hours on Steam Deck during 2024, representing a 67% increase from 2023 playtime figures. The Steam Deck Verified program now includes over 14,000 compatible titles, ensuring seamless portable gaming experiences.
The OLED model released in late 2024 accounts for 29% of total Steam Deck sales, with average play sessions lasting 57 minutes. This represents shorter but more frequent gaming sessions compared to traditional PC gaming patterns.
Steam Market Share and Competitive Position
Steam commands 74% of the global PC digital distribution market, significantly outpacing competitors in both user base and revenue generation. Epic Games Store holds approximately 3-5% global market share, while GOG accounts for roughly 2%.
Steam’s revenue split ranges from 20/80 to 30/70, with more favorable terms for games generating over $50 million in revenue. Despite challenger platforms offering more developer-friendly revenue splits, Steam’s established user base maintains competitive advantages.
The platform’s extensive library, discovery tools, and comprehensive feature set including achievements, trading cards, workshop content, and community hubs create significant switching costs for both developers and users.
Steam Hardware Survey and User System Specifications
Windows 11 adoption reached 68% of Steam users by July 2025, representing substantial migration to Microsoft’s latest operating system. Windows 10 continues declining as users transition to the newer platform.
AMD processors crossed the 40% threshold for the first time in Steam’s survey history, reaching 40.39% of Windows-based systems. Intel maintains 59.52% share, marking a significant shift in the traditionally Intel-dominated PC gaming market.
| Component | Specification | User Share |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 11 64-bit | 68% |
| CPU Vendor | Intel | 59.52% |
| CPU Vendor | AMD | 40.39% |
| Display Resolution | 1080p | 74% |
| System RAM | 16GB | 61% |
| GPU Vendor | NVIDIA | 74.88% |
NVIDIA maintains GPU dominance with 74.88% of users running the company’s graphics cards. The GTX 1060 remains the most common individual GPU model at 9% share, despite being released in 2016.
Display resolution shows 74% of users gaming at 1080p, while 16GB RAM configurations account for 61% of systems. These specifications indicate mainstream gaming hardware remains the dominant configuration rather than high-end enthusiast builds.
SteamVR Platform and Virtual Reality Gaming
Steam’s virtual reality ecosystem reached 4.3 million monthly active VR users in Q1 2025, representing 18% year-over-year growth. The platform supports over 7,800 VR titles, with 650 new VR games released during 2024.
| VR Metric | Q1 2025 Value | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Active VR Users | 4.3 million | +18% |
| Total VR Titles | 7,800+ | +9% |
| VR Games Released (2024) | 650+ | +15% |
| VR-Only Purchase Revenue | $220 million | +22% |
| Average VR Session Length | 52 minutes | +7% |
Meta Quest 2 accounts for 38% of all VR usage on Steam, followed by Valve Index at 21% and Quest 3 at 17%. Beat Saber continues as the top-played VR game, followed by Half-Life: Alyx and VRChat.
VR-only purchase revenue reached $220 million in 2024, growing 22% year-over-year. Average VR session length increased to 52 minutes, up 7% from the previous year, indicating improved user retention and content quality.
AI Integration in Steam Games Development
Generative AI technology saw rapid adoption across Steam’s game development ecosystem, with 7,818 titles disclosing AI usage as of mid-2025. This represents roughly 7% of Steam’s total game catalog, up from approximately 1% in 2024.
Among 2025 releases specifically, one in five new games incorporated generative AI elements for art assets, code generation, audio design, or marketing materials. Valve implemented mandatory disclosure requirements in January 2024, enabling consumers to make purchasing decisions based on AI-generated content preferences.
The 681% growth in AI-integrated titles from 2024 to 2025 marks one of the fastest technology adoption rates in Steam’s history. This transparency initiative provides data tracking industry trends while respecting consumer preferences regarding AI-generated content.
FAQ
How many users does Steam have in 2026?
Steam has 147 million monthly active users as of Q1 2025, with projections approaching 160 million by late 2026. The platform recorded 69 million daily active users and 41.81 million peak concurrent users on January 4, 2026.
What is Steam’s revenue in 2025?
Steam generated $16.2 billion in revenue through November 2025, surpassing its entire 2024 annual revenue of $10.8 billion. This represents 50% growth compared to the previous full year, with Valve earning over $4 billion from its commission structure.
What percentage of PC gaming market does Steam control?
Steam commands 74% of the global PC digital distribution market. Epic Games Store holds approximately 3-5% global market share, while GOG accounts for roughly 2%, with other platforms comprising the remaining 19%.
How many games are available on Steam?
Steam’s library surpassed 120,000 titles in 2025, following the addition of 18,691 new releases in 2024. The platform averages 50 new game releases per day, with indie titles comprising 110,634 of the total catalog.
What are the most played games on Steam?
Counter-Strike 2 leads with 1.86 million peak concurrent players in April 2025, maintaining over 1 million daily average players. PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS holds the all-time record at 3.26 million concurrent players, while Black Myth: Wukong achieved 2.4 million for a single-player game.
