How Many Games are on Steam in 2024? A Closer Look at the Massive PC Gaming Platform

If you‘re a PC gamer, chances are you have Steam on your computer. As of February 2024, there are now over 50,000 games available on Steam, making it by far the largest and most dominant hub for PC gaming.

But how did Steam grow into the PC gaming behemoth it is today? And with new titles launching every day, what does the future look like for Steam and its massive catalog of games?

In this in-depth guide, we’ll explore the past, present, and future of Steam to understand how it evolved into the premier destination for PC games. Pull up a chair, grab your favorite gaming keyboard, and let‘s dive in!

The Early Days of Steam: From Update Tool to Gaming Giant

It’s hard to believe Steam started in 2002 simply as a way for Valve to automatically update their own games. After officially launching in 2003, Steam soon became the easiest way for players to buy and access Valve games like Counter-Strike and Half-Life 2.

But in 2005, Valve opened up Steam to third-party publishers which really kicked off Steam‘s rise to dominance. When indie hit Rag Doll Kung Fu launched exclusively on Steam, it showed the platform’s potential for digital distribution.

Over the years, Steam continued to rapidly expand its catalog:

• By 2010, Steam had over 1,200 games from 200 different publishers
• By 2014, Steam offered over 3,700 games
• By 2019, over 30,000 games were available on Steam

Steam was relentless in onboarding developers, fueling growth through features like Early Access (start selling games before they‘re finished), Steam Greenlight (crowdsource interest to get added to Steam), and robust development tools like Steamworks.

Understanding the scale of Steam’s growth shows how Valve strategically built the biggest PC gaming marketplace in the world.

Just How Many Games Are on Steam in 2024?

In February 2024, there are over 50,000 games, tools, and DLC packs available on Steam. That includes:

• 18,000+ actual video games
• 32,000+ DLCs and other content additions
• 8,000+ development tools like software and game creation kits

This totals up to more than 50,000 products accessible through Steam, with over 1,000 new titles added monthly.

To put Steam‘s size into perspective, its closest competitor Epic Games Store has around 700 games. Steam‘s game catalog is over 70x larger.

Even comparing to console platforms:

• Nintendo Switch eShop: ~4,000 games
• PlayStation Store: ~4,500 games
• Xbox Store: ~5,000 games

Steam completely dwarfs other platforms in terms of raw gaming content. And Steam‘s growth shows no signs of slowing down…

Steam‘s Rise: New Game Releases by Year

Here is a quick breakdown of how many new games have launched on Steam each year since 2014:

• 2014 – 1,716 new game releases
• 2015 – 2,835 new releases
• 2016 – 4,688 new releases
• 2017 – 7,672 new releases
• 2018 – 8,938 new releases
• 2019 – 8,196 new releases
• 2020 – 9,916 new releases
• 2021 – 11,784 new releases
• 2022 – Over 4,100+ new releases (through April 2022)

As you can see, the number of new games launching annually on Steam has exploded 7x from just 1,716 in 2014 to over 11,784 last year.

Based on 2022 so far, Steam could surpass 13,000+ new game releases this year, averaging over 1,000 new games added every month.

This insane growth rate shows why Steam is the #1 destination for developers to launch PC games – no other platform comes close in terms of reaching the most potential players.

What Genres Dominate Steam‘s Catalog?

With so many games on Steam, what types of games make up the majority of its catalog?

Here‘s a breakdown of the top genres on Steam based on volume of games:

• Indie Games: 32,712 games
  • Indie games from small teams represent Steam‘s largest genre
• Action Games: ~20,000 games
• Adventure Games: ~17,100 games
• Simulation Games: ~9,000 games
• Strategy Games: ~8,888 games

Indie games take the top spot, which shows Steam‘s appeal for smaller developers to directly publish games. Action, Adventure, Simulation, and Strategy round out the top 5 biggest genres.

However, Steam houses nearly every genre imaginable from RPGs to Sports games to Puzzle games and more. No matter your gaming taste, Steam has you covered.

Steam‘s Most Played Games of All Time

While Steam is home to tens of thousands of games, a select few titles stand out as the most popular based on total players.

Here are 5 of the most played games of all time on Steam based on peak concurrent players:

• PUBG: Battlegrounds: Over 3 million peak concurrent players
• Lost Ark: Over 1.3 million peak concurrent players
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: 1 million+ peak concurrent players
• Dota 2: 1 million+ peak concurrent players
• Apex Legends: Over 500,000 peak concurrent players

PUBG and other competitive multiplayer titles dominate, but recent hits like Apex Legends and Lost Ark show Steam users are also flocking to newer releases.

For developers, having a game take off on Steam means access to an engaged audience of tens of millions of PC gamers.

How Big is Steam‘s Player Base?

On top of its huge library, Steam also has an extremely large and active player base:

• 125+ million monthly active accounts
• 62.6 million+ daily active users on average
• 50 million+ daily logins on average
• 26.9 million peak concurrent users in March 2022, an all-time high

For context, Xbox Live has approximately 100 million monthly users. Steam‘s monthly active player base exceeds even Xbox Live‘s despite being PC-only.

This shows why Steam is so strategically important for game developers – immediate access to over 100 million monthly active gamers ready to purchase and play new titles.

Estimated Cost to Buy All Steam Games

From free-to-play games to full-priced $60 titles, what would it cost to buy every single Steam game at full price?

The estimated total comes out to $556,286.14 if you were to buy all ~50,000 games on Steam at 100% full retail price!

Accounting for typical discounts and sales, the total value could be reduced to around $438,155.80.

Of course, no single user is going to buy Steam‘s entire catalog. This calculation just illustrates how much gaming content is now available thanks to Steam‘s constantly growing library.

For the average Steam user, having so many titles available makes it easy to find exciting games to play during the next Steam Sale.

The Future of Steam – Virtual Reality and Beyond

As Steam moves forward, where is the platform heading next? Virtual reality (VR) gaming is one area Steam is investing heavily in.

Key facts about Steam‘s push into VR:

• 3,870+ VR-only games on Steam
• 1.7+ million monthly active VR users on Steam
• 4,000+ VR supported games on Steam
• 2.3% of Steam users now own a VR headset

As VR hardware becomes more affordable and accessible, Steam is poised to become the go-to platform for VR gaming just as it has for traditional PC gaming.

Beyond VR, Steam will likely continue expanding its catalog of games, exploring new development tools for creators, and enhancing community features like user profiles, markets, groups, and cloud saves.

After nearly 20 years, Steam shows no signs ofgiving up its throne as the king of PC gaming.

TL;DR – How Many Games on Steam in 2024?

Let‘s recap the key stats:

• Over 50,000 games & software available on Steam
• Over 18,000 actual video games
• Over 1,000 new game releases added per month
• Game library is 70x larger than competing PC stores
• 125+ million monthly active gamers on Steam

Starting from scratch in 2003, Steam has built the definitive hub for PC gaming through relentless growth, courting developers, and building community tools.

For gamers, Steam provides endless choice. For developers, Steam grants access to the largest PC gaming audience.

While competitors have emerged, the sheer scale and dominance of Steam means its reign will continue for years to come. So for now, the throne belongs to Valve.

With an ever-expanding ocean of games to explore, there‘s always something new waiting in your Steam library.