Store:Steam

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Steam

Developers
	Valve Corporation
Release dates
Windows	September 12, 2003
macOS (OS X)	May 12, 2010
Linux	February 14, 2013

Stores

Amazon

Battle.net

Bethesda.net

Discord

Epic Games Store

FireFlower Games

GamersGate

Games for Windows - LIVE

Gamesplanet

GOG.com

Green Man Gaming

Humble Store

Itch.io

Kartridge

Mac App Store

Meta Store

Microsoft Store

Origin

Rockstar Games Launcher

Steam

Ubisoft Connect

Viveport

ZOOM Platform

Digital Rights Management (DRM)

• Types of DRM
• DRM-free (Steam list)
• Stores
• Middleware
• DRM removal

Key points

DRM: Digital distribution platform with accompanying client required for downloading and often playing games as well. Games can also be DRM-free or contain third party DRM.

Refund policy: 14 days or 2 hours of playtime; see Steam Refunds for more information. Pre-release titles are refundable through the Purchase History page.

Two-factor authentication: Steam Mobile app or email

Some games sold through third parties activate on Steam; see Retail / Digital CD Keys.

Periodic free weekend and individual publisher-driven events provide temporary and permanent free access to select titles.

The Flatpak version of the client is available at the FlatHub database. However, be aware that most games have issues with the Steam Cloud sync, more about this can be found here. For a better security, it is suggested to follow the Snap version progress.

For better integration with Linux, it is recommended to install Linux Steam integration.

General information

Official Store

Official Support

Account Details

Steam Community Discussions

Steam Database

Big Picture

This mode can be launched by clicking on the Big Picture icon, by pushing Alt+↵ Enter while the Steam window is on focus, or through the home button on a controller.

See PC gaming on a TV and couch for general setup information.

Allows Steam to be used with a controller.

Render the UI at resolutions above 1080p

For desktop resolutions above 1080p Big Picture Mode automatically renders the UI at 1080p and then upscales it to cover the full desktop resolution. This results in slightly blurry UI elements and text. Users can choose to always render Big Picture Mode in the full desktop resolution of Windows.

Some elements may not be made for high resolutions, and may appear blurry.

Use a custom shortcut to launch Steam
Exit Steam. Add -fulldesktopres to a shortcut to Steam. Use the shortcut to launch Steam.

Adjust font size DPI (Windows)

Steam does not always respect the Windows DPI settings.

Appears to work if the Windows DPI settings are also adjusted above 100% size.

Instructions[citation needed]
Open the Registry Editor. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\steam Right Click on steam, then select New, DWORD (32-bit) value and name it as LogPixels. Select the LogPixels entry, select Decimal, then write the desired DPI value.

Taskbar showing on top (Windows)

This is caused by the incompatibility with DPI scaling in Windows.

Disable Display Scaling On High DPI Settings[citation needed]
Right click on Steam shortcut > Properties. Choose the Compatibility tab. Select 'Disable display scaling on high DPI settings. Running Steam will provide a compatibility warning. Press cancel to ignore.

Family Sharing

Allows sharing games between accounts. Each account gets separate saves (if supported by the game), achievements, et al. except for DRM keys, which are shared.

If the account's main owner is playing a game from their own account, or someone else is using family share on that account, you are presented with the "buy" option instead of install/play for the selected game.

VAC bans can apply to the both the perpetrator and the owning account of a shared game, and the Family Share feature can be revoked entirely.

Games with 3rd party DRM tied to account-locked keys (such as Uplay), have the feature specifically turned off by their publisher.

Instructions[citation needed]

Log into your Steam account and press Authorize this computer if shown in Settings->Family. Log out and into the account to want to share with, go to Settings->Family, press Authorize this computer if shown, and for each account in Eligible accounts you want to share with ensure the Share box is enabled. Log back into your main account, go to Library and select Games from the drop down, and you should see games categorized as MY GAMES for games belonging to your account and [USER]'s Games for each family shared account.

Steam Cloud

For a list of games, see games using Steam Cloud over on the Steam storefront. Some games might not be listed even though they use the feature.

Steam Cloud is a feature of the Steam client that allows game data to sync between players' computers by uploading it to the online Steam platform after a game have been played, and downloading/synchronizing the local data when the Steam client or the game is launched. The implementation of the feature is game-specific and up to the developers of the game. Some developers choose to only sync save game data, or both save game data and configuration files, yet others force users to choose only a single slot to be synced. Some games list Steam Cloud as a supported feature, but do not sync any data whatsoever. An examples of such a game is Capsized.

Free and built-in with the Steam client.

Automatically backs up saves/settings on supported games.

Not every game is supported; up to the developers to implement it and decide on to sync.

Steam Input

Steam Input is a feature of the Steam client and umbrella term referring to the entire collection of software, hardware, and configuration utilities that Steam uses to interface with games. It acts like a wrapper using the Steam Overlay to intercept and manipulate player input before passing it on along to the game. This allows it to bind certain game-specific actions to specific input that supports action-based input, or to add or extend the functionality of input devices in various ways, such as adding XInput, keyboard, or even mouse support to input devices that otherwise would not support them. The feature was previously known simply as Steam Controller as there was no distinction from the controller with the same name and its supporting environment and features, which eventually was renamed to Steam Input.

Allows supported input devices that lacks native XInput support to function in XInput-based games.

Can interfere with the functionality of a controller in games where the Steam Overlay is not enabled, as the feature relies on the Steam Overlay to identify games.

See the Steam Input section of the Steamworks documentation for much more in-depth information.

Steam Input API

For a list of games, see List of games that support Steam Input API support.

Steam Input API (previously known as Steam Controller API or SCAPI) refers to the accompanied API that games can make use of to add support for action-based input, as opposed to button-based input. The main difference from other APIs like XInput and DirectInput is that when a game implements support for the Steam Input API the game itself does not need to add support for any particular input device or method. Instead the Steam Input layer and API acts as a hardware abstraction layer and converts the input received from a supported input device to the proper game-specific action the user have configured the input to. This means that when Steam adds more supported input devices or methods to the Steam Input layer, games will automatically support those new devices and methods without any additional development time required by the game developers.

Controller Configurator

The Controller Configurator in native mode using a Steam Controller.

The Controller Configurator in legacy mode using a Steam Controller.

Accessible by right-clicking the game in desktop mode and selecting Edit Steam Controller Configuration, or through Big Picture Mode.

Community configurations and pre-built templates (from either Valve or the game developer) are available and can be adjust to one's liking.

Steam Controller Configurator is used to rebind actions (for games that natively support the Steam Input API) or buttons (for games that do not natively support the API). If a game does not support the Steam Input API natively, the Steam Controller Configurator will fall back to a "legacy mode" where the user can instead rebind buttons on their controllers (e.g. bind numpad 5 to X on the gamepad) as well as tweak various functionality of their controllers (e.g. rapid fire, deadzone, sensitivity etc).

How the controller configurator functions depends on the game-specific support for the Steam Input API:

Steam Input support	Rebinds	Explanation
Native support	Actions	The game supports Steam Input API and allows for full use of the controller configurator for all Steam Input supported devices, and can include native button prompts, haptic feedback and official configurations with aliased text for games features. For a list of games, see List of games that support Steam Input API support.
No support, but provides official bindings	Buttons	The game does not support Steam Input API but comes with one or more official configs for the controller configurator. Supported input devices will be limited to emulating XInput and/or mouse/keyboard input.
No support	Buttons	The game does not support Steam Input API nor comes with any official config for the controller configurator . The user have to use a community-created config or create their own. Supported input devices will be limited to emulating XInput and/or mouse/keyboard input.

Supported input devices

Enabling controller support can cause double input or similar input issues in certain games, or while using certain configurations for the controller.

To make use of the Steam Input feature users must have a compatible Steam Input device, such as the Steam Controller, DualShock 4 controller, Xbox 360 controller, Xbox One controller, or any other generic XInput or DirectInput controller. However only support for the Steam Controller is enabled by default; support for all other compatible controllers must be manually enabled within Steam before the controller can make use of the features.

Enable controller configuration support for compatible controllers:

Turn off or disconnect the controller from the computer. Open Steam and navigate to the controller settings page: In desktop mode: View -> Settings -> Controller -> General Controller Settings In Big Picture mode: Settings -> Controller Settings Enable the proper configuration support based on the controller: Xbox Configuration Support - Xbox 360 controllers, Xbox One controllers, or any other XInput controllers. PS4 Configuration Support - DualShock 4 controllers, or any variant devices that use the same input protocol. Generic Gamepad Configuration Support - Any DirectInput controller. Turn on or connect the controller to the computer again. Steam should now detect the controller and allow it to use Steam Input features.

Issues unresolved

Steam doesn't scale DPI correctly

Steam does not scale DPI properly over 100% DPI scale. Valve has still not implemented support for HiDPI resolutions.

Temp fix[citation needed]
Shut down Steam. Go to <Steam-folder>. Right click on Steam.exe, Properties, select the Compatibility tab and tick Disable display scaling on high DPI settings. Save your changes. Notes Everything will appear tiny.

Issues fixed

Steam Survey won't show up (Linux)

A common issue which to this day hasn't been fixed.

Alter the last survey time[citation needed]
Quit/close Steam Run Terminal and type this command sed -i -e '/SurveyDate/ s/"[0-9].*"/"'$(date +%Y-%m-%d -d "1 year ago")'"/' ~/.local/share/Steam/config/config.vdf 3. Run Steam

Create Desktop Shortcut doesn't work (Linux)

Use Steam Linux Shortcut Maker

Error 80 And Application Load Error P:0000065432

Restart Steam.

Failed To Find Steam

Restart Steam. If this doesn't work, then see Delete ClientRegistry.blob.

Failed to start game. App already running

This may appear when launching the same game twice. Restart Steam if it still appears.

Game fails to launch or has odd gamebreaking issues

Instructions[citation needed]
Right Click on the desired game in the Library. Select Properties, the Local files tab, then click on the Verify integrity of game cache button.

Lowered volume when using background Metro apps while Steam is open (Windows 8)

Instructions[citation needed]
Push ⊞ Win+R, type mmsys.cpl, then select OK. Open the Communications tab, then select Do nothing and save.

Make the Big Picture web browser faster (Windows)

This feature is enabled by default for compatibility reasons. It can add significant delays when loading any content on the internet, and as such is not usually required.

Certain browsers such as Chrome may benefit from this change too.

Instructions
Open the Start menu and type Internet Options. Open the Connections tab, click the LAN Settings button. Uncheck the Automatically detect settings checkbox.

Steam fails to launch

No error messages are present, placeholder.

Delete ClientRegistry.blob

Steam updates sometimes fail to progress, or the message Failed to find Steam appears.

Delete <Steam-folder>\ClientRegistry.blob
Deleting this file will reset the login information, while also forcing Steam to re-download any failed client updates.

Reinstall Steam

If the other solutions don't work, then follow these instructions.

Every Steam game should be installed in a separate folder, outside the main Steam installation location, this makes it easier to play and backup such games again.

Reinstall Steam[citation needed]

On the top left, select Steam, then Settings. Open the Interface section, then uncheck the Run Steam when my computer starts checkbox. Restart the computer to ensure that the main Steam processes are all killed, doing otherwise could lead to some issues down the line Navigate to the main installation path, backup the steamapps and userdata folders. Uninstall Steam. Windows users can uninstall it using Geek Uninstaller to remove any leftover items after the uninstall. Download and install Steam. Run Steam and let it update, once it's finished close it. Copy the steamapps and userdata folders into the main Steam installation path. Run Steam. The reinstall is now finished. If you have additional Steam library folders add them using Steam -> Settings -> Downloads -> Steam Library Folders -> Add Folder.

Unable to download any games

Steam servers are currently unavailable.

Steam servers are too busy.

The Steam servers are currently too busy to handle your request. Please try again in a few minutes.

Instructions[citation needed]
On the top left, select Steam, then Settings. Open the Downloads section, then change the Download Region to something else.

Unable to log in

Steam has an official support page for most network issues here.

Use the -tcp command line argument[citation needed]

Other information

Use Native Steam runtime mode on Linux

Improves the performance for both games and the software itself

On a 64-bit system you must install the 32-bit version of these libraries: openal, nss, gtk2, gtk3, libcanberra, gconf, dbus-glib, libnm-glib, libudev0-shim and libappindicator-gtk2 (so the tray icon would work).

Some games may still require some additional libraries to work. You can use this page to learn which ones are needed for the specific software regardless of the linux distribution you are using. Most of the Ubuntu-based distros may already include them.

While the current Steam package already includes required libraries to work, they are sadly outdated as they are from Ubuntu 12.04. However, Valve included an option to force Steam to use the libraries used in your system, also known as Steam Native mode. This can be done by adding STEAM_RUNTIME=0 before the command for launching Steam.

It's best to create a separate executable file for it in order to allow easily switch between the Runtime and Native.

Create a Steam Native executable script

Open or go to /usr/bin in Terminal and type sudo nano steam-native Copy and paste this script: #!/bin/sh export STEAM_RUNTIME=0 # Workaround for dbus fatal termination related coredumps (SIGABRT) # https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/4464 export DBUS_FATAL_WARNINGS=0 # Override some libraries as these are what games linked against. export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/usr/lib/steam:/usr/lib32/steam" exec /usr/lib/steam/steam "$@" Exit while saving the file with Ctrl+X and accept while leaving the name intact. Type sudo chmod +x steam-native to mark the script as executable

Once done, you will be able to run Steam Native with the steam-native command on Terminal, you can add it to the Start/Program Menu if you wish, but it is also best to add it's .desktop file as well, so it'd be available and automatically added.

Create a Steam Native Desktop script
Open or go to /usr/share/applications in Terminal and type sudo nano steam-native.desktop Copy and paste this script Exit while saving the file with Ctrl+X and accept while leaving the name intact.

ArchLinux based distributions only require installing steam-native-runtime package which will automatically install required repositories and automatically set everything for you, once you install Steam.

Change a game's language

Instructions
Right Click on the desired game in the Library. Select Properties, the Language tab, then select the desired language. Notes Changing a game's language might not be possible while the game is already open.

Toggle Steam Cloud per game

Instructions
Right Click on the desired game in the Library. Select Properties, the Updates tab, then click on the Enable Steam Cloud synchronization checkbox.

Toggle the Steam overlay per game

Instructions
Right Click on the desired game in the Library. Select Properties, the General tab, then click on the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game checkbox.

Open Steam console

Enter steam://nav/console in browser URL bar and open it[citation needed]

Delete files stored in the Steam Cloud

Upload Empty Files

Check if the Steam Cloud is enabled on the desired game, then close Steam. Navigate to <Steam-folder>\userdata\<user-id>\<game-id>\ Erase the contents of every file present in the remote folder with a text editor. Navigate to <Steam-folder>\userdata\<user-id>\<game-id>\ and delete remotecache.vdf. Launch Steam, then start the desired game from the Library. When prompted with the Sync Conflict, delete the <game-id> folder. Select Upload to the Steam Cloud. Notes If the data is still being synced check any other possible locations in which the files may be stored, then erase them if they exist.

Disable Steam announcements

Instructions[citation needed]
On the top left, select Steam, then Downloads. Tick the Notify me about additions or changes to my games, new releases, and upcoming releases checkbox.

Download older games versions

Name

Search your game on SteamDB Look in the Depots tab for the one(s) with the required files to downgrade Switch to History and scroll until the change date of the old desired version Take note of the manifest IDs of the aforementioned depots Open Steam console Enter download_depot <appid> <depotid> <target manifestid> command (with corresponding information) Wait until download is finished (progress is lost on closure) Move to the indicated download folder Good luck trying to copy it over <path-to-game>

Playing without game updates

The Only update this game when I launch it checkbox does not allow playing without updates, the only way to avoid updates is by playing Offline.

Some developers make earlier versions available under the Betas tab in the game's properties in the Steam client. Once selected and downloaded, this alternate version can be played without further updates.

Steam Offline Mode

The Steam Offline Mode can only be enabled after logging in at least once with a working internet connection.

Instructions[citation needed]
Open Steam while being connected to the internet. When logging in tick the Remember my password checkbox. On the top left, select Steam and Go Offline. Notes Start dialog box can be removed by setting SkipOfflineModeWarning to 1 in <Steam-folder>/config/loginusers.vdf Some games cannot be played in offline mode due to DRM.

Copying a game from a different computer

Instructions[citation needed]

Go to <Steam-folder>/SteamApps/common/ on the computer where the game is installed. Look for the folder that fits the game you want to copy and move it to the same location on the target computer. Go to steampowered.com in your browser and visit the game's store page in the Url bar of your browser you'll see store.steampowered.com/app/<appid>/, where <appid> is a number that uniquely identifies the game on Steam. Grab the <Steam-folder>/SteamApps/appmanifest_<appid>.acf file that fits the <appid> from the store page and copy it to the same location on the target computer. Close and restart Steam. The game should now show up in your Library and be ready to play. (Optional) If the game doesn't run or if it came from a different OS, right click on the game in your Library and choose Properties ; then go to the Local Files tab and click on Verify integrity of game cache… . This will trigger Steam to repair the installation.

Add Microsoft Store games as non-Steam games

Use UWPHook[citation needed]

Disable Steam's link filter

Use disablesteamlinkfilter[citation needed]

Downloading game files with SteamGet (Linux)

SteamGet is a script created by Ryan C. Gordon (aka Icculus) which requires SteamCMD to work. What it does is that it will download all the files from the selected game you own in your account without requiring you to rely Wine to do that or use the SteamCMD itself as this script makes its task more simple. This can be very useful if you wish to use the game files for the source port of the game or an open source engine.

Steam sales

Steam sales occur on a regular basis, and can includes sales as high as 90% off. On any given date, a Steam sale will switch at 6pm UTC, e.g. a weekend sale may last from Thursday 6pm UTC to Monday 6pm UTC.

Regular deals

Daily deal or Today's deal

Single game only. Lasts for 48 hours from 6pm UTC every day.

Midweek madness

Multiple games, highlighted on Store page in the 'Spotlight'. Lasts from Tuesday 6pm UTC to Thursday 6pm UTC.

Weekend sale

Multiple games, highlighted on Store page in the 'Spotlight'. Lasts from Thursday 6pm UTC to Tuesday 6pm UTC.

Long sales

Steam is famous for having long periods of deep discounts which apply to virtually its entire catalogue of games. During this period, Steam will usually run daily discounts, further slashing prices (as low as 90% off). Therefore, it is a good idea to hold off buying a particular game unless the game is on a daily deal (or flash sale), or it is the last day of the sale.

Seasonal sales

Year	Date	Length in days	Sale name
2009	Dec 23 - Jan 03	11	Holiday Sale
2010	Jun 24 - Jul 04	10	Perils Of Summer Sale
2010	Oct 28 - Nov 01	4	Halloween Sale
2010	Dec 20 - Jan 02	13	Holiday Sale
2011	Jun 30 - Jul 11	11	Summer Camp Sale
2011	Oct 27 - Oct 31	4	Halloween Sale
2011	Nov 23 - Nov 27	4	Autumn Sale
2011	Dec 19 - Jan 01	13	Holiday Sale
2012	Jul 12 - Jul 22	10	Summer Camp Sale
2012	Oct 29 - Nov 01	4	Halloween Sale
2012	Nov 21 - Nov 26	5	Autumn Sale
2012	Dec 20 - Jan 05	16	Holiday Sale
2013	Mar 21 - Mar 29	9	Spring Indie Sale
2013	Jul 11 - Jul 23	12	Summer Getaway Sale
2013	Oct 29 - Nov 01	4	Halloween Sale
2013	Nov 27 - Dec 03	6	Autumn Sale
2013	Dec 19 - Jan 03	15	Holiday Sale
2014	Jun 19 - Jun 30	11	Summer Sale
2014	Oct 30 - Nov 03	4	Halloween Sale
2014	Dec 18 - Jan 02	15	Holiday Sale
2015	Jun 11 - Jun 21	11	Monster Summer Sale
2015	Dec 23 - Jan 4	12	Holiday Sale
2016	Feb 5 - Feb 12	7	Lunar Sale
2016	Jun 23 - Jul 4	11	Summer Sale
2016	Dec 22 - Jan 4	12	Winter Sale

Price Comparison

During Steam sales, you can make sure you are getting the best price available by using a service like IsThereAnyDeal, CheapShark or SteamPrices, which compares pricing across multiple game stores/distributors/regions.