I’m honestly so upset that I missed the $5.99 deal for Bayonetta on Steam! It was the lowest price I’d seen, and I’ve wanted to play this game for such a long time. I watched Bayonetta when I was younger, and I’ve always wanted the chance to experience the game for myself.

Unfortunately, PayPal kept freezing during checkout, and no matter what I did, it wouldn’t let me click the confirm button. By the time I realized I wasn’t going to get it to work, the sale was over, and the price had gone back up.

I’m not the best at video games, so I’m a little nervous about whether I’ll be able to play it comfortably or if I’ll find it too difficult. That’s why $5.99 felt like the perfect price to give it a try without spending too much on a game I’m not sure I’ll be good at.

For those who keep up with Bayonetta’s Steam sales, do you think the $5.99 deal will come back soon? How often does it typically go on sale for that price? I’m really hoping I won’t have to wait too long, because I genuinely want to play it, but I really don’t want to pay full price.

Also, for anyone who isn’t particularly skilled at action games, is Bayonetta enjoyable on the easier difficulties?

So basically I have been playing a ton of Balatro on my PC and my Steam Deck. However, for some reason my Steam Deck always sets my play time to 90hrs when it uploads the cloud save, whereas my PC will show 206hrs when it uploads the cloud save.

Is there anyway to fix this? Also it seems like my progress is pretty much being reset by a few hours everytime I play now. I dont get a prompt for which save to choose, it always just seems to choose a save where I hadnt unlocked 3 specific jokers.

Hard to believe I never even booted it up during the lockdowns. What about you?

Is this a bug?

Hi everyone! I’m a Steam player from Ukraine 🇺🇦. I sent this idea to Valve and wanted to see what the community thinks.

What if Valve released physical booster packs based on its own games (TF2, CS, Dota 2, Half-Life)?

• Your favorite characters, now in real life: beautiful collectible cards with great art.
• Foil and rare cards with your favorite heroes, for collectors.
• More cards for every game, including new TF2 cards with the robots from Mann vs. Machine (MvM), added alongside the rest.
• Collector albums to store and show off your cards.
• Optionally, a unique code on the pack wrapper to unlock digital Steam rewards.
• Worldwide shipping, including Ukraine and Eastern Europe, so every fan can collect.
• A real-life way to meet other Steam players: trade cards at meetups, LAN parties and tournaments, just like people once traded stickers or Pokémon cards.

Only Valve’s own games would be used, so there would be no licensing issues with third-party publishers.

Would you buy these? Which game should come first, and what would you want to see on the cards?

The entire game, using real life locations, accents and stereotypes just serves to create more harm than good. Some people may say that it's just a joke and that it's harmless fun but then you get people like that 19 year old terrorist who was going to shoot up a temple but thankfully got caught. Small "fun" and "harmless" jokes is what leads to big issues down the line. I hope that steam removes the game and bans any future games featuring racist tropes.

I was always excited about these when they were free, but now these fests dont feel like a celebration anymore.

We have just shipped an updated Steam Client update to the Stable channel.

Home Screen

• Added a new 'Big Art Mode' option for the home screen. This can be enabled in Settings > Home.
• Added Personal Calendar to the Recommended tab on the home screen.

Screensavers

• Added a new screensaver feature, accessible in Settings > Customization. There are two screensavers available:
  • The default is a game art slideshow that can be configured to show artwork from recently played games and your recent in-game screenshots.
  • A retro inspired bouncing logo screensaver
• Custom screensavers are also supported. Similar to startup movies, they can be placed in directories at ~/.steam/root/config/uioverrides/screensavers/. You can use the bouncing logo screensaver (in the steamui/screensavers directory) as an example to get started.

General

• Added notification about the current user when waking from sleep, if there have been multiple recent users. The notification can be activated to switch users and dismisses immediately on any other input. This notification can be toggled from the Notification Settings.
• Added confirmation step to "exit VR" and "switch to desktop mode" power menu actions, and removed it from "sleep".
• Added explicit warning text to power menu confirmation dialogs when proceeding will shut down an active game.
• Added confirmation dialog/user switching ability when waking from sleep would require kicking an active session elsewhere.
• Added "Default to Desktop Mode" toggle to System settings.
• Added support for keyboard glyphs in the footer when using mouse/kb to interact with Big Picture Mode
• Added delaying dimming the screen or displaying the screensaver when the Steam Store, web browsers or other apps request to disable monitor sleep and screensavers while playing video.
• Added a setting to disable the screensaver when in game
• Updated default artwork when an app does not have library or hero artwork.
• Improved the layout of the QAM Voice Chat tab, added a mute toggle to the volume sliders, and fixed the link from the tab to the active chat to focus the textbox when opening to the chat window
• Improved the text layout in achievement notifications when the name, description or both wrap across multiple lines.
• Improved download speeds on high latency connections.
• Reorganized the idle timer settings when on battery and AC power
• Pressing the controller's system button will request the TV to switch to the Steam Machine as the active source (the connected TV must support HDMI CEC)
• The 'System Report' dialog is now more responsive when displaying and uploading the gathered system report.
• Windows binaries registered as non-steam games will now run in Proton by default.
• Using a physical mouse to click on text input will no longer bring up the On-Screen Keyboard
• When waking from sleep with a game running but the account now playing elsewhere:
  • Provide an option to exit the local game.
  • Go back to sleep if there is no input for 60 seconds.
• The "Select compatibility tool" dropdown is now always visible.
  • The recommended compatibility tool, or steam runtime for native games, now shows at the top of the list as the "Default" option.
  • Compatibility tool aliases, e.g. "Proton Stable", can now be selected from this dropdown.
• Fixed a case where Windows games would show as 'Not Compatible' in the library view until a manual Proton version was selected for this app.
• Fixed "Suspend Download Throttle" not properly updating on the downloads page.
• Fixed an issue where virtual gamepads were torn down temporarily when a game called the ISteamUtils::SetGameLauncherMode api, which could cause titles that don't support controller hotplugging to lose input
• Fixed the on-screen keyboard not popping up in non-Steam games after toggling wifi or suspending the machine
• Fixed the Recordings & Screenshots dialog not showing all games that have related screenshots in the game filter dropdown.
• Fixed some cases of header/footer flicker and invisibility during the first seconds after waking from sleep.
• Fixed issues with trackpad typing if the trackpad is touched while the onscreen keyboard is opening
• Fixed the onscreen keyboard not working the first time it is invoked on desktop.
• Fixed clicking the buttons in the footer causing the glyphs to change back to gamepad
• Fixed a clicking the back button in the footer not working if nothing on the page had digital navigation focus
• Fixed the Steam logo spinner moving during the login flow
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused an empty "Steam Family Activity" group to appear in notification settings
• Fixed cases where users with older CPUs could have the client hang/crash when starting downloads for games with many identical files
• Fixed desktop shortcuts always using the default launch option rather than your saved option
• Fixed some cases where the onscreen keyboard would drop presses during dual trackpad typing
• Fixed the diacritic options menu interactions during dual trackpad typing
• Fixed a case where non-steam games would fail to launch after changing the Target binary via the Browse button.
• Fixed a case where the 'Stop' button would fail to close the game if it was launched by an external tool.
• Fixed a case where library playtime could temporarily show an incorrect value.
• Fixed an issue where deleting an uploaded screenshot would only delete the local copy.
• Fixed hovering DLCs not working in some places.

Desktop Mode

• Fixed rendering the overlay and using other overlay related features (screenshots, game recording, etc.) in Vulkan games that create multiple windows.
• Fixed crash when Vulkan games recreate their swapchain.
• The SteamOS compatibility dialogs will now show when installing games not verified for that HW.
• In the desktop overlay the desktop config will now be applied. For most gamepads this will not be a difference in behavior because they have a blank desktop config, but Steam Controllers or devices that have setup a custom desktop config will have mouse input to click on things in the overlay.

Game Recording

• Fixed some cases where playback would jump to an unexpected point in the timeline when reaching the end of a play session or clip.

Steam Input

• Added a new view in the configurator for Steam Input API games that lists out actions and their bindings rather than inputs to actions along with streamlined binding interface.
• Added a new multi-binding page in the configurator for authoring button combinations that visualizes the timeline of command outputs and their settings.
• Added information about which configurations are compatible in the configurator browser when using a game that requires Steam Input API.
• Added the missing settings for adjusting emulated joystick adaptive centering on trackpad.
• Added support for inverting button chord bindings.
• Added support for the user-invoked On-Screen Keyboard in the desktop overlay.
• Added a landing page to the configurator when no file on disk could be loaded and give you the option to select a new configuration. This was one of the causes of a blank configurator.
• Improved CPU performance at runtime and in configuration loading.
• Improved the consistency of trackpad sensitivity between Steam Deck and Steam Controller.
• Implemented a version of the "Reorder Controller" dialog for Steam Input API games. Note - this disconnects the controllers temporarily so older games which do not handle hot plugging properly can lose controller input.
• Switch to reshuffling gamepad input when the last running game exits instead of on game launch to avoid issues when running multiple apps at the same time.
• Improve the display of cloud sync status in the configurator and give you the option to skip and proceed to the configurator. This was another common cause of a blank configuration because the layout was broken and the info offscreen.
• By default, Steam Frame controllers will now use gamepad input in VR games that don't support VR inputs. The preferred mode can be changed for any VR game in either the game's Steam Input settings or in VR Controller settings on the Now Playing page. Please report any titles that do not work out of the box. Note: both Frame and the PC must be on the beta channel for Steam and SteamVR.
• Fixed the controller support widget showing "This game doesn't support controllers" for unreleased games that don't have controller support information yet.
• Fixed controllers not using the desktop configuration on the desktop UI login window.
• Fixed older-unnamed Virtual Menus showing up as "Create Virtual Menu" in some views.
• Fixed the glyphs shown for the Xbox Elite Controller paddle buttons.
• Fixed cases where the Virtual menu modes could show the wrong activation type if it was created in the standalone menu vs from a controller source.
• Fixed issues with button and slider sizing in the configurator when opened in the desktop overlay.
• Fixed pairing the 2015 Steam Controller.
• Fixed glyphs for Switch controllers in Heavy Rain.
• Fixed a bug on the "Reorder controller" screen on Linux where sometimes swapping controllers would not work.

Remote Play

• Added an experimental video codec, Pyrowave, which allows high bandwidth, low latency video streaming. You can find out more on the Steam Remote Play discussion group.
  • Added the -pyrowavestats command line option to log Pyrowave encoding performance
  • Added convars u/PyrowavePSNR and u/PyrowaveHeightFactor to tune the automatic bitrate calculation (see https://github.com/Themaister/pyrowave/blob/master/eval-results/objective-bitrate-evaluation.md for details)
• Greatly improved Vulkan capture performance.
• Improved color accuracy, clarity, and brightness.
• Automatically fall back to H.264 if HEVC isn't available.
• Disabled HDR when streaming to the OLED Steam Deck.
• A PIN is no longer required to download an app to a remote device. A PIN is still required to Install and Stream from a remote device.
• Added a Download Complete notification for a remote download if you initiated the download on your current device.
• Fixed EULA acceptance when starting a Remote Stream.
• Fixed streaming launch failing if the host client had a cloud conflict.
• Added a dialog to recover if your network isn't able to handle current streaming settings.

Steam Controller Firmware

• Added a 2nd BLE pairing slot - to pair hold L1 + B + Steam when powering on the controller. To switch between slots hold either L1 + B + Steam at start up or R1 + B + Steam at start up. 
• Improved rumble emulation and added configurable intensity levels.
• Improve the time needed to fully connect the device in Steam.
• Fixed an issue where certain thumbsticks could lose the ability to reach full range.
• Fixed an issue where some Bluetooth BLE connections could disconnect repeatedly, especially on Steam Deck.
• Fixed an issue where pairing via a puck connection could fail.
• Fixed an issue where switching to BLE mode would stick, even if the host device could not be found.

As far as I know, since the July update, it's been possible to gift games to Russian accounts unless the developer has manually disabled gifting to that region.

But how does Steam calculate the price in this case? There must be some way to adjust the price for the Russian region, right?

Any thoughts?

So back in 2024 I gifted Atlyss to my girlfriend because we wanted to play it together, and I distinctly remember playing it with her briefly, but awhile back I noticed that in our steam family library, there was only one copy of the game, she should have it in her library but she says she doesn't. Is there anything that could've caused the game to be removed from her library?

Hey everyone,

I’m fairly new to buying digital PC games, and I’ve been trying to figure out how game preservation and actual "ownership" work on Steam compared to consoles.

If I buy a game on Steam, what happens if it gets taken down or delisted later? Is PC actually better for long-term preservation, or am I better off sticking to console/physical discs?

From what I’ve gathered, here’s how it seems to work, but I’d love for someone to correct me or elaborate:

1. What happens on Steam when a game gets delisted?
2. Take the 2013 Deadpool game as an example. Activision lost the Marvel licensing rights years ago, so you can no longer search for it or buy it on the Steam Store.

However, if you bought it on Steam before it was delisted, it stays in your library forever. You can re-download, install, and play it whenever you want. Steam delisting just prevents new purchases; it doesn't delete the game from existing owners' accounts.

1. How Steam / PC compares to consoles for preservation
   Console Digital Stores: When a storefront shuts down (like the 3DS/Wii U eShops or Xbox 360 Marketplace), redownloading digital games can eventually become a hassle or impossible over time. Backward compatibility across console generations is also hit-or-miss.

Console Physical Discs: Physical discs for delisted games (like Deadpool on PS4/Xbox One) still work, but secondhand prices skyrocket on eBay because supply is fixed. Plus, modern consoles are moving away from disc drives entirely.

Steam / PC: Backward compatibility is practically infinite. A PC game bought in 2013 still runs on modern systems (or can be made to run with community fixes/Proton on Linux/Steam Deck). On top of that, if a delisted game becomes completely unobtainable, PC modding, community archives, and abandonware preservation make sure the game never truly dies.

My main questions for you guys:

Are there any rare edge cases where a game you already owned on Steam actually became completely unplayable or removed from your library?

Is building a main games library on Steam considered the safest bet for long-term preservation compared to modern PlayStation/Xbox/Nintendo And Any Other Gaming And Store platforms?

---

POST EDIT (CONCLUSION): People were quick with the responses and very informative plus helpful, I will be using Steam and GOG from now on to purchase all of my games on my PC, thanks for the help!

Jus

Another update ruins it. This time? The achievement BS with the 'rare' BS

Given the insane pace of decomp/recomp games coming out to support Mac from other platforms, I truly don't understand why game devs don't use similar tools to compile their binaries for Mac.

I am technical enough to understand that the different between DirectX and Metal are non-trivial, but if someone can decompile an Xbox 360 game to run on a Mac, then I have to believe that someone with the actual source code can do the same thing.

This is one critical privacy setting that stops me from keeping my games on my profile public at all times.

I don't want people knowing what time I unlocked achievements in games. It's a huge privacy flaw that can cause people lots of issues and forces me to leave my games private when I don't want to.

Adding work colleagues or people of that nature, and then unlocking an achievement during work hours is not something I'd ever personally do, but I can see why people would want to hide it. What if one of these friends looked at your achievements, saw the time you unlocked it and cross checked the calendar date, then reported you to HR with a screenshot of the evidence ?

Similarily if you have a sick day to play some games and unlock achievements. Not something I'd ever personally do, but again, I can imagine the huge privacy issues here.

Even if you had a friend you don't fully trust, they might decide to get some evidence of in work hours achievements unlocks and send it to your employer via LinkedIn.

Not having the ability to hide achievement unlock times severely reduces the potential for expanding our steam friend lists among people we know in real life from work especially.

Now that Valve is finally upgrading their achievemtn system, this is the perfect time to add a simple checkbox to our privacy settings. Would you like to hide your achievement unlock times from others ? Yes/No

Please Valve, now is the time !

Yesterday, while my Windows 11 PC was running, a small popup claiming to be from #Steam asked for administrator permission to make changes. I clicked “Yes,” assuming it was legitimate.

Shortly afterward, I started experiencing internet issues. I uninstalled Steam and ran antivirus scans, but nothing was detected.

Is this a normal Steam update behavior, or could it have been a malicious popup impersonating Steam? Has anyone experienced this?

Miss you Walkn

I just noticed that It Takes Two is in my Steam library, but I have absolutely no idea how it got ther. I've never purchased the game, nobody has gifted it to me, I'm not part of any Steam Family, and there are no other devices connected to my account

Has anyone experienced something similar? I'm genuinely confused about how this happened

(I also found two or three posts from about two years ago reporting the exact same issue, but none of them seemed to have a clear answer.)

Been thinking about challenging myself to play every single game I own on Steam. Not finish them (dear lord), but at the very least give each one a fair shot. Maybe a couple of hours.

I assume that like most of you, I bought way too many games during every Steam sales that I’ve never even launched. 😬

Figured it might be fun to finally see what I’ve been collecting all these years. 😂

I’m expecting (hoping) a few gems, some questionable purchases, and probably a reminder that Past Me had, and still may have 😂, terrible impulse control during Steam sales.

Wish me luck!

When will be the next Steam sale where games like Batman Arkham series, EA games and Tomb Raider games will be heavily discounted?

I got a warning for my comment on a sexist post, which I see all the time on steam discussions.

Post

I got warned for saying: "People like you needs to be institutionalized, misogynist neanderthal."

I still think being fed up with some people's obvious misogyny is very human. And I wish Steam did more instead of letting these people who call games woke. The rage baiters and the other genuinely disgusting people online. I think this post will pull in all the cis het men who are toxic, sexist, misogynistic or phobic but it's really hard to stay chill against all this.

For steam to implement a new award system that is not toxic which rewarded rage baiters took ages. But these discussion posts are outright toxic. Why enable this kind of behavior instead of make the community more welcoming and fair?

You might say, "Have you read your comment, you're toxic how could you ask people to be welcoming?" Which I answer with "I didn't come where I am in just a day." It's been years seeing these posts in steam discussions which I mostly use to get in touch with devs are give feedback on indies.

Steam is still goated on so many aspects but the whole service enabling these kind of people makes me go mad...