Steam has shattered its record by releasing an astounding 14,535 games in 2023, as the independent Steam analytics site SteamDB reported. This figure represents a significant jump from the 12,000 titles released in 2022, indicating a rapid expansion in the platform’s catalog.
This surge is not just a one-off occurrence. Over the past five years, Steam has seen a dramatic increase in the number of games it releases. To put this in perspective, in 2019, the platform released 8,134 games. Fast forward to 2023, and that number has almost doubled.
As we step into 2024, Steam’s pace shows no signs of slowing down. In the first four days of the year, 80 new games have been added to the platform. If this trend continues, we could look at nearly 29,000 game releases by the end of the year.
What’s driving this exponential growth? Experts point to a couple of critical factors. First, there’s the increased democratization of game development tools, making it easier for developers to create and publish games. Valve’s relaxed curation policies have also opened the doors for a broader range of games to be featured on the platform.
However, this growth spurt is not without its challenges. Many players and industry observers are raising concerns about the overwhelming influx of titles. Many are considered lower quality. This phenomenon, often called ‘shovelware,’ makes it increasingly difficult for players to navigate the platform and discover quality games among the masses.
So, what does 2024 have in store? We’ll have to wait and see.
