Over 14,000 games were released on Steam in 2023
How do we feel about that?
Over 14,000 games were released on Steam in 2023, according to according to data tracked by SteamDB. The number is nearly 2000 games more than in 2022, and continues a steady trend of growth on the digital storefront.
The number of games released on Steam has increased every year since the platform's launch, with the exception of 2019. That decline from 2018 is because 2018 was the year Valve launched Steam Direct, letting developers release their games onto the platform without an approval process and thus prompting an unrepeatable deluge of back catalogue and previously rejected games.
At the time of writing, 102 games have been released on Steam in 2024.
I always feel ambivalent about the increasing number of games released on Steam. I like anything that suggests that video games are growing, because the more people who make them, the more interesting they will become; on the other hand, I'm not sure Steam is the boulevard through which all of these games should be flowing.
"The vast majority of these sell 0 copies, many are 'my first game'-type projects," commented Tyler Glaiel on X, developer on The End Is Nigh and the upcoming Mewgenics. "Everyone's gotta start somewhere but it is somewhat odd how much game dev communities are funneling people to immediately jump to trying to sell games instead of just getting plays and feedback first.
"Kinda feels like the hobbyist and professional sides of game development got merged together sometime over the last 15 years and I'm not so sure that's a good thing," Glaiel continued. "Back in the 00s I could post my shitty ass still-learning projects on newgrounds and immediately get 1000 reviews."
Seemingly 3618 of the games released on Steam last year were free games. That figure includes those that are free-to-play, or otherwise monetised via alternate methods, but it's theoretically possible to release a game on Steam as a hobbyist. Steam's curation tools, which are so essential for highlighting quality games among the flood, seem to guarantee that beginners are not going to receive the vital feedback or support Glaiel is talking about, though.
On the other (third) hand, I'd much rather that hobbyist or beginner designers release their games on Steam than produce work trapped within the walled gardens of Roblox or Fortnite. So it can always be worse.