As 2024 draws to a close, Steam has revealed its highly anticipated Best of Steam list, celebrating the platform’s most notable releases of the year. The Steam annual roundup highlights not only the biggest commercial successes, but also a diverse range of genres, including some lesser-known niche titles that have managed to capture gamers’ attention.
In 2024, Steam shattered records by launching an impressive 18,825 new games, surpassing the previous year’s total of 14,311. However, SteamDB, a platform that tracks Steam data, provides further insight into these numbers. Of the total, 14,888 titles are categorized as limited games, meaning they have restricted profile customization features due to not meeting specific criteria, such as minimum sales or player engagement thresholds. Meanwhile, 3,937 games achieved full release status, meeting these benchmarks.
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Despite debates surrounding the quality of limited games, 2024 marked a significant milestone for Steam’s overall sales. The platform recorded its highest sales figures since 2019, showing consistent growth even through the challenges of the 2020 global pandemic. While some critics argue that many of the limited releases lack polish or value, others see their sheer volume as a testament to Steam’s accessibility and openness for creators.
Steam Highlights the Most Popular Releases of 2024
Steam has published its list of the top-rated titles for 2024, highlighting games that earned praise from both players and critics alike. These are the best-selling games on Steam based on total gross revenue earned in 2024:
- Top 3 Platinum Bestsellers: Destiny 2, Elden Ring, and Dota 2
- Top 3 Gold Bestsellers: Enshrouded, The First Descendant: Season 2 Void Chaser, and Throne and Liberty
- Top 3 Silver Bestsellers: Gray Zone Warfare, Stardew Valley, Rainbows X Siege
- Top 3 Bronze Bestsellers: Ready or Not, Satisfactory 1.0, Metaphor: ReFantazio
Steam also revealed the most-played games of 2024, highlighting titles that surpassed 50,000 peak concurrent players throughout the year. The games are categorized based on their highest concurrent player counts achieved during this period. Helldivers 2: Omens Of Tyranny, Black Myth Wukong, and PUBG: Battlegrounds all had over 450,000 peak players, while Baldur’s Gate 3, Path of Exile, and Space Marine came in with over 200,000 peak players. Delta Force, Satisfactory 1.0, and Monster Hunter World also made the list with over 100,000 peak players.
It’s pretty impressive to see games that climbed to the top spots on the list despite launching late in the year. Take Marvel Rivals and Path of Exile 2, for example—both dropped on December 6, yet in under a month, they’ve secured spots in the Platinum and Gold tiers for New Releases, respectively. Turn-based RPGs also have a strong presence on the list, with titles like Metaphor: ReFantazio, Dragon Quest 3, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and the ever-popular Baldur’s Gate 3 all earning their well-deserved spots.
Steam
Steam is a digital video game storefront and program developed by Valve that allows gamers to purchase, play, and mod their titles all through one convenient program.