We only need to look back to realize that the offer in the world of video games is vastly superior to that of 10, 20 or 30 years ago. There are hundreds and hundreds of titles that come onto the market every day, trying to compete for players' savings and an excellent platform to measure the pulse of the industry is Steam.
If we look at the graph of annual releases on Valve's digital storewe can see how the upward progression has been absurdly exponential. In 2014, only 1,714 games were released on Steam, compared to the more than 18,700 that the company led by Gabe Newell has hosted in 2024.
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The data, cold, can have all kinds of readings, such as that the general quality of the productions has decreased drastically. It is a logical observation due to pure statistical crushing and the democratization of access to video game development, but this does not prevent us from being able to enjoy colossal works such as Balatro, Mouthwashing o Animal Well.
They are there, ready for us to sink our teeth into during all the hours of play they offer, but the truth is that most Steam users have other, more important tasks to solve. And if we go to the classic Summary of the Year published by Valve, the figures in our user profile will be contrasted with the general figures for the entire platform.
That is why we have been able to know that Only 15% of the gaming time spent by all Steam users was exclusively focused on new releases. In other words, 85% of the time spent on the platform was invested in projects that saw the light of day in 2023 or previous years. In turn, 47% of playing time corresponds to releases from the last 1-7 years and the remaining 37% to releases from 8 years ago or more.
A truly striking contrast, but one that is based on the hackneyed view that Steam players have a very strong tendency to simply accumulate video games in their libraries. There is too much title pending to play, many accumulated duties and an offer so wildly diverse that sometimes it can be difficult to decide what to invest in. If we take a look at the most popular games currently on Steamwe obtain the following results:
- Counter-Strike 2 (2012)
- Dota 2 (2013)
- PUBG: Battlegrounds (2017)
- Path of Exile 2 (2024)
- Marvel Rivals (2024)
- GTA V (2013)
- Rust (2018)
- Banana (2024)
- Palworld (2024)
- Naraka: Bladepoint (2021)
Six of the ten with the highest user traffic belong to past years and one could even exclude Banana due to its purely economic nature. It is clear that multiplayer titles like those that crown the podium will accumulate more time due to the pure fact of the game loop they have, but they are fully consolidated at the top due to their quality.
If we continued down the list, we would see that the dynamics are very similar. Apex Legends, Stardew Valley, Baldur's Gate 3 or Cyberpunk 2077 are examples that maintain the struggle with the current bombshells or annual updates, whether in the case of Delta Force or Football Manager 2024. Of course, there are single-player games with strong communities dedicated to modding, which significantly increases their replayability. So what is the reason for this obvious imbalance?
Along with the aforementioned, we must mention a key factor such as the usual promotions that Valve activates. We are currently in the Winter Sales, the Autumn Sales having happened a few weeks ago, and they are special moments throughout the year when our wallets shake. The wish list begins to smoke ridiculously absurd prices that are beginning to appearso it's time to get some good loot for a tiny amount.
And that's the thing, because the games that have been on the market for the longest time are the ones that will have the most juicy costs. The calculation is simple: will you spend 10 dollars for an action roguelike, fantasy strategy and a graphic adventure of yesteryear or will you spend 40 dollars for the game that came out in February of this year? The decision seems more than obvious and is the one that most Steam users probably make.
On the other hand, we must also take into account the large number of occasions in which developers give away video games. Black Desert is the most recent example, but multiple similar situations can be found throughout a year. Obviously, these types of offers arrive when a production is practically amortized, so it is normal for them to be works from past years.
As a video game medium, at iGamesNews we must be aware of the most recent releases and that is our main occupation, but the general public is not so focused on that sector. Why does Black Myth: Wukong take priority when purchasing and playing it over The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? The elections can be opted for issues based on quality, although it can be taken as a reference about the desires that companies manage.
The almost 19,000 games released on Steam are a battle royale for the attention of the user, who is probably already more than clear that he wants to try his luck with that 2016 indie that he recently bought than with the most recent budget-packed AAA. A partly useless battle on the part of the editors.
Games released in deplorable states, unpolished versions, expansions that have yet to appear… are so many important factors to maintain the patience to continue waiting until you check out. Getting a GOTY edition can be very beneficial if you don't have the need to experience the wave of expectation that each new release generates. Hurry is a bad advisor and, apparently, Steam knows very well what the movie is about.
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