Steam saw close to 19,000 PC games released throughout 2024, 32% more than 2023

Almost 19,000 PC games were released on Steam throughout 2024, 18,965 to be exact, a number that is around 32% higher than in 2023. 2024 saw the most significant single jump in game releases for a year compared to the past, with 18,965 in 2024 compared to 14,310 in 2023. However, with such a large number of new PC game releases, most of them are categorized as "Limited Games" on the platform.

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Game releases on Steam have grown exponentially in recent years; image credit: SteamDB.

As outlined by SteamDB, Limited Games on Steam are titles that haven't met a specific sales threshold to gain access to community features like Steam Trading Cards, emoticons and backgrounds, badges, and the ability for players to display in-game items and achievements in their showcases.

Of the 18,965 releases in 2024, Steam DB notes that 14,981, or 79%, are classified as Limited Games, more than the total number of games released on the platform in 2023.

This means that for every significant breakout hit like Black Myth: Wukong, Balatro, or Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, there are thousands of games that haven't found an audience. 2024's release number is astronomical compared to what we saw on the platform, with 1,901 games released in October 2024 alone.

The steep rise in releases began in 2017 with Steam Direct, an affordable self-publishing tool with a nominal fee that allowed budding developers worldwide to release their games on the platform.

StemaDB's annual data wrapup also includes the option to view the top community-rated games of the year, with the Top 10 including Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Satisfactory, MiSide, and WEBFISHING.