Steam predicted to make over $20 billion this year for first time ever

Steam is on course to generate more than $20 billion in annual revenue for the first time after recording its biggest September and third quarter ever.

Valve’s platform generated an estimated $1.7 billion in September 2026, according to data from Alinea Analytics, putting it 13% ahead of the previous September record set last year.

That helped Steam reach an estimated $5.5 billion in revenue during Q3, another record and a 12% increase compared to the same period in 2025.

Across the first nine months of 2026, Steam has now generated an estimated $16.5 billion. That is up around 13% from the $14.5 billion Alinea estimated for the same period last year.

With another full quarter still remaining, Alinea predicts Steam will pass $20 billion in annual revenue for the first time by the end of 2026.

A mixture of major new releases and Steam mainstays helped drive the platform’s record September.

Games released in 2026 accounted for around 33.6% of revenue generated by Steam’s top 500 grossing titles during the month, while entirely new IP released this year contributed 20.5%.

However, established franchises continued to dominate overall, accounting for approximately 79.5% of revenue among those games.

Free-to-play titles also remained a major contributor. Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends, PUBG, and Dota 2 generated almost $168 million combined during September, according to Alinea’s estimates. That represents close to 10% of Steam’s entire estimated monthly revenue.

Premium releases were responsible for some of September’s biggest individual performances.

PvP shooter Wardogs generated an estimated $86.9 million after launching in Early Access on September 10, while Onimusha: Way of the Sword brought in $30.4 million during the month.

The Blood of Dawnwalker followed with $26.9 million, while EA FC 27 generated another $20.7 million from Steam copies despite most of the sales being on console.

Steam would only need to generate around $3.5 billion during the final three months of 2026 to cross the $20 billion mark based on Alinea’s estimates.

Source - Dexerto