Steam reached a record revenue during the first half of 2026, registering US$11 billion, the best result in its 22-year history. Most of that revenue came from games released before 2026.
The data, compiled by Alinea Analytics, shows that only 21% of purchases made between January and June corresponded to titles released this year. The remaining 79% were for games from 2025 or earlier.
Steam recorded its most profitable semester in 22 years
According to the data aggregated by Alinea Analytics, Steam generated US$11 billion during the first six months of 2026.
This figure far exceeds the US$7.2 billion obtained during all of 2020, at the peak of the pandemic, and is already close to the total recorded in 2021, when the platform reached US$11.4 billion.
Most purchases were for games released before 2026
The report indicates that only 21% of purchases made between January and June corresponded to titles released in 2026.
Consequently, 79% of the games purchased by users were releases from 2025 or earlier. This trend was also observed in previous years:
In 2024, only 29% of the revenue came from games published that same year.
In 2025, that share dropped to 27%.
The best-selling games on Steam in 2026
Although recent titles led the individual sales ranking, the largest volume of revenue continued to come from games published earlier.
Forza Horizon 6: US$197.6 million.
