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.

New releases help Steam reach record-breaking numbers

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.

SteamDB

Many of Steam’s most played games are not new titles.

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.