In 2023, Valve’s Steam platform witnessed the release of 14,531 new games, marking the fourth consecutive year of record-breaking game launches. This equates to an average of approximately 39 new games being added to the platform daily.
However, not all of these new releases are necessarily of high quality. To identify standout titles from last year, one can turn to Valve’s Best of 2023 page for guidance.
Valve classifies the games on its platform into four tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, each of which includes 100 games. These categorizations are based on sales data from January 1st to December 15th of 2023.
In the Platinum category, games such as co-op heist shooter Payday 3, city simulation game Cities: Skylines II, and horror title Sons of the Forest held top positions. Additionally, popular titles like Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, Street Fighter 6, and Baldur’s Gate also made it to the elite list of best-selling games.
Despite known performance issues, games such as Star Wars: Jedi Survivor managed to achieve high sales and popularity, highlighting the impact of brand recognition and the large number of game releases on the platform.
Securing a spot on Steam’s Best of 2023 page is no small feat, given the fierce competition from thousands of other releases. With such a substantial influx of new titles, it is evident that there is something for every type of gamer on the platform.
As the gaming industry continues to evolve, it will be intriguing to observe how Valve addresses the quality control of new game releases and how they will manage the influx of titles. Given the sheer volume of games being added to Steam, it is essential for players to distinguish between high-quality titles and those that may not be worth their time.
In conclusion, the gaming landscape on Steam is more diverse than ever, and with thousands of new games hitting the platform each year, the PC gaming community continues to thrive. With the appropriate resources and knowledge, players can navigate through the sea of new releases to discover hidden gems and exciting experiences.