With just a handful of days left until The New Year, we’re excited to look back at some of 2021’s top sellers, most-played games, new releases, and more! As with previous years, we've organized several Best Of lists that each showcase how great 2021 was for players, developers, and all of the games in between. Before we see what 2022 has in store, let's look back at the Best of Steam - 2021.

As you've probably noticed by now, the Steam Winter Sale is in full swing, with 1000s of discounts across the store. So if you're looking for a sale on the best games of the year, we recommend browsing some of these lists!

For anyone jumping straight into the lists, we recommend reading the notes at the bottom of this page, which explain some of the technical criteria for how the lists are generated.



The Top Sellers list is exactly what it sounds like - a look at the 100 games earning the most revenue on Steam during 2021. To get the total revenue, we look at game sales, in-game transactions, and DLC sales for every app on Steam from January 1st, 2021 through December 15th, 2021.

Being the sixth time we've organized the yearly Top Sellers list, it's quite interesting to look back and see which games have become perennial champs, while also perusing the brand new hits that smashed their way to the top.

In terms of titles new to this list, 2021 was a good year for games making their debut in both the Platinum category as well as the list overall. Six games made their debuts in the Platinum category this year (New World, Valheim, NARAKA: BLADEPOINT, Apex Legends, Battlefield™ 2042, and Dead by Daylight), with more than a third of the entire list being comprised of first-time Top Seller appearances. Many of these debuts are new releases for 2021, but a handful of older titles also cracked into the top 100, thanks to continued passion from their developers and dedicated community support from players.

Meanwhile, many of the perennial leaders continued to enjoy success on Steam. Dota 2, CS:GO, and Grand Theft Auto V all remain in the Platinum category for the sixth-straight year, which comes as no surprise to the passionate fans that launched these games throughout 2021. Five-time appearances in the Platinum category include PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege.
A special shoutout to Destiny 2 as well, which has made the Platinum three years running since its Steam release in 2019.

Top Sellers of 2021



If you follow Steam posts throughout the year, you may have seen monthly lists highlighting the Top 20 games released each month throughout 2021. We've assembled those lists in one handy spot, but have also generated a top 25 list of new releases looking at the entire year. The list is created by looking at the thousands of game releases of 2021 and showcasing the Top 25 based on the revenue they generated during the first two weeks following their launch.

For last year's New Release list, we looked at which months were the most represented in the yearly Top 25. We thought it would be interesting to do that again and see how they compare. Similarly to last year, the autumn season includes a concentration of hugely successful top releases, with a bit of a lull in games during the winter months. We are also pleased to see that every month made the cut in 2021:

Top 25 new releases by month (congrats November!)

Top New Releases of 2021



Unlike the lists that are based on commercial success, the Most Played list showcases games that achieved the highest numbers of players through December 15th, 2021. We've included every game that reached more than 30,000 players for the year, grouping them into buckets based on the number of players they reached. Like in previous years, we exclude player spikes caused by free weekends, giveaways, and other anomalous events.

It's already a massive challenge to create a product with enough interest and support to become a Most Played game. If a game achieves that, managing thousands of players presents a whole new set of challenges for developers. We noticed that many of the Most Played games this year took full advantage of two newer features on Steam that help overcome those challenges: Steam Playtests and Steam Next Fests. Both allow developers to get their products into the hands of thousands of players, testing server loads and adjusting matchmaking features, all while generating excitement and wishlist growth in the community. For the players who make this Most Played list come to life, Steam Playtests and Next Fests give exciting peeks into development, as well as more confidence to make informed purchasing decisions.

Most Played Games of 2021



The Early Access list represents the top selling games that launched out of Early Access in 2021. We create this list based on all the revenue earned through December 15th, 2021 by any app that exited out of Early Access during that time.

Early Access continued to be a popular development model on Steam throughout 2021, with well over 1000 games launching with it during the year. But this list is about the graduates, who have all come a long way from their debuts. Some of them made quick progressions through their Early Access milestones, while others steadily progressed through years of development. Although each has a unique path and story, they all stand as shining examples of the amazing games that Early Access can produce. 

Top Early Access Graduates of 2021



The Top Selling VR list represents the 100 best-selling VR-only experiences of 2021. Like the Top Sellers list, these are based on revenue. While many games on Steam offer supplemental VR modes and experiences, we limit this list to VR-only to showcase games that are designed solely for the virtual realm.

The VR catalogue continued to grow in 2021 with over 500 new VR-only games released throughout the year. Many of these releases made their way onto this year's Top Selling list, which features dozens of titles making their debuts. However, the stalwarts at the top remain unchallenged this year, with only one new game appearing in the Platinum category (Into the Radius).

Although this list requires that an app be VR-only, many existing games on Steam added VR support and VR dedicated modes throughout the year. If you're thinking of buying a VR device, chances are you might have a game in your library with optional VR support. 

Top Selling VR Games of 2021



This list represents the games that registered the most controller sessions during the year. Specifically, it's a ranking of games based on the highest number of unique controller players that they reached through December 15th, 2021. 

With the growth of games and player numbers on Steam during 2021, it's not surprising that the amount of controller sessions went up during the year as well. Whether it was a console controller, a flight stick, or a dance pad, millions of unique devices connected players to their games during 2021.

Games within the sports genre have always been popular with controllers, but 2021 took that to another level with soccer specifically. EA SPORTS™ FIFA 21 returned to the Platinum category this year, joined by its successor, FIFA 22. And if two wasn't enough, eFootball™ 2022 joined them, giving soccer games a 25% share of the Platinum category. Variety awaits those who delve a bit further into the list though, with plenty of other sporting options, along with other genres that are begging to be enjoyed with any input device.

Most Played Controller Games of 2021



A couple of notes regarding the lists themselves. Since we don't divulge revenue specifics for the games on these lists, we sort them into categories to give an idea of how they stack up. Games are randomly sorted within the following categories:

Platinum: 1st - 12th
Gold: 13th - 24th
Silver: 25th - 40th
Bronze: 41st - 100th

The games on the Most Played lists are organized by peak concurrent player count and grouped into thresholds based on the number of players.

Finally, when generating these lists, we are looking at data from January 1st 2021 through December 15th, 2021. 

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If you've made it this far and still want more, check out previous years here:

• Best of 2016
  
• Best of 2017
  
• Best of 2018
  
• Best of 2019
  
• Best of 2020

-Happy Holidays from everyone on the Steam Team!

It's open season to hunt for games and gifts in the Steam Winter Sale, where you'll catch a glimpse of the elusive Yeti and abominable savings on thousands of titles through January 5th at 10am Pacific.

Be sure to claim your free Winter gifts in the Steam Points Shop while you're at it. Every two days the sneaky Yeti or one of his wintery friends will make an appearance as a little giftie pour vous there. Stop by the Points Shop any time before the sale ends on January 5th at 10am Pacific to claim your free stickers. Got some points burning a hole in your wintery coat pocket? Then be sure to browse the Points Shop for additional Winter Goodies on sale now.

It's also time to cast your vote in the 2021 Steam Awards! The nominees for the best games of 2021 are in. Be sure to make your voice heard by casting your vote in each of the categories before January 3rd at 9am Pacific. Winners will then be revealed as soon as your votes have been tallied. Which games will go down in history as the best of 2021? It's entirely up to you!

Happy Holidays and Warm Winter Wishes, from Yeti and friends to you.

We're happy to announce our Top Releases of November 2021



As always, we look at every game released for the month, highlighting the Top 20 games and Top 5 DLC releases based on their first two weeks of revenue. We also highlight the top 5 free-to-play games, ranked by the number of unique players they acquired after launch.

The Top Releases of November 2021

Many fans have been anticipating the release of new content from Riot Forge, a publishing effort aimed at creating brand new games from the wildly-popular League of Legends universe. This month features the debut Riot Forge RPG, Ruined King: A League of Legends Story™, which has captivated long-time players and new fans alike. It's great to see positive reactions from nostalgic players, fond of familiar characters and lore, alongside praise from newcomers, thrilled with the unique game design and art style.

With development studios on Steam coming from every corner of the world, it's encouraging to see positive regional trends. For example, Chinese developers continue to bring popular new content to Steam, while finding increased success with players all around the world. This month's Top Release, Gunfire Reborn, is a perfect example of this success: developed by a studio in China, but gaining the majority of players from other regions of the world. In fact, Chinese developers have seen a 300% growth in sales from non-Chinese markets in the past year alone. It's of course awesome news for these devs, but the real excitement is for players, who now have increased variety when choosing which Top Release to play next.  

This month also features a whole new batch of games that are coming from development studios new to Steam. Several of these teams have been making games for quite some time, while others are making their very first commercial product. A big welcome and congrats go out to these development teams for their successful Steam debuts

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If you're curious about previous months, here are more Top Release lists:

• May 2021
  
• June 2021
  
• July 2021
  
• August 2021
  
• September 2021
  
• October 2021

With Steam Labs Experiment 10 last December, we introduced dozens of new genres, categories, and tags to our store’s navigation. Today we're launching Experiment 13, where we’ve revamped these destinations, or store hubs, with powerful new tools for browsing, filtering, and exploring deeper into each category.

When you join the experiment from the Steam Labs page, you will find that every category and tag page on the store has been updated, introducing these new layouts and features to hundreds of niche destinations throughout. You'll encounter these pages by exploring the "Categories" drop-down in the store menu, or by clicking on tags from a game's store page.


The most notable feature of the new hubs is the carousel of featured games right at the top of the page. Much like our previous design, this area features new, top-selling, and discounted titles through the lens of our recommendations system which takes into account the games you’ve played, your friends' recommendations, and the curators and developers you follow. The new carousel features more metadata about each game, including tags, release date, and review score, plus a large presentation of the game’s micro trailer, a feature which you may remember from Steam Labs Experiment 1.



Keep up to date on the latest news, updates, and events happening in games across Steam, niche by niche. Within each hub, you'll find a section featuring in-game events, recent updates, and news posts from the developers of games you play, those you wish for, or those which are recommended for you.



Our tag-driven recommendations are also listed for you on the new hubs, making it easy to discover titles tagged similarly to the games you've been enjoying.

Relevant items you've added to your Wishlist are now conveniently displayed on every Store Hub.

Our new content hub design features powerful new filtering tools which we first introduced with Steam Labs Experiment 12. This new section allows you to sort by new and trending, top selling, top rated, or discount amount. And you can filter by features, tags, or your own shopping preferences like language support or whether to hide some of the games you've already discovered.


To join this experiment and try the new Store Hubs, just visit the Steam Labs page and click on "Join The Store Hubs Experiment" for Experiment 13. It will redirect you to one of the updated hubs so you can start exploring right away.

Join the Experiment

Once you've joined the experiment, you can find just the thing you're looking for, such as upcoming co-op survival games, the new and trending atmospheric, story-rich, open world games, the top-rated roguelike space games, current deals on third-person, single player action games, or whatever your thing might be.

You can also check out an example of the themes these new hubs enable. Our Space Hub demonstrates this theming in action.

Have a feature request in the new hubs? Spot a bug? Want to express your thoughts? Join us in the discussion forums. We'd love to hear what you think.

Library

• Fixed game images being truncated by a couple of pixels in shelves and collections

Steam Cloud

• Fixed issues related to switching between two apps that use shared cloud storage, such as Terraria and tModLoader
  
• Fixed issues with library storage of collections and shelves caused by frequent deletion and regeneration of collections and shelves
  
• Avoid overly-aggressive reconnection attempts after server resets

Steam Overlay

• Fixed Steam Overlay not rendering for some DirectX 12 games.

Steam Input

• Fixed "Controller Configuration" not showing up in the Manage Game context menu
  
• Fixed Unity games not seeing controllers at startup

Remote Play

• Greatly improved VAAPI hardware decoding on Linux
  
• Fixed touch control settings not being saved in the Steam Link app

Shader Pre-Caching

• Fix a crash triggered by having a large number (>64k) of cache files

Linux

• Updated linux runtime 'scout' to 0.20211207.0: add support for webp in SDL2_image
  
• Fixed the starting directory sometimes being incorrect when launching devkit titles
  
• Cleanly report an error if a devkit title is configured without a command line