Hello!

More players than ever are choosing to play Steam games with a controller, and we thought it would be a good time to share some stats about controller usage on Steam along with an update about Steam Input.

Stats: Controller use on Steam

• Since 2018, daily average controller use has tripled from ~5% to up to 15%
  
• ~42% of these controller sessions are using Steam Input
  
• During that time, the controller landscape has changed:
  
  
  • 59% of sessions are using Xbox controllers
    
  • 26% are using PlayStation controllers
    
  • 10% are on Steam Decks
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As usage has grown, our team has continued working to improve and add features to enhance the controller experience for these players. Here are some of the new features we’ve shipped for Steam Input and controller users recently:

• Big Picture update – complete redesign of the controller first experience on Steam, bringing the Steam Deck user experience to the big screen
  
• New controller configurator – rethought and simplified configurator to set, manage, and edit controller bindings
  
• Gyro aiming– overhauled and improved experience for controllers with gyro, implemented Flickstick functionality in Steam Input
  
• Virtual menus – added support to the desktop client
  
• PlayStation Controller support - We worked with Sony to improve support for PS controllers including DualSense Edge, and can now automatically support future 3rd party licensed PlayStation gamepads
  
• Xbox Controller support – We shipped a driver for Windows allowing us to better support Xbox One controllers, including the rear buttons on the Xbox Elite Controllers

One of the benefits of Steam Input is that when it’s implemented in a game, players can use any one of over 300 supported controllers to play. We also recently added support for the new HORIPAD for Steam (available in Japan later this summer), and worked with HORI's team to make their controller work well with Steam Input.

The team is continuing to work on Steam Input and controller support on Steam, and we are always looking for feedback. Let us know what you think in the forums.

Steam Next Fest is serving up hundreds of free playable demos through June 17th! From roguelikes to action games, relaxing games to FPS games. and more: Come play games of all kinds before they launch, and wishlist your favorites to stay in the loop.

You'll also find developer livestreams and chats throughout the entire event, so check out the schedule on the front page to plan out your week.

See you for the June edition of Steam Next Fest, now through June 17th on Steam!

There are a ton of awesome events happening in the coming days, all focused on sharing gaming news and announcements ahead of the summer. Steam's Summer Showcase of Summer Showcases organizes many of them into one page to make it easier (we hope!) to explore the different shows and perhaps even discover new ones.

Take a look at our landing page to see a schedule of livestreams, and to learn more about each event and their announcements over the next week or so.

Have fun, and here's to our marketing department working a bit harder next year on a shorter, easier-to-say title. Or maybe not?

Check out the Showcase of Showcases here: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/summer_showcase_2024

Welcome to Steam's Open World Survival Crafting Fest, where you can spend all your free time between now and June 3rd building up your Steam library with games that let you build and craft.

Hundreds of titles are on sale, with open worlds of all kinds! Sure, these are games where you can build and craft your way to success; but man oh man the threat of losing it all looms large.

Head on over to Steam's Open World Survival Crafting Fest, on now with discounts, demos and more through June 3rd at 10am Pacific.

Steam's Endless Replayability Fest is on now: a whole week filled with hundreds of discounts on your next favorite game to play again and again. Check out the trailer above for inspiration to come take a look!

From now until May 20th at 10am PT, explore demos and score deals on games where every single playthrough is different. In other words, they are specifically designed for you to find a new way to beat it (or lose to it) over and over again.

Join us on Steam for the Endless Replayability Fest. Join us on Steam! Join us. Join us, won't you? (See what we did there?)

Steam's Farming Fest is on now, with demos and deals by the acre! Whether you're growing the garden of your dreams, building a cozy farm, or getting as close as you can to experiencing the real stress of what it's like running one, there are hundreds of games to discover.

Our official trailer above gives you a good sense of what you'll find, but you may as well mosey on over to the event itself: Steam Farming Fest, now through May 6th!

Today we have updated a portion of our Refund Policy regarding pre-purchased titles. This change covers titles that are in pre-purchase and offer “Advanced Access”. Playtime acquired during the Advanced Access period will now count towards the Steam refund period. You can find our more information regarding Steam Refunds here.