Tag:

Steam

A screenshot from Waterpark Simulator showing a full-dressed man riding a looping water slide

Five new Steam games you probably missed (August 25, 2025)

by admin August 25, 2025

On an average day about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that’s a good thing, it can be understandably hard to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to be lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you sort through every single game that is released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If nothing catches your fancy this week, we’ve gathered the best PC games you can play right now and a running list of the 2025 games that are launching this year.

Waterpark Simulator

Waterpark Simulator – Official Cinematic Launch Trailer – YouTube

Watch On

Steam ‌page‌ ‌
Release:‌ August 23
Developer:‌ CayPlay

It’s hard to take a “Simulator” seriously nowadays, with the recent tidal wave of low-effort retail sims. So I almost browsed straight past Waterpark Simulator, but I’m glad I didn’t, because it looks genuinely fun. Not least because it aims to be “serious” while not taking itself too seriously. In addition to the usual park plotting and staff management, you can also just go around being an arsehole to your customers. Want to push that annoying looking guy into a shallow pool? You totally should. Want to drench that unassuming woman with your water gun? Hey: you own this place. Do it. Over-the-top ragdoll physics makes everything stupider, too. This is basically a troll sim masquerading as a tycoon game. It’s in early access for up to a year.

Cheese Rolling

Cheese Rolling – Official Launch Trailer – YouTube

Watch On

Steam‌ ‌page‌
Release:‌ August 20
Developer:‌ The Interviewed

One enduringly fascinating thing about gaming in the 2020s is that, while a multimillion dollar hero shooter from a major studio can die on arrival, a bizarre game about chasing big cheese wheels down dangerous slopes can be a viral success (see also: Webfishing, Mage Arena, Peak). Aside from developers losing their jobs en masse because major publishers and studios want to blindly chase lucrative trends, resulting in countless boring games that look like DeviantArt Marvel, I’d say this is a positive thing. Cheese rolling is an actual thing they do in Gloucester, England, by the way. This game is a singleplayer and PvP tribute to it, only Gloucester doesn’t have lava as far as I know.

Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken

Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken – Official Reveal Trailer – YouTube

Watch On

Steam‌ ‌page‌ ‌
Release:‌ August 22
Developers:‌ scriptwelder

I love the look of this horror point ‘n’ clicker, which comes from a dev with veteran status in the contemporary scene. Protagonist Amy is investigating the mysterious death of her brother, whose interest in dreams and their relationship with alternative worlds made him seem like a bit of a crank. Amy’s had cause to think again, though: maybe he was… on to something? Expect pointing, clicking, puzzles, ample investigation, and even some light RPG elements. Labyrinth of the Forsaken is a chunky standalone in the Deep Sleep series, whose trilogy is well worth playing, especially for less than a buck.

Crescent Tower

『Crescent Tower』Steam version set to be released by AMATA Games in 2025! – YouTube

Watch On

Steam page
Release:‌ August 20
Developer:‌ Curry Croquette

Long term readers of this column will know I’m a sucker for ancient looking dungeon crawlers, but Crescent Tower’s lavish 8-bit pixel art looks positively next-gen compared to, say Caves of Qud or last week’s Shadowed: The Demon Castle of Ooe. Unlike both of those, it’s also not a roguelike, though with nine classes across three races, there’s sure to be some replay value. Combat is a side-long turn-based affair in the style of the ye olde Final Fantasy games, while exploration is conducted from a classic bird’s eye view. Developer Curry Croquette predicts you’ll get between 10-20 hours on a single playthrough,

HorrorToleranceTest

(Image credit: うさうさはっぴーげーむず)

Steam‌ ‌page‌ ‌
Release:‌ August 20
Developer:‌ うさうさはっぴーげーむず

This is a Japanese horror game taking the form of a “tolerance test”. Can you cope with different kinds of horror, ranging from “surprise fear”, through to “hiding fear” and “escaping fear”? HorrorToleranceTest will help you find out! In practice, it’s a collection of mini-games, but it’s also a rare example of a truly original concept arising among the droves of indie horror games that hit Steam every week.

Source link

August 25, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Hollow Knight Just Hit An All-Time Peak On Steam After Silksong Release Date Reveal

by admin August 25, 2025

2017’s Hollow Knight just reached a new all-time peak concurrent-player record on Steam, and the achievement came just after developer Team Cherry announced the release date for its sequel, Silksong.

Hollow Knight reached an all-time peak concurrent record of 23,819 on Steam today, August 22. Measuring a game’s popularity by Steam concurrent numbers is never a perfect or complete encapsulation of a game’s popularity, and Hollow Knight being an exclusively single-player game that doesn’t rely on people playing at the same time muddies the waters as well. But what is evident here is that Hollow Knight’s popularity on Steam is growing in the wake of the big Silksong reveal.

Size:640 × 360480 × 270

Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

This video has an invalid file format.

Sorry, but you can’t access this content!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900

By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s

Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy

enter

Now Playing: Hollow Knight: Silksong – Official Release Date Reveal Gameplay Trailer

Hollow Knight’s previously Steam concurrent record of around 20,000 players was achieved in May 2022. All of this data comes from SteamDB.

Steam’s own sales data shows that Hollow Knight jumped into the top 50 overall best-selling games on the platform. The game is also available on console platforms, but sales or engagement data is not available. Hollow Knight is also available on Game Pass (and Silksong will be as well).

At least three games have already been delayed due, in part, to Silksong. The game is set for release on September 4, and it’s been a long time coming.

“Hollow Knight: Silksong appears to be exactly what we all should have expected: a strong, well-designed, visually lovely game that carries forward the aesthetic and design philosophies of the original with thoughtful, if not earth-shattering, updates,” GameSpot’s Steve Watts wrote after going hands-on with Silksong at Gamescom this week.

Source link

August 25, 2025 0 comments

Hollow Knight Silksong finally gets release date, out next month

Game Updates

Silksong excitement has seen Hollow Knight’s concurrent Steam peak record smashed over and over again

by admin August 24, 2025

People are getting ready for Hollow Knight: Silksong in the very best way possible – by replaying the original, Hollow Knight, in record numbers.

Ever since Silksong’s 4th September release date was confirmed at Gamescom last week, more and more people have been heading back into Dirtmouth, so much so that Team Cherry’s critically-acclaimed game has repeatedly broken its own concurrent peak player count on Steam over the weekend.

Hollow Knight: Silksong release date.Watch on YouTube

Right now (and “right now” is subject to change with alarming speed), Hollow Knight’s all-time concurrent peak of 39,356 players was set less than an hour ago. And while there are plenty of games that have eclipsed that over the last few weeks, don’t forget that Hollow Knight is an indie single-player game that’s eight years old now.

Of course, concurrent Steam peaks are precisely that – an indication of popularity on Steam – but it’s usually indicative of player counts on other platforms, too. But before the Silksong announcement, Hollow Knight’s concurrent Steam peak, set back in 2022, stood at a much more modest 20K.

Hollow Knight: Silksong will release on Thursday, 4th September 2025 for PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Yet contrary to what you may believe, Silksong hasn’t been in development hell for that time, however – in fact, Team Cherry’s developers say they were just having too much fun making it.

Source link

August 24, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Peak Is Now Steam Deck Verified And The Cannon Glitch Is Fixed

by admin August 23, 2025

Steam darling Peak’s latest patch changes the game for Steam Deck players and speedrunners who love nothing more than a good glitch.

Peak version 1.25.a makes a few major changes and a bunch of minor ones. The biggest alteration is that the game is now Steam Deck Verified.

“Finally…..the game is good on Steam Deck,” the team wrote in the patch notes. “Deck players will know it’s been good for a while! The Mesa Update added the last of controller support needed and with this patch we’ve added some text adjustments needed to get the Verified badge.”

There are a whole bunch of fixes and adjustments as well. Most prominently, it’s much harder to glitch your way to the top of the mountain than it has been over the last couple of weeks.

“Made fog walls taller so you can’t shoot over them to win the game in a minute with the Scout Cannon exploit,” Team Peak wrote. “A lot of you asked us not to change the Scout Cannon but no promises were made about the map.”

Previously, players could use the Scout Cannon to blast themselves so high that they were able to clear all five of the game’s biomes and reach the goal at the peak. With the fog wall change, cannons can still send players ridiculously far under the right circumstances, but they’re now much more likely to smack into the wall of shifting fog that separates each biome and fall to their deaths. That said, we did manage to use the cannon to clear at least a couple of biomes before crashing back to earth when testing the update, so ridiculous cannon stunts remain possible.

Interestingly, this patch also added the ability to toggle off The Looker, a character who could randomly appear behind certain rocks, and who would disappear if you got too close or looked at them for too long. Even if you do leave the feature enabled, the character’s appearance will be more rare moving forward.

One issue many Peak players have run into is that a bunch of the game’s merit badges, tied to its Steam achievements, don’t seem to unlock, even after doing everything required to earn them. Those issues have been resolved for the Cool Cucumber, Plunderer, Clutch, and First Aid badges.

Other issues addressed in this patch include problems with beehives (insect phobia textures work now, and you can’t put beehives into your backpack anymore), alongside several balance changes (hot rocks in the Kiln now damage players correctly, the Cure-All item can cure some thorns in the Mesa biome, and the Magic Beanstalk is faster to climb).

Peak is the latest and one of the best examples of the genre that gamers have began to lovingly (or not-so-lovingly) as “friendslop”–relatively simple co-op-first games that include an element of humor, such as R.E.P.O. and Lethal Company. Getting to the top of Peak’s mountain requires skill and knowledge, but things like exploding spores, the fact that you can lose consciousness and fall off the mountain, and lots of other hazards, are undeniably meant to cause laughter.

Peak has sold over 10 million copies on Steam according to Geoff Keighley, and has recently added features like a Mesa biome, cannibalism, and more.

Source link

August 23, 2025 0 comments

A pile of Britons rolling down a snowy hillside after a cheese wheel.

Gaming Gear

Cheese Rolling is the best free Steam game about the age-old English tradition of hurling yourself down a hillside in pursuit of tumbling dairy

by admin August 21, 2025

Every year since at least 1826, hundreds of questionably-hinged individuals from around the globe gather at Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire to enjoy the privilege of throwing themselves down a steep slope to chase a rolling wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. Competitors risk any number of bodily injuries, as the annually overtaxed emergency medical services of the region will tell you.

If, like me, you’ve been faintly, distantly jealous of those cheese-crazed tumblers and their yearly submission to gravity’s bone-shattering whims in hopes of claiming praise and prize (the prize is cheese), I have great news: There’s a game for that now, and it won’t cost you any money. Or fractures.

Cheese Rolling launched just two days ago. In it, you play as one of up to eight hapless Britons. Said hapless Britons are perched atop a hillside. There is a cheese wheel there, and it is already rolling, and you must grab it first to win.

What follows is a physics-based tangle of flailing, flopping peasantry. You have just enough control over your character’s movement to trick yourself into believing you’re improving at the sacred art of cheese rolling, only to watch as you—and everyone else—reach a high enough velocity that you overshoot the cheese wheel and end up at the bottom in a frantic pile trying to be the first to writhe out of the mass.

As is becoming a standard for physics-based chaos simulators, Cheese Rolling has proximity chat. I could only find one other person online while I was playing, but that meant I could clearly hear his fading wail of “Fuck” as he narrowly missed the cheese and bounced impotently into the misted distance.

(Image credit: The Interviewed)

Luckily, there’s a more than adequate singleplayer mode for anyone who wants to get in early and master your technique. For reasons we may never be able to explain, Cheese Rolling doesn’t have much of a following yet. If you ever hoped to secure your place as a cheese-chasing legend, now’s your chance.

Cheese Rolling is available now on Steam.

Source link

August 21, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

ROG Xbox Ally: Release Date, Specs, Price and How It Compares to Steam Deck

by admin August 21, 2025

The Steam Deck has yet to find a real competitor in the PC handheld gaming device battle. Other hardware companies, including Asus, Lenovo and MSI, have tried, but so far, their devices keep falling short. Asus plans to try to take another swipe at the crown, though, this time with the help of Microsoft.

In June, the two revealed their partnership for a new handheld device: the ROG Xbox Ally. This handheld will come in two variants and will attempt to bring the Xbox console experience to a portable device. Microsoft confirmed the release date for the Xbox Ally of Oct. 16 on Wednesday, but there are still some questions about the handheld.

Will the Xbox Ally outdo the Steam Deck, or will it wind up being just another wannabe?

Will you go with the Xbox Ally or Xbox Ally X?

Microsoft/Screenshot by CNET

How much will the Xbox Ally cost?

Neither Microsoft nor Asus has confirmed an official price yet. One thing for sure is that the Xbox Ally won’t be cheap.

Multiple leaks suggest the price will be 599 euros for the Xbox Ally and 899 euros for a higher-end version, the Xbox Ally X. That does leave the question of what the price will be in the US. Most likely, the price will be the same just in dollars, as that is the typical practice for gaming hardware prices.

Discount social media poster Wario64 tweeted Best Buy listings for the Xbox Ally, Xbox Ally X, charger dock, and case on Wednesday. There’s no pricing on the site for the devices, just a button to be notified when preorders become available. However, Wario64 states the pricing on the back end shows the Xbox Ally at $550 and the Xbox Ally X at $900, while the charging dock is listed on the site $100 and case for $70. The dock and case prices are on Best Buy and are accurate. It’s unclear if Microsoft changed plans at the last minute.

Best Buy has listed ROG Xbox Ally listings (no preorders yet)
Ally ($549.99) https://t.co/nmHw6Nxov3
Ally X ($899.99) https://t.co/Dts0GcUNFW
100W Charger Dock (HDMI 2.0, USB-A, USB-C) ($99.99) https://t.co/LkoKyunOE8
Case $69.99 https://t.co/jaTIBfWUXX
Confirming… pic.twitter.com/oalzcOON77

— Wario64 (@Wario64) August 20, 2025

Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the post.

The uncertainty about the price of the Xbox Ally is likely due to tariffs. Microsoft recently increased the prices of its Xbox Series consoles and Asus has done the same with its laptops and its current ROG Ally lineup.

When does the Xbox Ally come out?

Microsoft did confirm the release date of the Xbox Ally on Oct. 16. This date was mentioned in previous leaks regarding the handheld device’s price.

When can I preorder the Xbox Ally?

Preorders are not available as of yet. In the blog post about the release date, Microsoft says preordering and pricing will be announced sometime in the future. Best Buy does have the listings for the Xbox Ally, Xbox Ally X, charging dock and case, and those interested can request to be notified when preorders become available.

What’s the difference between the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X?

There are two versions of the Xbox Ally: the lower-priced Xbox Ally and the higher-priced Xbox Ally X.

The key differences between the two are in their processors, storage and memory. The Xbox Ally will have the AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor, while the Xbox Ally X will use the faster AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor. Memory will be different, with the lower-priced Xbox Ally having 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400 and the higher-cost handheld coming with 24GB LPDDR5X-8000. Both will come with SSD storage but the Xbox Ally will have 512GB and the Xbox Ally X will have 1TB. The Xbox Ally X will also come with a bigger battery but with a faster processor and more memory. It’s not clear if that difference in capacity translates to a longer battery life.

Specs for Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X

ROG Xbox AllyROG Xbox Ally X Operating System Windows 11 HomeWindows 11 HomeControls and grip Contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers deliver all-day comfort. ABXY buttons / D-pad / L & R Hall Effect analog triggers / L & R bumpers / Xbox button / View button / Menu button / Command Center button / Library button / 2x assignable back buttons / 2x full-size analog sticks / HD haptics / 6-axis IMUContoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers deliver all-day comfort, complete with impulse triggers for enhanced control. ABXY buttons / D-pad / L & R impulse triggers / L & R bumpers / Xbox button / View button / Menu button / Command Center button / Library button / 2x assignable back buttons / 2x full-size analog sticks / HD haptics / 6-axis IMUProcessor AMD Ryzen Z2 A ProcessorAMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme ProcessorMemory 16GB LPDDR5X-640024GB LPDDR5X-8000Storage 512GB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade1TB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgradeDisplay 7-inch, 1080p, IPS, 500 nits, 16:9; 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium; Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection7-inch, 1080p, IPS, 500 nits, 16:9; 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium; Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-ReflectionI/O Ports 2x USB-C (2 x DP 2.1, PD 3.0), 1x microSD, 1x analog audio2x USB-C (1x USB4, 1x USB 3.2 both w/ DP 2.1, PD 3.0), 1x micro SD, 1x analog audioNetwork and Communication Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2), Bluetooth 5.4Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2), Bluetooth 5.4Dimensions 29.1×12.2×5.1 cm29.1×12.2×5.1 cmWeight 670g715gBattery 60Wh80WhIncluded ROG Xbox Ally 65W charger StandROG Xbox Ally X 65W charger Stand

What makes the Xbox Ally different from the Steam Deck?

The most notable difference between the Xbox Ally and the Steam Deck is the operating system. Like the ROG Ally, the Xbox Ally will also use Windows 11, while the Steam Deck uses Valve’s SteamOS.

Even though every PC game works with Windows, handheld gaming devices running Windows have had serious issues, as the OS implementation has been a bit buggy. Portable consoles like the ROG Ally, MSI Claw and Lenovo Legion Go simply don’t run well with full Windows because the OS is designed for laptops and desktops and not handheld devices. SteamOS, however, is designed to run almost every game on Steam without issues and regardless of device size.

The Xbox Ally changes that by giving it an Xbox interface. This would be similar to how the Xbox app on PCs works for running games. It would also be able to download Xbox games directly to it, remote play them off a console or stream them via Xbox Cloud.

Watch this: Xbox ROG Ally, the Xbox Handheld, Is Real and I Played It

04:05

Another big difference is the hardware. The Steam Deck came out in 2022 and it was the first mass-produced handheld gaming device for PC. At the time, Valve had to use custom AMD processors but since then, AMD has produced more processors for handheld devices, which are now much more powerful in just a few years. The Xbox Ally would also have faster RAM. Both the improvement in processors and RAM should significantly increase the number of games the Xbox Ally can run versus the Steam Deck, which is already struggling to run newer games at 30fps.

Externally, the Xbox Ally will come with the same size 7-inch display but it will have a higher refresh rate of 120Hz, a brighter screen at 500 nits and increased resolution at 1080p. There will also be some slight differences in the physical size of the Xbox Ally, which will be a little bigger and heavier. Another difference from the Steam Deck is that the Xbox Ally controls will be more similar to the Xbox controller.

Microsoft and Asus have a large hill to climb if they plan to have the Xbox Ally dethrone the Steam Deck. It will be especially tough if Valve decides to announce the Steam Deck 2 soon.

Source link

August 21, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

ROG Xbox Ally Handheld Launch Date Set For October, Features Steam Deck-Style Compatibility

by admin August 20, 2025

A release date for the ROG Xbox Ally has been revealed, as the handheld gaming PC will be go on sale starting October 16. Microsoft hasn’t confirmed pricing for the devices yet, but it did explain how games will be optimized for these systems. One thing to note here is that there will be two different versions of the ROG Xbox Ally–a base model and a more premium “X” handheld–so performance will vary across them.

During its Gamecom 2025 livestream, Microsoft said that the base model Xbox Ally targets a resolution of 720p, while the Xbox Ally X aims for a 1080p resolution. Both units can run in one of three modes–Silent, Performance, and Turbo–and for frame rates, games that hit certain benchmarks will receive a specific compatibility tag.

Microsoft says that it has worked with game studios to optimize thousands of games for handheld compatibility, with the overall goal here being that you can install them and start playing right away. This has resulted in two tags that will accompany optimized games, similar to Valve’s Steam Deck Verified program for its handheld gaming PC:

Handheld Optimized

Games that are ready to go with default controller inputs, an intuitive text input method, accurate iconography, clear text legibility, and appropriate resolution in full-screen mode.

Mostly Compatible

Games that may require minor in-game setting changes for an optimal experience on handheld.

Additionally, there’ll be other tags that will give you an idea of how well a game will perform on the Xbox Ally:

Should perform well on your device

Games that run at 30fps or above

Should perform great on your device

Games that run at 60fps or above

Performance check not available yet

Games that haven’t been tested yet

Microsoft added that more technical features will also be made available in the future, including advanced shader delivery that preloads game shaders during download. This will make games run more smoothly and use less battery power on first play. Enhancements to the docking experience for the devices are also in the works and several accessories will be released for it as well.

The company also recently spoke about how handheld consoles like the Xbox Ally tie into its next-gen console plans, as Microsoft is looking to create a broad ecosystem for players that will allow them to play their games at home or on the go.

Source link

August 20, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Ether (ETH) Resurgence Gains Steam Driven by Spot ETF Demand and On-Chain Growth: Citi

by admin August 20, 2025

After enduring a drawdown of more than 55% earlier this year and lagging peers amid tariff-driven risk-off sentiment, ether (ETH) has staged a powerful comeback, Wall Street bank Citi (C) said in a research report on Tuesday.

The second-largest cryptocurrency is now up nearly 30% year-to-date, testing bitcoin’s (BTC) dominance in a way not seen since late last year. This time, however, ether is taking market share rather than ceding it, the report said.

Spot ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have seen a surge of demand. Cumulative net inflows now top $13 billion, up from just $2.6 billion in April, analysts Alex Saunders and Nathaniel Rupert wrote.

As ETF balances grow, flows are playing a more direct role in price dynamics, the analysts said.

Ether treasury firms have also joined the bid, with large purchases beginning in May. Their collective holdings now hover near $10 billion at current market values, while the equity valuations of these companies have expanded alongside ether’s rally, the report noted.

Blockchain data shows large wallets accumulating ether while smaller investors trim exposure. Ether balances on centralized exchanges continue to decline, signaling a shift of supply back on-chain. This dynamic could be amplifying the latest leg higher, creating a squeeze-like effect, the report added.

While the rally has been sharp, the bank’s analysts caution it isn’t purely technical. On-chain activity has picked up, reinforcing the move with stronger fundamentals. Combined with a macro backdrop that resembles a “goldilocks” environment, neither too hot nor too cold, ether’s resurgence could have legs, particularly with supportive regulatory signals and bullish narratives in play.

Read more: Ether-Led Rally Pushed Crypto Market Cap to $3.7T in July: JPMorgan

Source link

August 20, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

This Old-School Dungeon Crawler Is Free On Steam If You Grab It Quickly

by admin August 19, 2025

Last year, solo developer Chris Allen released his old-school dungeon crawler Shade Silver on PC. Now, Allen is temporarily giving Shade Silver away for free on Steam, if you take the time to grab it before the offer expires.

To claim Shade Silver, the only thing players need to do is claim it on Steam before 10 AM PT on August 21. After that time, you’ll have to pay for it.

The game casts players as a wizard named Shade Silver as he embarks on a side-scrolling adventure that forces him to avoid traps, shoot enemies, solve puzzles, find treasures, and even bribe a few ogres to advance to the next level. There are four bosses and boss battles across 81 levels, with multiple secrets to discover along the way.

Allen has also shared a trailer for his next solo-dev game, Vein-Weaver Knitting. The demo for that game is already on Steam.

Valve recently unveiled a tweak to the way that reviews are displayed on Steam to make them more relevant for players. Valve is also refreshing the look of Steam’s game pages to make them wider, with more room for images and videos. However, Steam and other digital outlets have been bending to pressure from the anti-porn non-profit Collective Shout and removing NSFW games from search results or banning them altogether.

One of the games banned by Steam was the indie psychological horror game, Vile: Exhumed, which is now available as a free download.

Source link

August 19, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Steam launches ‘language-specific’ review scores, because ‘customers in different regions of the world may have vastly different experiences from each other for the same game’

by admin August 18, 2025

In its never-ending quest to achieve algorithmic nirvana, Valve has updated Steam’s user review scoring system “for some games” to be calculated based on the language in which they were written.

“When there are enough reviews written in a particular language, Steam will calculate a review score for that language,” Valve explained. “The Review Score displayed to users will be based on their primary language. What this means is that some languages may show more positive review scores, while others may show more negative ones, for the same game.”

The language-specific review breakdown will be provided for any game with more than 2,000 public user reviews, at least 200 of which are written in at least one language. Valve said the thresholds are higher than the 10 reviews required to calculate an overall review score “because we wanted to be pretty confident in the language-specific score before showing it to users.”

Of course, this is Steam, and that means you can dive deeper into the numbers if you want to. Hovering the “Language” dropdown in the user reviews menu bar, for instance, will provide a quick-and-dirty breakdown of a game’s rating in every applicable language. This, for instance, is the rating breakdown for The First Descendant, which is very obviously all over the map—”mostly negative” for Simplified Chinese, “very positive” for Portuguese and Dutch.

(Image credit: Steam)

There’s also a new language-breakdown popup option, which displays basically the same information, but bigger and in color:

(Image credit: Steam)

The new language-specific review scores are enabled by default—Valve said it wants user reviews to be as useful as possible without requiring users to “twiddle with the many knobs the system has”—but you can switch back to all-languages ratings in your Steam settings if you prefer. As for why it made the change, the simple fact is that Steam has become a global platform, and that means “customers in different regions of the world may have vastly different experiences from each other for the same game.”

“There are a variety of reasons this may happen for a particular game, including translation issues, cultural references, poor network connections, and many others; things that the Overall Review Scores haven’t been able to capture until now,” Valve wrote. “Calculating a language-specific review score means that we can better distill the sentiment of these different groups of customers, and in doing so, better serve potential customers that belong to those groups.”

I would observe with a certain note of caution that the value of Steam user reviews is dependent upon them being used in good faith, which is not always the case, and that language-specific review scores could maybe possibly encourage some, let’s say, friendly geopolitical rivalries on the rating scene, as users from one region take issue with the quite obviously incorrect (and maybe even biased) opinions of people in other regions. We’ll see how that works out soon enough, I’m sure.

Best PC gaming kit 2025

All our favorite gear

Source link

August 18, 2025 0 comments