Steam $11.1 Billion Analysis: PC Starts With Valve

Every PC storefront rivalry eventually runs into the same final boss: a blue icon, a shopping cart, and a library backlog large enough to qualify as a weather system. According to Hitmarker, Alinea Analytics estimates Steam generated $11.1 billion in gross revenue between January and June 2026. That is not just a big number, it is a strategy reminder with a receipt stapled to it.

The score screen is loud,

according to Hitmarker Hitmarker reports that Valve’s Steam platform posted its highest ever half year revenue figure with the estimated $11.1 billion total. Hitmarker also says that number is higher than Steam’s entire revenue during 2020, the year widely treated as a boom period for PC gaming. Notebookcheck separately reported the same $11.1 billion estimate for the first half of 2026 and described Steam as the largest video game storefront in the world. Inven Global adds useful context instead of just confetti. Citing Alinea Analytics, Inven Global says Steam’s estimated first half 2026 revenue was 14.5% higher than the same period last year and 8% higher than the second half of 2025, even though that later stretch had the year end peak season helping it. Translation: this was not just holiday momentum wearing a trench coat. The smart read is not that every studio should worship at Valve’s altar and ignore the rest of the map. Gross revenue is a top line signal, not a neat profit number, and platform strategy still depends on audience, region, pricing, and production reality. But if your PC plan treats Steam like just another upload form, that plan is the DMV of launch strategy: technically open, emotionally damaging, and probably missing the document that matters.

The new release squeeze is the real boss,

according to Inven Global The most important number in Inven Global’s report is not only $11.1 billion. It is 21%, the share Inven Global says came from games released in 2026. That means most of the estimated first half revenue came from games that were already on the shelf, which is great news for durable catalogs and rough news for teams expecting launch week to do all the lifting. For developers, the lesson is practical: Steam visibility is a campaign, not a calendar invite. Store page timing, wishlist building, demo beats, review readiness, and discount planning need to start before the release date starts glaring at you like a Souls boss at low health. A good indie can absolutely punch up here, but it needs a runway, because the new release row is crowded and the algorithm is not your emotional support animal. This also changes how publishers should read first week performance. A launch that does not instantly explode is not automatically cooked, especially if the product can keep improving, discount intelligently, and reappear during relevant events. Steam’s scale rewards persistence, but only if teams keep giving players clear reasons to notice the game after the first wave of thumbnails moves on.

The console comparison is not the whole story,

according to PC Guide PC Guide reported that Valve ended 2025 with record breaking Steam revenue, and that December 2025 was Steam’s best December to date. PC Guide also reported that ARC Raiders PC sales outperformed console. One example is not the constitution of the games business, but it fits the broader signal: PC demand is not a side quest. That matters because platform priority is usually decided under pressure. A team has finite QA time, marketing money, community bandwidth, and patch capacity. If the PC version is where discovery, sales, and long tail activity may concentrate, then shipping it as the afterthought port is how you earn a 3 out of 10 loading screens review from reality. Alternative storefronts still have a role, especially when they bring clear economics, audience access, or partnership support that Steam does not. The corporate fairy tale is that every channel deserves equal attention because reach is reach. The useful version is harsher and better: prioritize the channel where your likely players already compare prices, follow updates, and decide whether your launch build deserves their weekend.

Verdict, according to Notebookcheck and Inven Global Notebookcheck’s report

frames Steam as the largest video game storefront, while Inven Global’s analysis shows growth against both the prior year period and the second half of 2025. Put together, the read is boring in the way gravity is boring: everyone knows it exists, and then someone drops a piano to remind you. Steam gets 9 out of 10 storefront gravity wells, not because it is flawless, but because the market keeps routing serious PC money through it. For readers building, funding, or marketing PC games, the next move is not panic. Audit whether your Steam plan has real milestones before launch, a credible post launch update cadence, and discount moments that make sense instead of screaming sale because the chart looks sad. Watch future Alinea Analytics estimates and publisher results for whether new releases gain share again, because that 21% figure is the pressure gauge worth checking next.