Steam is having its biggest year ever, and there are still three months left on the calendar. Analytics firm Alinea estimates that Valve’s storefront generated $1.7 billion in September — the best September on record, up 13% from September 2025, which held the previous mark. Add it all up and Steam has grossed an estimated $16.5 billion across the first nine months of 2026, ahead of the $14.5 billion from the same period last year, and Alinea now expects the platform to cross $20 billion in a single year for the first time. Valve doesn’t publish these figures, so every number here is Alinea’s estimate.
September capped what Alinea calls Steam’s best quarter to date: $5.5 billion in gross revenue for Q3, up 12% year over year.
How September Broke the Record
The month’s biggest earner was Wardogs, Bulkhead’s early access shooter, which pulled in an estimated $86.9 million after launching on September 10. It’s followed by Onimusha: Way of the Sword at $30.4 million and The Blood of Dawnwalker at $26.9 million. Free-to-play giants still carry their weight too: Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends, PUBG and Dota 2 brought in almost $168 million combined, nearly a tenth of the month’s total.
One of the most striking contributors is an 11-year-old game. Alinea says The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered — the free upgrade that launched on September 29 — pushed the game to roughly 2.4 million daily active users across Steam, PlayStation and Xbox on launch day, more than ten times its 2026 average. Alinea’s head of market analysis Rhys Elliott notes the game sold another 130,000 copies across Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X on Wednesday alone — its biggest single day since a $3.99 Steam discount back in summer 2024.
Why $20 Billion Looks Safe
“Given the insane release slate for the rest of the year, it’s safe to say Steam’s yearly revenue will blow past $20 billion for the first time,” Elliott says. October alone brings heavy hitters like Gears of War: E-Day and Star Wars: Galactic Racer, while November adds Gravhounds and Edge of Memories. GTA 6 won’t be on PC at launch, but Resident Evil Requiem, Crimson Desert and Slay the Spire 2 should keep the till ringing through winter.
What makes the spending spree remarkable is the hardware backdrop: Valve’s own Steam Machine starts at $1,049, and Micron has warned that memory supply will stay tight through 2027 and 2028. Gamers are apparently buying games regardless — and with Steam’s daily and midweek deals set to be retired in early 2027, Valve’s storefront is changing shape even as it breaks records.