Valve has shared Steam’s results for 2021, which were successful even compared to rapid growth in 2020. The platform’s user base, spending, and playtime increased year-over-year.
Key takeaways
- Players spent almost 38 billion hours (or 4.3 million years) on Steam in 2021, which is up 21% year-over-year.
- Player spending increased by 27% compared to 2020. Steam’s total gaming revenue remains undisclosed.
- 2.6 million first-time customers have been joining the platform each month, which is roughly the same growth rate compared to the previous year.
- Overall, Steam saw 31.2 million new purchasers last year, with total spending growing 27% year-over-year.
- The platform’s MAU and DAU reached 132 million players and 69 million users respectively.
- Steam users sent over 2.6 million gift cards, with their dollar value increasing 43% year-over-year.
- The number of VR players increased by 11%, with unique play sessions growing 22%.
- Games created by Chinese developers saw a 300% growth in sales outside China.
- 2021’s Summer Sale became the biggest event in the platform’s history as developers’ revenue grew 13% compared to the 2020’s Summer Sale.
- Developers participating in Steam Next Fests saw 22 times more wishlists during these events.
- Last year, Steam reported more than 400 million visits to over 44k games via UTM links, a feature that was introduced to developers in 2021.