Steam Turns 20: How Valve's Digital Platform Transformed PC Gaming

Steam launched 20 years ago on September 12, 2003 as a way to deliver patches and manage multiplayer for Valve games.
It quickly grew into a full digital distribution platform and now dominates PC gaming with over 33 million concurrent users.
Steam has transformed Valve from a game developer into a massive digital retailer and shaped many aspects of game development and culture.
Over the years, Steam has tried different approaches to issues like curation, moderation, revenue sharing, and early access.
While not without controversy, Steam remains essential infrastructure for many game developers and players. Its evolution continues.

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Relevant topic timeline:

9/11/2023

Steam Celebrates 20th Anniversary, Gives Badges to Oldest User Accounts

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Steam, Valve is giving special digital badges to its oldest users and the community reflects on the early days of the platform, where Counter-Strike played a major role in its popularity and growth.

10/1/2023

Steam Festival Offers Hundreds of Free Game Demos and Exclusive Streams

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10/9/2023

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