11 hidden Steam options that PC avid gamers should not overlook

For PC avid gamers, Steam has been such a mainstay for therefore lengthy now that it’s virtually melded into the working system itself. The factor is, Steam is greater than only a market — it might do much more.

Simply since you’ve used Steam quite a bit doesn’t imply you understand every little thing about it. Valve has continued to replace its flagship product through the years with a number of intriguing and downright helpful options, and it’s an actual disgrace that a lot of these options fly underneath the radar.

So, I dug via a few of Valve’s latest bulletins and explored the software program from finish to finish. Listed below are some cool Steam options I discovered that you just would possibly’ve ignored.

Play Steam video games in your TV or telephone

Steam is a PC gaming platform, however you aren’t restricted to your PC. With Valve’s personal Steam Hyperlink app, you’ll be able to stream video games out of your PC to suitable gadgets together with telephones, tablets, and TVs.

All it’s important to do is set up Steam Hyperlink on the system you need to play on (e.g., your TV or telephone) and join by way of Steam Hyperlink to your gaming PC. This connection might be remodeled native community or the web, which means you’ll be able to truly play your video games even when away from residence.

What truly occurs is that your inputs are despatched to your PC, which runs the precise recreation, and the sport’s visible output is streamed to your system in actual time. It’s principally a cloud gaming setup, besides your personal PC is the cloud service on this case.

Associated: Which cloud gaming service is best for you?

If you wish to get much more technical with a full-blown DIY challenge, you’ll be able to even construct your personal Steam gaming console to your TV, which is what PCWorld’s personal Will Smith did only for funsies. I received’t faux to know precisely how he did it, however the finish result’s spectacular.

See how a lot you’ve spent on Steam

Bragging about what number of unplayed video games you might have in your Steam backlog is so 2010s. How about bragging concerning the ungodly quantity you’ve spent on video games, performed or not?

If you wish to pull again the veil and learn the way a lot of your future retirement fund you’ve frittered away in your gaming library, then Steam has the stat loaded and prepared for you.

Navigate to Assist > Steam help > My account > Knowledge associated to your Steam account > Exterior funds used and also you’ll see a breakdown of your complete spend over the lifetime of the account. Ouch.

Take wealthy notes for every recreation

Jon Martindale / IDG

Have you ever used the comparatively new Notes function in Steam? Valve launched it in a giant replace final 12 months and I’ve fallen in love with it.

It’s principally a notepad which you can entry via the Steam overlay (open the overlay utilizing the Shift + Tab shortcut), and you’ll maintain notes on a per-game foundation. It’s the place I retailer my strategic plans for classy video games on Tabletop Simulator, and it’s the place I go away myself reminders for what I need to do subsequent in Kerbal Area Program.

And Steam Notes can maintain extra than simply textual content. You may make hyperlinks to webpages, you’ll be able to write code, and you’ll even paste photos. (Copy the picture you need and paste it in utilizing Ctrl + V.)

You’ll be able to then entry Steam Notes exterior of the sport itself. Navigate to the sport in your library, then scroll down and take a look at the right-hand facet of the Steam window. You’ll discover the Notes tab with every little thing you’ve written and/or pasted there.

Do you ever really feel just like the video games in your Steam library are going to waste, both since you’ve but to play them otherwise you’ve accomplished them and don’t have any intention of ever enjoying them once more? Think about sharing these video games with family and friends so they can play them!

Steam Household is a nifty function that permits you to share your recreation library with as much as 5 different folks. Video games are shareable on a game-to-game foundation (have to be enabled by every developer), and a shared recreation can solely be performed by one individual at a time. Every individual in your Steam Household is designated as both an Grownup or Baby, with particular parental controls that may restrict entry to sure video games and Steam options for Kids.

To share Steam video games with somebody, each of you want Steam Guard enabled in your accounts. Then, go to Steam > Settings > Household, allow Activate household library on this system, then choose the account you need to share your library with from the listing. To play a shared recreation, the borrower should choose Borrow on the sport of their library, after which the proprietor should approve the borrow request.

Use customized controller configs per recreation

For those who want to recreation in your PC with a gaming controller as an alternative of keyboard and mouse, you must know which you can obtain and use customized controller presets created by the neighborhood on a per-game foundation. These presets could also be higher than the defaults.

To make use of these controller configs, go to Steam > View > Huge Image Mode. Then, in your recreation library, choose a recreation and click on on the controller icon beside it. Click on on the present controller structure and also you’ll be capable to browse each official and community-made configs.

Customise your Steam library artwork

Don’t like the emblem of a selected recreation? Want the background wasn’t so ugly and need to tweak it? Or perhaps you need to revamp the artwork for each recreation in your Steam library as a type of inventive expression? You’ll be able to!

All it’s important to do is open your Steam library, choose the sport you need to change the artwork for, then right-click the background picture in the primary window and select the picture you need to exchange it with.

This may be an effective way to, say, add your favourite private screenshots as a backdrop or just to customise logos for readability. SteamGridDB has some wonderful fan-made art work you need to use to switch the defaults, in case you aren’t inventive and/or need one thing professional-looking.

Promote Steam Buying and selling Playing cards for pockets funds

Jon Martindale / IDG

Frankly, I don’t care about Steam Buying and selling Playing cards, and I do know I can’t be the one one. There’s nothing unsuitable if you like them, after all — and it’s truly higher for me that individuals need them as a result of it permits me the chance to promote them for cash.

If you wish to do away with your Steam Buying and selling Playing cards, merely click on in your account title in Steam and choose Stock. Then, choose the entire buying and selling playing cards you don’t need (for me, that’s all of them) and hit the Promote button to promote them on the open market at a good value.

They may not promote immediately, however they need to go ultimately — and earlier than you understand it, you’ll have just a few additional {dollars} to spend on a brand new recreation or DLC that’s sitting in your wishlist.

If you wish to report video of your gameplay, you might have choices so far as what software program to make use of — however why not simply use Steam itself? Earlier this 12 months, Valve launched a helpful recreation recording function that’s free to make use of and constructed proper into the Steam shopper for final comfort.

To allow it, you’ll have to be operating the beta model of Steam (no less than on the time of this writing). To modify to the beta model of Steam, you’ll be able to merely go to Steam > Settings > Interface, then choose one of many beta choices from the drop-down menu.

After Steam restarts within the beta department, navigate to Steam > Settings > Recreation Recording, then choose both Background (to report continuously within the background, as much as the boundaries you set for time and storage) or On Demand (to solely report whenever you manually toggle it).

You’ll be able to add timeline markers that can assist you maintain observe of vital moments, you’ll be able to clip the footage, and you’ll share these clips, all from inside the Steam interface. Simply open the Steam overlay (once more, that’s Shift + Tab in recreation) and begin slicing up your highlights.

Extra on this: Arms-on with Steam’s recreation recording beta

Test your FPS in video games

Jon Martindale / IDG

This specific function has been in Steam for some time, however I’ve written sufficient “Find out how to verify your in-game FPS” guides to know that it’s nonetheless one thing that many aren’t conscious of. Steam might not be the finest software for checking body charges, however it is the quickest and most simple.

Navigate to Steam > Settings > In recreation, then allow the In-game FPS counter. It’ll show a easy common body charge on the prime of your display, which is sweet sufficient for many circumstances. (For those who don’t see it, be sure you haven’t disabled the Steam overlay from exhibiting in-game.)

Change Steam’s begin web page

Suppose you end up spending method an excessive amount of on Steam video games and also you need to remove as many temptations as you’ll be able to. One factor you are able to do is change Steam’s begin web page so that you aren’t bombarded with gross sales, provides, and new releases.

To alter Steam’s begin web page, go to Steam > Settings > Interface, then choose one of many choices for a way you need Steam to start out up. The choices embrace Information, Library, Neighborhood Dwelling, and (if Steam is an important side of your on-line social life) Buddy exercise.

After Steam’s newest consumer interface overhaul, Valve launched much more suggestions to your subsequent buy — and it is a nice strategy to discover hidden gems, even you probably have an expansive wishlist already.

All it’s important to do is navigate to the Retailer web page, scroll down, and simply maintain scrolling down. You’ll see the standard particular provides and featured video games on the prime, however maintain going and also you’ll enter into the weeds the place you will discover all kinds of lesser-known titles.

These suggestions are based mostly on varied components, together with the video games you truly play, the video games your pals have been enjoying currently, video games out of your wishlist that have been lately up to date, and a few really area of interest picks from area of interest classes that Steam thinks you’d like.

Whereas writing this text, I stored scrolling simply to see what Steam thinks I’d like and ended up discovering a bunch of “underwater video games” and “healthful video games,” which I apparently have a penchant for!

Additional studying: Should-know Steam tricks to stage up your PC gaming