Steam welcomed over 30 million new purchasers in 2021, with players spending 4.3 million years on platform

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.