Steam revenue hits a record $1.7 billion in September 2026 despite soaring PC hardware costs

Steam generated an estimated $1.7 billion in September 2026, its best September on record, according to analytics firm Alinea Analytics. The figure is 13% higher than the previous record, set in September 2025.

The result comes as building a gaming PC has become notably more expensive in 2026, though that has yet to slow spending on PC games, Tom's Hardware notes.

Record quarter and nine months

September also capped Steam's strongest third quarter on record: the platform took in an estimated $5.5 billion from July through September, up 12% year over year. Steam's estimated revenue for the first nine months of 2026 was $16.5 billion, compared with $14.5 billion in the same period of 2025.

What drove the revenue

Among the 500 top-grossing games on Steam last month, new IP released in 2026 accounted for 20.5% of revenue, while established franchises took 79.5%, including 3.8% from remakes and remasters.

Several major releases helped drive the month, led by Wardogs at an estimated $86.9 million since its early-access launch on September 10, followed by Onimusha: Way of the Sword at $30.4 million and The Blood of Dawnwalker at $26.9 million.

Free-to-play titles also remained central to the platform's business: Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends, PUBG and Dota 2 together brought in nearly $168 million in September, close to 10% of Steam's estimated monthly revenue.

Release record and the $20 billion mark

Steam is also closing in on a new annual record for the number of game releases. As of October 1, it had 20,220 releases in 2026, with another 1,156 titles scheduled to launch in October. If those releases arrive as planned, Steam would pass the 21,268 games released in 2025.

With a packed release schedule ahead, Alinea Analytics estimates Steam could surpass $20 billion in annual revenue for the first time. The platform extends well beyond desktop and laptop gaming: Valve's Steam Deck gave it a dedicated handheld audience, the newly launched Steam Machine targets living-room play, and the company is working to bring its Steam OS to more devices.