What Is Steam? 2024 Guide for Beginners

Using Steam for the first time can feel a bit like starting a new adventure—exciting, a tad overwhelming, but definitely fun. If you’re new to PC gaming or just haven’t had the chance to explore what Steam has to offer, you’re about to find out why it’s so popular among gamers. You can find all sorts of games on this platform that might interest you, but I know that starting out can feel like there’s a lot to wrap your head around. Don’t worry, though; I’m here to walk you through the basics: setting up your account, finding games you’ll love, and making the most out of Steam’s cool features.

Downloading and Installing Steam

Getting started with Steam is straightforward. Begin by navigating to the official Steam website. Always use the official site to download the Steam installation file to ensure security and authenticity. On the Steam homepage, you’ll find an ‘Install Steam’ button located at the top right corner—clicking this will lead you to the download page.

Once you’ve downloaded the installer, open the file to start the setup process. During installation, you will select your preferred language and choose the installation directory. While the default location is usually sufficient, if you have multiple drives or a dedicated gaming drive, you might want to select a specific path, ideally on an SSD, for faster access and game load times.

After the installation, the Steam client will update itself to the latest version. This might take a few minutes depending on your internet connection.

Creating and Securing Your Steam Account

As soon as the Steam client is ready, the next step is to create your Steam account, which is your passport to accessing games and community features. Click on “Create a new account” if you’re new to Steam. You’ll need to provide a valid email address, set up a Steam account name, and choose a strong password. Steam emphasizes security, so incorporating a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols in your password is recommended.

After setting up your account details, you’ll need to verify your email address. This verification process is crucial for account recovery and security checks. Once your email is verified, consider enabling Steam Guard for additional security. Steam Guard provides an extra layer of protection by requiring a code sent to your email or phone when logging in from an unrecognized device.

Understanding the Steam Interface

Upon logging into Steam for the first time, you’ll be introduced to the Steam interface, which includes several key areas:

• Storefront: This is the main page you’ll see when you open Steam. Here, you can browse the latest games, upcoming releases, and any ongoing sales. The storefront is personalized based on your playing habits and preferences, helping you discover games you might enjoy.
• Library: Your library is where all your games are listed. After purchasing a game, it appears here. You can install games from the library and access any related content, such as updates, DLCs, and community posts.
• Community: The community tab opens a gateway to various forums, user reviews, guides, and discussions about games. This is a great place to connect with other gamers, exchange tips, and find groups to join.
• Profile: Your Steam profile is where you can manage personal information, track your game achievements, adjust privacy settings, and customize your profile appearance with backgrounds and badges.

Purchasing and Downloading Games

Purchasing games on Steam is a simple process:

1. Navigate to the Store page and find a game you want to purchase.
2. Click on the game to access its store page for details like reviews, system requirements, and price.
3. To purchase, click “Add to Cart” and then “Purchase for Myself”. At this point, you can choose your payment method (credit card, PayPal, Steam Wallet, etc.).
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the purchase.

Once purchased, the game will appear in your library. To download it, click on the game in your library and select “Install”. You can monitor the download progress directly in your library or under the “Downloads” tab.

Steam Features You Didn’t Know About

Now that you have a good grasp on the basics, there is a treasure trove of lesser-known features on Steam that can really enhance your gaming experience. Here are some of these hidden gems that might change the way you use Steam.

Remote Play and Downloads

Starting with a feature that’s incredibly handy yet often overlooked: Remote Play and Downloads. Imagine being away from home and realizing you forgot to download a game you’ve been itching to play. With Steam’s Remote Play, you can initiate downloads directly from your phone, so long as your PC is on and logged in to your Steam account. This means no more waiting to play the latest release; instead, you can have it downloaded and ready to go by the time you get home.

Hidden Gems

Did you know you can access games that have been removed from the Steam store? Yes, certain games, although de-listed, are still accessible if you know the direct command to install them. For example, the game Codename: Gordon, a side-scrolling action game, isn’t searchable through Steam’s store due to a defunct URL within the game. However, by using the command steam://install/92 in the Windows Run dialog or a browser while logged into Steam, you can still install and enjoy it.

Steam’s Local Network Transfer is also a great feature for users with multiple gaming PCs at home or for those setting up a LAN party. If a game is already installed on one device within your network, Steam allows you to transfer the game files to another device without re-downloading them. This not only saves time but also conserves bandwidth, which is particularly beneficial for users with data caps.

Advanced Storage Management

Steam’s Storage Manager is another powerful tool that’s often underutilized. It provides a detailed view of where games are installed on your computer and allows you to manage these installations easily. You can uninstall games in bulk or move them between drives, which is incredibly useful for managing large game libraries across multiple storage devices. Even more, Steam supports external drives, so you can run games from an external HDD or SSD just as you would from an internal drive, with minimal performance loss.

Remote Play Enhancement

Remote Play has evolved significantly since its inception. Initially introduced as in-home streaming, it allowed users to stream games from a powerful desktop to less powerful hardware like a laptop or a Steam Link device. Now, as Remote Play Anywhere, it enables streaming to phones, tablets, and TVs—transforming any location into your personal gaming station, provided you have a decent internet connection. This feature extends the flexibility of PC gaming far beyond the traditional desk setup, allowing you to enjoy high-fidelity gaming even on devices that could never run these games natively.

Family Sharing and Enhanced Screenshots

Steam’s Family Sharing extends the value of your game purchases by allowing you to share your library with up to five other accounts across ten devices. It’s particularly useful for single-player games, enabling you to share the gaming experience with friends or family without purchasing additional copies.

On the topic of sharing, Steam also offers an improved screenshot function that saves uncompressed images of your in-game moments. This ensures that your screenshots maintain high quality without compression artifacts, perfect for gamers who love capturing and sharing high-quality images of their virtual adventures.