Valve has rolled out significant updates to its Steam platform, introducing new features aimed at improving user experience and the usefulness of game reviews.
New Trending Free Tab
Steam now features a dedicated Trending Free tab on its front page, separating free games and downloads from premium titles. This change addresses the issue of free content overwhelming the New and Trending section, making it easier for users to discover both free and paid games.
Key points:
- Free games, demos, and other no-cost content now have their own tab
- Improves visibility for premium games in the main trending section
- Popular free downloads like the Black Myth Wukong benchmark tool are prominently featured
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| Steam introduces a dedicated Trending Free tab, enhancing user experience and game discovery |
Revamped Review Helpfulness System
Valve has also introduced a new Helpfulness System for user reviews, designed to prioritize informative feedback over memes and jokes.
System highlights:
- Uses machine learning, user reports, and moderation to categorize reviews
- Deprioritizes one-word reviews, ASCII art, and meme content
- Maintains all reviews but sorts them based on perceived helpfulness
- Does not impact overall review scores
Users can opt out of the new system by unchecking Use new helpfulness system in the Display dropdown menu above reviews.
Other Recent Changes
- Removal of the Open Screenshot Location button in the latest beta
- Plans to disallow external links in Steam store descriptions starting in September
These updates reflect Valve's ongoing efforts to refine the Steam platform, balancing user engagement with practical improvements for game discovery and purchasing decisions.