Steam Has Generated $15 Billion in Revenue in 2026 So Far, Says Analyst

Valve's PC gaming platform, Steam, has reportedly generated $15 billion in revenue so far in 2026. This figure comes from Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics, who analyzed the performance of the year's top releases and the split between new and established intellectual properties on the digital storefront.

According to Elliott's findings, six major games released in 2026 accounted for approximately $1 billion, or 6.6 percent, of the overall $15 billion revenue total. These six titles include Forza Horizon 6 ($210.5 million), Crimson Desert ($203.3 million), Resident Evil Requiem ($200.9 million), Slay the Spire 2 ($148.4 million), Subnautica 2 ($139.2 million), and Meccha Chameleon ($89.8 million).

The data highlights a significant reliance on established franchises. Out of those top six revenue generators, only Crimson Desert and Meccha Chameleon are new IPs. Slay the Spire 2 and Subnautica 2 remain in Early Access, while other top releases like Forza Horizon 6, Meccha Chameleon, and Crimson Desert continue to receive frequent developer updates. Resident Evil Requiem stands out as a traditional, single-player survival horror title; Capcom previously confirmed in July that the game had sold over 8 million copies across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Looking at the broader catalog, the top 100 grossing new games of 2026 have generated approximately $2.4 billion, which represents 15.9 percent of Steam's overall revenue. Within this top 100 tier, 63 percent of the games were new IPs, yet 52.5 percent of the actual revenue ($1.25 billion) came from established franchises. Elliott pointed out that Crimson Desert alone accounted for 18 percent of all new-IP revenue in the top 100. Excluding Crimson Desert from the equation, the remaining 62 new-IP games made up only about 39 percent of that segment's revenue, demonstrating that established properties continue to do the heavy lifting on the platform.