A lot can happen in 20 years. We’ve gone from the PlayStation 2 to the PlayStation 5, the Xbox 360 to the Series X/S and the Game Boy Advance SP has changed to the Nintendo Switch, but throughout all those years and all that time, one thing has remained constant – Steam.
Today marks Steam’s 20th anniversary, and to celebrate, Valve has put most of its self-published games, excluding Half-Life: Alyx, on a 90% off sale.
The sale’s landing page lets gamers buy games from key years in the platform’s history while offering a cheery retrospective of Steam’s last two decades.
It’s filled with charming anecdotes about Steam through the years and includes a funny footnote about the first Steam Sale with a chance to buy the original Portal for just R10.
If you want to check it out, you can follow the link here.
This is also a chance to look back at Steam through the years and see how far the platform has come.
Speaking from my own experience, I clearly remember groaning whenever someone wanted to play a game through Steam because it was nothing short of frustrating to use and navigate.
Then, a couple of years later, I remember buying physical games in a store and installing them via Steam from the CD. I also remember when games started coming out that required Steam and an internet connection to play and the drama that ensued.
But now, Steam is my favourite way to play on PC, store my gaming collection and connect with friends, and that is something worth celebrating. Happy Birthday, Steam, we love you.